Time-Emotions

In the midst of everything

2011-05-10T14:07:00.002+08:00

The drop of the hammer signifies a new dawn. Things are the same yet different in many ways. The people have decided to make their voices heard. What the next 5 years will bring, nobody knows for sure. With all the excitement these past couple of days, it is easy to forget the stress that students are under. The secondary and primary school students are still probably having their mid-year exams although most were allowed to stay up late on that historical day. The tertiary students are still having their exams though.

One obstacle down, four to go. 20% completed. It was a killer and all who were present would probably agree. A two and a half paper which probably required three to complete. It even occurred on that fateful day. Already looking forward to the end of the exams. Then I can start on what I need to do. In a few hours time, another will go down. Slowly, the obstacles will fall. Working, working, working...

On a side note, the weather has been absolutely scorching. Seems 35 degrees is the norm albeit some short showers. Hope it gets less humid and hot soon. :)

Gut Feelings

2011-02-24T22:35:00.003+08:00

Ever felt that what your brain is telling you is totally wrong? Have you made a decision based solely on what you feel without going through the logical process of thinking and evaluating all the options? I'm sure at some point of time, we have all felt or acted this way. It can be tiring trying to explain your decisions especially if you have no idea why you feel this way. I guess we can call these gut feelings.

Recently I've read an interesting book with the title aptly named "Gut Feelings" written by Gerd Gigerenzer. Mr Gigerenzer is Director of the Centre for Adaptive Behaviour and Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin. His position may be a mouthful but his book isn't. Providing a simple explanation to gut feelings, the book strives to show that in certain circumstances, relying on what people call gut feelings may actually be beneficial. If any of you have some time, I'll definitely recommend this book. Explore the potentials of the evolved capacities of our brain as well as the power of our unconsciousness. Sounds weird? Read the book! :)

Add/drop

2011-01-26T22:20:00.002+08:00

Time of the year again. Fastest fingers first. The only difference is that I've year 4 status and I can relax a little since I do have some priority. Intending to take 18 AUs this semester. No point overloading and not doing well in the end. I intend to do 4 years so I guess I don't really need to pack my timetable. It's quite decent really, my timetable. Can be 4 days if I want to skip Friday classes since there is only 1 hour. After this sem, I won't need to care much about my physics. Really have to enjoy this first week with some mj sessions and the Magic Prerelease this weekend. After that, it's back to the books!

Till next time, may the weatherman predict the weather correctly. :)

Liverpool and Dalglish

2011-01-14T10:56:00.002+08:00

King Kenny is back! Yet the side he inherited is probably one of the worst in recent history. Without saying too much about Roy (I always had my doubts about him), the new players that were brought in this season are nothing short of appalling! Poulsen who? Never heard of him. To think he played for Juve, I would prefer Sissoko thank you! Meireles may have been a Portugese superstar, but his star looks to be fading. Konchesky is a leftback that I would associate with Fulham rather than Liverpool. (King Kenny was probably right in benching him)

The new players aside, Liverpool has become a mid-table to bottom-half team devoid of ideas and entirely dependent on Stevie G and El Nino. Dalgish probably has much to do to turn it around and while I do not doubt his pedigree as a coach and Anfield legend, I pray he would be given enough time to turn it around.

Back from exchange

2011-01-11T10:07:00.002+08:00

A wonderful time has just passed...

Back in Singapore, I must say that I've definitely enjoyed my time in Canada. 4 months is just nice. Any longer and I'll start missing my family, friends and the food over here. The weather has been kind, which is unusual for sunny Singapore. Can't say I'm complaining. I'll need to get used to the faster pace of life here though. Year 3 Sem 2 looks to be a crucial year. (Who am I kidding? Every year is crucial, don't you think? :) )

Not sure when I should start looking for a prof to do my FYP. Maybe end of this coming semester?

For those who are leaving for exchange this coming semester (Shifu and jonah), have a safe trip and enjoy yourselves! :)

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Edwin and Relf for the early and wonderful birthday present! Thank you so much!! :)

Till next time...

Wk 12

2010-11-30T23:28:00.002+08:00

Slow week with the guys going to vancouver. Gave it a miss cause it was too cold. It's coming towards the tail-end of my exchange and I must say I've had a blast! Even managed to catch a few glimpses of snow. Again, the weather is getting colder but the house itself is like a warm oven since the heater blows 24/7. Western is really a great college and I can see the students are all serious about their work. While exchange students only need a pass, I would be working as hard as I can as it would be an insult to the college if I was just going for a pass. Unfortunately, the lessons are getting harder to understand but I'll keep plugging at it.

Hope my friends and family in Singapore are doing well!

Take care everyone! :)

Homecoming

2010-10-04T22:15:00.002+08:00

Homecoming has come and gone like a blink of the eye. Once the dust was settled, Western emerged victorious against arch-rivals Queens on the football field. Hopefully, the Western merchandie will reveice a discount to celebrate this win! (Have been wanting to but some as souvenirs but was put off indefinitely due to the price.)

Well, one might ask where was I when the football match was underway. If you were at the homecoming parade, you may even notice that I wasn't present. (Not that you would notice me since this place is definitely the land of giants. :) ) I was actually at home most of the time, trying my outmost not to leave the house. 2 reasons really. The first being it was raining cats and dogs (squirrels too) and I really did not want to get wet. The second being the wind was blowing soundly, creating a massive drop in temperature. It was almost like a giant refrigerator outside and the house was the only place to keep warm. It didn't help that I was sort of behind in my revision for all the modules. (The assignments were both time-consuming and difficult to attempt) So stayed home I did, with my roomies. I only went out with them to get a quick bite for our meals.

Was vastly disappointed in the Reds' performance in recent weeks. The season has probably ende before it even started. It's a pity but I feel that Hogson deserves a full season to rebuild. However, the fans and the board may not be so forgiving given that one of the losses happened at Anfield and it was against a newly-promoted club. Hopefully, Gerrard and Torres can hit top form and at least guide the Reds to a top-6 finish.

Anyway, time is running out for me to continue typing. Will do so as and when there's time.
Bye! :)

Update...

2010-09-22T22:27:00.002+08:00

Canada is a beautiful place and pictures can be found on my facebook. The people here are friendly and service standard is high. It's not everywhere where you can just randomly meet some one on the streets and they say "hi". I also do not detect any form of discrimination and for that I'm glad. London is a small town but seem to have everything I need. The weather is a permanent air-conditioner and sometimes the house is warmer than outside.

(Will continue another time...Time for class.)

London

2010-08-13T20:56:00.002+08:00

London beckons and I'm in a whirl. The surreal feeling persists. Doesn't seem real that my next destination in little more than a week would be London, Canada. Am I ready? I can't seem to answer that question. There still seems like tons to do and plan. However, things are shaping up and there is at least some framework in my plans. Everything will have to be settled and there's no turning back!

Reflections (updated)

2010-07-20T10:03:00.000+08:00

What would you see if you look in the mirror? What would you see if you look into the clear stream? If you could take just a few seconds to look into your soul, do you truly see yourself? More often than not, it is most difficult to know thyself. Lying to yourself is not only detrimental to you but also adversely affect the people around you. Examine everything that has been done and solemnly reflect if you have done all you could. Did you enjoy doing it? That would be the first step to doing something well. If not, you may be better off doing something else.
Light bends as it travels through different mediums. At a particular angle, light would refuse to pass through at all. This is similar to life. There is only so much we can take before we breakdown. While the only constant in this universe is probably the Northern Star, perspectives are hard to change. Once the mind is set on something, it is unwilling to deviate from the path. It is difficult to change perspective, yet it is not impossible. Adidas probably got it right to some extent by using the slogan “Impossible is Nothing”. If we are not enjoying what we do, we can try to change our perspective and think positively. Although changing to a positive perspective is a good thing, we must be careful not to force the issue as this would lead to more hurt in the future.

“Reflection” was a popular song sung by Christina Aguilera for the Disney movie “Mulan”. The story was about a girl who willingly took the place of her father to serve the army by dressing as a man. It was a heart-warming story about filial piety. However, in the end, it was impossible to continue as her secret was exposed. You could imagine her anguish of needing to dress as a man in order to serve the country and the song properly portrays it with heart-rending lyrics. Not all stories will have a happy ending like “Mulan” and this serves to reinforce the fact that we are not able to fool our hearts.

We all yearn for a kind of freedom. Just like a bird in a cage. It could be physical, emotional or even mental freedom. As we begin to look for our reflection in the mirror, do we see a bird in a cage or an eagle soaring in the clear blue sky? Are we bound by chains which bring us closer to the abyss or are we sprouting wings and taking flight? The world is a place which is bounded by rules and we are obliged to live by them. However, if we are able to attain happiness even in this kind of environment, we should strive towards it and make it our goal to achieve it. After all, what you want to see in the mirror is really just yourself.

The end of the 4-year wait

2010-07-12T21:16:00.002+08:00

After the dust has settled, there can only be one winner. World Cup, in some matter of respect mirrors life sometimes. Sometimes, there can only be one winner. Even when the Golden Boot has so many winners, the one with the most assist wins. Spain, with their tiki tika football has triumphed over the Oranje. Not much surprise in that department. Xavi, the master passer. Villa, the deadly assassin. Saint Iker in goal has one of the safest pair of hands. Iniesta with his telepathic understanding with Xavi. Marshalled superbly by Basquets and Alonso. A dream midfield and forward line if any. The defence with their imposing towers, Puyol and Pique followed by the evergreen Capdevillea and dynamic Ramos, the curse of the European Champion not winning the World Cup was always in danger to be broken. And so it did. Can't say I'm not happy about it! :)

World Cup fever

2010-06-23T21:28:00.003+08:00

Well, the World Cup is already halfway through and I must say there are a lot of upsets. The All Whites prove that population doesn't count for much and despite having a smaller population than Singapore, made it to the World Cup. That wasn't all as they went on to score 2 precious points and taking the scalp of world champions Italy! Unbelievable I must say. France succumbed to their internal strife, slumping out of the World Cup amid the controversy and drama. The host South Africa bowed out of the World Cup despite being level on points with the second-placed Mexico. It was a pity but there was no helping it. The traditional African horns are the only legacy left behind. Spain faced the upset of the competition, losing to a plucky Swiss side, coached by an experienced German coach. A disappointing game where most of their star players went missing. Hopefully, they would improve and make it to the last 16. Brazil, Argentina, and the Netherlands strode easily to the last 16 where stiffer competition awaits. South Korea made sure the Asians are well-represented by drawing with Nigeria and cementing their place in the last 16. A World Cup which began with a drought of goals could very well end in rivulets of them. The world wait with bated breath...

World Cup in Singapore

2010-06-13T15:52:00.002+08:00

Well, there are still people who do subscribe to our two World Cup carriers. In my opinion, the price is just exorbitant. I'm not sure it's around $1 dollar a match since there are concurrent matches. (unless you own 2 TVs and put them side-by-side) There are alternatives of course. McDonalds, Community Clubs, some pubs, bars etc. have opened their doors to patrons and fans alike. While some prefer the comaraderie found in these public places, I prefer to watch in the comforts of home. When it comes to the World Cup, I'm pretty picky on what matches to watch. As a result, it would not be worth my while to subscribe to the package.

On another note, and this is probably old news, I believe the admnistrator of your Internet Service Provider has started blocking online streaming of WC matches. Online streaming belong to one of those grey areas threading between legal to watch and illegal. The subject was finally put to rest by the ISP. I'm sure there will be some public outrage and questions on privacy would be raised. Personally, I'll be waiting for Spain in the semi-finals shown on our beloved free-to-air channels! :-)

Knowledge

2010-06-03T22:31:00.002+08:00

Knowledge is a weird thing. We all work hard in order to obtain it. Sometimes, it just comes knocking on your door even when you did not ask for it. Too much of it can actually be detrimental (see game theory). Too little will become a roadblock to your path. Even the lack of knowledge is a kind of knowledge by itself. At least you do know which areas you are lacking! This beats the person who doesn't even know what he or she is lacking. A populist saying: Ignorance is bliss. In my opinion, this is the exception rather than the norm. What do you all think? :-)

Exam Results

2010-05-29T13:26:00.002+08:00

Well the results were out quite some time and I must say I'm satisfied with mine. And without further ado, here are my results:

MAS 212 Calculus IV A

MAS 315 Probability and Statistics II A-

MAS 317 Data Analysis A-

MAS 371 Game Theory A

HW112a Academic Writing B+

MPS 811 & MPS 812 P

It's great I managed to improve my GPA! And this gives me great confidence as I embark on another journey into the great unknown! :-)

Exam Results

2010-05-26T22:12:00.002+08:00

It's here again! The time of the year when all your semester's work boils down to. To check or not to check, that's probably the most important question for tonight (or more accurately, tomorrow morning). For some, the need to know will prove irresistible and succumb to clicking on the dreaded link. Others will appear offline in order to stave off the incessant questions about their results and resolve to put off the unenviable task of finding out their results. Wherever you lean on, tonight will prove to be a busy one for NTU students and I wager that the server may crash. I won't say too much on my predictions although I'm just hoping to maintain. It would put my mind at ease when I go overseas in September.

