Intangible

A LONG LONG TIME AGO, on the 27th of November, jiaxiang and I went to SITEX to shop. I remember the date clearly for 2 reasons. One - I did tell someone I'm going there. Two - I needed my hard drive back from jiaxiang desperately to watch the movies I stored on it. Three - because I did get to tell someone I'm going there, something bad happened between us. No link.

I wasn't there to *shop*, honestly. I had clearly in mind what I wanted - a 1 TB HARD DRIVE that is PORTABLE and CHEAP. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, they're pretty much mutually exclusive. I could sense the evil plot in those manufacturer's minds : not one brand could accomplish all 3. According to jiaxiang, it is due to "technological limitations". I could choose to buy a Maxtor drive that looks like an elephant but costs $180 only, or buy one from Western Digital that looks sleek but costs up to $230. Even though the specifications are the same (3.5 inch), the size varies like what the peanuts. YES, IT'S JUST LIKE SOMEONE'S WIVE WHO SAID $600K IS PEANUTS.

After walking around for 2+ hours around a damn crowded Expo, I decided to just grab a $209 Seagate freeagent drive. Ok I know that didn't make sense to any of you. It's just something that looks better than an elephant, but that's pretty purpose defeating since I won't be looking at it all the time - it's not THAT portable.

Just so that you've been wondering WTF IS THE POINT OF YOUR ENTRY, I'm going to get to it soon. Jiaxiang wanted his Western Digital Black Caviar 1 TB hard drive really badly. The only reason why I could remember those 4 words so clearly was because he mentioned it to every booth at SITEX. Just to illustrate how fussy he can get, a booth sold Western Digital GREEN something something. Same size LOWER price. I went "EH LOOK TAKE THAT ONE LA" because my legs were wobbling already. Jiaxiang was firm like fuck - "cannot la. this one cannot anyhow de lor. green is for saving power leh. black got different performance de lor"

._.

After walking around for another hour, it became clear that his hard drive wasn't sold at SITEX - because he was looking for an internal one. Apparently IT shows decided to sell those that can be customized easily only, and if we were to get his internal hard drive, we had to get to one of the outlets at.... sim lim square. And so jiaxiang asked me "eh now still early hor. you don't mind come with me to city hall right?" It was 6.30 already, and I could easily just take a train up to pasir ris and take a straight bus home. BUT SOMEHOW, my mouth gaped here and there and said "anything lor lets go".

If you were observant enough, you'll notice that sim lim square isn't at city hall. BUT THAT'S WHERE WE WENT! Imagine me lugging my semi-elephant box while catching up with a hyper jiaxiang. I don't quite get how many cans of red bull he drank that day, but apparently he ran all over funan IT mall (next to city hall mrt) and called someone else, only to realise that sim lim was at bugis. In the end I was so cui that I was 1 level below him at sim lim square - he told me to wait for him while he go get his drive. It was an epic race against time - we reached a shop which closes at 9 at around 8.48. And jiaxiang still behaved as though he was still full of red bull.
We ate dinner somewhere, but didn't say anything through out. He was clutching on to his hard drive, checking it incessantly, making sure he really did get the right one.

On my way home I contemplated sitting on the box containing my drive - it's slightly less unglam than sitting on the MRT floor. I wondered why performance was that important as compared to power saving - saving the earth ftw. I wondered why he couldn't do without that Western Digital Caviar Black, and not simply take an elephantine one like I wanted to. I wondered why I needed a 1 TB drive just because my 250 GB one was left with 6 GB too, not that any of it was used for porn. I wondered why I never thought of pangseh-ing him once since back at Expo.




It's because he didn't pangseh me once throughout the A level year (this very year) when I asked him a BILLION (literally) questions like a nub. Thanks.

9R4MM4R

I *got* nothing better to do.

Q: What will happen to electrons, with kinetic energy of a few hundred eVs, when they are incident onto a carbon film?

The answer was *obvious*, but came with a weird phrasing. It's some MCQ by the way.

A: They see the carbon lattice like a diffraction grating and get diffracted.

OK THAT WASN'T SOME APRIL FOOL'S JOKE. Apparently, electrons now get the 5 senses animals have and are capable of making choices too. They can choose NOT to see the diffraction grating and not get diffracted. This would not be a problem had the other choices been weird too, but nope, they happen to be comparatively more normal. I didn't highlight/bold/italicized the word *comparatively* because you did see it right? RIGHT?

i) They will get *repel* back towards *its* initial direction of approach.
-This option gives you the idea that the question setter has uber grammar phail, but I can't complain because I know my grammar gets more epic by the day.

ii) They will knock out the electrons from the lowest shell and as a result, x-rays *is* being produced.
- At least you know that the same question setter bothered to finish the question. Wait, was he/she the same person who vetted the paper too? VERY unfortunately, I didn't find any logic phail with this option at first sight. Electrons are actually capable of knocking themselves out - being at two places at any one time! Maybe it's because of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle oO

iii) Most of them will pass straight through as there *are* alot of empty *space* in the carbon film.
Uh huh. *WO MING BAI!*

So the options didn't make sense. *Np*, since the examiner decided to be consistent all the way in explaining the correct answer.


Almost impossible to get *repel* back towards *its* initial direction.
Not enough energy to knock out electrons from the lowest shell.
*It* will pass through, but *most of them* will not *pass through straight*. They will get diffracted as the wavelength is about that of the lattice spacing.

WIN



Ok so everyone's grammar is getting lousier by the day, *heng* it's not just mine. I can go on and on about how the *net* butchered the language, or how Singlish done us in for good. I can still imagine myself saying "u imba" thirty years from now too. However, it can never get too worrying, according to many Singaporeans who rightly (yea i tink so 2) believe that Singlish is unique; we ought to be proud of it. No matter what though, don't ever let your speech degrade to this sample MSN conversation-

“hi lol”
“hey ROFLMAOGAG”
“wut up lol”
“u c dakr nite????”
“ya lol”
“rip heath ledgere”
“ya, hez dead, rite?”
“ya, se u on myspace”
“k lol”
“bye rofl”
“k, by, lols”

Pearl

In a random kingdom, there was a king whose health was ailing. This terrible soul had no end to his worries - he needed a heir urgently but his appearance looked so much like your regular douchebag that he could not get married even if he tried (he did try). Whether he's impotent or not is questionable, but the real matter at hand was simply too pressing. He could not trust any of his ministers/officials/what-have-you-not at all, it seemed as though he was the only honest dude out there paying tax; corruption was uber endemic. Sounds like a country close to home, but never mind.

He decided to come up with an extremely lame way of getting a heir - by organizing a competition. He made an announcement through out the kingdom, calling out to people far and wide all across the land (sounds like pokemon intro). Sure enough, attendance was sky high on that day itself since people turned up in droves. Heck, who doesn't want to be a king?

When the millions or billions settled down, he started his speech: "SUP MA' NIGGAS!" Ok fine he didn't start that way; he began something like this: " My time...is nearly...up..." he coughed, just like when Vader told Luke Skywalker he was his father. Everyone listened attentively with abated breath. "I shall distribute seeds...to every single one of you.." - more coughs. "Whoever has the tallest...tree..within the next nine months... shall ascend to my throne..." Before he even finished his speech, his retarded townsfolk ransacked the carts. He barely made it back to his bed breathing.

Jack (nothing to do with the beanstalk), was a rugged little kid who lived with his grandmother. He nearly got trampled to death by the IQ-deficient horde, but he did get his seed nonetheless. Being the good ol' honest kid he is, he sticked to one as compared to some greedy nutsacks who grabbed a handful. He saw this opportunity as a way out of poverty; he was going to try his utmost best to make a giant beanstalk out of it (pun really intended).

He dug a nice comfy hole for this little seedling, making sure that it gets maximum sunlight, ultra-violet radiation and all. He watered it patiently, anxiously checking on its progress on a daily basis. But all was not well for Jack. The seed he took, apparently, was stubborn as a mule. It refused to bud past day twenty, and it most certainly wasn't going to change into a sapling anytime soon. His worries were compounded when he overheard his neighbours growing eight feet tall trees by now, and he suspected them of h4x (anachronistic, I know). Despite all that bullshit, he stuck to his own routine: watering daily and praying hourly. Jack, a faithful dumbass, insisted on not switching seeds - he was sure that his seed was just LAGGING really bad.

Nine months zipped past in an instant (like always). Jack brought along his pathetic pot to the castle gates, queueing up just like everyone. He was embarassed - everyone else had the most brilliant and beautiful flora ever seen, all obviously thriving through out the summer. The king, still alive but not kicking, shook his head slowly as the peasants presented him with their masterpieces. The king got more depressed as each applicant walked passed him; he was clearly not impressed with the abundant and exotic greenery before him.

