blog

2010-12-30T23:23:00.002+08:00

I'll get the penknife and wrist ready.
And my awesome 24" monitor.

I think I'll rewatch season one 20 times first to build up for episode 18.

2010-11-15T23:11:00.003+08:00

AHH WHY WHY WHY WHY IS LIFE LIKE THAT I WANT TO BE THERE TO I WANT TO GO FOR A KEY CONCERT AS WELL ARGHHH

http://nk-ds.org/2010/08/key-sound-label-world-2010-way-to-the-kud-wafter/

For the tl;dr, this is why I’m a sad person now:

'...Girl Dead Monster took over the stage! LiSa jumped onto the stage, singing Thousand Enemies [Angel Beats!, Insert song]. The ultra blazing pink lightsticks still linger in my memory as i remembered how the crowd went absolutely wild.'

Excuse me while I find a penknife.

'...Alchemy [Angel Beats!, Insert song] and Crow Song [Angel Beats!, Insert song] was then covered by LiSa as well and she did not disappoint. Ultra orange lightsticks came ablaze again as everyone jumped to the beat of Crow Song’s rap portion. Amazing.'

Rub it in don’t you. ARGH.

‘…marina then took over the stage and did her ballet, My Song [Angel Beats!, Insert song]. It was so simple. marina stood alone in the spotlight and started the song, with everyone in the audience knowing the significance of the song. The first live audience was hesitant of waving lightsticks, as it wasn’t done in the anime’

KILL ME NOW MAN JUST DO IT

'...Everyone was reliving the experience of AB ep 3.'

Sure, except me. EXCEPT ME.

'...Finally, Lia was supposed to end the concert with 2 last songs, of which are, Toki wo Kizamu Uta [CLANNAD After Story, Opening theme] and finally My Soul, Your Beats! [Angel Beats! Opening theme]. Toki wo Kizamu Uta had a special place in my heart, as it really signified the essence of Nagisa’s route in CLANNAD. The song totally bled all the tears i could muster from my eyesockets.'

I WOULD CRY TOO. IF I GOT THE CHANCE TO HEAR CLANNAD AFTER STORY OPENING THEME SONG LIVE. I’ll do ANYTHING just to go for a Key concert. Please please please please just come for AFA next year :)

Like that's gonna happen.

On a much happier note. READY GO FLYYYYYYY AWAY.

2010-02-17T18:36:00.009+08:00

Tvtropes is awesome because:

Modern Warfare 2 --> Soap MacTavish --> Badass --> Badass Adorable --> Tsundere --> Toradora

Seriously. It's tvtropes that introduced anime to me, something that six years of being friends with people who live and breathe anime didn't. I guess maybe running out of computer games helped too.

I don't dislike anime as much as I used to. Although I'm still steering clear of any form of fighting / action anime for the simple reason that it is seriously unreal and boring. I think Pokemon is more interesting than Code Geass, for the simple reason that there is more realism (electric rats are a lot more believeable than Britain invading Japan, so there, and said electric rat has had its god mode tuned down in recent years).

Toradora is fun. One of the reasons why I didn't run away from it immidiately is that there's not a slight bit of 'one-man-saving-the-world' that I completely dislike, within it (I'm looking at you, boring Code Geass). Pure hilarity with correct moments of seriousness makes this an anime I'm glad was my first. Marathon at my place with you guys was a blast.

Clannad is just incredible. I think calling it a harem anime doesn't do justice to it as it just cheapens it. The After Story can probably make a boulder cry. The range of emotions it can create is just crazy. I think I've never watched a more intense show than this. Apparently the After Story episode 18 and Toradora episode 19 aired on the same week. That's one depressing week. Thankfully there's a happy ending. I don't care if you call it deux ex machina or anything, I'm just so happy it didn't end that way. Needs more Kyou though.

Kanon is boring. Admittedly, watching it after Clannad is probably the reason because Clannad is so much more emotional than Kanon, which makes it seem like a failed attempt since both are of the same genre.

I think one thing I need to take time getting used to in anime is that whenever there's a happy moment that isn't near the end of the season. It's there just to screw you over by creating a depressing incident in the near future. The happier the moment, the sadder and more emo the depressing incident will be.

Case in point:

Happily married, stable income, SHE DIES

Another case in point:

Children are not spared either. SHE DIES

Yet another case in point:

Do you want to know what happens? SHE DIES

2009-12-13T18:41:00.002+08:00

Ten reasons why I don't want to go to Macau:

1. I'm not going to be able to hang out with you guys this tuesday
2. Borderlands
3. Borderlands
4. Team Fortress 2 (SOLDIER AND DEMOMAN UPDATE ARGH)
5. Borderlands
6. Borderlands
7. Borderlands
8. Borderlands
9. Borderlands
10. Pokemon Platinum

Bye guys I'm going to be so bored for the next six long days. This sucks.

2009-11-20T10:42:00.000+08:00

This is such sad irony. I can't play any computer games right now because my neigherbours are tearing down their apartment. I can't HEAR my M249 firing even though I'm right next to my speakers. Heck, my family needs to shout at each other just to get the message across. The whole damn floor is shaking because they are removing their walls, flooring, and everything that constitutes a home. WHY BUY A HOME WITH A BATHTUB IF YOU WANT TO REMOVE IT YOU FREAKIN RETARDS. WHY BUY A HOME WITH ROOMS IF YOU ARE GOING TO KNOCK DOWN EVERY WALL. ARGH I HATE MY NEW NEIGHBOURS. This is terrible. I can only play from 5pm onwards everyday because that's when the contractors leave. And I'm rudely awakened at 8am because of the incessent hacking and drilling and ARGHHHHHHHHH I'M LEAVING THE HOUSE AND COMING BACK AT 5PM.

2009-11-14T22:36:00.003+08:00

WHY IS IT CALLED A NORMAL DISTRIBUTION

THERE IS NOTHING REMOTELY NORMAL ABOUT IT

IT SHOULD BE CALLED EXPERT DISTRIBUTION

Okay I will study like mad these two days are make sure I get 5 points for math instead of a 4.

(65 + 65 + 50) / 300 = 60% = 5 points = HOPEFULLY grand total of 40 points since English is a 4

If you can help me convert my 22/60 to at least 50/60 for paper 3 in two days, you are god.

2009-10-01T00:01:00.001+08:00

I'm going home after math paper 3 having left 36 marks out of 60 blank. So naturally I just want to get home and sleep and try to forget about the stupidity that is NUS requiring Higher Level Math for their biomedical course. Obviously there must be something about finding the revolution of a graph around its opposite axis while measuring the cross product between it and the z-axis and then finding the critical region at a 95.23414% confidence whether or not to reject the answer, that is oh-so-CRUCIAL to defining a student's ability to learn about prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Obviously. Anyway- The escalator reaches the top of the MRT station and as I turn the bend and start walking off towards the bliss and sanctuary that is the seat in front of my computer, this guy jumps with a huge stack of christianity pamphlets jumps in front of me and begins to evangalise. I mean holy shit do I have a sign above me that says 'PLEASE CONVERT ME NOW'.

Guy: "Hi! Do you have a minute to spare?"
Me: "Are you looking for donations or something"
Guy: "No not really. I just want to talk to you about something important"
Me: "I don't really know you, and unless you are a stalker I don't think you know me, so what
can be so important to talk about"
Guy: "Hahahaha of course there's something to talk about. It concerns the rest of your life, and
possibly even beyond that"
Me: "Ah. Oh you have 15 seconds left."
Guy: "Are you in a hurry?"
Me: "Yes. If I miss out on my channel 8 show I'll just die man"
Guy: "Oh I see. Okay how about just a short while. Five minutes?"

Bloody idiot is really asking for it. Can't even take a hint that I'm not interested in whatever he's trying to convert my religion to.

Me: (Big sigh) "Okay you've got five minutes"
Guy: "Alright can I draw you a picture? See it's like thi-"

I cut him off mid-sentence with a raised hand because it's the same OMG NO JUMPJET picture that I've been forced to see at least three times

Me: "Look, your brothers have been drawing this for me at least three times in the past two
years. I know what it is."
Guy: "You know my brothers?"

Bloody retard is actually stupider than he looks.

Me: "Yep. According to my geography notes at least 14.6% of Singapore are your brothers"
Guy: "Erm.. I don't get you"
Me: "Aren't you familar with the term brothers in christ? Well, 14.6% of Singaporeans are
christians you know. Technically, I'm wrong in saying brothers, because at least half of
these people have to be female so 7.3% of Singapore are your brothers. The rest are your
sisters."
Guy: "Oh hahahahahahahaha I see..."
Me: "So anyway why did you stop me in the middle of my journey home?"
Guy: "Oh, see, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful famil-"

Once again I stop him in mid-sentence because I just want to get him instead of wasting my time with this loser. Time to unleash the finishing move.

Me: "Look, there are two reasons why I do not want to convert"
Guy: "You seem so sure. What are the two reasons?"
Me: "Firstly, I don't want to end up like you, standing at MRT escalators waiting to stop people
from going on with their everyday life"
Guy: T_T
Me: "Secondly, and most importantly, are the statistics. Here, let me tell you something for a
change. You know of a place called Ethiopia? Well, 62.8% of their population is Christian
as compared to Singapore's aforementioned 14.6%. Yet their GDP per capita is $324
while Singapore's is $38972. Half their population are dying like flies to HIV and starvation
while one of the main killers in Singapore is high cholesterol, a result of good food.
If god really existed, I'm pretty sure that's not the way he treats one of his most devout
countries. Since, to me, this is pretty much proof of the non-existence of a merciful
higher being, I'm not interested in joining whatever it is you are promoting.

--------------------

Okay here's the deal once more. I'm a very tolerant guy who keeps quiet instead of going all jihad on you just because you believe in something different from me. In short, I'm perfectly fine with religions. I respect all of them. I just do not like the people, more specifically, the misguided ones who think they are superior to others and go around pushing their beliefs on to them.

Human geography is apparently useful for once (:

2009-09-17T22:26:00.001+08:00

"Next time you see a deoxys you should throw helicase at it"

Ahahaha I love talking to friends on the phone.

2009-08-29T12:42:00.004+08:00

Just in case you were wondering

The music used for the honours day video was taken from transformers movie soundtrack. I can't believe nobody knows that. The song so nice you guys don't appreciate rantrant

The first one is 'Arrival to Earth', and it plays when the good guys were, well, arriving on earth after, crash landing in a disused building, a swimming pool in a mansion, a car salesroom and near a highway.

The second one is 'You're a Soldier Now', and it plays after Captain Lennox tells Sam, that, well, he's a soldier now and he has to get to the top of the church to hand over the allspark to safe hands.

The third part of the song uses the last 1-2 minutes of 'Optimus vs. Megatron'; I think it's self-explanatory where this song is heard in the movie.

2009-07-08T01:24:00.004+08:00

THE WRITER OF XKCD PLAYS VALVE GAMES TOO!

This ups his awesome factor by over 9000 (I wonder how many people get this).

Funny thing is, I've been playing Half-Life 2 the whole week to destress and relive my childhood days of killing stuff and breaking supply crates. This is a sign that I'm doing it right (:

I'm definitely doing this right.

2009-06-25T00:35:00.002+08:00

Prison Break is damn good. You guys can stuff your Korean dramas up the closest North Korean missile and it wouldn't be as brilliant as Prison Break.

This is what makes it so incredible:

Evil Person: I am pointing a gun at you.

Scofield (scowling): Then I will do what you say.

Burrows/Sucre/Mahone/Tancredi (sneaking up behind Evil Person): A-ha! Now I am pointing a gun at you!

Scofield (scowling): Now you must do what we say.

Evil Person: DAMN YOU, MICHAEL SCOFIELD!

Throw in some impossibly brilliant planning, and deviously evil villains getting owned upside down after doing very bad deeds such as killing innocent people, and there you have it, the best serial alongside CSI and Lost.

I just can't stand sappy Korean dramas.

2009-06-02T22:58:00.002+08:00

AHHHH PRISON BREAK SEASON 4!!!!!!

Brainy Scofield, Loyal Lincoln, Saikang Sucre, Unlucky Mahone, n00b Bellick, and even the Treacherous T-Bag.