On another note, I've been spending quite a bit as I met friends whom I've not met for a long time. The time spent with them was invaluable and I cherish every moment of them. I hope to continue meeting up with friends during the holidays before embarking on my attachment with MOE. Lots of thing still to take care off before I can fly off to the land of Maple leaves.

Knowing thyself

2010-05-19T22:14:00.002+08:00

One of those questions that struck me is whether I truly know myself. Without sounding too philosophical, I believe trying to understand oneself is an extremely difficult thing to do. While we may bring up our defences, wear a facade and pretend to the whole world when other people ask what we really want, there is no such need when you ask that question to yourself. What are my goals? What do I want to accomplish? These are questions which only you yourself hold the answers. No one else can answer these questions. As we sometimes go about listlessly in life, is this what we really want to do? Life is short and what our soul hungers for is a fundamental need that we more often than not fail to acknowledge. Of course, these questions don't come out of the blue. All these came out when I started reading this book by Tom Morris called "True Success". It's an interesting read and for those who have not step into the world of self-improvement, it's a great introduction to the genre. There are plenty of quotes for the quote-hungry, but the more important take home messages, in my opinion, are not the quotes but the questions and salient points that are laid bare in this book. I would love to meet the author as he seems to be a person who is passionate in education which I'm hoping to share in just a few years time. Energy and enthusiasm are the fuel to life. All thing flow continuously and compartmentalizing may not always be the best method. Just some of the things that I've picked up. Will try to complete reading the book by th end of this week. :-)

Some Magic Fun

2010-05-15T21:45:00.003+08:00

Today was a day when I indulged in a little fantasy fun. Being a planeswalker, able to transcend time and space. Harnessing energy from nature and using this energy to summon spells and creatures from another plane. Hurling bolts of lightning and fire at my foes are just some of my hobbies. Researching into new and improved ways of summoning creatures and equipping them with powerful artifacts of war. The stench of death and charred bodies is never a step away. Goblins, merfolks, elves and of course humans, are just some of the beings I meet along the way. They can help me or stand in my way. If it's the latter, there are just a thousand ways of decimating them. Anyway, that was how I spent my day together with like-minded friends aloy, timo and jq. Definitely a fun experience that I've not experienced for a long time and a much enjoyable one too. Brings back childhood memories yet they were not that far away. Must be feeling my age haha.

Words

2010-05-13T09:48:00.002+08:00

Words have powerful meaning. Alliteration helps one to remember complicated theories. Words help to reinforce beliefs. They serve to reorganize haphazard thoughts into nice little compartmentalised and manageable blocks. I've found that writing down my thought is a useful way of clearing the mind. There are many times when I've read something and thought I fully understood. Unfortunately, when push came to shove, at the most crucial point, I'm unable to translate what I've read into coherent-sounding words. At these moments, I find writing the key points down an essential aid to my understanding. These applies to many things including revising for the exams. Summarizing the large chunks of the tome we call a textbook can at times be daunting. However, through practice and taking small, baby steps, It is definitely possible. The first attempt may not produce the desired result, often leading to the copying of the whole textbook. But the decisions that you have to make, whether to add this part or not, will help in your decision-making skills. It keeps you thinking and inadvertantly cementing the information into our CPU. While I wouldn't recommend trying to burn your textbook and drinking the remains (it never works as far as I'm concern), memorizing some key theorems are sometimes better than trying to understand the abstract concepts that lead to the formation of those theorems in the first place.
On a side note, I've started on my revision of the Japanese language. It's tough to restart my learning, but since I've some background on it, it's getting easier as my grey matter sought to find the keys to unlock the language puzzle. Till next time, write down your thoughts to better understand them! :-)

Time for a change

2010-05-11T16:36:00.003+08:00

I have decided and you have probably noticed. Changes have to be made and it may very well begin with my blog. Long it has been that my blog boasted none of the qualities that will interest myself into blogging. Plain, dark and more recently bright colours were the mainstay of my blog design. In an effort to spruce up my blog (and hopefully self-induce myself to blog more), I have decided on an anime-themed blogskin. Hope everyone who bothers to visit will like the new look.

In case anyone was wondering, the anime is called D-Greyman and it's a smashing anime to watch. Contrary to popular beliefs, there are valuable lessons to be learnt from watching anime which may range from anything like friendships to love to courage.

Anyway, it took me quite a bit of time to figure out how to customize everything to my liking. Personally, I'm not too good with programming and would rather prefer everything to be done in 1 click. As such, I saw that little bit of time after my examinations as a perfect opportunity to learn some new skills. I'm sure those skilled at web design would probably laugh at me and given that the design wasn't something I came out with, the job looked simple. However, it still took me quite some time to identify which parts to edit and how to insert in my own words. After the better part of the hour, I finally figured out some of the codes. The result is as shown. It ain't perfect but at least it's something. :-)

On a side note...Kudos to Chelsea who won the Premier League in emphatic fashion. Will look forward to the transfer window and hopefully those American owners would no longer be in charge. Wouldn't mind if RB left for Juventus. While not forgetting all he has contributed, it just seems that he has already brought the Reds as far as he could possibly do.
Sayonara Rafael Benitez!

It's been a long time coming...

2010-02-24T10:31:00.002+08:00

Time passes on a fly. The wind blows relentlessly stirring the leaves into action. The sea of red beneath out feet starts to dance, forming maple formations all around. Soon, white confetti will fall down from the sky, a gift from heaven. Environment temperature will go south. Bulky snowmen will walk around town. This is something that will never happen in Singapore. Still, I'll get to experience all this and more. Because...I'll be going to Canada next semester!!

Having applied for INSTEP which is our university's student exchange programme, I was accepted and was given my first choice - University of Western Ontario. What brings me triple, quadruple or even pentuple (if there is even such a word) is that I'll be going with lots of friends! Just imagine what fun we'll all be having! (Apologies for the incessant exclaimation marks. Can't seem to contain my enthusiasm) Now, all I need to do is get through this semester without hurting too much. Crammed 23 AUs this semester which is a record at least in my books.

Sigh...if only I had more time for my mid-terms which are just around the corner...

Till next time, buy time, sell time anytime! (TimeOrDime.com)

The Last Week

2010-01-05T20:45:00.002+08:00

The last week of the holidays. It came and went in the blink of an eye. To be absolutely truthful, I probably could have done more during the holidays. However, we always look forward and not back. I've rested well during these holidays.

So what did I do? Well, I stayed over at WL's house and we had a blast which included a trip to sing KTV and even eating Punggol Nasi Lemak. Then I also represented Hall 7 in the IHG for carrom. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to defeat the top 2 in our group and had to settle for 3rd place in out group. It was an improvement from last year when we ended 4th but it was still just quarters. I would like to say we could have done better but I believe that everybody gave their all and that is what's most important. I'm sure we all had fun! Straight after the last day of competition, it was time to check our results. Although it's already the 3rd time that I'm checking my results, it never fails to give me the jitters. Of course it doesn't help that one click and the whole results would be displayed. Overall, I did pretty well, well above my expectations. I scored 1 A, 1 A+, 3 A- and a S, thereby maintaining my GPA in the safety zone. I'll continue to do what I did last semester and hope to keep my results in that range.

With less than 1 week left, it has made my remaining holidays even more dear to me. I'll probably hit the library tomorrow to borrow new books since I've run out of fictional nutrition. I'll blog as and when I feel like it so don't keep any hopes up that this blog will be updated regularly. Happy New Year to all! :-)

Ame - Rain

2009-12-24T21:47:00.002+08:00

What do you think of rain? No, I'm not talking about the international Korean megastar but the liquid rain. There is a certain purity that is present in every droplet of rain. The perfect little concentric shapes it makes with the ground seem to be flowing in a particular direction yet also flowing in the opposite direction. It all depends on how you see it. Sometimes it seem to flow, other times it remains stagnant. At those times, they seem to form a great painting made up of repetitive circles which seem to tell a story. Looking straight at the rain falling down, meteorites rain down, attempting to scorch/purify the earth. In a way, they look like shooting stars, streaking across the dark sky. It makes you want to make a wish on it. The rhythmic music created by these rain drops weaves a melody so achingly familiar to us. Yes, this is the sound of nature, something which we tend to forget in this increasingly urbanized environment. It reminds us that Mother Nature is overlooking us and carefully observing what we are doing to survive. A reminder that we are alive only because she is forgiving and continuously providing us with the means of survival even as we slowly erode her. Hopenhagen - I wonder how effective it would really be with every country only looking out for their own interests. Indeed, it is too optimistic to hope that mankind will band together and avert this impending crisis which threatens our very own survival.

The contradiction that is examinations

2009-11-18T15:32:00.002+08:00

Examinations are a contradiction to me. On one hand, I've an acute fear of it. On the other hand, I know it provides a useful way to judge how much and how well I've learned. Unfortunately, the time has come to fight the dragons. With the 1st paper being tomorrow, I can't help but feel unprepared for it even though I know I've done all I've could this past few days. The result of my semester's effort will all come down to this one and only paper. It seems funny that your school life all depends on a piece of paper and how well you answer the questions on it. It's not how you participate in CCA activities, the friends you make or even the lectures you go for. (thankfully for the last one I must add) I guess this is one of the effects of living in a paper-obsessed society. Yet, there are many things to be happy about. What we can do after the exams is a sure motivation to push through these last few days of revision and catching up. I'm looking forward to the holidays though it's a pretty short one. A short break is better than no break, yes? Hope to learn new skills this coming holidays! :-)

Good luck to all for your examinations!

I love music! - Part 1

2009-10-07T10:23:00.001+08:00

My close friends would know that I love listening to music. While I try not to restrict myself to listening to particular genres of music, it is also unrealistic to expect myself not to have some likes and dislikes right? Let's start from the likes.

Since my generation belongs to the age where pop reigns over others, this fact has somewhat shaped my appreciation for music as a whole. I'm quite partial to boybands like Westlife, Boyzone and Backstreet Boys just to name a few. In addition, I'm a great fan of singers who have a powerful voice (at least in my opinion) like Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. It's quite unbelievable how high and crystal-clear their voices can reach. However, these songs have rapidly moved towards being categorized as the old-school kind. The evidence is that they can no longer be heard on so-called hippier radio stations and heard mainly on Class 95FM. (I really do like that radio station) On that note, I also like evergreen groups like the BeeGees, ABBA and The Carpenters although they belong more to my parents' generation.

For Chinese music, ny influence has undoubtably be my sister. She started the trend of listening to 93.3FM and I started to really listen to Chinese music. Since then, names like Cao Ge, JJ Lin, Guang Liang have become "household names". It was also this time that I realised that Chinese music and English music are quite different. It could be the lyrics or the music itself, but both language songs require different kinds of appreciation. (not sure if I've adequately explained it :-)) Still, my favourites are Joi Chua and the above few I've mentioned earlier with the list growing larger and larger.

Unbelievably, my brother introduced me to Korean music which have got me addicted. Not to mention that I already love listening to Japanese songs (anime-inluenced), Korean music brings a different kind of mood and style. Most songs are upbeat with catchy tunes and some awesome dance moves. Some popular groups include SNSD, Wonder Girls, Da Vichi, Big Bang, SS501, DBSK and many more. With the K-wave hitting Singapore, it would not be too much of a stretch to see a rapid rise in the number of Korea language learners. (One of my main gripes about J- and K-pop is my inability to understand the lyrics and this prevents me from fully appreciating the music)

(to be continued...)

Stories

2009-09-19T21:31:00.002+08:00

Everyone has his or her life story to tell. May it be interesting, may it be long, may it be life-changing, there are many stories out there waiting to be told. In the newspapers, we read about people who are able to make it in this fast-paced, ever-changing world. Those are the success stories. There's so much to be learnt form these stories. Mostly, it's about how the person overcame all odds, challenges with iron-clad determination. Admittedly, this has become predictable but nonetheless, a seemingly essential ingredient for success.

Then there are stories which sets us thinking. Thought-provoking articles about what-ifs and the moving line which separates the good from the bad. Justification of certain punishments. Moral values. OB markers. There are a wide collection of stories that entices the grey matter to start working.

Of course there are also the stories which lead to tears. We must not forget that there are other people who are not as fortunate as us to be living in a material world. Sometimes, the world has been divided into two: one of a more affluent nature and the other a much poorer cousin being an understatement. People who are living well below the subsistence level, constantly worrying when the next meal is going to be, where is the next shelter to call home. There is help for them, but it is never enough. So should we expand our efforts or resign ourselves to the fact that we can only throw so many starfishes back into the water?

Life stories are wide and plentiful. If we ever bothered to stop to smell the roses, we should be able to stop and listen to the stories that people are willing to share. There is much to learn and helps to broaden our horizons.

Responsibility

2009-09-04T12:13:00.000+08:00

It's a big word with many implications. Assuming a leadership position puts me face to face with this intangible entity which gets heavier with time. Some people are able to handle the burden admirably (Frodo Baggins in Lord of The Rings), others become weighed down by this invisible force. Friends who you can depend on become absolutely crucial in this juncture. While the rewards may justify the work, often, it is a thankless task.

I'm not sure how I'll handle it if it is being thrust to me. I only hope that I have the strength and persistence to see it through. It would by no means be the first time I'll be faced with it and it will definitely not be the last. To improve and grow, learning is needed. And it goes in a cycle...