Jack succeeded in ignoring the humiliation steeming from everyone's fingers, stares, endless mutterings that reverbrated ever so clearly in his head - it was as if he became Daredevil that instant. He finally got his turn to present his work - nothing. The king cocked an eyebrow, and asked "Where's your plant?" Jack kept his head hung low. He could almost feel the king's penetrating gaze boring a hole through him, but picked up the courage and almost whispered "This is all I have got, I tried my best already."

The crowd around him roared with laughter, like duh. Jack felt his ears redden, knowing that he was going to be the laughing stock of town. Miraculously, the king smiled benignly, and offered Jack his crown. Jack could almost hear the "WTFBBQMARSHMELLOWS!" that was mouthed out by everyone; even he himself was so amazed that he felt as if he was floating.

A week later, when the king was on his death bed, minutes away from leaving this material plane, Jack stood by his bedside and asked him why was he awarded the throne when he had nothing. The king managed a chuckle, and said "I didn't hand out any seeds to begin with."







Gambling's never THAT addictive; succeeding is.

RARA

A damn long time ago, there was this little mouse who lived in an oak tree (oak because "tree" alone sounded dumb). You can try imagining a hamster or a guinea pig for that matter; I've never seen mice before except on TV. Ok so one day, the mouse got bored of nibbling stuff. It had epiphany after nibbling on some wrong stuff; it simply had to know how to become stronger in order to face his arch-nemesis : the cat. Now don't get too GP, it doesn't matter one bit what strong really means because I don't know either.

So it started his journey and asked the cat, whom, by the way, was nice on that day, the million dollar question: "What makes you so strong?" The cat didn't hesitate one bit and said " No way in hell am I the strongest, you ought to ask the dog that instead. I run away for inexplicable reasons the moment he barks!"

The mouse felt an overwhelming sense of relief; there was something that could actually scare his bully ! And so it went on and seeked out the dog, and posed the same question. The dog wagged his silly tail abit, before replying "I don't know why either but you definitely asked the wrong guy, you ought to ask the wind instead. There was once I tried chasing the cat, the wind intervened and blew him miles away! I could have tried chasing but that's when I got distracted by a bone, so..."

The mouse never felt more thrilled in his life! He spent the next half a year trying to seek out THE wind, and obviously took really long since, well, it's THE wind. When he finally chanced upon the wind, he tried asking the same question. " That ain't a tough one," was his reply. "The farking oak tree down yonder won't budge at all no matter hard I try!"

The mouse was really, really exhausted by now, but heck, the tree wasn't going anywhere anyway so he didn't mind seeking enlightenment back home. The tree, huffed, swayed, and nearly died from staying too still for too long, but it did answer slowly (like slowly) : " Like duh, it's you. I'm going to die in like, weeks, because you nibbled all my damn roots away. And the bark too, you ass"

The mouse became so wise that it grew another whisker, although that didn't stop the cat from chasing him. Damn.



Size doesn't matter - nothing really, really does neither.

Nay

Yes I epic-failed miserably. Once a week is impossible unless I'm a caveman. On Monday and Tuesday, however, I succeeded in STAYING AWAY for >6 hours in a row. For some inexplicable reason, I can sense my POWERS RETURNING (with respect to mugging) after two long years. While I'm no Superman, my computer's more lethal than Kryptonite anyday.

......

I went back for a visit, and my doctor told me kindly that my eyes getting more and more fucked up by the visit (luckily the trend began only the last visit). I had difficulty in not lol-ing because I only ate 1 Azathioprine tablet daily instead of the required 2 for the past 8 months. It's surprisingly easy to tell someone to STICK WITH IT, but I honestly can't remember when was the last time I actually need not eat an extra 30 mg of synthetic stuff every breakfast. I can't even begin to imagine what is it like for kidney failure patients to undergo dialysis treatment on a daily basis. That's one more reason to get off my Azathioprines.

This visit was funnier than the rest, because the clinic actually had lots of their staff changed. Consequently, I met lots of newbs (not n00bs). The nurse who did the visual analysis with me didn't know how to record down the scores properly, and worse still, wasn't exactly sure of which button to flick to make the slide rotate. In case any of you are puzzled, visual analysis is the incredibly fun eye sight test where the projector reveals rows and rows of alphabets/numerals that shrinks exponentially. I score pretty badly ALL THE TIME, and I honestly doubt it's to do with my eyesight than the incredibly tiny font size.

Those in charge of doing the blood tests were TOTAL NEWBS. They actually bothered to tell me that "you will experience a tight sensation" when they tied the band around my arm, "you will get the cool feeling because of the alcohol swap", but the classic has to be "you can close your eyes if you want to!" when the needle went in. I tried my best to not ROFLMAOGAG, or the needle would have been into a dozen places instead of just one =) I was concentrating so hard on not laughing that I didn't wonder they took 3 x 50 ml of blood instead of the usual 2 tubes --> NEWBS! Being nice is a virtue - I ought to write in a letter someday when I needn't ever step back in there again.

.........

And it's 45 days and counting. I didn't do the actual counting, I saw someone else's blog. All I can think of now is - C U AT LAN!!!!!!!11111111




Take one step at a time, there's no need to rush; it's like learning to fly, or falling in love

Do

I just came back from my cousin's wedding, and saw something really disturbing. They actually featured photos back from the days when both were babies to their school life etc etc. And then I realised that since I don't cam alot, my "preview" might involve a leap from baby straight to ADULTHOOD (provided I get married).

....

There's this queer thing about me; I actually believe in providence in times of desperation. For instance, I'll start praying fervently whenever I lose an item of importance (glasses, thumbdrive) and even "swear" that I'll be more careful in the future to not lose it SHOULD (He/She/It) decides to "help" me find it. For some inexplicable reason, I actually locate these items within 5 minutes of "prayer" 99.99% of the time. That being said, I am a believer - not in fate or destiny or what's written by those in the sky, but simply in inevitability.

Meaning if I did do my homework, truckloads of it, and having no doubts about what I am supposed to know and what I actually do know, I will certainly ace it. Nobody likes uncertainty. It generates unnecessary adrenaline, and your mind gives you a very detailed analysis of what actually won't happen. The only way to eliminate uncertainty is to make things predictable, and that, is what everyone is going to attempt at.

2 years ago on the day I received my results, I actually started worrying on the bus ride back to school because I believed that there was a chance I couldn't get my 6. I started recalling how I BNET-ed during O levels, watched wcg replays of my favourite game, and actually went for LAN right AFTER my practical paper. Simply put it - that wasn't 100% effort on my part. I knew the consequences while bnetting, but I just couldn't be bothered. And then I started panicking right before receiving the slip, again "swearing" that if I do actually get a 6, I will never ever make things come this close again. I did get my 6.

There's only 8 weeks left. Bnet's not the problem, I'm actually tempted to finish my FF9 because I'm on to Disc 3. Wait, that isn't THE problem either. The problem is, just how many times need history repeat itself? None, because I alone can shape fate just as it shapes me.

I WILL ONLY USE THE COMP ONCE PER WEEK FROM NOW ON TILL THE LAST PAPER K THX.


Fuck, I lost my thumbdrive again zzz

12

It doesn't help one bit when you happened to dream about a gunman chasing you down the previous night. I wasn't even entirely sure that it was a dream initially; my mind seemed so fresh from Red Bull and the likes upon "awakening".

Econs wasn't really worth mentioning, because nothing exciting popped up. The most dreaded situation of choosing three out of two didn't really happen; there was 4 really nice ones to begin with.

I went home coincedentally with Tse Mei but decided against saying anything because she had two other friends accompanying her. If I had to say something, it would be "FUCK CHEM" right away. Now ain't I nice for choosing to shut up?

I don't really like chem, but that isn't saying anything because I don't like just about everything related to school. Today's paper 3 felt so familiar - I'm actually watching Discovery Channel! I never really forgotten the slogan it once championed : learning something new everyday. To put it simply, I don't really know if I do know what I should really know.

It feels like expansion packs, one after another. Anybody who plays any game will get thrilled at the prospect of any upcoming one: new units, abilities, add-ons that simply mesmerizes you totally with lots of WOW factors. Except for chem, I just feel like uninstalling the whole lot of them right away. But quitting makes me feel 10x more nub than if I still have SO MANY DAYS to try.

I never did countdowns. I don't actually know how many days are there really left. But I WILL w t f p w n chem by then.

Less QQ, more pewpew.

TADA!

Because someone wanted to read rubbish, I decided to conjure some up. Heck, I'm don't even need to try that hard.