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY 10-11pm. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THERE GOES MY STUDY TIME

2009-05-28T20:35:00.010+08:00

28th May 2009: Finally, the circle line is operational. For six years, I've been walking more than 2km back home everyday from the MRT station. Now, it's just 500 meters at most (:

Purple was so 2003, orange is the latest in transportation hues.

The wonders of modern technology. 2 minutes will be all it takes to travel what I need 15 minutes to walk. And it's 4 minutes to get to Bishan. FOUR. It used to take nearly half an hour because of how long it takes to wait for bus service 58.

The benefits of using the new Alstom Metropolis C830 train cars is that the front of the train has a huge glass panel, enabling 50-plus year old aunties and uncles to act like 5-year-olds staring senselessly at the endless tunnels as the train hurtles down at breakneck speeds. Seriously, act your age, you guys are blocking my view, I want a go at it too.

Naturally, new stuff is bound to have a few technological errors. The display screen with the words "The station you are now at is station_name" shows some glitches.

My new MRT base camp. This is much closer to my place then Serangoon MRT. Looks like I won't be seeing the entraces to station NE12 any more.

Walk out of the MRT, and you see 'Serangoon Ave 3'. You are now 500 meters from your destination.

Go spot my home in this map. That proximity will show you how much I love the circle line. For comparison, the coffee shop that we go to for food when you guys come over is block 326, the slightly cut-off HDB block all the way to the right; you can't see the block number.

Addendum: My phone camera is seriously low quality. Of all the days not to bring my D80 out.

2009-05-24T20:06:00.003+08:00

"What you are about to see is top secret. Don't tell my mother"
Ahahaha that's funny. I can't wait for Transformers 2.
Apparently the sector 7 guy is now working as a butcher or something.
It's Micheal Bay & Steven Spielberg. I'll so gladly spend that $9.
25th June 2009. I think I'll not play computer the whole of that week so I can watch the movie and still study for mid-years.

www.transformersmovie.com

2009-05-20T20:32:00.003+08:00

I know it's not going to help complaining away here, and I know my time will be better spent focusing on work, but here goes anyway:

English. Why don't you call it Literature A1 rather than English A1. Calling the damn subject English makes it sound so much easier than what it actually is. And seriously, why do universities look at overall IB score when judging a person for entry into a course? To use an example I've used before, let's look at what a doctor does.

A doctor diagnoses the ailment, and dispenses the medicine. At the same time having a good bedside manner.

Which part of diagnose or dispense or soothing bedside manner does HOW DOES HEDDA SHOW HER MANLY SIDE reside in?

I mean, the name of the university course is 'MEDICINE' right? How on earth, venus and mars does having the ability to find meaning in background and friezes (which I'm entirely convinced there isn't any; Soyinka was definitely taking some african drug) define one's possible aptitude for medicine?

Chemistry is obviously important, because medicines are really complex. Biology is useful because you'll learn about human physiology. Math...well...okay, it shows your ability to think logically and frankly speaking, if you can handle the paper in that short 2 hours, it says a lot about your ability under pressure. Hell, Chinese is important because you'll need to communicate with older patients who may not be able to speak or understand English.

Don't tell me that English seperates those who really have the intellectual capablility. Why? Because of of the context of the situation. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A SCIENCE SUBJECT, ABOUT BEING A DOCTOR. NOT A FREAKIN LOW-DOWN AND LYING LAWYER (oooh look at that, alliteration) WHO NEEDS TO TWIST WORDS AND BEND TRUTHS.

Saying that it is English that shows who is really better when everybody gets 7s for their Chem and Bio/Physics as well as Math does not make any sense whatsoever. It's like saying when a raquet sport hits deuce, take both players out and make them play a 1 v 1 counter-strike knife match and the first person who gets 10 kills wins the olympic gold medal. IT'S FRIGGIN UNRELATED. Being able to imagine that pistols are a symbol of the male ramrod is NOT being perceptive, it is being sick in the mind.

If you really have to differentiate the really really good from the good, which I perfectly understand, given that being a doctor requires people of the highest aptitude and ability, please use a more related way. Raquet sports make people play on and fight for two more points when there's a draw, soccer matches go down to penalty kicks, which are all extremely related, they test the skills and ability under pressure.

I don't mind losing out to another person for a place in the medicine faculty if he could answer a really really really obscure biological/medical question that I couldn't. Because in that case he deserves the place. But to miss out on it because I couldn't find the theme in a passage that I've never seen before, I cannot accept it.

Everytime I get another single digit score for not thinking of enough filthy bullcrap to write about a passage that is taken out of a book so obscure I can't even pronounce the title, I just feel so cheated. Studying so hard for all five other subjects isn't going to work when English is gonna take away a possible 4 points from my score.

2009-05-16T22:30:00.004+08:00

Hopefully, everything in the next two weeks of IAs and other stupid and meaningless IB stuff will fall in place as nicely as this:

2009-05-04T00:25:00.003+08:00

Ah... hell, really? I mean, you've got walkthroughs for everything, don't you? Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way - perseverance. Gamefaqs has failed me.

2009-04-27T00:07:00.002+08:00

I KNEW IT

HE IS REAL!

HE'S WORKING AT THE LHC, TO USE HIS ASTOUNDING KNOWLEDGE OF PHYSICS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE WORLD!

OMG OMG OMG I'M SO GONNA FIND HIM ONE DAY

2009-04-21T20:37:00.003+08:00

I ran until I nearly fainted
I'm feeling damn bloody tired
I've got cramps and strains in possibly every part of my leg

BUT,

12:17 (this is my personal record, fyi)

THAT'S A SILVER, A SHINY, METALLIC SILVER, A BLESSED SILVER. MY FIRST EVER SILVER FOR NAPFA. NO MORE BRONZE THAT I'VE BEEN GETTING FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS.

But more importantly:

NO NEED TO WASTE 4 PRECIOUS WEEKS OF MY LIFE GOING FOR 'PHYSICAL TRAINING PHASE' PLUS A TWO MONTH REDUCTION IN NS DURATION.

I know they probably won't see this, but to all those that ran with me today, I owe you guys one.

I'm going to celebrate by collapsing on my bed because I'm so damn tired now.

2009-04-19T22:10:00.002+08:00

I hate smokers. If you want to kill yourself, go ahead, but don't drag down your family, neighbours and total strangers with you.

See, I have this old man as a neighbour. He smokes. A lot. If I ever see him not smoking it is because

a) He ran out of cigarettes
b) He's dead

Now, considering he hasn't died yet, and he has a ten year supply of cigarettes in his home, I've never seen him not smoking. In addition, not only does he smoke the whole day long, he loves leaving his front door and windows completely wide open. So the smoke just wafts over into my home and spreads cancer. Why can't old people who smoke just die faster. All the nice people die early, and these horrible people who smoke just don't die.

Well, here's a nice advertisement to brighten up the day:

2009-04-15T20:10:00.002+08:00

In the spirit of REW and the anniversary of the rising of what is claimed to be a most powerful being :

This beats the katamari one anytime.

Happy belated Easter Sunday to you religious ones. If you ever need a extra bible, I have eight of them in my locker.

2009-04-08T20:46:00.006+08:00

Something about the importance of seniors just hit me. Seeing countless Y4s throw snide remarks at the Y1s, seeing Y6s snigger rather than help Y5s, it just hit me. And I just want to put it down here for me to remember in time to come. Last year, through a series of strange and random events, I got to know three seniors that contributed in some way.

----------------------------------

Case #1

I never thought I'll actually say this, but it's a SJAB senior that helped :O

This was really early on back in Y5, around january or something. Founder's day rehersal just ended, and a few of us Y5s and one Y6 decided to check out the street soccer court. I still remember that evening really, because it was at that point in time I realised that maybe there was a silver lining to UYOs after all, that it gave us friends and connections to others that we never know when it'll come in handy in the future. Naturally, I was complaining and complaining about the situation back then. At first I didn't really know that he was listening in, but later on, he gave me what you could call advice.

"Don't worry about it at all. It's going to be tough, I know. There are a lot more things you should concentrate on and worry about rather than this. You'll find that there's a group that you'll never belong to, but if you look around there is always one that you belong to and willing to accept you. By the way your badge is a bit slanted."

Admittedly, I'm parapharasing a little but that's the gist of it all.

Although the term 'f-ing obvious' comes into mind, let me tell you, back then, hearing it from a senior and being told that there is nothing wrong helped a shit load, trust me.

--------------------------------------

Case #2

Basically I got to know the other two through some volunteer tuition work at Chen Su Lan Methodist home. Just a little bit on this tuition service thing and what it meant to me. Yeah I get CAS hours, but if you know how school was for me last year, I think having something once a week that pulls you out of the monotony and screwed-upness of school means so much more. It guaranteed that I saw a friend (jonny) at least once a week, and kinda let me see the different side to life.

Somehow, even though we were supposed to help the home, I found myself drawing strength from each trip there. I actually looked forward to going there every monday. But let's get back to talking about these two seniors. Apparently one of them was also in photog, and I only found out 3 weeks later, kinda says how on photog Y6s are.

Actual Chatlog from 10 minutes ago:

Ivan Mooks says:
hey
Ivan Mooks says:
been a while since we chat
Ivan Mooks says:
how r u coming along?
Ivan Mooks says:
gud?

I mean, to just out of the blue talk to a junior and ask him how things are really shows the character of these people.

----------------------------------

To all you people reading this, stop and think for a while. Your one small snide remark ("eh boy no useing handphone, think you very big is it"), your one small action of brushing aside a junior or ignoring him just because you don't he's worth it can mean a lot, in a negative kind of way.

----------------------------------

So, to Ming Hao, Jake Chia and Ivan Tan, even though we really don't know each other well at all, this is one big thanks to being a good senior.

2009-04-06T19:52:00.003+08:00

If you've played Katamari Damacy, you won't find this funny
If you've played TF2, you won't find this funny

IF YOU'VE PLAYED BOTH AND KNOW ABOUT THE CULTURE THAT GOES BEHIND THE TWO GAMES, THIS IS DAMN. BLOODY. FUNNY.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA DAMN AWESOME.

However, since 99.9% of the people that will actually see this simply do not appreciate gaming culture, the joke's probably wasted. Don't worry, not laughing at this means that you actually have a life.

2009-03-30T21:54:00.008+08:00

After watching I, Robot for the fourth time on television yesterday, I realized something.

If they ever made a game out of I, Robot, they may as well call it Portal 2.

V.I.K.I.
is
so
like
GLaDOS

Both killed their makers/manufacturers
Both are supercomputers gone wrong
Both are spiteful females
Both have a physical form of hanging from a high ceiling with no easy way to attack it other than to do death-defying stunts

So let's take a stab at I, Robot a.k.a. Portal 2 video game advertisement:

---------------------------------

Tired of playing as a mute character wielding some cheap Portal gun? Tired of running around in circles, looking for non-existent cakes and being unable to shoot any form of lethal ammunition? Introducing I, Robot - The Video Game.

Instead of one protagonist, we have three!
Instead of stagnant sentry guns, we have incredibly strong and fast NS-5 robots!
Instead of simple jumping puzzles, we have jumping puzzles on the 100th floor of a skyscraper!

Play as Detective Spooner, a paranoid but damn buff 6ft 2in tall, 200-pound police officer with an immense distrust of robots. Choose from an arsenal of police weapons such as your standard 9mm sidearm to your generic rapid fire submachinegun. Like to get up close and personal? Use your prosthetic left arm to fend off those pesky NS-5s from attacking you or Dr. Susan Calvin. Ironic innit? You hate robots yet have a robotic left arm.

Who needs Chell when you can be Dr. Susan Calvin, an equally good looking female protagonist who actually has the ability to speak! Abilities range from being the only one able to open security doors, think rationally and scream at 140 decibals when attacked by robots. Drawbacks include having those girl moments such as crying during awkward pauses in the game.