Mirrors

2009-08-20T23:01:00.002+08:00

Look into a mirror and what do you see? A reflection of oneself that is untainted by lies or malice. A doppelganger staring right at you. Reality in the virtual. They are the windows to your soul. When you face a mirror by yourself, there is no longer a need to deceive and pretend. What you see is what you get.

Mirrors come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. There are dresser mirrors, dentist mirrors, wall mirrors, road mirrors, hand mirrors and even house of mirrors in amusement parks. Mirrors have a variety of uses that help us in our daily lives. It has become such an integral part of our lives that I can dare say that there are few who have not looked into one at least once a day.

Something as simple and elegant as a mirror with such an important function, yet it serves to provide us with a greater insight on who we really are. When we stare into the mirror and ask who is the fairest of them all not unlike Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, what would the mirror say? Are we really happy with what we have become or who we really are?

If one can see the inside of another soul, what do you hope to see? Something as gleaming as the first rays of sunlight? Or something darker like the abyss which is devoid of light?

"Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" - adapted from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

VJChoir All-guys Outing

2009-07-28T23:37:00.002+08:00

2 guys, a girl and a pizza place. 8 guys, 1 bottle of alcohol and 1 Japanese restaurant. What's the link? Well, the former is a hit drama/comedy, the latter was an outing I just came back form. The outing was memorable for more than one reason.

To be honest, I've not seen most of the people for a long time. While the time gap for KW and Shawn is perfectly understandable (they are currently studying overseas and are only back for the holidays) and that of Calvin and ZY can still be acceptable (they are studying in NUS), the fact that I've not seen CL, WL and JLo is quite amazing since we are all studying at NTU. Well putting that aside, it was a happy occasion to see all of them again. Reminisience was definitely on the cards.

Eventually selecting a Japanese restaurant at Marina Square, we made our way there exchanging stories and playing catch up. After placing our orders we began a HTHT which was nothing short of intriguing. We touched on personal relationships which I would not disclose here since there are sensitive issues. We also talked about what we wanted to do in the future. This would be one of the outings that I would cherish because the time we spent together in the company of brothers is precious to me!

We've set another outing soon. Hint: It has something to do with our passion.

Hope to see everyone again!

Mad World!!

Approaching the end of the holidays...

2009-07-27T17:54:00.004+08:00

The national anthem rang out from the loudspeakers. Everybody stood up to take the pledge. The president takes his leave. The after-party starts amidst the excitement of the fireworks. Parade ends and school holidays draw to a close...

Very real indeed. I'm just picturing how it would be like on 9 August 2009. There would be joy and there would be a sad voice inside me telling me that school is starting again. I must say I have enjoyed the very long holidays. Busy with the little things as well as the big things, the holidays gave me a much-needed break away from the stressful studying environment. The changes that may happen (i.e I'm no longer staying in hall and I may be joining a new CCA) provide some anticipation.

The impending D-day leaves me the impression that I must cherish the last part of the holidays. As such, I'm trying to organize outings to meet up with old friends (did I say old? I mean young!) as well as new ones. I sincerely hope the attendance won't be too bad.

The autumn wind brings with it the scent of fallen leaves. The leaves fall so that new ones can grow. The cycle of life continues in a never-ending cycle that never fails to amaze me.

The Korean Wave

2009-06-29T10:29:00.002+08:00

Yes everyone, it's here. For the very slow me, it has come. But for the more updated, it has been here like eons ago. The Korean wave (or K-wave) has landed on our shores, threatening to sweep us all off our feet. The onslaught of Korean drama serials, pop music and culture has open up and challenged our perceptions of Korea. It is not uncommon nowadays to watch Korean drama serials on our TV with Channel U offering up its fair share. For the cable subscribers there are even 2 more channels which cater to your every K-needs. Fortunately (or unfortunately? :-) ) I have finally caught on to the craze and come to appreciate these serials for what they are. Jewel in the Palace, the hit Korean serial about a palace chef introduced me to the traditional form of Korean culture with the scenic locations as well as a well-thought storyline. On the topic of storyline, although there is a school of thought that Korean serials have very similar storyline (they are quite really), they do have variations and the realistic portrayals more than make up for the predictable storyline. Korean reality television also has a very different way of attracting the viewers that I have difficulty trying to describe. Then there is Korean pop music which was introduced to my more fashion-conscious bro. Super Junior, the recent performer in the recent Melody Awards in Taiwan, is a mega-hit with fans all over the world. Their single "Sorry Sorry" has sparked massive following with fans taking to imitating their dance moves and even classes on how to dance to their music. It helps that they have boyish good looks and lots of idol quality. FT island graced our shores just yesterday and released quite a few hits.

Well, I'm not really sorry that I have caught the K-train. (maybe just a little since I caught a really late one) Till next time, may we all learn the dance steps for "Sorry Sorry". :-)

The many faces of English

2009-06-08T17:57:00.002+08:00

The English language is a mystery. Many people have tried decoding it but to no avail. Many more have tried to understand it but failed. There are so many facets of English that are all unknown territory. Not even Christopher Columbus could completely discover this vast piece of land. How many ways can you express sadness? Heartbroken, downhearted, disconsolate, devastated. These are just some of the words that are synonym to "sadness". Unbelievable isn't it? That is probably one of the contributing reasons why some people (me included) find it hard to learn a new language. If there are so many words that have the same meaning then why not use them interchangeably or even eliminate some of them to make things easier? Linguists will say that there are some differences to the different words and although some of them differ by a minute degree, they add colour and variety to the language. They will say it's the beauty of the language. Well, tell that to the normal primary/secondary/tertiary students. It's a massive headache!

On one hand the intricate patterns of the English language can be a terror to learn, on the other hand I must admit that I do enjoy the language especially what is written in books. The different words use in different situations has a magical feel to it, bringing something as two-dimensional as a story in a book to life. They can change something as mundane as going to work/school into vivid pictures and endless adventures. Learning it is difficult but appreciating it makes it much more bearable.

Updating the updates...

2009-05-21T23:20:00.002+08:00

Just had an exhausting mj session just now. Whew! We managed to complete 3 complete rounds and I'm glad to say I ended up in the green despite being in the red after the 1st 2 rounds. It was great fun and I hope to do it real soon.

On another note, some events coming up include the financial literacy camp at Shu Qun Sec Sch, the training and the camp itself. Should be a fun-filled experience starting with this Saturday morning with the training for the camp. There will be some testing for the stations for the fun-trail among other interesting activities. Side-tracking, the Praxis game looks to be one of the highlights of the camp. The elegant game-play infused with simple tidbits of financial education makes it ideal for secondary school students to tackle.

Finally, results are going to be released in just over a half an hour. Good luck to all NTU students!! (Though there's nothing we can do about the results anyway :p )

Marina Barrage + MJ session

2009-05-10T15:18:00.002+08:00

On Friday I went with my air force buddies to visit the much talk upon Marina Barrage. A little background about the place. It's actually a large dam which helps to store water for the reservoir. In times of flood, the dams open and allow water to flow out to the ocean. It's a pretty interesting place because its architecture at some parts i.e the Green Roof actually looks like the design of NTU's ADM. We took a shuttle service from Marina Bay MRT which took us directly to our destination. When we arrived, we proceeded to visit the exhibition. It was quite cool since they made use of recycled materials to put it up. There was even a place where we could take free photographs and we stayed quite a while. Next, we went up to the rooftop where we saw a couple of interesting things which included 2 different couples taking their wedding shots there. After our visit to the barrage, we went down to Clarke Quay to have our dinner. Our dinner was...bak kut teh!!! Delicious it was, and there was even free refill of the soup. There were 3 different tables which categorised our spending powers: low, medium and wealthy. After dinner, some of the guys went to play LAN while the rest (including myself) started for home sweet home.

The next topic was the overnight mj session at jon's house. It was pretty exciting because it was the first time the 4 of us i.e the spades/mj/Big2/bridge gang were playing overnight. The night promised to be one of intrigue, deceit, risk-taking and of course barrels of fun. As we caught up with each other with regards to our school and personal lives, we also engaged in one of the most deadly spy games in recent history. Bluffing and double-bluffing as we tried to rack up the most number of doubles. I didn't do too badly and yf was the big winner. When edwin left, the rest of us pored over the updated CM 01/02 with yf taking on his beloved Blackburn. Combining tactics and his transfer acumen, Blackburn managed a very credible 8th place and even made it all the way to the quarter-finals for one of the cups. Exhausted and only standing because of adrenaline, we managed to stumble our way to the coffee shop downstairs to take in much-needed rations. The we went our separate ways while planning other more fun activities in the coming holidays.

Well, that's all for an update. On another note, I've not paid my hostel application fees and am seriously considering not paying for it since the chances of success is not particularly high.

Holidays

2009-05-01T21:42:00.002+08:00

Holidays are here. I thought they would never come. Yet here they are. What should I do? Should I find work? Who would want someone who can only work for a few months? So many questions but how do I find the answers? Anyway, some relaxation first. There are some events coming up including the Singapore Outreach fun trail. Looks like this could be fun! Tomorrow would be the release of Alara Reborn. This set promises thrills and spills as it's an all-multi-coloured set. Difficult to pick and choose. The Premiership is going down the wire but Man Utd looks set to clinch it. Not sure about their Champions League charge though they managed to defeat Arsenal at Old Trafford. Well, we shall see of course. Not much more to say except I'll probably enjoy this holiday. After all, this spells the official end of my first year in NTU! Hooray!!

It's finally over...

2009-04-22T10:59:00.002+08:00

Yes, the dreaded exams are finally over! No more books and notes. No more endless head-scratching and wondering if my answer is correct. No more having the headaches which seem to accompany me during these periods. A sense of serenity has come over me. The peace and tranquility that surrounds me is only interrupted by the incessant drilling that's going on in my neighbour's house. How I wish that the renovations would be completed as soon as possible.

On another note, Liverpool completed an astonishing fightback which saw the second 4-4 in as many games. I must say it's very poor defending on Liverpool's part to concede so many goals. Arshavin put Arsenal ahead with a well-taken goal which bounced off the crossbar after great work from Fabregas. Monster was at fault here, easily giving away the ball. Liverpool showed great spirit after the break, attacking the Kop end. Torres help Liverpool draw level with a downward header which beat Fabianski who had a much better game than against Chelsea. Liverpool went ahead after a Dirk Kuyt cross from the right was met bravely by Yossei Benayoun who clashed with an Arsenal defender before putting the ball past the line despite the efforts of Fabianski. Then came the incredible defensive errors. Arbeloa was robbed off the ball by Arshavin before he unleashed an unstoppable shot that curled away from Reina and bulged the bottom right hand corner of the net. Arshavin has shown why he was such an inspiration for Russia in the World Cup and why Arsene Wenger was more than willing to splash out the cash for him. Arsenal went ahead after Aurelio failed to clear a cross in the penalty area and Arshavin controlled the ball beautifully with his first touch before putting it past the despairing arms of Reina. Liverpool were not done yet though. An innocuous cross was aimed at Torres, who checked before turning his marker and powering it past Fabianski. At 3-3 there were murmurs of the spirit of Istanbul as the Reds chased a win. However, their hopes were dashed when a corner kick of Liverpool was cleared into the path of Theo Walcott who dashed the whole of 30 yards before laying it off on a platter for Arshavin to finish. The introductory of Walcott was inspirational, unlike Babel who came on for an ineffective Reira. All hopes of catching Manchester United seem to fade into the distance as the final whistle drew near. Then 3 mins into extra time, Yossei Benayoun made it 4 a piece after a goalmouth scramble to help Liverpool secure a yet to be precious 1 point. Liverpool are now level on points but Manchester United has 2 games in hand. The title chase looks set to be over.

Struggling with the inevitable

2009-04-19T22:40:00.002+08:00

The exams are almost over but the stress just seem to keep piling up. Wish tuesday will come asap before the weight becomes unbearable. Linear algebra threatens to unhinge everything I have learnt so far. Tough luck really.

The time of the semester...

2009-03-31T23:31:00.002+08:00

Yup, it's the time again. Exams, exams, exams! The stress that boils and boils, simmering just under the surface, awaiting the perfect opportunity to erupt into a crimson flame. Before we all get eaten by the 'stress monster', pleases remember that it's also important to relax. Studying is definitely important. But it's equally important to know when it's time to let loose. The incentive to studying so hard is so we can party once exams are over! Let's work hard to overcome this hurdle! Together, we are invincible!!

An update!

2009-03-20T22:34:00.002+08:00

Just a short update. Carrom training ended yesterday with a bang! It was a record-setting attendance as for once the TV lounge at Blk 40 was filled almost to the brim. There was a special guest which I will not elaborate for fear or backlash. It was a very fun practice as I played doubles all the way. It's not everytime that I get to practice doubles due to the lack of people. I also received a congratulatory certificate and a nice pat on the back from Francis for being the manager. Must say I'm mighty proud of the team since we have improved from last year. Another point to note is that I finally received my subcomm shirt! Quite cool design! Will wear it soon.