In this picture, you'll get to see that I'm obviously (fill in the blank) while there are LOTS of people out there who prefer that I cough up the necessary change. I get Paramount Pictures, Time Warner Telecom, Universal Studios, MediaSentry and the whole lot on that traffic list all the time. To prevent paranoia from being induced a dozen times over, I choose to not watch the list grow twelve feet long by the minute. Yes, there was once the list got chocked full within 5 seconds ._.

The interesting part lies in two entries that are logged there - one that refers to the "ministry" of of some Baltic country, the other referring to some military institutition (NAVY FYI). I hereby swear that I'm not a hacker; I know as much about hacking as I do about good/fashionable/appealing/what-have-you-not clothing. Am I a threat to national security? Of course not. Then why are these big guns in suits checking me up?

They aren't. At least they aren't the ones doing so. Somehow, I got this gut feeling that some geeks behind the computer (I'm not one of them k thx) who knows alot about zeros and ones are the real perpetrators behind it. They're so brilliant at this puppetry that only one who has been treading in equally deep waters can hope to find out where they are. If you believe that seeing is believing in this frontier you probably believe in Santa Claus.

I can't thank enough the hero(es) ( I shan't insult them with geek) who happen to be equally savvy in this field.

On a side note, luckily I didn't teach my father how to be a pirate, eye-patch/wooden leg and all.The last time I checked, his computer didn't have Universial Studios probing around.

Wry

Sorethroat struck first but it wasn't something unforeseen. Sometimes you just get too lazy to drink water, and then it decides to creep up from behind. I couldn't sleep the whole night because breathing properly became impossible.



Upon pulling myself to school the next day, I walked around like a zombie, discovering to my horror that I couldn't speak up thanks to the sorethroat. I decided to take care of myself by sleeping immediately upon reaching home instead of doing ANYTHING.

But the most important part came at night when my mum actually took leave upon knowing I fell sick. I actually yelled "GAY SHIT" in my mind because that means a full day of playing...gone.

I recovered really fast thanks to her blended orange juice and what not. She was the one who wrapped towels around my head to cool the fever off too. And then she didn't get bored of refilling my water bottle.

I was back the next day still being half-dead but at least not d e a d like on Tuesday.

Life likes to kick me in the balls time to time.



















Thanks.

Castle

Hope is the very first step on the road to disappointment. NO I'M NOT GETTING EMO. I happened to download Dawn of War that had this unit named the Librarian who goes about saying that pwnage sentence over and over again.

It is frighteningly true. There can be nothing worse than being in mired in despondency; one who despairs is already at the precipice of sanity. The concept of hope is grounded in postivity, which paradoxically can only exist under negativity. Taking the tale of Pandora's Box to be true, then perhaps we're better off than if her curiosity wasn't inherent.

I watched a couple of freak shows today while at Yixin's house to celebrate birthdays (including mine which takes place tomorrow). Saw 3 was the only striking one. Jigsaw throws *unappreciative* people into damning situations in order to change their lives. While it's not his say as to how others should live their lives, where would we be without recovering from a downturn?

Have we lived a life if it was as flat as being dead? Just how much inaction on one's part can be quantified to be someone who "has no life"? Herein lies the catch - haven't we all wished for a better life?

Hope and wish have been used so interchangeably that their meanings have been diluted. The *subtlety' involved is ignored too often, but I'm not one to clarify the distinction.

Wishes are plentiful these days, hope in less abundance. Thankfully I'm starting to hope - not exactly for a complete change from my compulsive habit - because there's simply nothing better to do at the moment. I hope the next year will be different from the previous one as always.

I wish it will be a better one as *always*.


Here's why my wishes don't usually get granted:





JUST KIDDING. I wish for more significant things than that =D

Sanguine

This is one of the better June breaks as far as I can recall. One of the reason is because I've did more work than I could possibly imagine within the first half of the holidays - an unprecedented feat considering the source of my motivation - my mum being at home. If she's at home --> I can't play --> might as well do some work.


Went out to Raffles Quay for dinner with some classmates last Friday to break the boredom of staying at home. We TRIED to take a photo with the Merlion but no one's phone camera could given its extreme coolness. Kidding, duh. It was only because the spotlights underneath it shone so brightly you could do a Batman movie with the bat symbol over it. We then spent the next hour or so walking around the Esplanade, browsing through the souvenir shops which had amusing fridge magnets. We played cards for the next hour or so and called it a day. It is a nice outing - don't take my dull description seriously.

Wednesday was a rush. I had to go for NS medical checkup in the morning to get myself graded for enlistment. I knew where I stood anyway but there was a compulsory vocational test that begged me for effort to be invested so that the army will have an easier time "allocating resources". I'm going to try to recall as much about the test as I can here:
Section 1: Understanding the relation between words. E.g workshop:carpenter is given, and then you'll have to select the correct choice that has a similar relation, i.e. clinic:doctor. THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT SECTION. At least only for the last 5 questions. I really couldn't find a matching answer for spoon:fork, so I picked something along the lines of milk:spoon, which actually seemed the most logical to me. I just pray that I don't get labelled "retarded" and be assigned a toilet cleaning job after this.
Section 2: Maths. Piece of cake. Consists mostly of primary school stuff, although I couldn't do one of the problem sums involving money debts (something in P6). The advanced questions go on to polynomial divisions, while the hardest one without doubt has to be differentiation. Which was easy anyway.
Section 3: Visualisation. I TOTALLY DIDN'T GET THE INSTRUCTIONS. A pattern is provided with a tilted picture. You're supposed to imagine what happens to the pattern when the picture is tilted to a certain degree. Well I only got it after the entire test is over. 0 marks here. GG
Section 4: Following instructions never seemed harder. They blew my mind away with mentally exhausting, yet painfully simple tasks. One question would be like -" find the number next to the word with the least number of alphabets. If it's the smallest, type ...." Yes. They aim to drive all the mentally "inept" people into Woodbridge so that they can "allocate resources" "efficiently" in the future.
Section 5: PHYSICS. They provide diagrams and ask you stuff like which bridge is sturdier, which door is more robust, which pulley is more/equally effective. While I'm sure that I got all the hydraulics one correct, I'm pretty sure I random-ed all my other options. It's so difficult it's not even funny, because I had to laugh at my lack of common sense through out the test. I actually wondered if circular motion applies to pulleys. (. . .)
Section 6: Funniest of them all. Numbers 1-9 are arranged in 3x3 box. When the box is highlighted, hit the corresponding number on the keyboard thrice in succession, with the aim of completing it ASAP. I couldn't finish this twisted version of whack-a-mole because the SAF believes in ninja reflexes pathetic beings like me can't possibly possess. How are you supposed to even press the button thrice when the highlight lasts only 0.1s? Fortunately I can't be the worst candidate for this test - someone I know tried CLICKING on the monitor and was wondering why he was faster than the system. Real neat.
Section 7: The test that convinced me that the army hasn't "allocated resources" "efficiently". This test truly differetiates the stupid from the smart (asses). The task here is frighteningly simple: a series of digits (starting from 3, ends with 8 or 9) will be flashed on the screen, and then another screen full of gibberish text will replace it, after which you have to recall what the original sequence of digits is. This test is F***ING STUPID because they gave you a piece of paper and pencil before hand to work out the P6 maths. All I did was click "next" and scribbled down whatever was flashed, wait for the gibberish screen to pass, and poof, scored full marks. Ok fine maybe it is a test of integrity of all (then I'll fail miserably). I do have to give props to whoever set the gibberish text - I tried my best not to ROFLMFAOLOL at whatever was screened. They used phrases such as "GET OUTTTTTTTT", "HELP ME", "GGGGGGGGGG", "SHUT UP", "LOLOLOLOLOOLOLOLOL" spammed across half the screen to get you distracted.
**I finished the 2hr test in 45 minutes. (actually completed all the 35x5 questions). This is NOT an achievement, because many others I know actually got too bored and left halfway. I actually witnessed one person falling asleep ten minutes into the test. So much for vocational testing.

I left CMPB in a hurry to rush to Suntec for the InterJc- finals that we were sent to get gutted. We were only notified two nights before the event took place, so no training whatsoever took place. Watched nice games and played bad ones, but it was really fun because it was FREE LAN. And FREE PRIZES too. I wouldn't know if the team we replaced wanted the prizes - they're only worth something in the pernicious world of Maplestory.

And here it is today, Friday, second week of the holidays coming to an end. I just know the second half will get better. Because I seriously hope this is the best June holidays I ever had, as it is also the last real break before the gay levels.