Optimus Prime ain't coming close. Play as Sonny, the uber-NS5. Made of a denser alloy than all other NS5s, he is capable of tanking for the humans and then slapping those stupider robots back to the junkyard. Perfect for grabbing vital boss-specific weapons from storage facilities secured with energy fields. With dual-core processing ability, he can choose whether or not to listen to those three laws, unlike all other NS5s. Switching between nice and naughty, now that's power-saving. Drawbacks include asking dumb questions just like the Terminator.

Why fight GLaDOS? V.I.K.I. offers several times the difficulty level. GLaDOS hangs 10 meters in the air. V.I.K.I. hangs 100 floors in the air. GLaDOS only has one rocket sentry to protect herself. V.I.K.I. sends a bazillion NS5s to screw you over.

----------------------

In all seriousness, I'm waiting for the real Portal 2. And Episode Three. And for people to remember that today is my birthday.

2009-03-24T21:10:00.007+08:00

I have ten days to save myself from going into NS for 56 days earlier than the rest of Singapore's 18-year-olds.

Right now, this is where I am:

Considering that it's at least a silver to not get enlisted earlier than needed, in 10 days time, I had better be:

Sure die. And the most unfair part is, I'm getting at least a C for everything else already.

2009-03-13T21:41:00.003+08:00

Alright guys, on Monday:

1. Don't mention anything about this blog, even if you are dying to express your passionate views on my entertainment ability. My parents don't know about it's existence, and they generally have a negative view about blogging.

2. Don't bring alcohol. As much as you love turning eighteen and drinking legally, and would like to share the experience with me, my parents don't allow it.

3. Don't throw me into the pool. I mean it. Throw Darrell instead, just like last year (:

4. If you have a laptop, BRING IT. I'm gonna celebrate this year with the biggest lan party I can host. BRING YOUR LAPTOP.

5. If you haven't passed your generous donation to Isaac, please do so (: (: (:

6. If you are a GEP, and somehow or another I didn't get down to asking you over, take it that you are invited (just follow point number five xD). Unless you happen to use a pokemon as your nickname, cos you are banned by my parents, not me.

7. EVERYBODY AND ANYBODY WHO KNOWS WEIHUA, GO AND PERSUADE HIM TO STOP EMOING AND TO COME OVER.

2009-03-10T19:55:00.005+08:00

Do you know/give a shit that...

...the trombone uses slides instead of valves, unlike the rest of the main brass family
...the double bass is the only one in the string section has the same sloping shoulders as that of the defunct viol family
...when writing SATB, you cannot have consecutive fifths and eighths, and that sixths are very harmonically correct
...the oboe is a double reed instrument
... Ib-Vc-I can only be used when the soprano goes 1-2-3 or 1-7-1
...the flute, despite being woodwind, has no reeds and uses an edge mouthpiece, whatever on earth that is.
...a passing second inversion requires a chord in second inversion
...two major intervals get you an augmented chord
...I'm going to get at most five marks out of twenty for question 3 of my theory exam because for the life of me, I cannot string even two notes together, let alone make eight bars of music sound melodious
...I hate theory
...by extension, I hate music
...my exam is this Saturday and I still can't even remember that the soprano goes from either tonic to leading note or from the mediant to supertonic for a Ic - V chord
...if you test me on the above, the only thing I can answer is that I hate music
...that I'm going to fail very badly because the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music insists that the passing mark is 66 out of 100 instead of the usual 50. Musicians are clearly incapable of simple arithmetic, either that, or they are plain sadists.

2009-03-02T21:19:00.003+08:00

Still on the look-back-and-see-how-I've-grown phase, remember around a year ago I lamented on not having a DSLR to get those damn nice sunsets? Yeah well, now I do, and I'm making full use of it. I'm gonna spam flickr with all my sunset pictures.

Click it. The resizing blogger does to it doesn't do any justice at all to me and my D80.

I love my D80.

...and my computer as well

2009-02-28T20:20:00.013+08:00

Number 100

Here we are, roughly three and a half years since the day I started this blog, at this one hundredth post milestone. We've got quite a line-up for you in this post, to commemorate 100 posts of time-wasting. First up, the obligatory 'look-back-and-see-how-I've-grown' commentary. Skip it if you don't like emo crap.

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It's pretty embarrassing, really, to read back on those initial posts and see how childish they were, failed attempts at sounding mature and sad. But still, I'm leaving them there to remind me how life was back in the days where we were in three secluded classrooms with blue doors with cool telescope-like things stuck onto the doors in place of a glass plane. To quote myself: 'i'll sure miss 2.12'05. It was the best class i've ever been in.' I still feel the same, what with the circumstances I'm in now.

Fast-forward to 2009, today. I've been hearing comments on how amusing my blog is. Thanks guys, it's what gives me the motivation to continue entertaining you people (although I still see 0 comments for every post so far). I don't mind being the clown for all of you. It lets me take my mind of the crap in school in any case. It's been around 30-40 posts since I vowed that 'it'll be either upbeat posts, or rants.' Looks like I'll be sticking to that promise.

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That's that, now for the more relevant parts. To celebrate this milestone, quicksilvermercury has been upgraded to a certain extent. My flickr account is one. I'm not interested in showing off my photographic skills per se =P, but more of showing you my powerful reflexes in snapping those screenshots in-game. If you think it's hard to take nice photos in real life, try getting the exact frame when the monitor is going at 75 frames per second. Okay fine, there will be normal, sensible, good, real-life photos there as well.

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Currently I'm looking for a four-leaved clover that may have been stuck inside my shirt, pants, socks, shoes or even underwear, on Thursday. Stuff managed to go right for once. Well, it wasn't really that good, just that by comparison, it felt a lot better than the whole of 2008 and these two months of 2009 so far.

My topic for TOK presentation was 'Video Game Controversies: Can we know whether video games adversely affects one's actions'. And I got the full five points for personal involvement. Now who says video games are bad for your studies? In Mr. Brian Conner's own words: "I could sense that you know a lot on this topic, well done". He is awesome. Any teacher that doesn't dismiss wikipedia is awesome. I did not plan for anything, did not do anything for the presentation all the way until Wednesday, after the cross-country, in which the first thing I did when I reached home was to go farm some scout achievements and wasted 3 hours. So I began my TOK presentation work at 6pm on Wednesday. Keep in mind that I had to go for piano lesson at 7pm, only reaching home at 9pm. In addition, I needed to spend another two hours to uproot twenty-eight plants for EE and measure the length of the roots, leaves and stems. So basically I didn't sleep until 4am. I took two jars of Brands' Chicken Essence the next morning. Maybe it really did help.

Cut it short, I got 17/20 for my presentation. My jaw literally dropped when it was announced. Now I know that 17/20 isn't really good to any of you guys, I know. But I'm hopeless at TOK, my command of the english language is weak, and I only got 11/20 for my first presentation. So it was good. Reached home, played TF2 and had an incredible run, breaking my past records demolitions, dominations and damages as pyro and soldier. I even pulled off six backstabs in one life as a spy, which I almost never play. Critical hits all went my way.

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Maybe my life is like an ubercharge meter. A really lengthy and slow-filling ubercharge meter. You need to get damaged damn badly, heal up, damaged, heal, etc. for a very long time before you get a short invulnerability period. Just gotta fill it up in time for IB exams.

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I know, I know, not very funny, this post. You can't possibly expect me to possess an endless chain of entertainment for you right? But check back soon, I'll be ranting once this ubercharge wears off, probably by the next math test this coming monday.

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Happy 100th post, quicksilvermercury, you've been one hell of a companion.

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Who says computer games are bad for your studies?

2009-02-19T18:35:00.005+08:00

If you are the same as me and don't like reading emo crap. Skip straight to the last part.

So I just got pushed out of the IB bio lab because the lab tech wanted to let another student use the oven instead of me. No big deal. I'm used to it. Getting looked over, passed over in every bloody aspect of school these two years. Well, at least she did ask the people in the micro-biology lab on the yellow level of heaven (school's divided into heaven and hell, if you didn't know) to let me use the oven there, so kudos to you I guess, madam.

To me, walking back towards the old block just removes all the damn stress and anger I feel against IB. Why? It brings back memories, happy ones. Except the library, because it decided to plant itself RIGHT on top of my sec 2 memories. Annoying.

Grey, Blue, Red, Yellow, here I am. Back at the labs where we used to go for Life Sciences back in the days of shiny-faced life science teachers who somehow were able to apply ptc on their palms and faces(speaking of which, is he still in our school these days?). DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH NICER THE PEOPLE THERE ARE? IT'S LIKE GIVING YOU A BICYCLE AND THE BATMOBILE AND ASKING YOU WHICH ONE IS COOLER. NO COMPARISON AT ALL. So yeah, I was given freedom and time and humane treatment to prepare my plants for use in the oven. Basically, the lab hasn't changed much, something that I was quite pleased with. I looked around and saw those familiar stuff. You know the touch-screen board thing everybody wanted to have a go at back in sec 1? Well, it's kinda languishing at a corner of the lab, quite unwanted and miserable.

Feeling quite happy at not getting shouted at for not being able to complete a 10 step procedure in 0.1 milliseconds, I walked out of those glass doors back into the corridors of heaven. Damn, my pen is still in my pocket. I put down my bag on one of those wooden benches to take out my pencil case and pack my stuff.

Unknown voice with great enthusiasm: 'Hi!'
Me: 'Oh hey sir'
IT'S JASON CHAN OMG: 'So how's life'
Me: 'Umm, very bad. It's very stressful'
Jason Chan: 'So what's your EE?'
(note the incoherence and suddeness of the conversation. OR MAYBE HE IS PSYCHIC AND KNOWS I AM TROUBLED BY MY EE; IT'S JASON CHAN AFTER ALL =O)
Me: 'Bio. That's part of the stress'
(Jason Chan does his Jason Chan smile)
(I'm holding back laughter damn badly right now)
(Jason Chan continues his Jason Chan smile)
(thinks to myself: this is highly awkward)
Me: 'Umm...do you need help for Life Science symposium, I need more CAS hours'

Suddenly I'm not angry with the world anymore. It's quite hard to stay grouchy when Jason Chan is there grinning at you in his Jason Chan way.

I love going back to heaven.

2009-02-15T15:23:00.003+08:00

Soldiers provide well-balanced firepower
Pyros spread confusion in enemy ranks
Heavies soak up damage
Spies sap sentry guns and take down primary targets
Demoman does area denial
Engineers provide security, teleportation and ammunition
Medics are self-explanatory
Scouts grab intel and harass enemies
Snipers stand far away from front lines hoping to score a headshot on other equally cowardly snipers.

Hope you get the picture now!

I'm loving team fortress 2

2009-02-13T22:00:00.008+08:00

Why not apply a little TF2 to everyday life? Achievements are a good motivator to play TF2 more often, let's see if it's gonna help me show some interest in getting some work done.

Reports for Practicals 20, 23, 24, 32 are due damn soon. To think I used to like practicals back in secondary school. The pracs are fun to carry out, but I hate writing the stupid reports.

I have absolutely not the slightest idea how and what to write

I swear, I should have stuck with Chinese EE

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I really hate school these days.

2009-02-08T16:55:00.008+08:00

Angry about something? Frustrated with your life? Whether you have problems in your studies or personal life, quicksilvermercury cares about you, we really do. Whenever you need to let off steam, don't go back and shout at your family members or go beat up your stuffed toys, there are complete strangers everywhere that you can vent on, legally. Whether or not you are a nerd, sportsman, loner, popular guy or geek, when you want to let of steam, just transform your identity. Transform into a ...troll. I'm not talking about those 10 feet tall monsters you see in mythical films/games (those are so disgusting, totally uncivilized), but more of those types you see on the internet forums, multi-player games and whatnot. Become a griefer.

In this first part of our Relax, Relax, Relax series, we'll be focusing on venting your stress on...people who give out flyers and brochures.

Depending on your angst-ness/moodiness/glumness, you should practice a variety of trolling.

Level 1 Trolling

Suggested usage:

An assessed practical is due the next day and it's 6pm by the time you hit your MRT station.
You got caught for ponning class in school, but without lasting consequences

How-to:
First, find the guy giving out the brochure. Usually they are stationed at the entrances/exits of the MRT station, near the escalators. Walk towards him. Instinctively, he'll stretch out his hand with the brochure and give it to you.