Various other smaller things have happened which are not worth putting it down. Lots of worries too! Hope my roomie gets well soon! :-)

The 4-1 drubbing

2009-03-15T00:03:00.002+08:00

Well, the big match just ended. The battlefield was strewn with casualties. (Actually only 1 failed to make it to the end of the game) As a supporter, the result was a fantastic one. I'm sure it was also a sumptuous match for the neutrals. First, a brief description of the epic game.

The Theatre of Dreams has one of the most intimidating atmosphere in the premiership. There is no mercy for the weak-willed and the weak-minded. Pitted against the league champions, Liverpool was really up against it. It did not matter that they took Real Madrid to the sword during the mid-week Champions League 2nd round. Looking at the depth of squad of the opposition: Van der Sar, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Park, Carrick, Anderson, Rooney and Tevez, it was up to Gerrard and Co. to get a result.

It was the home side who struck first with Park beating Hyypia for speed and Reina had to come out, bringing Park to the ground. Penalty was the call and up step the Portuguese wizard to slam the ball to Reina's right with such ferocity that there was no way Reina could save it despite guessing the correct direction. The ensuing minutes were an ebb and flow kind of thing with Man Utd obviously having the upper hand. The next turning point was a hopeful long ball which caught Vidic out as he elected to let it run. Up stepped 'El Nino' as he out-muscled Vidic took the ball calmly into the penalty box and chipped it past the despairing reach of Van der Sar. It was a clinical kind of finishing that led our beloved Kop hero to finish his first season with more than 30 goals. The Kop was delirious. More joy was to come as some quick thinking from Gerrard led to him being brought down in the box by Evra. Penalty! Stevie G took on his responsibilities like the Captain Marvel he is, firing it in the bottom right-hand corner of the net. 2-1 and it remained like that till half-time.

Second half was littered with onslaught after onslaught of United attacks and it seemed it was a matter of time before the siege will lead to results. Ferguson became a little impatient on the 70 minute mark, opting for a gamble of a triple substitution, with Giggs, Schole and Berbatov taking to the field. Unfortunately, the gamble failed as it severely disrupted the flow of United's game. Gerrard was put through again and Vidic cynically brought him down. While it was debatable whether he was the last man since Ferdinand seem to be the last man, he deprived Gerrard of a genuine goal-scoring opportunity and on that count, fully deserved the sending off. Free-kick and Aurelio was the man to take it. Liverpool has lacked a dead-ball specialist for a long time and it was even more glaring with our usual free-kick taker Alonso missing through injury. Aurelio put his name into the frame with a glorious, curling free-kick which soared past the wall and flew inches away from the upright, nestling in the net. The Liverpool supporters were in dreamland! 3-1 at the Theatre of Dreams was beyond our wildest dreams since Man Utd has a proud record at their hallowed ground. 10-men United were looking despondent and so were their fans. Dossena put the icing on the cake with a glorious first time chip which beat the stranded Van der Sar after being put through by a wonderful long kick from Reina. 4-1 it finished at Old Trafford!

A magnificent performance from LFC! Though winning the league seem far away at the moment, one never knows until it's mathematically impossible to win the league!

214 on Friday

2009-03-08T22:41:00.002+08:00

Nope, the numbers are not some magical numbers nor are they any lucky numbers. I'll leave it to you to find out what they represent.

Anyway, attended the NTU choir concert with the maths gang as well as the air force gang. Amidst the secret mission I was tasked to do, (I was told that to fail would amount to being decapitated :p ) I slogged my way towards VCH with the help of my reliable friends. The first obstacle was to smuggle the package in but it was to no avail. Relying on quick wits, I relayed a message to a friendly usher who passed on the message to my boss. Saw Mr Yong and I must say it's been a while since I've seen him in the flesh. My boss relieved me off my package and our next mission was to find good places. We blended into the shadows and ended up in the circle seats. After a tactical move to reserve seats for the rest of the gang, we settled down and proceeded to enjoy the concert. The first half was pure choral with a wide variety of songs from Japanese, English and even a Hungarian composer. The alumni was here too, adding to the beautiful layered music. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I was taken back to the past where it was actually compulsory for VS choir members to attend a certain number of concerts per year. It struck me that I actually missed listening to choral music.
The second half was a mix of musical and retro hits. It was entertaining surely, but in my humble opinion, the quality of the choir was evident in the first half and the second half was about having fun. Actually, this is quite a normal scene in choir concert with the second half decidedly more light-hearted than the first half but I must say that the first half was the highlight for me. Listened to my boss's instruction to shout encore at the correct time (he better thank me...or else...lol), and the gang proceeded to Raffles City Shopping Centre for supper. It was BK but at least it provided us a time and place to catch up with friends.

That was my Saturday! Quite interesting, don't you think? Gets me thinking if I might rejoin choral singing...Beginning to miss it...But I really hate the stress!

Summer passes...season has changed

2009-02-27T21:50:00.002+08:00

The sand in the hourglass trickled away. The last lotus petal falls forlornly on the glimmering surface of the river. The symbol of everlasting purity and strength, lost among the thickets. The birds seek warmer places as the first icy touch of the glacial wind caress the land. It's almost as if Gaeia is telling her story. The time for fun and laughter is almost over. The truth sinks in reluctantly - recess week is over. What fun we had (studying) and how we enjoyed(or the lack of it) it. The quadruple terrors are coming. Integration, numerical methods are the first onslaught. The next to put us to the sword are the determinants. The terrible trio of matrices, Gaussian and the return of the determinants may just seal the deal for us. The final nail to the coffin is the dreaded Communication presentation that would determine a third of my "lifeforce" (marks :p)

The knell has sounded, the gates have been drawn. Now's the time to fight for fall we shall not. We would not permit it.

Midweek

2009-02-25T23:04:00.002+08:00

Let's talk a little bit about soccer. Looks like this season is a foregone conclusion. Man Utd will finally tie Liverpool's proud record of 18 league championships. Not that it has been a surprise. They have a great manager in Sir Alex, an absolutely talented squad with strngth in depth in almost every deaprtment and a magnificent stadium in the Theatre of Dreams. Liverpool, on the other hand, has an eccentric manager, a thin squad, and a stadium rich with history but lacking in economic sense. It doesn't help that the owners are often bickering and the manager refuses to put pen to paper on any contracts. It has become increasingly like the Chanpions League is the only salvation for the Kop this season. Well, better luck next season! YNWA!!

An update...and recess week

2009-02-17T21:09:00.002+08:00

Here we are again at the crossroads of my life. Staring down the different paths that are presented to me. Thinking if I should follow the yellow brick road or try platform 9 and 3/4. Either way, it promises a thrilling ride. Outings have been planned. A Minds' Cafe outing, a possible K-session, mj session and numerous study sessions are some of the upcoming events. Make-up lesson coming up on Saturday. Sad but that's life. You can't control it, you can only overcome it. Tution to be rearranged. Running a tight ship but I'll survive. After all as long as I don't meet Captain Jack Sparrow I gather I'm quite safe.

On another note, hope the yet to be confirmed class outing will be a success. It's a novelistic idea since it's pretty rare to have one at somebody's place. Hopefully, attendance will be great!
Friendship is like gardening. A pair of safe hands is needed and showers of care and concern help nourish the young saplings. It takes little to plant a seed, it takes much more to help it grow into a tree. Friendship is like that. It takes both parties to maintain and treasure this precious gift that is not easily given yet so easy to lose.

Sidekicks

2009-02-13T23:03:00.002+08:00

What's Batman without Robin? What's Superman without Supergirl? What's Sherlock Holmes without Watson? So what am I really talking about? I'm actually talking about sidekicks!

Who or what are sidekicks? They are actually side characters in a story except they appear time and again to aid the hero. Often, they are under-appreciated and overlooked as a tasty snippet to the grand design of the story. They tend to be compared against the main character and serves to accentuate the special abilities of the hero by having inferior abilities. However, it is almost imperative to have such a side-character, no matter how helpless he or she may be.

Sidekicks are fun really. They don't hog the limelight that often but the few occasions that they do, the storyline gets a little more entertaining. Applying to the real world, leaders are just like superheroes while the followers are just like the sidekicks. The leaders of the world need followers just like how superheroes need their sidekicks. Not everyone will be suited to being a leader. Sometimes, we can also contribute by being a sidekick. We speak our mind when we need to, point out things which the heroes may miss out, and we can also have our fun. I would like to be a sidekick sometimes. After all, nobody ever said that a sidekick cannot eventually graduate and become a superhero. Ask Robin if you don't believe me!

Till next time, may the recess week come sooner so that it can release me from the mental torture of attending lectures which I can't understand!

Yahoo! And I don't mean the search engine!

2009-02-06T22:04:00.003+08:00

Hooray! Confetti scatters on the floor. The sound of firecrackers fill the air with joy. Yes, my $1000 ++ investment finally paid off! No more reserving sundays for lessons and losing $38 in the process. No more fretting when I can get the coveted piece of paper(card). It's finally here and I could not be any less ecstatic. Sure, I missed school for one day, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. After all, peace of mind means I can now fully concentrate on my other priorities like school. (It seems I've been slacking off in this aspect which is a pity)

On another note, recess week is coming and the usual anxieties regarding school work has resurfaced. Most likely, it's the continuous quizzes that are coming up that bring this fact into view. The weekend is here but I forsee work to be done.

Till next time, may Hall 7 win more finals!

Tomorrow's prize

2009-02-04T21:38:00.002+08:00

Tomorrow will be my second shot at the prize. Pray it doesn't rain on my parade. Pray my turning turns out better than the previous lesson. Pray I get a decent tester. Pray I pass...
If I don't, I'll feel absolutely awful.
Looks like I'm putting too much pressure on myself. It's something I hate to do but sub-consciously I reach out and self-inflict. A habit I definitely need to break. Expectations give way to stress and ultimately an inability to perform to the best of my ability.
A lesson I need to learn, either by the hard way or the easy way.

Till next time, may I get the prize I desparately want.

J-pop

2009-01-27T14:33:00.004+08:00

I can't stop listening to J-pop. Though I may not understand the language, the way the Japanese language is sung is sufficient to incite interest. There's a certain elegance to the language that is absent from our spoken languages. Nowadays, it's possible to understand what the Japanese mean through the numerous translations on the web. Some of my personal favourites are BoA, Rie Tanaka, Hitomi, Nami Tamaki and many others. Sad to say, I'm not very familiar with the male Japanese artistes. Even for groups, I have only listened to Do As Inifinity. Part of my fascination comes from the fact that I'm an avid fan of Japanese anime, and the songs that are used are nothing short of spectacular. Sure, there may be some which are not as catchy, but on the whole, the songs are really popular. This may be one of the reasons that a lot of popular J-pop artistes are willing to put their vocals behind some of the anime's opening and ending songs. The anime openings and endings mix colourful pictures with the beautiful melodies, creating brilliant images which are nothing short of stunning. If you have not been exposed to J-pop, you may want to go to Youtube and just search for some of the anime's OP or ED songs. I won't gurantee that you will like it but I love it!

Till next time, may the new year bring good fortune and prosperity to everyone!

Chinese New Year

2009-01-19T10:12:00.003+08:00

It's coming! I bet you know what's coming. The annual Chinese New Year is almost upon us. The period for festive snacking, well-wishes for a prosperous new year as well as the usual dose of good-natured gambling. Pineapple tarts, bak kwa, cashew nuts, love letters and prawn rolls are just some of the delicacies waiting in store for us. Mandarin oranges are exchanged and hongpows are given by those blissfully married. Mahjong, blackjack and daidi are just some of the games that family members play in good fun. Don't forget the great Chinese New Year TOTO draw which never fails to draw in millions of people who don't mind giving it a shot among the festive cheer. Will be looking forward to the start in 6 days!

Till next time, may my lecturers not place their make-up lessons on the weekend after CNY!

Participation

2009-01-13T22:24:00.003+08:00

The active chatter filled the classroom. Students were busy exchanging conversation. The teacher steps into the classroom and there is a sudden silence. You could hear a pin drop if there ever was one. The teacher begins teaching. One of the key components for the module is class participation. Suddenly, words begin flying in the air as everyone was scrambling to have their say, and hopefully earning some points under that component. Hands were raised to get attention. Competition was keen. The look of concentration and determination were deeply etched on most of the students' faces. It's pretty fun to watch sometimes. I tried to get my A game but was throughly defeated by the intense competition. Well, better luck next time!

Till next time, may I be more prepared for biz law and get my act together!

Fine

2009-01-11T17:31:00.003+08:00

Fine. An ending. The start of a new beginning. A flower. Beautiful. A lotus that only blooms once every ten years. How many times can we see it bloom in our lifetime. The cycle of life is endless. Repetition. The cause for many things to occur over and over again. Sadness. Joy. Two sides of the same coin. Completing the spectrum of colours and maintaining the balance.

January is the month of the Capricon. The unicorn is a majestic, mythical and an animal full of magickal aura. Amethyst. The birthstone.

Fine.

The Finger War - Day 1

2009-01-06T09:47:00.002+08:00

It was horrifying. Heads were flying everywhere. Stray sharpnels danced in the air. Buildings were reduced to mere rubble. The fire burned with a raging desire to desecrate everything in its path. The ruby red sky seemed to reflect what was happening on the ground. Piercing screams were heard throughout. What was lacking was probably the people...