Propriety

Tests are over.
~
I happened to be late for school a couple of times this year. Like any institution that calls itself as one, it metes similar punishment to everyone regardless of the 'valid' reasons they might have. Its aim, albeit not a noble one, is to instill the virtue of punctuality in each and every one of us. Obviously it has a pragmatic purpose - if you can't be punctual for school, you can't be punctual for work and then you're screwed.
I always thought I had valid reasons for being late, with one case being the exception where I continued sleeping after the alarm rang and woke up an hour earlier. The other times I actually came late were because I couldn't board the bus at all, or rather I couldn't be bothered to. The buses that came looked so jam packed that only four to five more could attempt to board, with dozens other queueing up behind.
By the time I reached school I had to hide in some unobtrusive corner until classes began. On one occasion, however, I tried walking by the main gate and was stopped together with thirty others by the guard who requested that we write our names down. Being the last one in line, I pretended to write something down when the guard was looking elsewhere and left quickly soon after.
Fortunately, I didn't feel guilty at all about cheating the system, the reason being me disagreeing with the punishments itself. Detention is especially painful because it's a waste of time for someone who has already wasted loads of it, but it doesn't ring a bell because it doesn't make much sense.
Being intelligent in creative ways, human beings have become selective and flexible in what morales they should strive to have. Ironman illustrates this fact clearly when initially he did not see the crimes he had committed indirectly through selling weapons. By the way, I'm just advertising for that nice movie =D
My dad believes that I'm en route to trouble because cheating is pernicious in nature; I'll only be emboldened to accomplish similar acts under riskier situations. However, this is simply because I told him I wrote someone's else name down instead of my own. I thought this would be a more sensational story after having heard it myself from someone else. Honestly speaking I did have the intention to try that out the next time I have to walk through the main gate again. I guess I have changed my mind now.
Chronic latecoming is an endemic problem that has no simple solutions. That's because changing one's mindset isn't that easy.

Vicissitude

No idea which part of Jan was it when the idea kicked in, but it was probably within the first week. Ch said he didn't want to join because he wanted to mug which was a 'valiant' attempt - he went back to sourcing in the end. We had to look for a replacement which came in the form of Jiaming.
The story in between till now is irrelevant. By Gamesex finals I already saw everything. At the njcg semi's they hadn't changed one bit.
The finals was one 'good' game. Good because we tried our best (can't do anything against broken bb), bad because the number of retards present have grown nearly two-fold. In the end, I still got to thank a few people:
Ivan - for carrying and farming like a China farmer (I'm not discriminating China) for all the games, and being capable of playing all the carry stuff I thought we might end up using.
Mingwei - for being 'kingler' so many times with his H3 in condemned physics together with the countless times he was oppressed by his older brother. I actually wanted to thank him for being uber obedient in all the games so far and playing the best SF I've ever seen. (tb luna not included because he's cui with those =D JUST JOKING)
Shem - for being the most aggressive bastard who can't resist not stunning anyone by level 1. Best sandking and tiny (jugg not mentioned because he only picks that when I'm on the opposite team -.-')
Jiaming - for fixing his computer by the end of March holidays and being ultra good support. Most memorable match was when we fought the China team (really, I don't hate China) and he warded the nc spots in order for us to eat luna up. Nevermind that he and Shem screwed up at the start
Henry - for turning up on every single match and buying nice food for us on each occasion; he was like the seventh member of our team. He monitors our progress and provides his input at every given opportunity, while offering his unwavering support like amazing friends do (not being a kingler). But he wasn't being a maphack, so I can't see why one retard bothered to try to silence him.
Cihui - for being so "fulking" "no impolite" when he carried while I was feeding with the feeder dragon =D
Chee Wee, Soon Kiat, Xian Yong, the AJ people, and the China team (see, I really don't hate China) - for standing behind us the whole time.
I'm proud that I succeeded in keeping this team together despite both Shem and Mingwei wanting to 'kingler' me from Jan to March. In case you don't know, 'kingler' comes from the fact that Mingwei is KING at abandoning people =D
My prediction for the drafts came true. I just didn't know my (our) plan will fail right from the start. But then that was the one of the best game of DOTA that I've ever played, and it was being played with the team that nearly never was - FREEEEEEE FRAGGGGGGGGSSS FTW

*yawn*

One more week.
Not to the common tests, I'm not interested in that.
It's to the end.
Not really the end if we win -.-
I actually took 20 minutes to come up with the above oO
And it doesn't even rhyme one bit...
DIE LA I'M BECOMING LIKE SOMEONE WHO THINKS SHE ROCKS WHEN SHE ONLY STONES (i.e meigui)
I MIGHT come up with something more interesting in a few day's time ><
*goes back to sleep*

Tail

It took quite some time before the results of PW actually sank in. There wasn't much of a need to reflect on the work I put in - I stayed up longer into the night for gaming than I ever did for the stupid subject. I never had troublesome teammates, unless you count the supervising tutor that condemned us to fail since last year April. Nonetheless the implications are frighteningly non-existent. either because I got an A or it didn't mean anything in the first place.
Whenever anything has come to an end, deep down inside we all know it hasn't. For example, after my PSLE I really thought I could play all day for the rest of my life until Sec 1 kicked me in the nuts for being second last in class.
The process is supposed to be more interesting; nobody ever takes more than a glance at the fullstop after a sentence. I can honestly attest to that, simply because my memory is horrendously not selective when it comes to mundane events in the past as compared to the block of text residing in notes which I must remember now.
If it was anything about PW that I can remember, it was me describing the composition of our Written Report as well as the preparation for the Oral Presentation to be nothing short of an "extreme makeover". Not because I have watched the show (not once), but because these two words alone sums it all up.
My understanding of how memory works is overly simplistic. Everything that we have experienced has always been there, residing in some unknown section of our brain. In order to recall that piece of information, a key word or feeling is attached to it for convenience. Thats how I remember stuff for exams anyway. You don't throw out all of your system files onto your desktop; there are folders for a reason. And remembering what happened earlier than two years old is rather impossible unless you've been abused terribly bad, so be thankful for the way it is now.
I can think of a really perfect paragraph to describe my secondary school life, but I'll be too shy to say it. I can attach "..." to my past five birthdays or so because it has been that way and pretty much the same for all of them. "SON OF A -----" has been stickied onto certain people. But being fortunate, I never knew how to describe how my whole life has been so far.
"The end draws near" is what this unit called the "warden" in my game always say as a response whenever you move her around. With my attention glued to a billion other details happening on screen, I never had the time to consider these words in entirety. Her aim is to bring a fugitive back to his cell, but upon doing so, it simply implies that the reason for her existence no longer exists. I never took the story seriously, so don't shoot me for being beyond an addict.
For all the things in life we ever knew them to be, we are very, very selective in the way we want them to turn out to be. More often than not, life *clowns* back at us in the face by showing us just how little control we actually have. This is not to say that we should hate it and say "gg I'm out", but instead hope for the best with trying, knowing that at least you can't lose. I panicked a week before NAPFA because I know I can't jump. That will be the deciding section to see if I'll have to enter the army 2 months earlier (only sickos want to). 220cm seems really far because that's more than two-thirds the mat - if you've seen the 3m long mat you'll be freaked out too. At the third try (when only two was allowed), I swung my hands like a monkey and actually went ONE CENTIMETRE beyond the 220 mark. I did a 221! To be honest, there's nothing miraculous about the above, sorry.
There hasn't been so much of an end as there was a start for anything. Authors demarcate chapters for cataloging purposes; man designate segments of time to be millenniums and centuries for reference; God (which I haven't believed in yet) spins the Earth daily so that we'll get our lazy selves off the bed when the sun shines over our ass. In reality everything flows endlessly,being independant of whether we're there to make it happen. But because we aren't fictional sentient beings, we'll never be the wiser to the obvious, and we'll never be able to marvel at truly grand things.
Continuity correction aside, it's so much better if we simply stop to reflect consciously, and not during self assigned checkpoints. This way we won't lose sight of what's really happening around us.
Whenever anything has come to an end, deep down inside we all hope it hasn't - and that's what makes it all the more beautiful to begin with - because it only lasts this long.