Critical hit:
Don't look at him, look at the brochure in his hand. Walk in a way such that you will go right past him. Keep looking at the brochure, and just as you walk past him, continue looking but DO NOT take it. Walk away. Basically you'll have your head turned ninety degrees at him when you are right next to him, looking at the brochure but not taking it.

Level 4 Trolling

Suggested usage:

World Literature topic due the next day and you haven't finished reading your texts.
You've been passed over for a promotion in CCA/work that you so badly want.

How-to:
As above, find the guy with the brochures first. This time, take out your phone and pretend to have a conversation as you approach the target. Your pseudo-conversation must go along the lines that this is your first time at the MRT station and you can't find your way to your friend's place. Make sure it's audible to the brochure-guy.

Critical Hit:
Continue your conversation and walk towards the brochure guy. Act like you are damn lost, and you are following your friend's every direction through the phone. When you reach the brochure guy, stop RIGHT next to him, talking to your 'friend', 'what, stop here and look, okay hang on, yeah I see the green pillar'. When done properly you will entirely block the brochure guy from the stream of pedestrians.

Level 9 Trolling (requires use of fellow troll)

Suggested Usage:

Somebody who copied your IA without permission got a much higher grade than you
Some guy stole your girl
Your 30 hours community work has not been granted 'CAS-worthy' status despite you having really spent 30 hours doing it

How-to:
As mentioned, this requires the use of a fellow troll/helpful friend. Employ a two-pronged attack. Walk towards each other, with the brochure guy right in the middle. Do not act like you know each other (yet), and just continue.

Critical Hit:
Once within proximity of the brochure guy, both of you reach out your hands as though going for the brochure. Ensure both of you are noticed by the brochure guy. As you approach, instead of taking the brochures that he will be frantically holding out in order to give two people at once, reach out and shake each other's hands, acting like two people who have yet to know each other, and are meeting for the first time.

Level 20 Trolling (based on circumstances)

Suggested usage:

Your EE experiment has failed for the 5th time, and you have less than a month till the deadline
You still have not thought of the AOK/WOK for your TOK essay, and it's due damn soon
You know you basically have no chance at getting even anywhere near 38 points for IB
Valve decides to cancel development of Half-Life 2: Episode Three

How-to:
As mentioned, this is based on circumstances. Here's the deal: I think we come across occasions where we take a brochure only to see that the guy has given you like ten pieces together so that he can finish his quota quicker, and rush home in time to see the tenth re-run of some Korean drama that only housewives watch. Now this is very bad for the shop he is working for, as their publicity is greatly reduced, so actually, pwning this guy is helping the shop, and by extension, the Singapore economy, so your conscience is clear (:

Critical Hit:
Put on your sweetest smile and most innocent expression you can muster. Walk back to the brochure guy. Tap him lightly on the shoulder and say, "I'm so sorry, but I think you just gave me ten brochures. I'm sure it's not your fault, but I think you should take these back (return him nine brochures) and give the others. I'm sure the added publicity would do your shop a lot of good. Have a nice day!" Smile at him again, and walk away in your most frustratingly innocent way possible.

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quicksilvermercury health warnings:

The above are addictive. Do not overuse or you will find yourself getting fewer and fewer friends. Nobody likes a griefer or troll.
If the brochure guy is 6 feet tall and has biceps as thick as your torso, just walk away. Seriously, it's not worth it.

2009-02-06T22:52:00.003+08:00

I think it's damn awesome. Imagine, you go driving down the road with your girlfriend and if some guy irritates you, you can just tell each other 'hey, let's hack his [random electronic item] and screw it up'. At any rate, I think it's so much more fun than watching movies.

2009-02-05T00:18:00.004+08:00

I really should be doing work. But basically the chances of me actually doing work are about as much as suicide bombers actually receiving their 72 virgins for killing hundreds of innocent people (if you do know of a god that actually rewards killing innocents, tell me, I want to join). Since I'm won't be doing much work anyway, may as well go do something productive, like taking a test.

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Your result for The 3 Variable Funny Test...

the Idiot Savant

(38% dark, 46% spontaneous, 47% vulgar)

your humor style:
VULGAR | SPONTANEOUS | LIGHT

You like things silly, immediate, and, above all, outrageous. Ixne on the subtle word play, more testicles on fire, please. People like you are the most likely to RECEIVE internet forwards--and also the most likely to save them in a special folder entitled 'HOLY SHIT'.

Because it's so easily appreciated, and often wacky and physical, your sense of humor never ceases to amuse your friends. Most realize that there's a sly intelligence and a knowing wink to your tastes. Your sense of humor could be called 'anti-pretentious'--but paradoxically enough, that indicates you're smarter than most.

PEOPLE LIKE YOU: Johnny Knoxville - Jimmy Kimmel

The 3-Variable Funny Test!

- it rules -

Take The 3 Variable Funny Test at HelloQuizz

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2009-02-04T23:40:00.002+08:00

Is it so difficult to avoid viruses? Granted, flu and cold viruses are pretty much beyond our control, so I'm referring to computer viruses here. Specifically, the generic 'msn' virus.

I presume we are all familiar with how it works. The infected computer randomly scans the msn contact list and sends out a link to a random contact. Naturally, the link leads the unsuspecting fool who clicked on it like the moron that he is to a website literally crawling with that msn virus. Virus gets downloaded into a new victim, cycle repeats.

For [insert name of higher being here]'s sake, is it too much to ask you to be slightly more vigilant on the net? When your friend who normally speaks "lol hai you wan to see my bdae party pics or not" suddenly changes to "Hi, check out my christmas party pictures at asdf.asdf.com", doesn't alarm bells go off in your head?

Just refrain from clicking the link for that five seconds to check with your friend, and your loyal computer will be protected. I swear these people don't deserve to possess computers. Most probably ranking just slightly above n00b mac users.

Speaking of which, if any n00b mac user tells you that they buy mac because "NO VIRUS AND WINDOWS SUX LOL I LIKE PHOTOBOOTH", all you need to do is to add these empty-headed group of people to your contact list, get an infected computer and log in and just leave it logged in for roughly a week or so. I can guarantee you a 100% infection rate. Research by the quicksilvermercury science company has shown that a higher percentage of mac users have been hit by the msn virus than windows users.

Dumb virus for dumb computer users, guess it goes hand in hand.

2009-01-28T21:49:00.006+08:00

We covered quite a few genres of the internet bandwidth-wasting demons already, haven't we? Here at quicksilvermercury, we are on the constant lookout for these people so you can avoid them. Besides n00b mac-users, these people are the other lowlifes of the computing realm. In the real world, would you go frolicking with drug-users, people who live off their parents or are just plain useless bums? Nope. So, we are here to help you identify and avoid these. What would your parents say if they caught you mixing with lowlife? We told you, we care about you!

Incoherent Idiot

Let's start with an example:

"Hello i feel quite sianz today. Yesterday I went with asdf to watch the movie, sigh it made me so emo. Actually now i feel quite emo, why everytime i watch these types of movies I feel like that. Sigh. Oh wait, a car just moved by, suddenly I feel happy xD!"

That was an excerpt of what you would encounter the moment you step into the blog of an incoherent idiot. First up, WHAT MOVIE DID YOU WATCH? Yes, a blog is to tell people about what you have done, and if your life, like mine, is very average and mundane and narrating it is capable of putting people to sleep faster than anesthesia, that can't be helped, but do try to make it vaguely understandable.

Next, mood swings are a sign of a woman at a certain period (hurhur pun here) every month. Are you a woman? If you are guy, do try not to act like one. Singapore needs straight people to boost its birth rate. If you are really a woman, no comment, I don't want to be brought up for sedation. So here goes a disclaimer.

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I am not a sexist. I do not intend to insult the feminine side of humanity in anyway whatsoever by using that earlier paragraph. If you have interpreted the earlier paragraph in an insulting way, do leave a comment, and I'll rectify it as soon as I see the comment. I respect all genders, even if you like to sit on the fence. (but try not to sit on the fence, it's kinda wrong, BUT, no comment)
----------------

Incoherency is also a sign of low processing power. If your brain cannot process information, it jumps around hoping to fill up spaces with rubbish. Basically, don't do this. The average person has an IQ of 90-110. The incoherent idiot possesses an IQ of slightly above 10. The slowest average person is still 9 times smarter than an incoherent idiot. So don't show people that you are 9 times stupider than them.

Yeah. Don't be like him. Don't be an incoherent idiot.

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Postscript: Alright, time to be a bit more serious.

quicksilvermercury public message:

Guys, I'm doing all these for your entertainment. And to be entertaining, more often than not, you need to, well, make fun of people. But I'm not very interested in being hauled up in front of the school to make a public apology or being sent to jail for sedition. So, if you find my posts are beginning to cross that invisible boundary, please let me know immediately.

2009-01-23T21:16:00.005+08:00

When was the last time you went into a dark, small and lonely place out of your own free will and enjoyed it? Most probably, never. Nobody likes being in the dark, alone, and devoid of any light for your whole life. I don't think you do, do you?

But.

That is exactly what your computer has to go through ever since it is brought into your house until the day you unceremoniously dispose of it.

See, here at quicksilvermercury, we care about you, but we care more about your computer.

You most certainly have never opened up your computer case have you? Even if you have, do you ever think how your computer feels, being trapped in that dark and lonely box full of dust? Once again, most probably not.

For just $12, bring joy and happiness to your PC. Go out and get a LED fan.

Not only does it bring light and happiness to your computer, it's quite good at decorating your home too. Your computer will be brimming with happiness.

Just in case you haven't seen my hot (literally, it hits 80 degrees) 4850 graphics card, here it is in clearer focus:

Turn off the lights for a nice view of your computer at night:

Don't you feel like getting an LED fan now?

2009-01-16T21:25:00.001+08:00

"The name Zero Suit Samus mislead me. Upon realizing the name had a different meaning, I promptly returned Brawl"

- Found on an Internet Forum

Now that really is a good sentence. One of those things that is humorous and meaningful at the same time.

I bet you don't get it too :P

2009-01-09T00:58:00.009+08:00

Time for another n00b Mac-Users bashing time.

As mentioned, here at quicksilvermercury, we care about you. We want to warn how to avoid turning into a n00b mac user.

Upon consulting the very highly regarded Dr. Freeman (PhD. Theoretical Physics), we have a list of symptoms that you should pay attention in order to prevent becoming a n00b mac user. He is a doctor afterall, so please listen to him.

1. Do you have an urge to spend $1500?
2. Do you like white?
3. Do you like apples?
4. Do you feel an urge to act like an idiot everytime somebody mentions the word photobooth?
5. Do you think having a mac will instantly make you socially acceptable and happening?
6. Do you enjoy the feeling of using two fingers on your touchpad?
7. Do you think buying a macbook pro makes you pro?
8. Do you have no idea what is Adobe Photoshop?
9. Do you have a slight idea what is Adobe Photoshop but are not in the least bit interested in learning how to use it?
10. Do you think money falls from the skies?

If you have answered more than 1 yes, then you are in intense danger of becoming a n00b mac user! Answering yes to question 7, however, means you are instantly a permanant n00b mac user without hope of a cure.

Now, why should you care? Please look at the Venn Diagram below: Now, looking at this, take note of how the two large circles absolutely do not intersect. Anyone with the least bit of common sense can see that the terms 'expert computer user' and 'mac user' are mutually exclusive entities.

(alright, I admit, if you use an electron microscope, you'll find that the two circles do intersect, but you'll still need to strain your eyes to find that out. Now, that little tiny minuscule bit of space represents the 0.0000000001% of mac users that know what they are doing, so my sincerest apologies to those who do know what they are doing.)

Since the computing world is divided into pros and n00bs, if you aren't pro, you are n00b. And the best way not to be n00b is to not use a mac, since 99.9999999999% of mac users are n00b. Simple mathematics here.

Thankfully, there is an incredibly easy cure to prevent becoming a n00b mac user. You know how medicines are really bitter and stuff like that? Well, this medicine is really enjoyable. All you have to do, is....play games. Yes. Play computer games! Get addicted to it and really really really enjoy it. Start a collection of games, call of duty, COH, L4D, Half-Life, in fact, any game will do.