Yup, that was the prelude to the Finger War. It occurs during the first 2 weeks of the new semester as students regardless of gender, age, occupation, height, weight etc. jostle with each other to prove that they are the ultimate finger champion. This was just my second shot at the title so you can say I'm still green behind my ears. Still I was determined to out in at least a good fight so I can proclaim (or brag) about my prowess to my children. The clock began to countdown and I waited with bated breath.

Mouse? Check.
Keyboard? Check.
Planner? Check.
Okay Houston! We'll all set to build this city on rock and roll!!

5...4...3...2...1... ... ...

Boom!!! Bam!!! Surprise!!!!

I didn't win. Sad but true. Yet I can still say I was beaten by better opposition. I can have no regrets. Better luck next time! Bye!!!

End of (holi)days

2009-01-02T21:31:00.003+08:00

Armageddon's coming! Quick hide! Meteor shower! Earthquake!! Tornado!!! TSUNAMI...

Nah just joking. It's just the end of the holidays. The biggest event of the year when all students stand in 2 neat rows with solemn faces forming the guard of honour. Cries of frustration and a sense of helplessness fill the air with unimaginable depths of sorrow. The end of days...

The sweet memories of the last month come flooding back to me. It all started from the day we ended exams. We went to Kbox and sang our hearts out. This was quickly followed by outing after outing and provided the perfect opportunity for old friends to reminisce and also to strengthen the bonds of new friendships. We talked, we laughed, we remembered and best of all we did it with seasons in the sun. Christmas came and carolled to our hearts' content. Christmas parties came and go. MJ sessions were the pick of the day, though we tried to keep it few, it came out more than we expected. Classmates were well-met as we toasted one for the old times. (reminds me how old I actually am) FLC people met up and tried our darnest not to think of the old times while celebrating the new year. Kurtites met and just chilled out. Maybe we should OBS again? Cue flashback end...

Back to the present and into the future. Time waits for the one who wields it. An uncommon school of thought which is nothing short of unorthodox. Till next time, may schoolwork not pile up like Mt Everest, where few have been able to overcome.

Examination results

2008-12-29T00:31:00.002+08:00

Mark my words, I didn't expect to receive the news that my results are out today. Always thought that it would come out only tomorrow. But a dear friend (pang) dropped me a message that it was out. This news was later confirmed by a senior. I swear my fingers were shaking as I clicked on the relevant links. Time seem to pass ever so slowly. The Internet betgan to lag. Looks like the NTU server was going to explode...The links are coming out all garbled. Can't find the correct tab. Help! Finally, my mouse found the link I was looking for and the results splash on the screen. Wondered deep in my heart if there was going to be a bloodbath and whether I needed a pail to contain all the blood. Scanning through, the first letter to catch my eye was my Calculus which scored a B+. Can't say I didn't expect it after hearing from friends that one needed to score at least 90 marks in order to score an A. With my mediocre mid-term, I could only hope for a A- at best and the B+ was probably fair. Scored a A+ for econs. Absolutely ecstatic about it as I was expecting an A and this was a bonus. A- for C++ was pure luck as I thought I made quite serious errors during the final-term. Finally, A- for FOM was also satisfactory since I didn't do that well for the quizzes. Satisfactory for my one and only S/U subject topped it of.

Here's my results at a glance:

HE 191 Principle of Economics A+
MAS 110 Intro to C++ A-
MAS 111 FOM A-
MAS 112 Calculus B+
MS 2006 Thermodynamics S

Avg GPA: 4.5

Satisfied? Quite all right. Need to maintain this or even improve on this. On the bright side, I managed to secure my min GPA set by my future paymasters. On the flip side, I could probably do better and would need to continue the work I put in.

Till next time, may the winds of change bring the turn of fortune as the wheel of fate spins.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:49:00.002+08:00

Please see the title! Hope you all enjoy this wonderful day! Looking forward to the various outings planned after this joyous occasion. Really miss the kurtites! :-)

Not much to blog about at the moment. Just the lull period. Looking forward (or backwards) to school. Hope my results turn out well. (praying praying) Till next time, may the reindeers fly higher than ever and Santa to take a long break after today!

IHG Carrom

2008-12-18T10:10:00.003+08:00

I was busy the last two days because of IHG carrom. Can't do much about it since I'm one of the managers. Blogging about the events now implies that we did not get into the semi-finals but that's all right. Here's the summary for the two days of competition:

Day 1
We went into the competition filled with anticipation and excitement. Nerves had a part to play but that's to be expected since most of us are freshies and this was our 1st time experiencing the tension and stress that comes with any kind of competitive games.

Our first stop early in the morning was unsurprisingly Canteen 2 for breakfast. A great way to relieve some of the tension and I detect a much lighter atmosphere after breakfast.
Then we were moving to the arena which was Hall 8. I was quite taken aback by the number of people there even though I should have expected it. The various hall tees stood out, providing a myraid of colours which added to the backdrop of the arena. Our first match was against Hall 13 which finished 2nd last year.

I was given scouting duties for this first round and here's where we encountered our first setback. We had too many capped players. Shakira, Benson and Ernest were all considered to be capped. Only two out of the three could play. Fortunately, we were able to play all three just for the 1st round as we were ignorant to this rule and the organizers were lenient.
If I recall, the line-up was:
Male singles: Calwin
Female singles: Shakira
Male doubles: Benson and Bharath
Female doubles: Shu Fang and Zhen Hui
Mixed doubles: Ernest and Fei Quan
Despite our valiant efforts, we were not able to perform a David versus Goliath as were were ruthlessly brushed aside by a better opposition. Still I was very proud of them as it was plain for everyone to see that they gave everything they got.

Heads were down for a while. I managed to scout Hall 5 and relayed what I thought to the team. I told them Hall 5 were a decent side but not beyond us. Belief was renewed and I could feel the overall team morale was improving. It did help that we had a team which really hate to be beaten.
The line-up was as follows (as far as I can remember) :
Male singles: Calwin
Female singles: Shakira
Male doubles: Bharath and I
Female doubles: Shu Fang and Zhen Hui
Mixed doubles: Ernest and Fei Quan
With no disrespect to Hall 5, we did beat them 5-0. Ecstatic was one of the milder words to describe how we felt especially after the 1st match. It was the perfect medicine to ease our pain of defeat. Armed with this result, we felt we could go all the way......

The next opposition was Hall 10. I was warned about the potential of the men doubles player who was also the captain of the hall. Surely after coming so far, we could only get better?
Again, here's the line-up in my memory:
Male singles: Calwin
Female singles: Shakira
Male doubles: Kai Hong and I
Female doubles: Shu Fang and Swee Ching (or Zhen Hui)
Mixed doubles: Benson and Fei Quan
We were almost taught a lesson of humility as it was a close match and we merely edged them out. It was a win nonetheless and it gave us even more confidence to proceed to the next match.

Hall 6 looked like a daunting prospect. With their results (I believe they had already won all 3 matches) , we were definitely the underdogs. Maybe there was still room for a silver lining?
Line-up from my bad memory:
Male singles: Calwin
Female singles: Shakira
Male doubles: Bharath and I
Female doubles: Shu Fang and Swee Ching
Mixed doubles: Ernest and Fei Quan
Well, we lost a match that many expected us to lose. Still, in my opinion, all the matches were close and the scoreline of 4 1/2 : 1/2 flattered them. All the boards were competitive and we gave as good as we got. Some players were feeling disheartened after the match as it meant we were no longer in the running for a semi-final spot with Hall 1, 6 and 13 contesting for the 2 spots. I tried to lift their spirits during the debrief at the end of the day but wasn't sure if it worked at all. Fatigue was the key word of the day as most of us could barely stand and almost all of the female players had to play all 4 rounds that day. Quickly, we dismissed them so that they could get a good rest.

The end of round 4 signalled our chance of a semis spot but all's not lost. If we can secure our quarters position, we would still have exceeded all expectations. It's something we can fight for and with this goal, we were going to give everything we got......

Day 2

Bright and early, we headed to the same place for breakfast. Our squad depth improved with the addition of Shee Yin (I hope I spelt your name correctly). I had discussed the possible line-up with Benson the previous day while mulling it over with Ernest over breakfast. The crucial match was against Hall 1 and we were figuring out how to get the best out of our team. In my mind, I was trying to think of a way to up the the enthusiasm of the team. After breakfast, we moved on to Hall 8, the venue for breaking hearts and achieving glory.

Hall 11 was our 1st opposition of the day. We wanted to send out a signal to the rest of the halls in our group that we were here to compete.
Line-up by memory:
Male singles: Calwin
Female singles: Shakira
Male doubles: Kai Hong and I
Female doubles: Shu Fang and Zhen Hui
Mixed doubles: Benson and Fei Quan
Another tough opposition but win we did. A perfect start for our day and gave us the extra legs we would surely need to last the race. Ernest was on scouting duty on Hall 1 as we improvised our strategy to tackle the frontrunners of our group.

The must-win tie of the group as the win will secure our quarters place and create a mad scramble for the top 2 spots. If we ain't going to get that two places, the least we could do was to make it interesting for the rest. It didn't hurt that we had the added incentive to get 3rd in our group. However, there was no pressure as we know where we stand and we just needed to put in our 100%.
Line-up from memory:
Male singles: Ernest
Female singles: Shee Yin
Male doubles: Kai Hong and I
Female doubles: Shu Fang and Zhen Hui
Mixed doubles: Benson and Fei Quan
We had to sacrifice Shakira in the female singles as we attempted a brave strategy which entails putting bothe Benson and Ernest into the fold in the bid to try to secure two boards. My heartfelt thanks goes to Shakira for her understanding and also to Shee Yin who we had to throw her into the fray without giving her the necessary preparations. To Shee Yin: I hope you enjoy the game and sincerely wish to see you at our practices later on next sem. Although it was an intense battle as carrom strikers went zipping around on the board and seeds flying into the various pockets (some had a tendency of trying to escape the board :-) ), there would be no fairytale ending for us as we were beaten. It was a great battle and I really appreciate the efforts put in by the entire team, those playing as well as those giving support.

The last match was Hall 4. It was still a must-win since we didn't win Hall 1. We knew that Hall 4 were one of the halls in our group without a single win but there was a danger of complacency. We wanted to secure the win so we adopted a similar strategy as the match against Hall 1.
Line-up:
Male singles: Ernest
Female singles: Swee Ching
Male doubles: Kai Hong and Bharath
Female doubles: Shu Fang and Shee Yin
Mixed doubles: Benson and Fei Quan
I'm very proud of all of you. All of you turned in a fantastic performance to close out your matches and provided a magnificent curtain call to our tounament. The final result was that we secured 4th in our group which is a definite improvement on last year!

My reflections:

We exceeded expectations. I think that speaks volumes. I'm so proud of all of you!! For me, it was a harrowing adventure full of twists and turns, a rollercoaster of emotions and pride for being given the opportunity to represent the hall.
In addition, my thanks go out to the following in no particular order:

Ernest: Thank you for squatting for our hall. We respect you both as our captain and mentor. We will remember what you have taught us and hope to see you during our training sessions in the new sem. (Please leave all the thrash talk to me okay? :-) I'll try to convince Lawrence to give you his laptop so that you can stay in our hall. :-) )
Benson: Our very own cap player! Thanks for coming back to represent us and provide valuable information with regards to the competition itself. We hope you will come back and represent us again. (I'll even play doubles with you! )
Calwin: My other manager! I apologize for letting you shoulder all the work since I always come from home. Don't worry about your losses. We all have to taste the feeling of defeat in order to improve! Good luck in training to become the ultimate singles carrom machine!
Bharath: Despite your striker problems, I really respect the way you play your carrom. Your almost effortless way of hitting the seeds in is pure poetry in motion. Keep up the good work! Hope to see you at our training sessions!
Kai Hong: My bro! Love our chemistry! Doubles with you was very fun! You really displayed your form during the competition and I hope you had a fantastic time during the tounament! (I still want you to teach me tennis soon! )
Fei Quan: Our VP! The first female player to grace our very team. Despite your repeated threats on my life (no hard feelings?) because of my thrash level, I must say you have improved tramendously from last year and this is not only in my opinion. (cue Benson and Ernest) Thanks for your commitment even though you had other equally important commitments.
Shakira: Our very own sharpshooter! Thank you again for your understanding at being left out for the two matches! It wasn't an easy decision for Ernest either. Again your commitment to our team is beyond any shadow of a doubt. Hope to have you squatting for us next year!
Shu Fang: I'm so sorry I got you scolded by your friends! Thank you for being there when we really needed you! The poise and confidence you no doubt had, helped the female doubles pull through! Hope to see you next year!
Zhen Hui: Your teamwork with Shu Fang provided the artillery we needed to blitz the other halls. I knew you also had other sporting commitments yet you came down and played for us. For that alone, my heartfelt thanks go out to you! Again, I hope to see you with us next year!
Swee Ching: Thank you for being so adapatable in playing both singles and doubles. Just found out that this is your last year here in NTU and I really appreciate that you chose to represent us in carrom again this year! I wish you all the best in your studies and in your futsal!
Shee Yin: Thank you for coming down on the second day and I'm really sorry for throwing you right into a match without the proper preparations. You did a remarkable job and I stand by my view that with the proper training, you could be one of the stars of our team. Hope to see youo for our training next sem!
Francis: Your organizational skills and logistical support was an invaluable help in our journey. Every good team must have a fantastic support team and you were a part of it. You ensured that we were well taken cared of and for that I cannot thank you enough. Hope to work with you again!
Lawrence: Our beloved rec sec! Although we don't see eye-to-eye in most cases (face-to-face most of the time), I believe we have more in common. As the leader of the support team, the welfare of our team was never compromised. Your comaraderie with the players was a sign that your spirit was with us when we were playing and even though you could not do battle with us you were alongside us.