Glass

Someone told me two weeks ago that I had "chiobus" in my class, namely X1 and X2. He then commented on what a nice class I have, presumably because of that. To be specific, I had to ask "HUH WHO'S THE CHIOBU" when he mentioned them, not because the girls in my class are unsightly, but because I'm freaking curious. First up, I didn't agree with whatever he said but of course being a 'gentleman' I didn't mouth it all out - I didn't find those two that he mentioned to be "chiobus". And second, they're already taken up, so there's not much point in trying to agree with what he said.
The first time I heard the term "chiobu" was back in P6. I thought they're talking about "chou" (ugly in chinese) girls so I couldn't join in half the conversations. Thankfully I don't live under a rock. I figured out what it means 'intuitively' but never actually applied it extensively to girls in reality. The times when I use this term would be those like a really good shot being made in any sports game and I go "WAH CHIO LA". (I don't really like being a spectator)
As a rule of thumb, it is my innocent belief that marrying someone who happens to be chio is a plus, but marrying someone because she's chio has serious implications: it's best that you mentally prepare your divorce papers at any rate.
'Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder' sounds too butterfly-rainbowish for dimwits like me to chew on, but I probably got it all figured out using all the time I spent stoning my existence away. Here's a really good example: I went to my friend's birthday party once when another classmate of mine brought along his PS3. The moment my eyes laid itself upon it, I couldn't stop stroking it and kept murmuring "sexy nia...". Everyone there had a good laugh. Truth is, I really couldn't pull my hands off its sleak surface and am completely mesmerised by it. However, I can swear I'm mentally sane because I'm capable of typing this sentence (i.e insane people would try 'I'M NORMAL OK'). I'm also not a gadget fanatic, as proven by my oh-so-durable handphone that's worthy of being exhibited in any museum (five year old model, anyone?). I do find a PS3 fascinating, but like any infatuation, it was only temporary. Which was to my relief since I didn't have to fork out $1000 to get myself excited.
Scientifically speaking, it could be possibly due to certain chemical signals in my brain that simply zapped the wrong way at the wrong time, resulting in a mental state that's beyond meditation. That's what any Romeo would call "love at first sight", any pervert as one hot chick, and any neurologist as a biological marvel to go wow at.
It might be 'worrying' to some that their relationship was composed based on pure chemistry and not magic as they would like to have believed. On the other hand, Amortentia in the Harry Potter series exists only in, well, the Harry Potter series. What would happen if you try drowning dung beetles in that? Would they really smell fragrant and delicious poo?
Animals have come a pretty long way in evolution in terms of finding their perfect mates, but I am honestly clueless as to how the connection works. Having watched countless episodes of Animal Planet where elephants get horny, I can't distinguish one from another. (pointless paragraph)
Someone kept lol-ing at me for being close to someone who's 'fugly' to him. I couldn't blame him, because he couldn't ever see it from my eyes. I just happen to find this particular someone very... undescribable. Dang. I must have threw my vocab out of the window. Or maybe there just aren't any that I can use.
At least I needn't prep my divorce papers specially for the abovementioned cause.

A rainbow's beautiful not because it's monochromatic.

Up

I emailed my doctor regarding my eye condition, and he gave a reply stating that I'm likely to be posted to a non-combat vocation. It sounds anything but bad to me. (HEHE)
~~
Today (was) a crucial match for the guys' squash team. We already lost to ACSI, and we had to win ACJC if we're to stand any chance of going into the top four. I had a premonition but I kept it to myself mostly other than my fellow referee.
The captain called for lots of support, and even made an arrangement to swap courts so as to accomodate the supporters. He hoped, unfortunately in vain, that it was going to have a positive effect. It didn't, or perhaps there wasn't any. On hindsight, the players might have performed better if there weren't any support to begin with, with the pressure being less overbearing. But again, on hindsight even Einstein might have been dropped into a Woodbridge equivalent before he became a genius, so there's no point looking back (now).
Strange enough, I didn't feel one bit sad when 5-0 was incoming, not even till now. It must have been a habit of mine to drop attachment really quick when I can't get any (in)tangible benefits. Or maybe because I'm dead tired and sleepy just by thinking of the right picks for tomorrow's games. Either way, I'm more interested in the process of the entire match.
Being fierce is motivational to oneself, is aesthetic to the spectators; but most importantly, is unnerving to your enemies.

Optique

I'm not very knowledgeable about the options I have in the NS (National Service), except for SISPECT (something to do with specialists), OCS and being a clerk. By default, most of the people would end up being in SISPECT, with the better ones going on to OCS. You can’t even opt to be a clerk, unless you have a medical condition that doesn’t enable you to carry out your duties (I might fall under this category).
My brother asked me during dinner if I would like to join OCS. I made up my mind long ago already on this issue: no, I’m just not interested. That’s when he proceeded with his screwed up logic of why I should go OCS, because of the respect, the pay, the position, the exposure. He went on to challenge me by giving him my reasons on ‘why not’. Apparently my ‘not interested’ argument failed miserably. He’ll go on asking “ Don’t you want more respect and better pay?”, like I said before, he has pretty screwed up logic. The worse part which came inevitably wasn’t entirely unexpected – my father had to chip in his input.
He went from what the purpose of NS is (on topic) to Malaysia’s sultans (‘on’ topic still) within fifteen minutes. I got to hand it to him, I’m not capable of rambling on for that long if I know the person who I’m talking to just can’t be bothered to listen. Thankfully, I managed to catch the main point of contention: everyone should serve to the best of his capability, and it’s not an issue of whether they like it or not. He pointed out that (some important person) criticized lawyers in the past who failed tests intentionally so that they would only go through two years of training instead of three for officers. The argument is as follows: since they're more capable, they shouldn't be so selfish and should instead continue to serve the nation.
I didn’t say anything at all ; I didn’t need to. They conveniently forgot that they’re in OCS, not someone who’s NOT INTERESTED in NS at all. I don’t want to control people, I never got a kick out of being higher ranked than others, but I wouldn’t mind the higher pay. In my opinion, such positions should be left to those who are REALLY passionate about it, because they would be the ones who would flex the most muscle out of it. You can't fit a square into a circle; it's pointless to do so.
History was repeating itself. My brothers felt that they’re “superior” beings all because they were the heads of their uniformed groups back in secondary schools, where as I was merely just in charge of the Secondary Ones, which in my opinion was a very sought after position already. This morning they asked if I got put in any effort in squash upon finding out that I didn’t make it into the team (something I chose not to say for precisely this reason). My interested waned out drastically for personal reasons which I hadn’t shared with anyone yet.
Understanding is underrated more often than not, self-assuming beliefs happen to be the reverse. I refused to explain myself – none of those narrow-minded people would ever get it. I am going to serve the nation by going for NS, but I can’t be bothered (tentatively) to try to make it to OCS.
Putting yourself in other's shoes is that difficult. It's nothing to do with the size.

Army: We are the unfortunate, led by the unqualified, doing the unnecessary, for the ungrateful.

Eagle

I decided to flip through my old DVDs (not my physics notes) and picked "Enemy Of The State". It is an action-packed movie featuring Will Smith who had to run from the NSA because he was holding on to tape recording of a murder by accident. The agency was able to track him down using satellite images and tracing phone calls.
In one scene, Gene Hackman mentioned how agencies were keeping tabs on phone calls, and be capable of filtering out keywords from conversations, such as "bomb" or "Allah". This is in effect, one of the most potent weapons the government has to combat terrorism, both domestic and foreign. By enabling the Patriot Act after 9/11, law enforcement agencies were given the abovementioned capability, which includes emails too.
This is a very sensitive issue indeed. Privacy used to be a right, and keeping secrets is soon losing that status too. People are worried, unnecessarily or not, about what the government can actually do with the information they are receiving. That's when you'll have conspiracy theories sprouting junk like the government wanting more control of the population, just like how they "encroached" on people's liberties by enforcing gun control. A climate of paranoia was omnipresent for those who understood what was entailed.
Their baking recipes stored in emails are going to be seized, and then exploited by a retired agent living on pension to make big bucks. Men in suits might get turned on for free by the sexually suggestive messages people are sending to their lovers via mobile phones. Organizations known by only three letters would be fully aware of everyone's travel plans to whichever exotic country and by what means. They are so all-knowing, they even know what kind of pathetic grades lazy kids score for their exams.
~~
If it is anything, it would be terribly boring to sit down and leave a headphone on for hours in a row, and stare at a computer screen to check out who's having cybersex, who's the biggest hit on Facebook and what not. The poor geeks have to sift through heaps of rubbish daily, which is both an eye sore and an horrific assault on their ear drums, in hopes of detecting potential threats. They have to remain tight lipped about their occupation to family members and friends, all in the name of national security. In the local context, it is factually proven to be effective. Some racist blogger was fined under the Sedition Act. A blog that I used to frequent alot for tremendous entertainment value became stale, and people who commented were suspicious that the blogger was told off by the *relevant* authorities because he was insulting the government outright. He was probably invited down to have a good cup of coffee *somewhere*.
Freedom of speech can be defined easily but only so by sensible and open minds. I'm not speaking out against it not because I'm their posterboy for surveillance, neither is it due to me being cowed in fear.
Because of the nature and content of this entry, I might have attracted readers I'm not acquainted with. Or maybe they were already here entries before. And because of that, they're capable of finding out who has tagged (very simple process), and they're also able to find out who's been reading my blog, who might be potentially subverted by the toxic in my posts, if any.
That's you.
20 8 5 25 / 1 18 5 / 23 1 20 3 8 9 14 7.