Now, once you are well and truly addicted to games, switch to mac. Horrors of horrors, NO MORE GAMES (unless you really like spore, which qualifies you as a semi-n00b). Trust me, once you start liking games, you'll be unable to use a mac.

This concludes another personal health guideline from quicksilvermercury. We care about you.

2009-01-04T23:00:00.017+08:00

It's one thing to get dragged to one side by a complete stranger just to listen to their sales pitch, but it's absolutely annoying when you are accosted by an absolute nincompoop of a person who tries to convert you. I wouldn't mind it when an adult who is in decently dressed in shirt and long pants does the asking but having a guy who looks like he's into glue sniffing, with earrings and tongue-piercings try to tell you that you need salvation doesn't really cut it.

Thankfully, it's quite fun to mess around with their puny minds. So far I've met these budding evangelists about 3 times.

Not sure what to do when rushing for time and encounter these bunch of people? Here at quicksilvermercury, we care about you. Presenting to you the Escape the Evangelists walkthrough.

Scenario 1: The almighty as the bridge

Difficulty: Easy

You know the whole story, the guy will draw two cliffs and say that one side is earth and one side is heaven, ask you if you would like to go to heaven and then say you can't because NO BRIDGE OMG. However, there's hope for all of you, and if you convert, you'll be saved and grow jumpjets from your back and hop over the other side. No, just kidding, jumpjets aren't holy enough. Basically, the guy will draw a cross over the gap between the cliffs and say that's a certain person who will act as a bridge for you.

Walkthrough: Simple. Basically, if the guy actually thinks that such a stupid story can convince you, he's just as stupid as the story. Think of all the random things you do with a bridge and just say it. If you are lucky his single cell brain might overheat.

What I did: "But what if you like to bungee jump?"

What happened: "Umm...I mean, errrr, what?"

Scenario 2: Straight talking advertisement

Difficulty: Medium

Basically, this is slightly harder to escape. No dumb stories to work on, and the guy most probably doesn't look like a kindergarten dropout. He might probably have a girlfriend with him too, meaning he's quite happening and doesn't get owned so easily. He tries to convert you by straight talking. He'll start with, "Hi, my name is asdf and I'm from asdf church and would like ask you if you are interested in joining us. We hold services every Sunday (duh) from 8am to 1pm and we are real cool and happening."

Walkthrough: He's straight talking, so you be straight talking too. Give him a very direct answer that he can't think of a way to go around. It'll be over before you know it. If you are feeling adventurous, try hitting on his girlfriend, if might get him to leave you alone.

What I did: "Sounds really interesting, I would really like to attend, but, I stay in Johor Bahru"

What happened: "Oh."

Scenario 3: Boss-fight

Difficulty: Hard

Everything in life has to have a boss-fight. No difference here. Now, the bosses seldom appear in public, preferring to let their minions do the converting. Bosses include very buff-looking men who look like they can kill you with one finger or somebody who is your superior in the office/school or even the pastor himself! They go straight up to you and give you an invitation to their church this Sunday. They don't wait for your reply before telling you the timetable for that day, acting as though you are definitely going.

Walkthrough: Boss-fights are fatal. Unless you know their weakspot. It varies from boss to boss, and you have to be a quick thinker. Know their weaknesses, and use it. Don't act smart and say things like "I can't go, I'm sleeping with your mom that day". It won't work because the buff guy will kill you with his finger, the superior will give you hell in work/school, and the pastor is usually an old guy who's mom has passed away, making you look like a necrophiliac.

What I did: "But, but, I'm Jewish"

What happened: (complete and absolute silence)

----------------------------

Now, I have to add that I do not disrespect any religion whatsoever. I myself am basically a free-thinker, and it's not the religion I have intended to disrespect in this post, but more of trying to express my feelings about people who try to convert others, albeit in a slightly different manner. I do feel that we should not go around poking our noses into what other people believe in, it really is very personal. A good number of my friends are pretty religious, and they don't even attempt to convert me, or at least only make one attempt and after that respecting my decision, so why should a complete stranger have any right to do so? In short, this is not to disrespect or make fun of any religion. I'm making fun of the mis-guided people, not their religion.

2008-12-22T22:35:00.020+08:00

Everybody's been traveling overseas during this holiday. So happening.
NEVERMIND.
I also got travel.

I'm serious. I've been to Africa. Excellent 2 month trip.

The vastness of Africa is just amazing. It's so clean, pure, untouched from all of mankind's pollution and diseases.

...just beautiful isn't it?

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I've seen glorious sunrises and sunsets; the beams of golden light flowing through the lush African canopy

...just look at that gleaming machete, er, I MEAN, GLEAMING SUNSHINE.

----------------------------------

I've witnessed the powers of mother nature, how wild, uninhabited fires can consume vast tracts of dry land.

...burn, burn you stupid peopl-, OH, I mean, well, that's a big fire innit?

--------------------------------

Water. Africa is a dry country, but rivers and lakes still can be found, providing a rest area for you to recharge and relax on the riverbanks and take in the sights.

That's not a machete. It's just, just...umm...a big knife, see, I was cutting up some fruits to eat. Picnic, see. By the riverbank, very relaxing.

Ripples across the water surface...perfect zen environment.
And noooo, that is definitely not a Fabrique Nationale M249 Light Machine Gun that I'm carrying. Why would I bring that on a vacation?

--------------------------------

Legs tired? I found a nice jeep rental company. They even gave a GPS device fitted into the dashboard! Perfect for locating enemy camps to destro- I MEAN locating pit stops on the highway, to, erm, you know, toilet breaks, yeah.

The nice people at the jeep company even attached a Heckler & Koch GMG Automatic Grenade Launcher for self-defense. I mean, there are lions out there dammit! See, those cars in the distance only had an M60 heavy machine gun, and look what happened to them! Definitely the work of lions. Fierce creatures.

----------------------------------

Africa. What an amazing country. Really enjoyed my vacation this year.

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P.S. I didn't exactly like the people there. There weren't exactly friendly.

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Far Cry 2
Made possible by ATi HD4850

2008-12-02T23:05:00.004+08:00

'If there's anything better than a computer shop and a credit card, I don't know what that is'

-James Hyneman, Mythbusters

Neither do I. And frankly speaking, I don't think there is. Not when you just got a HD4850 graphics card when you were limping along with a 7600GT all the while. Readers of the previous post would know that I would be extremely glad with a 9800GT already. But suddenly having a HD4850, is incredible.

Don't understand? Let's try describing it to you. It's like hoping to get a Nissan Sunny and getting a Lamborghini Reventón. It's like hoping to pass your exam and getting top in class. It's like hoping to score with the girl next door and suddenly finding Jessica Alba at your doorstep.

In short, the HD4850 blows away the 9800GT totally. ATI has taken over the mid-range GPU sections this generation. Come back next year, Nvidia.

My new best friend

2008-11-09T22:09:00.004+08:00

Let's talk some perspective here shall we?

This disgusting looking object cost $8000, and my parents, without batting an eyelid, bought it. Don't even talk about 10+ years of lesson costs.

This exquisitely-crafted and intricately-designed hot little number cost only $230, and in their exact words, 'YOU'LL NEVER GET IT, SO FOR THE 100TH TIME, STOP ASKING FOR IT'. I mean, I'm already willing to take the 9800GT rather than the HD4870 or GTX 260, and I didn't even contemplate the GTX 280.

Like that also cannot.

2008-11-06T10:31:00.003+08:00

Let's see how sick in the mind you are; take a look at this picture

What is the highest scoring word that you can put down?

The really innocent and clean and pure and virtuous would know that you can put OSTRICH.

DIRTY-MINDED PEOPLE.

2008-10-31T19:21:00.003+08:00

So I come back from a very fruitful photog-club stock taking (by stock-taking I mean getting to keep all the old and unwanted antiques that the school doesn't want), tired, but happy, having gotten a few items and being able to spend time with friends. Showered, switched on the computer and clicked to the usual team fortress 2 and computer peripheral related websites, grabbed a packet of Kinder Bueno from the fridge and got ready for rest and relaxation.

DING DONG

The doorbell rang.

Opening the door, I saw two ang moh children that couldn't be more than 6 years old screaming at their top of their lungs 'TRICK OR TREAT'.

Oh. Crap. I forgot those ang mohs at my condo treat Halloween quite the seriously.

Open fridge door. Oh dear, nothing inside.
Open all 5 cabinets. Oh shit, nothing inside either.

Go back to front door, those two children are still there staring expectantly. Hmm, why are they staring at my computer?

I look around.

OH F---.

My Kinder Bueno.

Thinks to myself: OH NO YOU AREN'T TAKING MY CHOCOLATE BAR.

10 seconds of horrible awkward silence. The little boy looks like he's about to cry.

Oh F---.

Two minutes later, I'm back at the computer, WITHOUT ANY FORM OF CHOCOLATE.

NEXT YEAR, I'M BUYING CHINA CHOCOLATE TO PREPARE. I'LL FEED YOU MELAMINE, YOU CHOCOLATE-GRABBING LITTLE PEOPLE.

2008-10-22T18:32:00.002+08:00

I came in top ten in the recent Canon Photo-marathon Competition. Under most normal circumstances, coming in within the top ten places out of several hundreds is good. Very good.

BUT NOT WHEN THE TOP THREE POSITIONS GET KICK-ASS PRIZES WORTH NEARLY $3000 EACH.
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

AND ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH again.

Plus, it turns out I submitted the wrong photo for one of the themes.

!@#$%!

2008-10-13T17:29:00.003+08:00

16 posts. That's how long I've gone without being all sad on this blog. I'm not treating myself to anything yet because I don't have the money (my 'treat' means a GTX 280 that is well beyond three months of my combined family income).

Still, I'm gonna have one sad little post right here, right now. Close the tab (if you are using IE 7 or firefox) or window (if you still like IE 6 and below) if you aren't interested. No safari mentioned here because I don't like mac users for the simple reason that 99.9999999% of them bought it to look cool or because they enjoy spending $2000 to play with photobooth.

----------------------------------------------------

Three and a half years ago, in sec 2, I had some form of dilemma, I was accepted into NUS high school of maths and science. Joining this school meant that I would be almost guaranteed direct admission into NUS as long as I didn't slack off too badly. This sounded very good, as I didn't, and still don't, have any intention of going overseas for university education. So basically I mulled over it, and gave it a lot of thought. Direct admission to NUS with the compromise of having to start afresh. To someone who dislikes change, this is quite the compromise.

So what made me stay in ACS Independent? It was a rugby match. One C division rugby final that we won made me make up my mind to stay on in ACS Independent. I remember that whole day. As I sat there and saw the match unfold and the prefects, the student body cheer and cheer and cheer, something just clicked into place, and told me that I would be really happy if I stayed in this place. And as I saw the school flag being waived around as we sang the school anthem on a muddy pitch, I knew that I was making the right decision. I was really happy that day, not just from the elation that I knew another school holiday would be given, but that I had gotten a load of my back.

I never regretted that decision, not once in my whole life since that day. The rest of sec 2 ended with 2.12 Napthali singing yet another Kevin Low parody in our classroom that has since been taken over by the library expanding downwards (bloody hell, people expand upwards you know), sec 3 brought about new dimensions when we were formerly introduced into the integrated programme, and sec 4 was just one hell of a year, being in a way, 'king-of-the-hill', and knowing that whatever our grades were, we'll still be in IB anyway.

But now? Don't get me wrong, I still don't regret that decision I made to stay. I loved ACS Independent since I was 13 years old. It's just that now, what I see is not the ACS Independent I knew between the years 2004 and 2007. The ACS Independent I knew was full of camaraderie, and despite bullying cases we heard of now and then, nothing went beyond that, and there was no such thing as class politics, random elections for useless things, all sorts of bureaucratic things, or even the simple thing as how to sweeten your tongue so as to borrow a practical report to copy and make it better to beat the competition. OEP and LDP was all of about helping each other, and despite my many complaints about LDP, I couldn't have asked for better companions to go through such a horrible camp. But WoW? Don't get me started.