Other people I would like to thank are: Stanley who came down on the first day to support us; Amanda our president who bought waffles and teh bing for us; Kelvin, Chin Leng, Yi Heng, Hong Wen and Hui Ning who came down for our training sessions, as well as everyone who have helped us in one way or another. (I sincerely apologize if I have left anyone out.)

That's today's super-long entry of what I've been doing the last two days. Good luck for the rest of Hall 7 during IHG! Let's be number 1 in both rect and sports!

Till next time, may I wake up from this neverending dream that last a lifetime.

Training training...

2008-12-11T23:31:00.002+08:00

Lots and lots of training. Strikers moving in, moving out. The dull chinks as the carrom board attempts to sustain the blows that are repeatedly dished out by the relentless players. The only respite is when the carrom seed glides into the hole like a ballerina. Even then, there are moments in which ballet turns to more like a rock concert as the seeds smash their way into the pockets. There are only two sides: black or white (with no relation to a certain King of Pop). The prize? The queen of course in all her splendid auburn glory. It is said that the true winner is the one who can lay claim to Her Highness. It is also at this stage that the two sides get stuck as frustration sets in. A win is declared to the side with the most prisoners-of-war should the queen escape unscathed. Each battle can only last 35 mins. (again not related to the popular MLTR song which is actually 25mins) The war rages on as the best-of-three decides the ultimate victor. Cries of anguish fill the air with a malaise which is unlike the plague...

Till next time, may I be able to attend the various outings that are already planned for and may Hall 7 carrom team triumph even in the face of adversity!

IHG IHG !!!

2008-12-02T20:38:00.002+08:00

It's coming and you know it. The time when titans clash and bloodletting is but the norm. Lightning blaze the skies as the reddish sky oozes its own sparkling ruby. Magic fills the air with mystery as fantasy comes to life. Dragons rule the skies, giants roam the earth while serpentines dominate the high seas. Yes, the annual IHG (Infernal hellfire games) is almost upon us. There's no room for mercy as gladiators suit up and prepare for battle. The prize? The bragging rights to call ourselves the best in NTU (at least for the rest of the year). The sweat amidst the hard work, a necessary sacrifice for the ultimate glory. In fact, it's probably THE EVENT OF THE YEAR.

Anyway, on a lighter note, I'm wondering when VJ starts their carolling. It's pretty sad since as a senior I have already lost touch of the comings and goings of my almunus. How I wished we could go back in time where we were all together and singing in one voice. The memory would forever be etched in my memories and there it will always remain.

And on another note, just when I'm wondering when we're going to have a class outing, the answer was immediately answered. Thanks a lot jonah! Hopefully we can have more outings since the impending results may turn joy for the festive season to something less joyous.

Till next time, may the winds of change bring with it both happy times and tough times!

Holidays

2008-11-26T21:49:00.002+08:00

My weeks long hiatus is officially over. No more books until the new year. No more calculus, FOM, Thermo (hopefully ever again), Econs and C++. The time for intensive readings has long gone. I'll miss those times...then again maybe not since I'll get to go through those torrid times again. Seriously, it's time to sit back and enjoy a little. Time passes so fast these days that it only takes a blink of the eye for change to occur. Poof! IHG is almost here already. Sigh...I was looking forward to some mj sessions, maybe some outings...Now I got to schedule my appointments properly. To make the most of today is what brings joy tomorrow. I'll not say too much lest people say I'm heartless to forget those still in the midst of the E Monster. Never fear! It'll all be over soon and we'll all survive. Cause we are who we are. Gambatte people!!!

Yume - Dreams

2008-10-26T18:42:00.002+08:00

I recently read that my hall's Prometheus is asking for ideas for their script. Well, I feel that a play on dreams would be nice. It's something that many people can relate to because we all have dreams. Whether they are realistic or not we all have them. In fact, it doesn't matter even if we have realised them or not. If we have, a pat on our back. If not, we now have a goal to strive for. Anyway back to the ideas.

The story goes like this: There's a boy and a girl who have contrasting backgrounds. The boy has a tough life where he's being constantly reminded that he's not good enough, that he has not met his potential. His dream was to become a rockstar but because of family pressure, he was studying medicine instead.
The girl is really fortunate as she's studying what she really wanted to do: to become a teacher. Currently, she's taking mathematics but is on track to become a teacher. Her family is really supportive, giving both moral and financial support to put her through university.
Boy meets girl and Providence strikes. The girl counsels the boy and shows him what to do to achieve his dream. In addition, he learns the importance of having dreams. As time passes, the friendship blooms. (cue romance)
The ending becomes obvious but there's a twist in the end. The girl dies of a horrific accident. The boy grieves for her and meets her in a dream. (cue fantasy element) He remembers her pearls of wisdom and promises to teach others about it. (cue education hehe)

Okay that's it.Very vague yet the vagueness gives room for creative expression. There's no point if it's the finished article because then there is only the end.

Till next time, may you have a nice dream every night!

An update...

2008-10-16T10:14:00.002+08:00

Well, I didn't get into the Prometheus committee. The wait was filled with anticipation yet knowledge that there exist only a very slim chance of getting in due to the sheer volume of applicants. Still, I hope to play some role in the event as I still stand by my view that I may learn something from it. Another point to note is that I was also roped in to be a psuedo programmer for FOC. Again I'll relish the chance to learn something new and maybe make more friends along the way. Carrom has a new coach. A pretty strong player from what I gather. However, there are still not enough players to form a team. Specifically, we don't have a girls team. Hopefully, this can be resolved soon.

Exams are coming. Quizzes next week. Brother Wu's one looks set to be the killer especially when the topic is on set theory and all the various methods of approaching it eg. membership method, Boolean algebra...Econs is MCQ but it can be misleading. Pang once said that MCQ may even be more dificult than open-end and I am inclined to agree. So study hard everyone!

Till next time, may the voice of reason sing its melodies so that anger will not dominate your actions.

Ef - A tale of memories

2008-10-10T12:05:00.004+08:00

I just started watching this wonderful anime called Ef - A tale of memories. From the first 5 episodes, I must say I'm very impressed with the graphics. The backdrop uses choice colours which portrays the artisitic impressions of the manga artist. I can't count the number of times the shades keep changing and the movement flowc onstantly producing different effects. The story is mainly about a boy and a girl and how romance develops. The side characters take turns to step up to the stage creating many different stories interwoven together. The supernatural element comes about with a girl that keeps appearing but disappears the next instant. Basically, there is a boy who only knew loneliness. There are also a pair of twins who befriended him. One thing led to the next, resulting in a horrific accident to one of the twins and she suffered amnesia which meant that she could only remember things that happened only in the last 13 hours. The other twin falls for the boy and I'll let you go catch the anime for yourselves.

Economics

2008-10-09T09:55:00.002+08:00

What with the dire straits of the world economy, what does it mean to us? Are our deposits safe in the banks? Well, they should be. As long as the banks in question do not collapse. Consumer confidence is low. Cash is king. So should we hide our money underneath our pillows. Inflation erodes our money value. Even if we do keep them under our pillow, we are still losing. So how to win? Is it possible to do so? And if there's a way, how? As the market turns into one fierce grizzly, the honey may run out. Pray for the worst to be over but be aware that it's just getting started.

Till next time, may the Spanish take over the market.

The walls of pressure

2008-10-03T23:19:00.002+08:00

Everyone wants to do well. That's one of the reason why we put in the extra effort in order to achieve our targets. This is also when the walls of pressure start to come up. I don't know about you but I must admit I'm a little claustrophobic. When walls come up, fear starts to slip in. Fear is a mortal enemy. It slowly erodes your confidence and self-belief and creating an illusion of helplessness. It freezes the blood and prevents action. Some people perceive fear as a weakness. Whatever the case, fear is a great cause for worry. Now examine the walls that come up. It tends to block your view, of what your real goal is. The only thing that you need to know is that you need to work hard. Buckle down, bite the bit, pull up your socks and work. There may come a time when the burden becomes too great to support and starts weighing you down. There may even be a danger of being squashed. When that time comes, take a deep breath, put down whatever you are doing and take a break. Maybe have a Kit-kat or something. Re-evaluate what you have done and how far you are form your target. When you feel well-rested then pick up the same load and finish the race. It's never wrong to set high expectations but do also know your limits and rest when required.

Till next time, may the mid-terms not come back and haunt me. Just in case, I'll eat more garlic and carry a wooden stake.

When the road is unclear...

2008-09-26T21:30:00.002+08:00

A thick smog covers the road ahead. Should I turn left or right? Is there even a right or left? Instead, should the question be to go forward or backward? Upwards or downwards? Does it even matter? Maybe the correct decision would be to stay stock-still? Unfortunately, I'm not one to stay still. I'll definitely keep moving forward. The time for self-introspection is long gone. Action speaks louder than words. The fear threatens to overcome me but resolve strengthens me. The uncertainty is certainly temporary.The sun will shine through eventually and pave the path in its yellowish golden warmth. Birds will chirp their sweet melodies as the summer wind blows. The smell of ripe apples will fill the air. Oh how I long for those days that seem eons ago! But never to worry, time brings with it both joy and sorrow. It's an everlasting cycle that has already been imprinted since the beginning of time.

Till next time, may tomorrow yield better results amid the torturous times!

Slackness

2008-09-22T23:13:00.002+08:00

Probably defined as the lack of tension. Can't believe I'm just lazing around during this week despite the fact that my tests are all rolling in one after another after this honeymoon period. Sigh! I'm already considered lucky as I only take 5 modules this sem. If I can't even handle 5, how am I going to take 6 or 7 next sem. Although I know this for a fact, I can't seem to find the inspiration to buckle down and study hard. Things can't remain status quo or I might find myself lagging too far behind the dust. The thing is I can already see the dust which already speaks volumes of my current untenable position. Still I must persevere. For the sake of all the things I want to do in life, this feeling must be transitory. Got to find tension now.

Till next time, tension and stress, the double-edged sword, come to me and I'll make myself the master!

Recess Week

2008-09-17T13:23:00.002+08:00

What is recess week? Maybe we should break it down further. Let's try "recess" then "week".
What is the definition of "recess"? According to www.dictionary.com , it is cessation of normal activities. Since university students study, I guess it means to temporarily stop studying. Citing the same source, other synonyms include rest, vacation and respite. Yet, ask the common university student and the answer would be vastly different from what you would expect. The so-called "recess" is used explicitly for 'mugging' or studying if you are a layman. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but this does sound like a contradiction. Why would students be studying during recess week? Actually the answer is pretty simple. There are actually tests after this week! Astounding isn't it? So very few people are actually able to enjoy this recess week because they have to prepare for the tests. There are 2 solutions to this. One way is to rename it as study break. Now no one can misunderstand this term. After all, a study break is a break from lessons in order to study right? Another solution would be to split the week up nicely such that you would have enough time to study and to recess. Actually, I'm in favour of this particular way since we get the best of both worlds. After all, according to the old adage: "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." I doubt I need to bother to explain what a week is since most already know it stands for 7 days. (Though the recess week is more accurately 9 days if you count the weekend before it starts.)

Till next time, may the recess week be renamed "recess a la study week"!

Logic

2008-09-14T22:12:00.002+08:00

What is logic? Logic is a deduction, proposition, argument, statement...When something is illogical, it isn't really. It's just adding an inverter in front. Some people call it negation. Contrapositives are actually logical except if the statement has a negative connotation to it, it helps to put a more positive spin to it. Never confuse contrapositives with the inverse or the converse. Or is used very loosely here because it has the inclusive feel to it. Either this or that. "But" and "and" can be used interchangeably. If...then...What's a canonical disjunctive normal form? Write in Boolean operator or something? What's the logic behind electrical circuits and logic tables? Confusion and logic seem to be the different sides of the same coin.

Remind me why I'm taking math! But the choice has been made and regrets are for those who waver. Determination will see me through no matter the results!

Till next time, may logic always appeal to the brain and not the emotional state.