Angle

My father just came up to me and told me the same old things everytime I'm on to the computer too much. It's hardly surprising considering the fact that I've been on from 9am to 6pm for the past 3 days, and he just happened to not have any work this whole March holidays.
I could usually summarize what his speech to a tenth of the time he took to deliver it, but one point caught my interest. He went on from me playing to the pair of shoes I'm wearing to school. It's a standard issue provided by SAF, which all guys will get to wear during PT. Mine's unique though. The sole is so darn sexy smooth with zero grooves to hold on to anything, and it looked as though it went through the shredder. So my dad said something about how we must present ourselves appropriately, although we needn't conform to everything. It's funny how much he drifts isn't it? That's why I usually zone off within five SECONDS of his diatribe (NOT THE POINT).
Biological diversity is and will always be a celebrated phenomenon by ecologists. The more species of birds present the better, and best if the dodo came back. Cultural/religious/ethnic diversity is more of a point of contention - not everyone will ever like each other, but it's there to stay. What truly polarises us would be individualism. There's the norm, and theres the wacky bunch who we can only label with the word "weird". If I'm didn't recall wrongly, Charles Darwin once commented that the normal distribution of any characteristic would be a bell curve, with the maximum being in the middle and minimum being at the ends. This simply means that there will be the same percentage of people getting 4 A's annually, the same proportion who are born with that blasphemous genetic defect and the same lot of unfortunate few who would suffer from poor IQ. All this being said, this implies that there would always be some who, well, deviate from normal behaviour.
We're most certainly clueless about ourselves. In the Middle ages, kleptomaniacs were probably executed alongside thieves and autistic kids would then be conveniently called retards.
I've heard too often (like you do) about one commenting on another's eccentricity. It is so interesting, because you don't get to observe it everyday and it's simply not within your self-defined parameters of the acceptable. This spells bad news for the truly tragic ones - those with behavioural problems that we do not comprehend.
I saw the list of students my class had to take for CIP at Clementi Town primary. Next to their names were remarks such as "Behavioural Problems", "Weak", "Very Weak" and so on. They are condemned already, so to speak. It is part and parcel of the grading society uses, but it is irrelevant to them. Their immediate need, is to be understood, not labelled. Then we'll ask the favourite question: Why? Circumstantial causes? Genetic makeup? Or just... weird?
I find it remarkably funny that my PAE class called me "emo" instead of my name, as I didn't talk much to them - I didn't want to. I can't blame them nor hate them for something they don't understand. And then there's my CCA in which I'm gradually transforming into just another fixture. Maybe we just don't click one bit.
I must be a really weird person, considering the fact that I belong to the minority that is constantly mesmerised by my computer game. I like playing it so much I wish had a laptop to do so in school. You don't need to be a detective to figure out that I'm an addict, but what gives. I also have a huge propensity to laugh at everything around me, ranging from dirty ones to religious/racial and personal ones. I'm mean in that sense, but I can't help it. Well you get the idea of how (not very) queer I am.
Eh you're seriously damn weird leh.
o[^-(-.-)-^]o
..

Grasp

One queer thing that I can recall when I was 8 was this conversation I had with my uncle. He told me that all the medicines that were prescribed to us contained drugs. I was revolted at that notion, because drugs were associated to something evil in my mind.
One definition of what a drug is as follows: "chemical substances prepared and sold as pharmaceutical items, either by prescription or over the counter." Being clueless, I protested back to my uncle "nooo it can't be! why would doctors wanna poison us?" over and over again, unconvinced that medicines contain drugs still. I ought to congratulate Singapore's efforts to combat drug abuse for that.
Our understanding of the world around us is premature. This is so, and will remain to be so forever. A person is recognized to be knowledgeable because he knows not only what others know that they don't know, but also what others don't know what they don't know. There's nothing amazing about knowing what others hope to know, even if they do not do so in due time. Phew.

Qualm(s)

I'm VERY immune to this question : "What does your conscience tell you?"
It's so for many reasons. One would barely respond cognitively to this question MOST of the time because they're anticipating what's going to be thrown at them next. Also, your conscience wouldn't just tell you the answer because you want to know it; it is there all along but you're looking somewhere else. Also, what the heck is your conscience, really?
Religious followers (count me out) would often tell you inspiring moments in their life where God answers their queries in a similiar fashion to that of dialling a helpline at MOE/any hospital, just that the concept of working hours are not applicable. So long as you're able to achieve inner peace and listen with your heart (I'm guessing this is how it works), He will tell you the answer nicely. Great. At least they don't ever bump into answering machines.
"Press 1, if you've committed a crime and you're figuring out how to redeem yourself. Press 2, if you're in a dilemma over which friend to side. Press 3, if you're TRULY wondering if you're hurting someone through your actions. And finally, you can hang up if you wish to pay a visit to a church nearest to you to obtain help from a priest who's more than capable than I am when it comes to accounting for the social/moral/emotional debt you've incurred upon sinning." EEEW. Alternatively, one with all the right values/beliefs and a good moral character would be enlightened in a similiar manner. He would then flip open this mental textbook to which references can be made regarding the MORALLY, not logically, correct choices and hence act upon the corresponding course of action.
I guess I lost mine a long time ago =D But that's not the point. Your conscience doesn't perform like a CISCO burglary alarm when you're at the crossroads. It usually kicks you in the stomache RIGHT AFTER you've muddled up. Typically, one will go "What have I done?" And then the story continues on where you would continue to commit errors all day long in your life, similar in nature or not, indefinetely. It's so inevitable that one smartass from ages ago decided to reassure everyone that "IT IS HUMAN TO ERR" Sounds familiar? That's probably one of the most common lines which counsellors pop in to ice (don't use the word this way in GP) the suicidal thoughts of their client.
It's a fact that some people have a minute conscience, if there's a way to quantify it in size. We all know serial rapists should all die because they're one rank up: SERIAL. The same goes for druglords who wash their hands in both blood and money. Notice that I used the word minute, not "a total lack of". In my humble opinion, EVERYONE has a conscience. The question is when does it kick in. A hungry man who has problems feeding himself would engage in thievery for self sustenance, with morals and ethics tossed to the furthest corner of his mind for painfully obvious reasons. In the past he'll be executed right away. Oh lol, just his luck hor.
One's conscience need not necessarily surface at any point in time, but it will, MOST likely, occur when one is at the brink of losing the things he holds dearest to him. That's when regret knocks one out, Mohammad Ali style. Ouch. Drugs can make you go really high, but not en route to heaven for sure.
Just to put this whole entry in context, I'm not one who lacks a conscience. I'm indifferent to many things, but not to real and intangible (quite the paradox) matters that, well, matters most to the heart.
I could still recall the day when she (this special someone) was more enthu than the guys captain when it comes to hauling people to trainings, in particular, me. She called me five times within 20 minutes of the starting time, and another three a few hours later, from home. I couldn't even pick up the phone. What was I going to answer? What COULD I answer? Nothing. Nuff said.
Just today, I ran into her early in the morning and she asked me why did I skip training yesteday. I said I had CIP, which was valid by the way. I skipped today's too. I just didn't feel like going, there was NO POINT in me going, but that's not a good reason. Not for myself. So I guess its not for her too. Sometimes, I wish I could simply do the following:

Mime

Hopefully no Google search lands someone here.
"Intelligent" beings learn by imitation. That would explain why the monkeys at the zoo are capable of procuring bananas on their own even if they're hidden inside boxes. They know bananas grow on trees for sure, but they're might just be debating if there are trees inside those boxes (not the point). Likewise, children function similarly in scary ways. You can stab yourself and tell them NOT to do it, but the they will skip the auditory message and instead try out what you're actually doing - simply because they want to find out what's going to happen next.
~
Ks/Xd has shown me some hilarious videos on youtube that features episodes that are being broadcasted from certain Arabian TV stations. The first one is a cartoon that begins with "evil" Israeli soldiers who murder a family, leaving one sole surivor who later joins a terrorist school and "learn" more about what they're up against. He later straps grenades on to himself and ambushes a convoy that consists of the same few Israeli murderers, shouts "ALLAH AKHBAR!", or "God is great", and kills everyone. The aftermath shows only a bloodied spot on the "matyr's" body.
The second one is a show similar to that of Barney the dinosaur, just that the character in a suit now is Farfour, the Arabian (?) version of Mickey Mouse. Farfour's grandfather handed him a key and some documents concerning the "real origins" of the land which Jerusalem resides on before dying. He also explained that Islam once ruled the word, and will be masters of the world again in time to come. Later Farfour gets captured by Israelis who wants to trade for the documents with money. When Farfour refuses, he gets beaten up (EXTREMELY FUNNY, you don't get to see Mickey getting beaten up everyday) and then the screen says "Farfour is matyred".
It might have been twice as funny had I not known a disturbing fact. These videos are created with the intention of targeting an age group, specifically, children. Yes, truly. Instead of Power Rangers, Pokemon, or even Barney who is unbelievably corny, they're exposed to sickening falsehoods at too tender an age, where their capability of differentiating right from wrong is at its weakest. It is true that Israelis have killed women and children before, but what is the reasoning behind it? Would you really receive Allah-knows-how-many virgins as a reward if you do indeed "martyr" yourself? Finally, what do you stand to gain, truly, from blowing yourself up?
Unfortunately, there are half as many responses indicating a terrifying lack of reasoning too. Some people believe that Muslims themselves are at the root of the problem, when we all know it is the twisted misinterpretation of the Quran by only a few. And then the story continues. More and more people will be dragged into something they have no desire to be in, given a choice. Some go on to think that the existence of religions divide people irrevocably and is at fault for all the turmoil in this troubled world. Oh wow. It's funny how people always think that cats and dogs can't ever get along.
If we believe in an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth, we will all be blind and dumb in the end.