It's still ACS Independent alright, only in name. How many teachers that have taught you in Sec 1 can you name that are still around. I can only think of two. RIght now, teachers, deans, even vice-principles are leaving. I can't recognize my school that I have enjoyed spending time in since I was thirteen years old anymore.

Maybe it's because I do not adapt to change well, maybe it's because I've been taken away from all my friends and placed into such a hostile environment. But when I grow up and asked how long my ACS life was, the answer is going to be four years. Not six. In my opinion, the ACS spirit is definitely not the Singaporeanised-IB backstabbing environment that these two years are about.

ACS Independent, 2004-2007.
Junior College, 2008-2009.

2008-10-11T20:20:00.005+08:00

You know those motorcycles? Not the Harley-Davidsons. No, not those Yamahas, but those tiny little 100cc models that chug along at a pace slightly faster than a drunk snail on sedatives. Yeah, those. I have an important question. WHY. WHY DO YOU ENJOY DRIVING ALONG THE LANE DIVIDERS ON THE EXPRESSWAYS? It happens all the time, seriously. You go driving along the CTE, PIE, AYE, ECP etc. (no, etc is not an expressway, it stands for etcetera if you didn't know) and you are bound to see these motorized snails hogging two lanes because they seem to think they are wider than an overweight tank.

Firstly, you are small. Small objects should give way to big objects, especially if the big object is ten times your weight and traveling at a good forty km/h faster than you. Force = mass x acceleration for your information.

Secondly, do not, I repeat, do not ever continue to drive along the lane divider if you see twenty cars behind you trying to overtake but unable to do so because you can't even drive straight and keep swerving left and right.

Very bad driving habits some people have these days.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's another comic strip for those who have dirty minds.

How about cos(x)?

2008-10-11T09:09:00.005+08:00

I think Call of Duty 4 has to be the best fps game I've played since Half Life. Realism, gameplay, plotline, everything's good.

These two pictures are from Chernobyl, Ukraine, where the nuclear meltdown of the reactor happened around 20 years ago. But that's not important here, what's important is that you see how real Call of Duty 4 is. (Note that any differences between the two pictures is entirely the fault of my really old 7600GT, it can't render the pictures at the quality the game is supposed to be played at)

Half-Life is still better though :)
I'm waiting for episode three.

2008-10-10T16:41:00.001+08:00

You tell me this ain't true, you aren't from earth.

2008-10-08T21:49:00.001+08:00

Seems like there is an economic crisis in all those big financial institutions with weirdo names (I mean, how are you going to succeed with a name like 'Freddie Mac'? Sounds like Freddie from Friday the Thirteenth to me) are tumbling down. Scary.

Serve. Them. Right.

I'm serious. Let's have a look. All those bankers who help those rich invest money and make the rich get so much more richer are what I would call professions that the world can absolutely make do without, and most probably would be a better place without them.

Scientists create advancements in technology for a easier time on earth (can you imagine life without computers?!?!), doctors ensure you don't die of the common flu, policemen make sure women don't get raped the moment they step out of the door, teachers make sure the next generation is better than the previous, hell, cleaners make sure you don't slip on banana peels every ten steps, but, bankers? Investors? Venture capitalists? These are just damn pimped-up names for scheming, lying, money-grabbing, cold-hearted, wolves waiting to get richer by the minute.

How does taking a share out of other people's hard-earned money sound like an honest living? These so-called financial institutions are just another name for legal loan-sharks. How many doctors or Nobel prize winners have you seen in the top 10% of the world's wealthiest? Not even one. And yet these are the people responsible for incredible discoveries, and are a great and invaluable asset to the human race by contributing so significantly in terms of discovering radioactivity, space travel, water purification, the list is endless.

Here's to hoping the US$700 billion aid bill is never passed, but rather donated to the poor around the world or even just to the poor people in USA, considering it is the taxpayers' money after all.

2008-10-04T00:28:00.003+08:00

Heli-attack 3 ftw!

Man. This picture sure is close to the truth. I think we end up playing these browser games because in our minds, it's less of a real game than say, a full-fledged RTS or FPS game and hence we'll feel less guilty spending time on it. Sad to say, we actually end up spending more time on them because of the huge variety of internet browser based games. I know I always fall prey to this phenomenon during exam times. I've just completed canyon defense on miniclip.com for the (at least) 50th time in one and a half weeks.

I'm still waiting for Left 4 Dead. And a GTX 280 so I can Call of Duty 4 as well. I can't imagine life without computer games, it'll be so... sociable.

2008-09-30T16:44:00.008+08:00

There's a new game that's got my attention recently. Left 4 Dead, a multi-player single player game set to be released by Valve on the 20th of November. Whether or not it was set to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the founding of Half-Life, I don't know, but what a great way to celebrate Half-Life's tenth birthday with the release of another great game.

Left 4 Dead is basically a game set in an apocalyptic future whereby nearly all humans have been turned into zombies, save for a few survivors here and there. There are four humans remaining, which means the game can be played by up to four players whereby the objective is to survive the zombie horde and get out alive. Plot-wise, it may not sound very great to everybody, but the real deal is in the gameplay. No other game has perfected blending multi-player and versus computer together, but Left 4 Dead is set to revolutionize it just like the way Half-Life changed the face of first person shooters forever.

One reason I know I'll like this game is the team-based element. Covering each other's backs, timing reloads so that no-one will get caught off guard, looking out for one another, I just love that feeling of camaraderie. With four versus thousands, if just one person is not contributing, it's game over for everyone. Another reason is the incredible AI director that will be implemented inside the game, basically, it is a program that dictates the pace of gameplay so that no two games will every be the same. It measures how well the players have been playing and times attacks, attack strengths of zombie waves such that there is a maximum enjoyment level. Awesome.

In short, I can't wait for this game, and although my computer is not going to be able to support the complete graphical glory of zombie killing, hell, I'm still gonna play it as long as I can find enough money to get the game. The lens upgrade for my D80 can wait, I'd rather shoot a pump-action 12-gauge old school shotgun into zombies, with team mates covering my back, anytime.

2008-09-21T23:44:00.002+08:00

Oh now I really hate China.

My MP3 player has just gone to electronic heaven due to a bloody leaking battery.

Leaking batteries are bad. China-made leaking batteries are ten times worse. They don't just leak a slimy substance, they decide to spew copious amounts of metal-dissolving, plastic-eating fluids that proceed to destroy half the appliance that it was placed in. A metal connector that connects the postive to negative ends of the battery is just GONE. It isn't tarnished, rusted, or even half-corroded...it's just GONE, GONE, like it wasn't there in the first place.

Screw you, bloody unscrupulous China businessmen. May the departed soul of my mp3 player haunt you for the rest of your unwelcome life.

2008-09-20T21:37:00.003+08:00

I was at Harvey Norman over at Parkway Parade just this afternoon, looking for a printer/toner cartridge when I saw this scene.

Imagine an old man. As in seriously old. As in your grandfather would seem like a youthful soccer player when compared to him. Now, imagine that old man ten times older. Fine, I'm exaggerating but you get my point about how old this guy was.

Now, imagine a skimpily-dressed China woman. As in seriously skimpy. Like it makes those prostitutes in Geylang Lorong 22 look decent. Then imagine there's ten times less clothing. Once again, I'm exaggerating slightly but you still get my point.

Apparently this woman was the old man's wife. And I swear, I can bet you my D80 and its three lenses plus wide-angle converter plus 2x tele-converter plus my two computers plus my old and slow laptop plus any other thing you can find in my place that there is no way in hell the China woman actually likes the old man. No way in all eighteen levels of hell.

I mean, it's so bloody obvious that she's all out to cheat every last penny of the sad old man's CPF savings and then dump him. The moment she entered the shop with him she went STRAIGHT for a Sony Vaio Z series and asked him to buy it. A bloody Z series. Z series. Z SERIES. Z SERIES. It costs around two months of my parents' combined pay (I'm not exaggerating here) and she told the old man some lame reasons like ‘我的朋友全部都有这个电脑，老公，就把这驾买下来给我吧，我真得很喜欢’, and like the sucker he was, he bought it. He was so old he needed to take out his reading glasses to freaking see the price tag that was in at least font size 30.

I hope she goes to hell. I really hope she does. All these China women that come over just to cheat Singaporean men. Go screw yourself, go back to China and get beaten by your family or drink China milk and die of kidney stones. Taking our university places and our parents' jobs is one thing, as we are a meritocratic society after all, but cheating 80-year-old retirees of their nest egg is just plain despicable.

2008-09-17T21:52:00.003+08:00

This is in reference to Saturday's article about a reporter's visit to North Korea, home of famines, nuclear warheads, and B-list movie plotlines. I was reading and reading and saw this funny part whereby the reporter wrote that he received some heckling from the general public and kena barred from taking photos because people thought he was a spy.

All I can think of, is that they fail.

If you think for a moment, just stop and think. Do spies just waltz down the street with a huge-ass DSLR and go snap snap snap and tell the whole world he's taking photos? This paranoia on their part is seriously weird. It's like an obese market auntie on the MRT who screams 'molest!' when someone taps her on the shoulder to tell her to stop leaning on the grab pole because the pole is about to collapse under her immense weight and that she is blocking half the exit. I mean, helloooo, the Cold War is over, and although you and South Korea are technically still at war because both of you forgot to sign a peace treaty, South Korea is too busy increasing their GNP to like 100 times of yours to bother about invading you.

2008-09-15T22:16:00.003+08:00

I think sometimes humans have absolutely no common sense. I mean, if you already have like nine children or something to support with a monthly income of one US dollar, for god's sake stop having more. And we wonder why Africa is so poor. There's so many other ways of expressing your love for your spouse, like going out and WORK and earn MONEY rather than sit there waiting for the UN to deliver food to your doorstep. I mean, they can't be all that bored right. Damn I don't like studying human geography, I rather study about volcanoes and rivers and stuff, at least they act logically.

Just follow the sign.

Just joking just joking.

2008-09-11T23:00:00.002+08:00

I seriously feel like this whenever I do maths :

2008-09-10T22:45:00.005+08:00

Let's say you want to be a doctor, basically you'll be doing these:

1. Talk to patients
2. Diagnose problem with patient
3. Dispense treatment/medicine
4. Give MC (if you want repeat customers, give longer MCs)

How would you go about doing step 1: Talk. Just talk. Do you need matrices to talk? NO.

How would you go about doing step 2: Look at the patient, listen to his complaints, and if need be, feel the patient like for cancer and stuff. Do you need to prove that sine x divided by cosine x is equal to tangent x to diagnose the sickness? NO.

How would you go about doing step 3: Utilize your 5-6 years of medicine courses in university to choose what to give the patient. Do you need fuc*ing vectors to dispense medicine? NO. F-ing NO!

Finally, how would you go about doing step 4: You write the MC. Do you need to know compound/double/triple/quadruple/deca/mega/ angle rule for that. NO.

WHY. FOR GOD'S SAKE, WHY DOES UNIVERSITIES NEED HIGHER LEVEL MATHS FOR MEDICINE? WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

The next time you go see a doctor, ask him when was the last time he needed to find the intersection between a three-dimensional vector and it's corresponding plane, and with the intersection, to go on and find the second intersection between the first vector and another vector that only has two out of the three co-ordinates given to you, and with the two vectors, find the dot/cross/circle/swastika/triangle/rectangle product.

Can you tell I find vectors, lines, and planes unnecessary?

2008-09-10T17:20:00.000+08:00

Satisfaction : That odd feeling you get when, after drying your hands with tissue and using your left hand (right hand if you are left-handed), randomly toss the used tissue and seeing it bounce of two walls of a corner and right into the wastepaper basket.

2008-09-07T00:49:00.006+08:00

I just watched WALL-E, and I think that movie is one hell of a great movie. Actually, I just watched it for the third time just a few minutes back.

The plot is just wonderful, and it's basically about computers, what's there not to like?

I'm gonna watch it for the fourth time.

Here's one note for all those mac users: If you couldn't spot the mac/apple references in the movie WALL-E, you seriously should give your apple computer/ipod/apple item you bought to look cool to the next person you meet, or even to a baboon in the zoo, because you don't deserve to have one, and the baboon is probably smarter than you.