Sleep

2008-09-10T00:15:00.002+08:00

Zzzz...Tired. Sleepy. Exhausted. Double-eyed pandas. Yawns. All of us need it. It's one of the elixirs of life and most people don't have enough of. Sleeping is one of the defense mechanisms designed by the body for the body. During this period, the body attempts to regenerate cells and create new cells to replace dead ones. Sleeping also aids in digestion. Something to do with the body processes going into passive mode. Muscles are also build during this time. This is one of the reasons why we feel so tired after strenuous exercises. Apparently, it helps the mind too. Having sufficient rest helps to clear the mind and let the day's worries and unhappiness slip away. It's both physically and mentally invigorating. Even as I list down all the positives about having enough sleep, most of us do not have enough of it. There's a general guideline that we should have at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep but rarely do we achieve that. The amount of sleep we have is so pathetic that it's the greatest miracle of all that we have survived till now. When I hear people who say they have only 4-5 hours of sleep it never cease to amaze me. They may argue that their body only needs that amount, I say just wait until the 'debt' has to be repaid. We all incur a 'sleep debt' when our body fails to have enough sleep. When's it's time to collect, you will know it. The exhaustion will be tenfold and you will be concussed for quite a long time. My advice: Sleep enough. Work can never be completed even if we burn the midnight, the 1am or even the 2am oil. Having sufficient rest means an increase in your efficiency for the next day as compared to half the efficiency when you do not have enough rest.

Till next time let sleep be your best buddy! Don't fight it. Get to know it better and embrace it. Miracles are there to be discovered!

Human Jukebox

2008-09-05T22:36:00.002+08:00

I really love music. Admittedly, I'm still pretty much fussy when it comes to what kind of music I like. For example, I'm not a great fan of rap. Rock and roll is a transition that I need to go through. Soft rock is pretty okay, just not ready to embrace hard rock. Besides that, all other genres are generally on my playlist. I love ballads. It really tests the singer's vocal range and quality. Pop is the generation that I grew up listening to along with the many boybands and girlbands. At the beginning, I only listen to english songs but due to cultural influences, (my bro and sis) I can proudly count some of the Japanese and Chinese songs as my favourites. Anyway, back to topic...

What I would like to talk about is the human jukebox. For the sake of the uninitiated, a human jukebox is basically someone who sings random songs at random times and mostly without knowing it. Unfortunately, I'm a prime example of having such an ailment. Often when I hear a song, the song gets stuck in my head and I'll attempt to sound like a broken recorder and sing the same tune over and over again. Of course, this tune must resonate with me personally before this happens. But like what I say above, most tunes do get thrown in my playlist and therefore my memory so this happens very frequently. Many people can testify for these since they probably hear this 'jukebox' spin out the hits. I think the song of the day must be "No Man Is An Island". It's our choir anthem so it's an appropriate song. Just imagine being around me when I listen to "Umbrella" by Rihanna.

Till next time, may the music never stop. Life without music is like a life without colours - dull shades of grey, mundane and prosaic.

Hall Life

2008-09-02T20:23:00.003+08:00

It's the time of year when I can blog about my short stay here in hall. Hall life in general is pretty different from home. Here, there's more freedom to do what you want to do. For example, sleeping late becomes a norm since the 'night life' in hall is quite vibrant. Pandan bread for breakfast with the occasional peanut butter or tuna is also a staple. Switching on the laptop is also so natural. Though freedom seems like aplenty, in actual fact too much freedom can also be a chore. Time management becomes a very useful skill. What to do and when to do will lead to some tough decisions. Still, it's a new experience and I'm glad that I have such a great opportunity to enjoy it. And yes, just in case you are asking, there's plenty to study and focus seem to be a prime commidity. Sigh, no news about my softball trials...Maybe there is a deeper problem than not having enough gloves and bats. Even so, there's nothing much I can do about it so I'll just sit tight. The dates for my mid-term are streaming in.

MAS110 4th Oct 0930-1030 LKC

MAS111 12th Sept 1700-1730 LT23

HE191 23rd Oct 1530-1630 TR22

MS2006 3rd Oct 0830-0930 LT3

Stay tune for the rest of the TOTO results...

SPMS

2008-08-29T23:13:00.002+08:00

What does it stand for? It's actually the new school for physical education. School of Physical and Mental Sports is what it really stands for. The requirement for entering this school is to have strong foundations of angles so you would know what to do in order to get the least amount of work done. Also, the study of the human anatomy would be useful since the physical limits (to infinity actually) can be calculated. Remember to eat more Calcium (Ca) to build up strong bones in order to withstand the physical exertions. Iron (Fe) would also help I think. When the adrenaline gets excreted, lactic acid would be formed. Do take note of that. Under mental sports we have truth tables which really test that part of the brain in a more competitive environment. Never has logic and common sense be so illogical and uncommon. When the competition starts, you would be amazed at how few people actually excelled.

Okay, that has been a very apt description of my school. Hopefully you all may one day have a chance to experience the vigour and excitement of such an environment! (Personally, I wouldn't even wish it on my worst enemy. :p)

When body and mind are worlds apart

2008-08-26T23:27:00.002+08:00

Ever felt like you had an out of the body experience? It feels like your body wouldn't obey your mind. When you want to run, your body walks. When you want to study, the brain starts to shut down. Well, this is what you get when you fall sick. Everything's happening in slow motion. Can't seem to raise my enthusiasm to accomplish anything. Sadly, this really impedes my development. To make things worse, I have no medicine to help my pitiful white blood cells who are frankly fighting a losing battle. (hang in there guys!) It feels very helpless and I feel very weak. Even staying awake during tutorials and lectures become as difficult as climbing Mount Everest. It's even a miracle that I can type proper words coherently. (thanks to spellcheck)

Attended the rec games today. Tried darts and I must say it was pretty difficult to control the direction of the dart after release. I'll stick to carrom anytime where I have better control. Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to test my skills against the hall reps for carrom who I heard are very good at it. Hopefully I'll get the chance to do so in the near future. Lots of my OG people are running for JCRC and I wish them all the best of luck and I'll definitely vote for them! Go Gusta!!

Till next time when I'm going home, to the place where I belong. I'm going home...

New day, new laptop

2008-08-26T00:10:00.002+08:00

Finally my baby is back. After enduring a torrid time at the Company which must not be named, it's finally back home and enjoying some TLC. So I'm spending some time with my baby now. No more off-coloured pixels! Finally a chance to use it! You must really go through what I've gone through to understand how I felt when I was left drifting at sea with no life vest at all. Communication was at a bare minimum and it really felt like living in a well. News can't filter in and I only know what the small community namely my school is doing. But all's well that ends well. Time to kick off my shoes and hit the bed. Ain't feeling too well today.

Headaches

2008-08-24T21:57:00.002+08:00

My head hurts. Really it does. Can't think straight at the moment. Too many things to remember and my brain is taking a beating. Not enough RAM. Knew I should have upgraded to 8GB RAM. My SATA HDD also obsolete. The world seem to be spinning, spinning and spinning. Now I know why they call the world a globe. This is because it does spin on its axis. Movement becomes hard to discern since the world is also moving with the flip-flops of my head. When colours combine to produce a hue which isn't necessary vibrant and resplendent, you know there's trouble to be get. As usual, didn't bring many tutorials home. Lab 4 isn't out yet much to my chagrin. Going to conk out soon.

Your beloved blogger signing out!

D & D

2008-08-23T00:21:00.002+08:00

It's the very first time I attended a D&D. (I missed my JC one due to some unforseen personal reasons.) The price was pretty reasonable since the venue was Chijmes. The main hall is very beautiful and one can really tell that the previous establishment was a church. But back to the D&D. The theme was Halloween and almost everyone was dressed for the occasion. We had a range of characters like Captain Hook, witches, magicians, ghosts, pharoahs and even Ju-on. This ensemble already raise the excitement level of the crowd. Also, our hall pageant was held as part of tradition. Our OG representatives didn't win but nevertheless put in a sparkling performance and did our OG proud! The food was all right though some people complained that it was not enough...

Anyway, my laptop is still AWOL. Monday must check status. Heard that there may be a need to register for the game fiesta next week. Sad cause I didn't know about it. Still will ask around and see if i can crash the games. Night cycling on Friday? Not sure yet cause my softball trials may be on Saturday.

Till next time, please don't telecast Li Jiawei matches on television! She may actually win because of that!

Once in a while...

2008-08-21T10:48:00.002+08:00

Once in a while, I'll like to stop. I'll like to just cease whatever I'm doing and closely investigate all that I've been doing. Have I done it right? Are there any possibilities for more? Am I happy with it? Pressing the stop button on the recorder of my life, I would like to look around and appreciate what people have done for me and what I've done for others. Even the smallest things can have great impact on other people's lives. It never fails to amaze me that every action can change my surroundings and the people around me. This world was build by the people for the people. Day-to-day interactions are but a must in this technological world we live in today. Just examine all the modes of communications IRC, MSN and now even Skype, have all played their roles in improving the levels of communications. Soon, our mobile phones would be able to transmit our thought energies even without speech...

The ideas of the people are the foundations for the inventions of the future. Let us embrace these ideas and help to make them a reality.

Till next time, may the creative juices flow over the capacity of our glasses.

72 hours

2008-08-16T01:05:00.002+08:00

That's exactly 3 days. And also happen to be the name of the play which I attended as part of hall 7. Boy was I treated to a magnificent display of artistry on the stage...

I have attended my fair share of plays and though I'm no expert, I can probably understand a little on how difficult to stage a production. The many auditions for the different parts, the scripting, the rehearsals, and generally all the effort put in by those involved requires a lot of commitment and passion. Without these attributes, the production would not be a success. Imagine the logistics involved in searching for a proper location, the marketing of the play and searching for the props. These are by no means an easy feat.

Anyway, more about the play. I loved the interlude music as they complement very well with the atmosphere and direction of the play. The actors and actresses were very good! They entered into their character zones naturally and brought out the unique characteristics of each individual character. Frankly, I felt the chemistry was there between the people on stage which was the primary reason that they slip into character mode pretty easily.
Kuodos to the production crew who coordinated the whole thing very well. The stage manager must have had a busy time. The make-up was great too. It helped bring out the features of the people on stage. The props crew also played an important part, bringing in and out all the props in the short time given. The storyline was engrossing and had a certain sort of appeal, bringing all the important things of uni life as well as incorporating the importance of forgiveness as an underlying theme. The lighting was spot-on, and I was amazed at the different effects they could come out with for example the lighting coming out of grilled windows as well as the night sky. I felt the colour tones were well-matched to the scenes.
Overall, congratulations to Prometheus 2008! Well done people!! Hall 7 rox!!!
Hope I have a chance to be involved in such a production lol.

Till next time, may hall 7 rock on! :-)

The value of Commitments

2008-08-13T23:10:00.002+08:00

I'm pretty sure many of us have made certain commitments to people around us. A commitment is like a promise to do something or accomplish certain objectives. Some people view it more seriously and liken it to a vow which is a promise that should never be broken. So what is the value of commitments. Should it come with strings attached like for example the task to be completed or even the person you make the commitment to? If the task is not easily completed, will you 'forget' about it? If the person is 'not as important', will you cast the commitment to the back of your mind? Many different people place different values on different things. A certain item can have various valuations. Then what about an intangible like a commitment?

In my humble opinion, once a commitment is made, there should be no compromise. Do your best and never look back. It doesn't matter however 'unimportant' the commitment may be or even if the commitment is made to yourself (which is even more important), once you do commit, do not give up half-way. The real impact of your actions can never be truly measured as it is wide-ranging, possibly even affecting people who are not even related to you. One of the most important commitments you may make in your entire life would be that of marriage. It is what is sometimes known as the lifetime commitment as it is supposed to last throughout your life. Sharing your life, your personal space, your innermost secrets, these are part of the sacred marriage vows. But what's happening? Divorce rates have never been higher and the reasons given are not always infidelity. What happened to the commitment?

Anyway, enough of my ranting. My roomie and pseudo roomie bugging me to blog so it is really their effort that i came up with this post. Thanks guys!

Till next time, may you revaluate the commitments in your life!

1st Week

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

The first week is always the most interesting. In this case, it's my first week in hall 7. I noticed a lot about my block. There seems to be no activities whatsoever! Eveyone just minds their own business and there is little or no interaction. What happened to good old 'neighbourliness'? Guessed no one really supports it. In general, hall interaction is pretty minimal though that may not be a bad thing. I have a very good roomie! Wake up same time as me even though my lesson start earlier. Another thing is he's very hardworking! Surely my slackness will disappear when he's around.

Now to lessons. Only had lectures this week. Most lectures will still manageable. Some were pretty hard to understand, others were impossible to make out. Still plow through I must even when I received bad news that I may have to take 4+2 physics modules. (That's technically 1 more module than a minor) The most important word of the day in NTU is 'walk'. We really do a lot of walking since the shuttle service only takes us to the outskirts of the campus. The fastest way to get from north spine to south spine would be to exercise those calf muscles.

Given a pile of lectures to complete. Argh! But do them I will. (Yoda speak seems the way to go)
To infinity and beyond! Till next time, may I get my laptop ASAP because I can't stand being disconnected with the rest of the world.

The First Chapter

2008-08-04T11:10:00.002+08:00

Just like holding a new book in my hands, I can't wait to start reading the first chapter. Going into university is just like that. The excitement building, the andrenaline rush and the growing feeling of anticipation of what awaits me are akin to reading the first chapter of a favourite book. What will the characters be like? How will the plot develop? And most important of them all, how will the story end?
Nothing much to report except I'm pretty pumped up! A little bit sad that I didn't manage to complete the hall camp with my hall mates but at least we went through initiation together! :-)
Went to K yesterday. Throat a little sore. Sad that my fellow kurtites are all in NUS. Hope to meet them often!