Osmosis

Gunpowder came from China in 900s, but the US ends up having the highest number of gun/household ratio, and owns the record of having the highest number of deaths caused by munitions. Geography's not a boundary, it's merely separation in name.
I could remember sometime last year while I was playing Taidi with my first 3 months class, whereby one Indonesian played 5 diamonds on top of my 5 clubs, saying that's the way suits are ranked in their country. Everyone else went "HUH", hence giving me the moral authority to throw the cards back to him while saying "Sorry, but welcome to Singapore." I could do with less rulesets to confuse me. That game has only one origin, but yet it can turn into something "new" with misinterpretation.
It is inevitable, but not applicable to everything. Although there are lots of Vietnamese and American people playing *Chinese* chess, there's only one way to win. Same goes for all the computer games out there.
And because this happens, it becomes ET 1982 again everytime paths cross each other. Everyone's curious as to what's on the other side, be it greener or not. It is a fact that people look at things differently, and therefore you get to learn something new each time you bother to interact with that someone from somewhere else you've never been to.
Luckily, the world only (grows) smaller.

Treadmill

If you have the deliver the blessing correctly, the word "Happy" comes before "Chinese New Year" for a good reason - at least to me.
It is a holiday DESIGNED to give families time to come together. It seems like a chore already for teenagers. After checking with a dozen of my friends, we've all arrived at the same conclusion: SIAN LAH. Basically, the holiday can be summarised with 5 things to do.
1) Collecting red packets. This year's unique for me, since my mum's siblings have all forgotten to give me any red packets. Not that I'm complaining, because all I ever do with money is dump it into the bank. Who wouldn't get tired of doing it, already?
2) Eat. First you devour all the snacks available at everyone's houses, which range from pineapple tarts to chinese jerky (Bakkwa). Oh, the bakkwa always tastes nicer from the shop that your aunt purchased from, not yours. Next, the compulsory "lao yu sheng" where you have a field day at messing up the table while chanting out queer blessings nonstop. At the end of the day, you'll get a throat so sore your eyes can't match despite looking at terrible skits acted out by Mediacorp actors on stage.
3) I'm asked the same question everytime: "You're in secondary what ar?" Alternatively, I'll get the "Whoa you're really tall now!" remark that irks me the most. I'm uncertain as to the age when human beings become senile, but I'm sure it isn't fifty for every single adult out there. TELL ME SOMETHING DIFFERENT NEXT TIME CAN? I promise my nephews/nieces that I'll be alot nicer. If I don't have anything to say, I will dao them entirely. How's that for doing them a favour?
4) This is one cool thing that I'm pretty new to, and I've never made a profit yet thus far. I'm still very inept at deciding which tiles to keep, or be aware of what "feng" it is already. Worse still, I've no idea what decides how much money I'm actually tossing out each turn. Yes, it is the amazing game that rivals golf when it comes to being a socialiazing avenue. I'm so blur that I can miss out on "pong"-able tiles half the time ^^
5) I invented it this year. Well if you don't have any mahjong or poker cards at hand, and if you happen to have robo-aunties/uncles that say the same thing everytime, you can just position yourself at the best possible spot ever - the sofa. Simply curl comfortably into one corner, close your eyes, and count sheeps until you arrive at Lalaland. Your parents will tell you when it's time to go anyway. Sounds like a flight, yes?
(Un)Fortunately, we're teenagers for just a couple of years more. Work, university, or stupid NS will somehow ensure that at least one of your future *happy* chinese new years may no longer be the same anymore. Thirty years down the road, I won't ever get to listen to "Whoa you're really tall now!" anymore (I'm not dying to hear it). By then, it will just seem as though I made this post the day before.
"Time flies past really fast leh!" Anyone got that from their aunt?

Ripple

I once saw this corny phrase that goes "Friendship is the best ship ever!". I banished that notion to the back of my mind, wondering how did the creative process of creating word play occur to someone in such a retarded way.
Just yesterday, I had one undescribable conversation with a certain XYZ. Undescribable because you can't call it weird, and it is not funny either. Tough call, yes?
"XYZ says:
eh can you promise me something really stupid?
<_hj_> 尤其是数学，剑圣一级跳劈砍出来的数字都比他考的分数要高。 says:
?
<_hj_> 尤其是数学，剑圣一级跳劈砍出来的数字都比他考的分数要高。 says:
*crosses fingers*
XYZ says:
can we still be friendly and be friends after graduating
XYZ says:cos i realized i dont have many friends "
Whoa. I was shell-shocked. I don't get to answer these kind of questions everyday, in fact the last time I had to make the same promise, it was exactly a year ago to EFG, but under totally different circumstances.
XYZ is stranded in a peculiar situation. While not being totally inward like a sponge, he (yes, go guess who) keeps a low profile not to the point of being invisible, but merely transforming, over time, into the many other billions of MSN contacts you have (obviously the ones you don't talk to). Honestly, nobody corresponds religiously to more than half of their known contacts via handphone or MSN for one main reason - the value of the friendship has dipped below that of stock markets worldwide on last Tuesday. However, XYZ's situation was a little more unique. He decided to hop on the highway without knowing that he had paid a price (whether it's going to cost, that's another issue). In exchange for a different brand of education, he forgoes two good years that could have possibly been used to establish deeper friendships back in secondary school - something I'll never experience and am glad that I didn't. On top of that, The system ensures that you'l make just as many friends as you're prepared to lose - ever changing classes due to banding and subject choices. Do the math and you'll get an answer as certain as your $180+ graphic calculator can tell you: inevitably, the ground beneath you is shifting.
What does that really imply? Anyone who goes through such a system will be carried away by the high tide (any surfer's favourite), unless they dig their anchors in hard. If you don't talk to a certain someone on your msn contact list for a year, P(the 2 of you talking again) would be lower than that of P(me getting my forehand drive right). NOTHING, escapes the flow of time. When everyone withers and ends up looking like willow trees, what's going to be the most important asset they're left with? CPF? Medishield/care/save? Or some landed property overseas? Nope, none of the above. It's memories. It's memories that will bring that smile to your face before you leave this horrid world and your woes behind (provided you die a natural death).
When's the last time you've done something about the people around you? Are they mobile fixtures in your everyday life? If only the label "Under Maintenance" can be applied to something so abstract. I'm beginning to FULLY appreciate the efforts of a Sec 4 classmate of mine who, organized a dozen LAN parties, held Christmas parties, and birthday parties for our class even though he's not one bit rich. In fact, he's a simple guy whose parents divorced during Sec 1. With the support of his mother and the nice guy in heaven, he ends up treasuring things money can't buy much more than I do. I never understood the fuss involved when he buys a birthday gift for someone. I realise now (albeit not too late, I hope) that I'm just a little better off than a bankrupt who's done paying off his IOUs a few years back. Life blazes so brilliantly only because it dies out, far quicker than we want it to.
Let's brainstorm for solutions as to what you can do to renew your friendship license. Will buying the cutest teddybear for that person's birthday do the trick? How about going all fiery with "I LUV YOU XOXO" to show some love? Maybe we ought to send out more of those "Merry Xmas To Everyone! Wish you all a ..." kind of messages to everyone on our contact list, that might work. No of course not, I delete those within 2 seconds of reading the first line >=)
The world may mean nuts to you, but you may mean the world* (degree may vary =D) to someone. Let's just do our little part by personally engaging those around us (obviously those that matter the most), a small step at a time. Smile stupidly at someone if you have to, but only if you're trying to make that person smile back. Go out together for some FUN-FILLED activity instead of mugging together that results either in productivity or a stoning session. And so much more... (I'm uncreative, shoot me).
In case any of you were wondering, I replied "yes" to XYZ's question. I tried to come up with a LOL kind of condition that is meant as a joke, but gave up in the end simply because my brain was blitzed furiously by neurons that went "WZDZDSFGXfxaxxDZ" instead of a logical idea. Yeah ,stop laughing at me. Just wait till you're asked the same question.