2008-09-04T14:10:00.008+08:00

I should really be doing my revision but I'm a perennial under-achiever so I've been browsing the internet for Team Fortress 2 related stuff and happened to get linked to some comics site. I think the guy who thought up these ideas is a genius.
Take a look:

I like this comic strip. It kinda sums up what I feel about literature, the stupidest subject in the whole world, because I don't even think it's academic at all. It's so friggin' subjective that why not just set a computer to and ask it to start printing away random numbers between 10 and 25 at the marks section on our exam papers. I really hope I can get at least 5 points this round, I've been getting 4 for as long as I can remember.

Here's another comic, by the same guy:

...and although I don't really like maths and I don't exactly agree with this comic, it's funny in it's on way.

One more comic here:

Okay. Change into perverted and sick thinking mindset, and read the comic again if you don't get it. Took me a while to get it too. And if you still don't get it, nevermind, you are either too young to understand, or too innocent, in which case, stay that way, we don't have much innocent people in this society anyway.

2008-08-31T23:41:00.002+08:00

My Pentium D turns two years old today!
So a big happy birthday to it, that old and slow thing, because two computer years is like a hundred in human terms when it comes to gaming. Still, Happy Birthday.
I still remember how happy I was when I just got it, back in sec 3. Every moment of it. In someways, :D

2008-08-25T21:45:00.002+08:00

Oh oh oh here's one more annoying category. With the suddenly appearance of wordpress intruding into blogspot.com's usually monopolistic grip over the blogging industry, there's been the emergence of one really, really annoying species of internet real-estate hoggers. Presenting to you:

The Protectionist

Basically this is what happens.

1. You enter the blog
2. This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below
3. This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below
4. This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below
5. This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below
6. This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below
7. You have reached the last post of this blog. Incidentally, this post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below

Oh boy. Where to start. May as well start with a shout eh. IF YOU WANT TO NOT LET PEOPLE SEE YOUR GOD DAMN POSTS, GO PASSWORD PROTECT THE WHOLE, I REPEAT, WHOLE BLOODY BLOG. Seriously, I mean, protecting one or two posts every month or so is reasonable, since we are all responsible people who do not want the Sedation Law dumped over our heads like so much homework has been, or an expulsion from school notice pasted on our heads. But. BUT. Protecting four, five, six posts IN A ROW is being stupid. WHY NOT KEEP A DIARY INSTEAD IF YOU LIKE BEING SO PASSWORDY?

HO HO HO. I like ranting. It helps so much more than putting pathetic messages proclaiming the sad state I'm in. Excellent. From now on, it'll be either upbeat posts, or rants. Let's see how long I can stick to that. If I can get ten posts without falling into depression posts, I'll treat myself to something good.

2008-08-22T15:05:00.002+08:00

Basically, there are those who blog to write nice stuff to let people read and enjoy, like www.1fort.com/blog and www.pentadact.com and www.ubercharged.net. Then there are those who try to blog and let people know what's going on in their lives but end up doing nothing but making internet spam grow larger. Some of them are as follows:

The UBER-SUMMARIZER

This guy owns in any form of summary writing. He will write one whole month of angst and frustrations in 1 - 5 words. The fewer the better, and if people don't understand, that's because the whole world doesn't understand. He'll dedicate one whole post filled with a grand total of 6 words if his grandfather passed away, and that's because 'I am filled with deepest sadness' takes up 6 words. He would like to remove 'I' but 'am filled with deepest sadness' sounds a tad strange.

Take this for example :
------------------------------
Post 32; 30th February 2004

Stoned. Finished. Exhaustion.
------------------------------

Did you get it? Of course you didn't, that's the WHOLE point. You don't get it. These people write three words and think the whole world should understand. These type are a waste of internet resources. They seriously are. Their blog URL might actually contain more words than each post, or maybe even all the posts added together in serious cases.

The IDOL-WANNABE

First four lines (no fewer than four, that's a sin to these group of people) MUST, I repeat, MUST, be in italics and must be from a song. Furthermore, to gain extra points, the song must be known by a maximum of 10 people in the whole world. For even even even more points, have your own interpretation, make Happy Birthday to You have a damn deep meaning that means My Life is Over. Finally, for a supremely high score, end the post in italics and put ANOTHER song.

P.S. If they can't find songs they'll use poems. Even if they made it up themselves, they'll put it there (more points!)

The LOWER-CASE NUTCASES (it rhymes!)

These people should go back to kindergarten where there are BIG BIG posters filled with 'Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh etc.' because they seem to think the entire alphabet is only made up up lower case letters. And just in case they think it's so darned cool to talk that way. IT'S NOT. Very the not cool you know.

To prove my point, this is what they do:

no upper case. screw. damn. where's the upper case. no capital letters.
i think my caps lock key failed. failed. failed. failed x 100000 times. and one more failed.
shift key died. my life ruined.
more lower case. the world must know. i write lower case. what is a capital letter.

********************************************************

That's all the categories I thought of so far, but confirm got some more. I currently have a lot of work so I better stop wasting time. I've already wasted from 9am to 3pm on Team Fortress 2 unlocking Heavy achievements (I've got the sandvich and natascha already!) , luckily this weekend has three days :D

2008-08-20T21:33:00.003+08:00

This is the first time in my entire life that I am actually in some exco of any sort. So in a way it makes me feel happy, and in a way it really shows how under-achieving I am. Photography club = GEPs + SJAB people + a few people I know (surprise! I know non-GEP people!) + a small minority of random people. So in a way I got voted in only because :

1. there are TWO vice-pres posts (if not Kyle would be the sole vice-pres)
2. I went all thick-skinned and asked people to vote me, and being friends, they did. But mainly due to point 1 first.

For these two years I really like wednesdays because it means I can have fun after school, joking with everyone in photog club while vu tries his best to teach us ( okay I need to stop interrupting his lessons) and generally being in the company of people that ask me to sit with them and talk to them rather than try to somehow use mind power to make me invisible.

Speaking of photography, I want the nikon D90. Click the link below to see just how much of a better body it is than my D80. The URL is a bit weird but just copy and paste it into your browser and check out the preview of the D90. How technology advances.

http://yourphotoarchive.com/laugh.htm

In other news, the all-powerful Valve corporation has just released the Heavy update for Team Fortress 2! This is excellent news as there will be plenty of n00bs grinding achievements on public servers, using Heavies, which are excellent for headshotting and backstabbing. HOHOHO. I'll grind the achievements in December holidays or something.

I really want a GTX280. Now that I know that converters exist to convert my one of my two 6-pin PCI-E power cables to an 8-pin PCI-E power cable, MY COMPUTER IS GTX 280 CAPABLE!...but, my savings are not.

2008-08-10T20:03:00.002+08:00

I like national day theme songs, I really do (although this year's one really doesn't cut it).
Home, Where I belong and Moments of Magic rank right up there.
So what if China's Olympic celebrations may own us.
It's OUR national day, and that's what makes our celebrations better, and more special.

2008-08-08T22:36:00.002+08:00

I'm looking for two people.

The first one is a corrupt IB official.

You know, I don't mind spending $100'000 to bribe some high ranking IB official to get like 43+ points. Here's why.

1. With 43+ points, you are gonna get a good scholarship
2. With a good scholarship, university is as good as free
3. University can cost up to $100'000 (hence the previous point)
4. From points 1 to 3, you can see that the money can be said to be spent on university rather than on illegal bribery.
5. With point 4, you can put your heart & conscience at ease
6. 'Bribery of IB official' is not in the IB funky latin name official guidebook thingy's list of IB crimes. And at the rate IB people seem to hate people who copy, I bet if it does go in there, collusion is still going to rank as a more major crime.

The second person I'm looking for is a nice guy with a spare $100'000 that he doesn't need.

So, if anybody knows anyone that fits these two descriptions, tell me, I need friends anyway.

2008-08-03T21:59:00.003+08:00

For those of you still clinging on to your R300 radeon cores (that's basically radeon 9xxx series, excluding the sad people with 9200 and 9250) out there, go download the ATi demo known as 'Rendering with Natural Light', this highly creatively named demo features, you guessed it, Rendering with Natural Lights. I can really understand by the R300 core is seriously one of the best designed GPUs around (I still support nVidia so sucks to you ATi, cause you got bought over by AMD). It kinda seriously lasted at least 3 years whilst still being relevant. Talk about value for money, not like my 7600GT which is a bit slow compared to all those GTX260 and GTX280 around in the market now. I think having electronics as companionship is pretty good, they don't think you aren't cool enough for them or leave you alone because you aren't worth much, unfortunately they don't really talk back to you, which doesn't matter since most people I see around these days don't really talk to me either, so yeah, I'll take staring at my slow gaming set, D80, and old computer parts anytime.

2008-08-03T00:28:00.002+08:00

I bent down and tied my shoelaces and the whole bunch of them raced ahead, oblivious to the fact that I wasn't with them anymore. Nothing wrong. I prefer it this way, because you can't backstab people if you don't get them to turn their backs on you.

2008-07-08T20:38:00.002+08:00

When you're at rock bottom, even something as unimportant as getting a Seagate 500GB SATA2 HDD helps. Of course that means opening up my computers and seeing how lousy the graphics cards are compared to what I've just seen in Sim Lim.

2008-07-05T23:51:00.003+08:00

According to the book about probability by Murderous Maths (the Gollarks are damn funny), even if a chance is freaking small, like super super small as in even smaller than my chances at medicine in university, it's still a chance, and it just might happen.

SO. I'm hoping that suddenly a volcano forms and erupts and kills 28 out of 29 people (you see, I'm giving it damn good odds, the chances of getting 28 out of 29 in any form of bet is damn high, so please happen quickly) in a most painful way by spewing lava that is acidic/caustic/destructive yet not lethal too quickly and then disappears and leaves $4835927308481623 behind for me.

I tell you, if that happens. I'll donate all the money. To a foundation called The n200108computer&camera&electronics fund charity center. First I'll return the $4.95 I owe somebody. Can't remember who.

I am never going to get that d80 unless that volcano thing happens. SO CAN IT JUST HAPPEN.

2008-07-02T21:39:00.003+08:00

If I ever get rich, like really really rich as in can spend a few thousand on something that I like but don't need like those bastards who buy MacBooks Pro and don't even so much as know how to get Safari up and running or stuff like that, I'm gonna get a hobby.

I'll like to go hunting.

Not game hunting like shoot deers or ducks in the forests, but real, real hunting with more kick. I'm gonna hunt down every single bastard that looked through me as though I was invisible.

Not the suicidal method like go blow up myself together with half the building or something like that. No way, that's stupid.

I'm gonna psychologically hunt them down. I'm going to make their lives' fall apart. I'm going to freaking rip it all apart. Bribe a person to become a school teacher to make school life hell for their children, buyover their companies just to dismantle it, make them get divorces, make them watch everything fall apart.

I mean, sure, you had a good first 30 years of your life or so. But it isn't who's first off the blocks, life's a marathon, I'm just building up steam, anger, hatred. And when I get to you in 30, 40, 50 years time or even longer. I'll make it hell. What you are doing now, I'll just do it back.

2008-06-25T00:36:00.002+08:00

Oh. My. God.

I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THE 2nd FREE TEAM FORTRESS 2 WEEKEND JUST THREE DAYS AGO
WHAT THE BLOODY HELL
AND IT WAS IN THE JUNE HOLS
WHEN I COULD ACTUALLY PLAY

ARGH I'M IN PAIN. VERY BAD PAIN. THIS IS WORSE THAN BEING ALONE. BECAUSE IT'S BEING ALONE AND KNOWING YOU MISSED YOUR PAINKILLER DOSE.

2008-06-20T01:45:00.001+08:00

I stayed up till 2am in sec one because it was fun and interesting and exciting

I stayed up till 2am in sec two because there was MSN

I stayed up till 2am in sec three because there was homework to be completed

I stayed up till 2am in sec four because I finally got a computer that could play games

I stay up till 2am in year five because I want to make each day of the holiday from loneliness stretch as long as possible.

I've got 18 months more of this 24 months solitary confinement jail term. No hope of parole, not even a glimmer.