4Kings

I just had to blog about this. And this isn't an emo post.
I guess I should have seen this coming. Three of the kings left already - FoV because he could postpone his army service and obtain cheap affordable living in mid 2006 to wNv; Creo who stopped playing because he wanted to commit himself to studies in university, but not without winning the most prestigious award with fireworks; ToD left because apparently the team management did not renew his contract for whatever reasons. So there's just one king left.
It's like a weird dream. I doubt the thought of Mancher United closing down would ever occur to their fans, ever. Same here as was 4kings to me. The brand was a trademark, it is synonymous with the game itself, such that when you mention 4Kings, anyone will tell you about the wc3 team (not that I disrespect the other gaming divisions in 4K).
(Back in 2003) The first member was 4K.Tillerman who was a legend, but he had quitted just so that he can go do poker instead. Then there was Kiko,Bond and Kaj who I didn't get to take much notice of. I know LaWn and FuRy was some sick 2 on 2, but thats as far back as I went in 2003 - as my stupid computer lagged the nuts out of me so did my interest in the game. I didn't even know that FoV and Zacard were Koreans, but luckily I know that both ToD and FoV were in 4K.
When I finally had a new ram chip stuffed into the CPU, the first thing I did was scout for replays, and I ended up at the WC3L (most prestigious league) webpage. The first thing I did was to look out for 4Kings, and there they are at the very top during season 8. They were either first or second place ever since, falling to third only once all the way till mid of 2007.
I remember clicking the refresh button a dozen times every minute to wait for updates on the scores during their clan wars, hoping that they'll make it through. I'll feel all high and triumphant when they do 5-0 or a 4-1 over the opposition, or simply any one of them doing an all kill in NGL. I remember feeling SIAN whenever they've lost a clan war so narrowly, but praying ever so fervently whenever anyone of the players was at 1-1. I remember how the team won the WC3L Season 9 finals using only 3 members - ToD, Grubby and Zeus, coming up from the loser bracket and winning 3-2, then 4-1, while they had to forfeit a point every match. I was jumping up and down then, hugging my monitor and cheering to bits ^^
The last few months were a little painful to look at, knowing that they're only a shade of their former selves with those 3 major players gone. There's no 4Kings to look at no more, ever. I'll never get to see the tag 4K in front of their names again in international competitions. There's no reason left to stay up and spam the refresh button hoping that my favourite team will pull through.
It was fun watching them play. The only upside is that the players didn't vanish, they're just in different teams for now. That's good enough a reason for me to continue supporting them.
I'll always be a fan of you guys.GOODLUCK.

HORROR

Is for sale. It's priced so cheap that even the Great Singapore Sale would pale in comparison when it comes to volume of goods sold, which in this case is, as you can guess, sheer horror.
Everyone knows that fear is a primal instinct, and it overrides all primary functions, circuitry or wiring in your brain. When it does kick in, rationale decision making gets chucked into the bin, and then you will speculate of spectacularly terrifying castastrophes occuring so frequently you can't tell midnight from day.
We all know who's the biggest exporter of this wonderful product. They label countries that are perceived as threatening to be the "axis of evil" more persistently than the MDA sticking "EXPLICIT CONTENT" labels onto explosive albums. Murder grabs their headlines so effortlessly, that by the time a convict is proven innocent, he ends being on the 6th page instead. If that isn't persuasive enough, they can always flash the red light on air travel a little more often. Oh my. When was the last time the only thing worth worrying about was nukes flying all over? 30 years ago, right.
The dangers we all face are no less real than what's being reported, yet the ones in control love to spin tales longer than their noses. The power of fear lies in the fact that it is so contagious, so viral that the masses would be thumping the same beat eventually. It grips us tighter than those conditions of them impoverished people.
I have been infected too. A levels is so terrifying that I'm actually studying. Right.

Chime

When history repeats itself, people tend to actually say, "Gosh, history is repeating itself!" They get this overwhelming sense of familiarity thats second only to the phenomenon known as deja-vu. Well, not always. Sometimes I end up LOL-ing first before saying "SHIT!", skipping the "Gosh.." part altogether.
It happened during chem pract. I collected a weird assortment of test tubes that consisted of mini ones too - I thought they were meant for 5 year olds to play with. After conducting those colorful (literally) experiments, I offered to return the test tubes (my partner, for the first time, being a girl). I didn't hold the bundle too tightly for fear of crushing them by accident, hence I held them loosely instead. The next thing I knew was one of the mischievous test tubes breaking loose from my hold, falling down on to the table and, as you guess it - shattered into lots of pieces.
"LOL" That's my instinctive response - yes, I laugh at just about everything. I looked up to my horror - Mr Wee (my chem teacher) took the initiative by not bringing me a piece of cloth, but by handing me the log book that had records of whoever broke this and that. By then "SHIT!" races through my mind, because I realised what could possibly be in store for me - the dreaded CWO. A quick count with my fingers gave me a sigh of relief, simply because I couldn't remember the last time I broke anything in school. I vaguely recalled that this was no different from baseball, i.e. you needed 3 strikes before you're out. Phew.
I smiled sheepishly at the teacher before flipping to the right page, and filled in the columns accordingly.
"Hey, it's you again!" My teacher called out.
No kidding. The previous entry has my name on it. The date read 27/8/07. Oops. Wasn't that during...
Chem SPA had just ended. 4 of my classmates had already broke some test tubes, and they were queueing up to fill in the log book. I had the impulse to laugh at them, which is of course what happened next. I had intended to point and laugh ; in the end I only got to carry out the first half. My hand slapped a beaker into the basin. Everyone had a good laugh immediately - me aside, of course. At least I left a delible mark in the "archives" of the school..
The next time I want a recurring event, I dearly hope that it would be that of me receiving my A level results, mirroring that of when I was collecting my O's. Otherwise, I'll end up typing some nostalgic entry beginning with:
When history repeats itself, people tend to actually say...

WHAT?

And then there was 2007.
It didn't just end abruptly; I watched it dissolve day by day. That doesn't make the year more unique, because apparently I'm so aware of its passing that I'm beginning to feel the dreadfulness associated with next year....
HAH.
In reality I'm not half as emo as the above. 2007 was a brilliant year (can't say the same for others), mainly because it was really flashy. In what sense? Lets see..
First 3 months: Scraped through homework and met cool people in school.
Next 3 months: NJCG when I finally won something because of my blatant addiction. And then I met more cool people (2nd intakers). God I know I'm lousy when it comes to descriptions, but cool is a one size fit all kind of word.
Well, another 3 months: BORING. except when I began talking to MUPPET =D It was like an everyday affair that was obviously more exciting than sun sets and rises. Yes, thanks alot MUPPET.
Whew, and finally last 3 months: Went as actively as I could for squash, because I don't want to end up bnetting for more than 16 hours in a row, which if I recall correctly, did get me sick previously. At least I needn't worry about entering NS 4 weeks earlier - I got my ass moving enough, I think. Gaming with Ks, Xd and Zr was cool too. We just need to figure out how to stop typing LMAO during the "Quiz of Death".... and besides staying up till 1 to 3am everyday to squeeze in the extra bnet game or to pass another 50 turns in MOO3, I pretty much enjoyed this whole time. *Dodges the label "LOSER" *
Oh, I must give an honourable mention to PW. I had the most LOL kind of group that did extreme makeovers many times over just to drag ourselves out of crap so deep we'd be amazed to get ME at the end of the day. Yes, I'm actually proud of the "quality" work we conjured out of ROFL-land. Thanks guys, I didn't get to say this to any of you.
Oh one more to kingkong ^^ The person who is perma-dieting without any visible results =D you just make me go =) because you're nice to POKE FUN at XD
One to Mr Loh. I didn't forget what you told me. That's enough on my part.
To CHS 2006 4-4: The bunch of people that are still BROTHERS. SPEECHLESS. Just so unique it puts the word 'funky' to shame ^^
Next year? Oh dang. It's *this* year. Good thing I barely finished my work, so I needn't get beaten up by any teachers right off the bat. Squash? See how it goes. NJCG? Yes please another mouse! Birthday? Must make it a lil cooler than before! Girlfriend? Skip. Friends? Get loads more, uh huh. A levels? D-U-H. NS? It's probably the most hip chalet with free food, free lodging, free guns to play with... RIGHT. It's going to come anyway.
The future? Who cares, I'm no seer. And that wraps everything up. Now, what was I going to say...
LETS DO THIS.
*takes a deep breathe, syncing the last few songs, and sleeps peacefully, knowing that 2008 is upon him*