2008-06-06T19:02:00.000+08:00

Lanning today with the usual few, usual place, different time. And it's that different time that makes all the, well, difference. I never appreciated each and every single one of my friends this much until now; funny how a short (no, actually quite long) time in hell makes everyone else seem like an angel of salvation to you. As I walked with them from PS to that random, rundown, yet familiar, lan center, I swear I was just in paradise for that short moment, being with those that actually give a shit about you.
You want to know what keeps me from going mad, going insane, and seriously begin to talk to inanimate objects? It's that ten, fifteen minutes after 4:40pm that I stay back when I finally get to speak, get to laugh with friends, get to feel genuinely happy; it's something like a high, like clinging on to a foregone memory, hoping against hope that manages to put me back on track, forces me to know I can't give up and let my parents down. So thank you guys, thank you for just being in school and letting me see you and talk to you even if it's just for that 5 mere seconds that we pass by on the stairs, the corridors, the classrooms. Thank you.
6 months of my 24 months jail term is nearly up, three-quarters more to go. Every man for himself once more in two weeks time.

P.S: I'm not suicidal if that's what you think.

If you go down, take them down with you. All of them.

2008-05-22T23:29:00.000+08:00

Let's go. 7 days. I think I'll just talk to myself and my luggage and the wall and that ant on the floor to keep from losing the ability to speak.

I kinda feel like this goalie right now.

2008-05-15T21:24:00.000+08:00

So apparently the student council decided to raise funds for victims of cyclone Nargis. Nothing wrong about that, except that in my humblest opinion, there are at least a few thousands of households in Singapore that to them, dining out at a hawker center is a luxury, and there are another few thousand old, lonely people in one-room HDB flats in Toa Payoh and all the old housing estates that I feel, once more in my very humblest opinion, deserve this money and food aid better by virtue of the fact that they are your fellow citizens, and that they do not have a Junta that 'redistributes aid'. I mean, come on, how much of that targeted $5000 do they think will have the slightest chance of even going within 100km of a homeless villager, not much, I would think.

2008-05-13T18:02:00.000+08:00

If you told me two and a half years ago, back in sec2, that my 50th post would be like this, well.

That bridge across the two corridors seems like 20km rather than 20m when you are walking across it alone, and there are people on both sides that don't give a damn if you just dropped dead there. How nice that in year 6 next year there won't be a bridge. But then I'll have to walk past literally all the classes, hoping for 4.9 to return.

Sometimes they don't lock the auditorium.

Happy 50th post quicksilvermercury.blogspot.com

2008-05-10T13:15:00.000+08:00

So last weekend the almighty Valve Corporation ( I LOVE VALVE CORPORATION) of the Half Life and Portal franchise fame decided that they would allow the whole world to share in the great enjoyment of Team Fortress 2. For those of you lowly people out there who haven't yet experienced nor aspire being a soldier, heavy, medic, spy, engineer, sniper, scout, pyro or demoman, YOU MISSED OUT LAST WEEKEND AND WILL NEVER GET ANOTHER CHANCE.
On a very related note, for my first time at TF2 I do declare I was rather good, I got top of the table quite a few times! (maybe cos the real good players gave TF2 a miss last weekend owing the the increase in people playing, or maybe cos I play TF1 quite the often).

2008-05-01T23:13:00.000+08:00

Right now I'm on the floor of my room

USING A LAPTOP!
It's second-hand, and some function keys are not working, but nevermind.
(Pentium M 725, Radeon mobility 9700, 512mb RAM, 50gb hdd)

Nice right? Finally something right this year.
Score's currently 45389714 to 1
If there is some form of fate god, he's got it all wrong.
WRONG.

2008-04-26T14:47:00.000+08:00

I was walking towards the mrt station on thursday after getting left alone for WOW rooming choices and I checked the time on my phone and it said 5:08pm. Sigh. Why not have the clouds spell 4.09 while you are at it.

2008-03-30T15:01:00.000+08:00

Yay. It's my birthday whoohoo.

2008-03-28T11:30:00.000+08:00

I really don't know if anybody realized, but the evening sky these days is seriously pretty amazing to look at. It's quite spectacular. Johnny said it's something to do with what March equinox or whatnot, all I know is that it looks really beautiful. If only I had a better camera it'll be so much better. Still, maybe I'm noticing all this just because I look up more often then before. It's so much better to do that than look around and find yourself with a lot of people, yet still lonelier than ever.

2008-03-07T16:21:00.000+08:00

Escapism

Sec 1 March hols: Nothing much, fun maybe
Sec 2 March hols: GEP math camp to escape UYO camp
Sec 3 March hols: GEP math camp helper to escape UYO camp
Sec 4 March hols: SJAB camp, LDP to escape homework situation
Year 5 March hols: 168 hours to escape from reality

Nothing's changed, yet everything has :(

2008-03-06T21:22:00.000+08:00

Give me a time machine, and I'll do anything for 2 years back in a never ending cycle.

...so much better to be all alone by yourself than with people but lonely

2008-03-04T18:01:00.000+08:00

Wilfred Owen should have been shot dead earlier ( I mean, how difficult is it to shoot a raving madman who charges across the goddamn battlefield writing poems ).
Frost is a b@$*@RD who can't speak in normal sentences ( if you tell me that 'something there is that doesn't love a wall' is correct and standard English then something there are your brain doesn't work properly )
Siddhartha is an idiot who can't appreciate that his life is damn good already
Literature is dumb because those writers have DIED for goodness' sake. Who is anyone say that the writer meant to bring across some meaning through his poem/prose/bunch of words mashed together, did he freaking visit you in your dream, or maybe you are his great great great illegitimate grandchild born out of wedlock and found a moth-eaten, decaying letter in the attic of your spooky old mansion saying 'MY NAME IS WILFRED OWEN AND I WROTE DULCE TO BRING ACROSS THE MESSAGE OF THE HORRORS OF WAR TO THE UNEDUCATED PUBLIC.' I should think not.

There's a whole load more things to rant but since my throat hurts like hell I have to type, which I'm too lazy to, and even if I could talk there's no one to find in school. So unsociable.

2008 sucks. At least the first 2 months have.

Disclaimer: to any literature person who feels offended, don't worry, I don't mean it, I'm just really unhappy about just about everything and I'm taking it out on this defenseless inanimate subject. Don't come after me.

2008-03-04T17:51:00.000+08:00

Figures I have to get another severe sinus infection right when the IT show is about to begin. Not a single damn thing's been going right this year.

2008-02-21T20:53:00.000+08:00

Idiots like this person are absolutely useless in all aspects of life, dumb, insecure, socially inept, stick to one like glue, enjoy getting insulted and never trying to improve themselves while at the same time thinking they are actually good. And this idiot is gonna be around me for a while. Bugger off man. Seriously.

2008-02-18T18:12:00.000+08:00

...SIGH

2007-11-15T21:05:00.000+08:00

Thailand

Should have done this a whole lot earlier but missed my com games (and com) too much to bother. Anyway, it wasn't as bad as I expected, although spending fifty thousand hours following my family across the streets and shops and bazaars of thailand because my sister can't decide which bag to buy because the two different bags are exactly the same except for a certain shiny ornament that is placed 0.000000001 microcentinanopicometers apart from each other was just as bad as I expected. Besides that, it was rather enjoyable save for the occasional 10hour stops at one shop deciding whether to buy this mini-skirt or that mini-skirt (oh wait, that shop sells it too! let's go there!)because they are just a shade different in colour from each other.
I must say, the most fun part was enjoying being on holiday and laughing my ass off at the signboards that were in such broken and distorted and whacked-up english. As such, pictures are enclosed here in this post for your delight.
Right up, we have the top 10 signs of the day:

Coming in at number ten we have:

Feeling canabalistic? Try a frenchman today! Choice of anorexic, regular or obese.

Here's number 9:

...and that shop over there has england doctor

Moving along to lucky number 8

This wins the no-shit award. No bullshit! Elephants are bigger than you! So are rhinos and hippos and gorillas!

Forwarding to number 7

Children, don't push each other, Mr. Exit gets alarmed when you do that.

Number 6, here we are:

Squint your eyes a bit here, bottom right of the signboard. No comment on this. Don't really see how this gets it's sixth position in the list. Too lazy to make it lower ranked I guess.

Halfway through, we're at number 5:

Grammar people, grammar. Not funny, but as I said, I'm too lazy to drop this guy's rank lower than this relatively high fifth place. I'm just going in chronological order of the photos.

Four left, so here's number 4:

1. I hereby charge you with stealing
2. I hereby charge you with stealing
3. I hereby charge you with stealing
4. I hereby charge you with stealing
5. I hereby charge you with stealing
6. I hereby charge you with stealing
7. I hereby charge you with stealing
8. I hereby charge you with stealing
9. I hereby charge you with stealing
10. I hereby charge you with stealing

Now, in contention for the bronze medal, here's numberrrrrr 3:

Simple. Don't SEAT here, but SIT there instead. UNDERSTAND ME? NOT FOR YOU TO SEAT, SEAT YOU HEAR ME, SEAT!!!!!!! I think this is so wrong it looks correct. That's what it appeared so at first to me.

Number 2&1. The following contestant wins hands down. In fact, I'm going to award it both silver and gold for it's absolute I-have-no-idea-what-the-bloody-hell-you-are-sayingishness. Presenting to you the ultimate signboard in confusion:

I think the term 'wtf?' is not enough to describe one's confusion at what the hell this signboard is trying to say.

For the benefit of those who can't really tell what it says, here's what it really is:
"In case that the taxi stop running or a bit move less than 6 Kilometers per hour, fare rate will be minutely 1.25TBht. The taxi offer the extra service by running aside from district, fare rate will be calculated as above rate or might be negotiate." (wtf?)

Well well well. That's it. Nothing more, unless you want meaningless holiday pictures of me and my family.

Random guy on plane who isn't happy with me taking his photo :D

Doesn't he look real friendly

2007-11-12T21:05:00.000+08:00

5am and I still haven't slept
Episode Two is wonderful beyond description

2007-09-16T15:22:00.000+08:00

DVDRW drive warranty length : 1 year
DVDRW drive lifetime : 1 year 0 months 7 days

@#@#$!@#!@#!@$@#@#!@# I'm never buying Aopen products again, even if they happen to be $15 cheaper than the rest.

2007-05-05T23:40:00.000+08:00

WAHHHHHH

2007-05-01T23:30:00.001+08:00

Was reading baby blues comics and came across this particular strip.

Click it so you can read it better.
Kinda touching in a different sort of way don't you think?

2007-02-11T03:33:00.001+08:00

Google seems to be buying over the whole internet. Heaven have mercy on those who still have no gmail accounts.

I think we are all going to evolve into nocturnal creatures one day. Maybe by the end of this year. We all reach home only to fall asleep and wake up after 6 or 7, spam homework until 2am, take 4 hours of sleep, go to school, then return home to complete the remaining 3 hours of sleep before resuming homework again in the middle of the night, or rather, very early morning. So frustrating.

Mio seems to be a good option recently, although the name doesn't really sound too enticing for what it's offering. My broadband 2 year contract with maxonline just finished last month and they are charging us $7 more each month now just because the 10% discount, which came with the contract, conviniently ran out too.

2007-01-23T11:04:00.000+08:00

Nice screenshot isn't it? Just the extremely powerful graphics of half life (hey in 1997 those pixels of blood were very, very releastic okay). Still. That's not the point now. I'm too lazy to type anything else. Oh, I just put in a geforce4 mx440 into the celeron (thanks Jerrold). Just that slight improvement over the SiS650. But not bad though. At least Fifa 2005 runs smoother now.

2006-12-02T21:56:00.000+08:00

Got rid of that malfunctioning tagboard at last.
What's the differance between a $10 psu and a $69 psu especially for an ageing system that can break down anytime. Nothing. Except a $59 saving. If anybody has a NFS game (Most Wanted and later editions) I can borrow please lend me. I haven't touched a NFS game since NFSII which was around 1997.

2006-09-14T01:17:00.000+08:00

I'm using my new computer to blog right now. Just playing around. And I must say, this computer is fast. It's real fast. But, enough of that. I need to go and sleep now. Shall really blog another time.