Till next time, may I have more things to talk about since nothing's happening today!

Hall7

2008-08-01T22:24:00.003+08:00

A rustic place. An old place. A derelict place. My home away from home for the next year at least! Attended the hall orientation camp. Had a lot of fun. Though the place is 'ulu', it's near my school. Though the place doesn't have a canteen, transportation is very convenient. Though this place is a little old, there's a spirit and culture among the residents that outshine the physical conditions of the hall. That is why I'll not regret living in hall 7. I personally feel the benefits far outweigh the limitations. Now all I need to do is move in. The plan is to do so by Sunday. Tomorrow will be the time to stock up on the stuff I'm going to bring to my new home.

Till next time, may hall 7 win the IH olympiad!

Camp

2008-07-28T12:42:00.002+08:00

We have all been through many camps, just like the one I'm 1 hr away from. Most camps are fun, the activities silly, the people great and the organizers deserve a pat on the back. Actually, I feel that how successful the camp is comes down to the logistics, the different personalities of the organizers as well as the participants.
Logistics, because there is a lot of leg-work and research to be done to come up with the list of activities that everyone will enjoy. It's no mean feat as the participants are all different resulting in different likes and dislikes. That said, it's not possible to accomodate all of them. It's more possible to cater to most of them. That might be one of the reasons that the activities end up being pretty common and generic. The onus is on the team to come up with new and creative activities and therein lies the challenge.
The different personalities of the organizers i.e CLs also play a part in the success of the camp. Whether they are enthusiastic, humourous, outgoing etc. will directly affect the flow and outcome of the activities planned. The traits I mentioned earlier are those that I feel are pretty important to the camp though some may beg to differ.
Then we come to the last but ultimately probably the most important factor which is the particiapants. Again, enthusiasm is a must for if someone doesn't share the same enthusiasm as the others, it would affect the general mood of the other group participants. Since we use the word participants maximum participation with minimum fuss is always the great hope. Even slightly less may result in a less than satifactory experience for the CLs as well as the participants.

On a more personal note, I'm feeling pretty good vibes for the camp I'm going to. Hopefully, it would be an enjoyable one for all of us. After all, we are going to see each other at least for the next 1 yr! Till next time, may the invitation for our parents to attend the cermony come early because my parents are feeling a little worried. :-)

Lifebook - Fujitsu?

2008-07-25T21:25:00.002+08:00

I'm really not talking about the Fujitsu Lifebook. Really. Though I don't mind a Fujitsu laptop, it's all a misunderstanding if you really thought the topic of the day was about a laptop. So without further ado, here's the topic of the day...

Our lifestory. How is it like? Will it be fruitful? Will it bring you tears of sorrow or tears of joy? Will it be interesting? Or will it be dull as grey? Questions like these can't be so easily answered. This is because our lifestory only has one author - ourselves. Our lives can be viewed as a story, one in which we get to decide what to put in it. We may choose to add a little comedy in it by adding some jokes that made everyone laugh. We may choose to make it heartwarming by including all the good family events in it. In short, we have all the power. Chapters will flow just like water, characters will rotate in and out of our lives, the good times will linger, the bad times will change, the book will be completed. What kind of book do you want your lifestory to be like?

University life is a new chapter in my life. I'm fortunate enough to be able to experience it. A new flavour beckons. A place where I will spend the best part of 4 years is bound to give me an exhilarating time. Looking forward to all the friends I will make, as well as all the fun I'll have.

Till next time, may everyone always have fun in their live! We can't be serious all the time right? :-)

Goals

2008-07-21T12:29:00.003+08:00

How I wish I was talking about soccer. Then I can tell you about Ian Rush who has scored some spectacular goals for Liverpool one of which was a running volley which bulged the net. Or I could tell you about the time Diego Maradona dribbled half the pitch, beating half a dozen defenders to score one of the goals of all time. Alas, that's not really the topic of the day. In fact, the goals I'm talking about is centered on something on a different plane.

Here we go! This whole entry was triggered by a not so coincidental meeting with CL. We were actually going for a book fair organized by NLB at Expo. After making our purchases, we settled down at BK just to talk. The subjects were varied but with purpose. One of the subjects is the setting of goals. It's a real wonder then that we all have goals. But the extent of putting thoughts into action can be quite different. Goals are set because we believe in them. We believe that through our hard work and perseverance, we would achieve them. They represent our idea of limits. In a way, they are there as an aid to break through our limits. My OBS friends would probably know that I'm a process person so whether we get there is not as important as the process of getting there. If the process is right, then the product will arise eventually. This is where WL's view of the PPP model sets in. The people, process, product is actually 1 single entity rather than 3 different ones. We need all of them. We start with the best people we can find, then we get the correct process and the product will be what we want it to be. It's a step-by-step process. Anyway, back to goals. I realised we shared the same goals. But to be honest, the determination that came with CL's goals far exceeded mine. Yes, as you all have probably guessed, determination can come out of the act of setting goals. This made me think where I could get the same determination. CL went on to explain something so simple that it evaded my common sense completely: You have got to believe in it first. It is the manifestation of thought(CL thank you!) into action that will bring about the consequence. Believing whole-heartedly in your goals can give you that upsurge of power that you badly need to start off the day. After no small amount of thinking, I figured that I did not yet have the same amount of belief that CL has. Hopefully time will fill the void that I currently have.

Though CL and I disagreed on a number of subjects (sorry bro!) I felt that I have definitely gained something from our meeting. I'm exceedingly glad that you are my roomie! By sharing this little bit of information, I hope that you, the reader, have also gained something.

Till next time, may it please not rain on a day when I planned to go out! Though I do so love the purity of rain, it's quite a bother if I plan to go out and not sleep in. Thor if you are listening to my request thank you! One more hour to the meeting...

A story...

2008-07-19T23:32:00.005+08:00

Once upon a time, there was a boy. Now he was not some ordinary boy but a very special one. He was destined to become the greatest magician of all time. No, his name isn't Tom, Dick or Harry. It's not even Merlin. His name was Cogiz. Cogiz had no parents, nor was him born with any. No one really knew where he came from except that he was found by some villagers as a tiny little toddler in the woods. Many people marvelled that he was able to survive in the wild for so long and claimed that he was a miracle baby. 'Cogiz' was his first words and it stuck. He was known as Cogiz thereafter. His journey would prove to be the start of a legacy...

It's not easy to write a story. The above few words already stretched my limits. That's why let me take this opportunity to congratulate relf on his story! It's really interesting and for those who have not read it yet, here's the link: http://thelegendofdoria.blogspot.com/
Highly recommended!! From the above, I guess that most of you already figured out that I love to read. From my younger days (now I'm feeling all of my age) I started with Enid Blyton and her Famous Five and Secret Seven. Graduated to reading The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon in upper primary and also R.L Stine's Goosebumps series. At this juncture, I also liked game books especially from The Lone Wolf series by Joe Dever. This carried on to secondary school where I continued to read. At this stage, I was probably adopting the wrong way of reading, speed-reading by taking in all content and minimal language. Let me just make it clear that this isn't the right way because the author took great pains to use wonderful language as well as content in his story. Then I started to move into adult fiction like Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple series of mystery books. Read a few books by Jeffery Deaver and quite liked his The Eleventh Commandment. Went into courtroom books by John Grisham who was the author that gave me my first taste of the drama that exists in the judicial system. As I read his books, I was even thinking of studying law since it seemed so interesting. Lee Child came along armed with the charismatic hero Jack Reacher. An Army MP and decorated serviceman, his knowledge of the weaknesses of the human anatomy and the different arms never cease to amaze me. His ability to remain invisible in a city, only bringing along the clothes he was wearing and a toothbrush, would definitely be a great ability to have for secret agents. The list goes on as I strive to satisfy my craving for books...

The legacy was fulfilled. Cogiz became the greatest magician since Merlin to ever live. He never misused his powers and worked together hand-in-hand with the king to ensure peace and prosperity in the land. And so, the world was at peace once again, the magic balancing the sword, showing the world that 2 powers can coexist side by side and even support each other. It's a lesson well-learnt and passed down from generation to generation. The story of a magician and his king that evoked a million feelings, would forever remain in the chapters of history.

THE END

Lazing around

2008-07-18T13:56:00.002+08:00

I'm pretty sure that many people have done it before. The sun is up at its glorious best, while there are no deadlines to meet, no projects to complete and best of all no exams to study for. So what do we do then? We laze around. Well some poeple do stare at the clouds. Clouds are really special. They are so white and fluffy, sort of like wool. Changing shapes at will, sometimes they adopt human-like shapes, other times they look like trees...But before I get too carried away with my cloud-watching, other people tend to just lie flat on the bed and inspect their eyelids. Maybe take a nap or something. It's something I don't generally do because I don't really have the habit of it unless I played a round of overnight mahjong the previous day...Some people define lazing around as doing something fun without dealing with the stress of everyday life. An advocate of this particular form of lazing around, I highly recommend chatting with friends, going out for a meal or movie or even just playing board games. No effective work is really done except to have fun. After all, all work and no play makes Jack(or Jill) a dull boy(girl). While lazing around is fun and all, do remember that there's a limit to all these activities. When the time comes, it's back to work and the books especially for those studying.

I'm trying pretty hard to brush up on my english. That is why I accept any comments or corrections on my grammer and spelling. After all, it has been some time since I've been using proper english. (most times I use the SMS shorthand to chat with people so please forgive my indiscretion :-) )

Till next time, may the clouds represent our lives - ever-changing and vibrant in every aspect!

Economical?

2008-07-16T16:03:00.003+08:00

I used to think that the word economical had something to do with economics and the economy and it did! Wonders! Then I thought maybe I could go 2 for 2 and say it's related to the environment since it does seem to have a prefix 'eco'. Guessed I should have stayed at 1 guess. What is economical is something that many people in the world curently mull over. Is it more economical to drive a car or take public transport? With the recent talk on introducing lower prices for transfers for buses, public transport seem the way to go. Indeed having a gridlock on the business destrict will certainly cause ceaseless complaints from the public which was why the introduction of many new gantries. Now people are complaining about something totally different...Let's continue with the theme of things. Oil prices are skyrocketing. US$140 plus per barrel was the highest recorded I believe. With it comes another set of questions on economy. Oil is a very precious resource since it is finite. Tough though that it's controlled by a powerful conglomerate. Anyway, oil affects us in ways that we haven't even imagined. The most immediate concern is transport since they do run on petrol or diesel which is a derivative from crude. So sales of vehicles have crashed a little. General Motors was the latest to have reported losses. Sports utility vehicles are really using too much petrol which was one of the given reason for the poor performance. There are other reasons but would not be mentioned here. Food has also taken a hit with rising oil prices. The percentage leap can be quite astounding if you do bother going to calculate. Seldom does it reflect the percentage jump in oil since like my friend WL likes to point out, prices try to jump minimum 50 cents since no one likes 1 cents and 5 cents. So then maybe we should all eat 'economical rice' at home since it's the cheapest? YF told me my paragraphing is a little haywire but then maybe I can say I was economical in the usage of space. :p

Anyways, that's the end of my entry. All good things must come to an end for I believe that the end is just the start of a brand new beginning of a good thing. Loops right? Till next time, may the economy stage a fightback and change the grizzly to a metador!

Happiness

2008-07-14T22:22:00.002+08:00

A milkshake. A painting. A game. Seemingly unrelated, but nevertheless share a certain trait. They are capable of giving happiness. Let's take the simple case of milkshake. Picture a sweltering day, the temperature is in the high 40s, and you are typically stuck outdoors. Being able to enjoy an ice-cool milkshake will bring about a bounty of happiness.
Second case, a painting. I must stick a disclaimer that not everyone is able to appreciate a good painting but I'll try with the description. An aquamarine lake shimmers with the crescent moon. The reflection actually looks like a treasure chest full of gold coins. Weeping willows sway in the gentle breeze and appear to beckon you towards their secrets. The contrast of the twinkling stars on the backdrop of bleck velvet are just like diamonds basking in their glory. The picture is completed with a pair of wolves running into the forest. Their vigour and enthusiasm brings out all the regal qualities of these majestic animals and made them worthy creatures of the night. A painting can also give the art lover plenty of joy.
The third case I'll use soccer then. Soccer may be a mindless game of 22 people chasing after a ball for some, but for others it's more than life and death. (see Bill Shankley) Soccer can bring plenty of excitement and satifaction, but it is also equally able to bring sadness and misery. But let's not dwell on this since it's pretty unrelated. Watching how skillful players employ the 'samba' to beat each other, how they are able to manipulate the ball just like an extended limb and more importantly how they are able to call out to the ball so that it acts under their directions, what's not to like about soccer? Soccer lovers can empathize. Need I say more?
In short, what I'm trying to say is that happiness comes in many forms. (though admittedly my examples are pretty one-dimensional) Even the smallest things can bring with it a large amount of happiness. It's hard to quantify happiness but nevertheless there should be a gauge on how happy you are. The key idea is not to let all the unhappy things weigh you down. Life is too short to mull over your failures and disappointments. Seize the moment and experience all the happiness that you want to. Cliches are always useful in this juncture: You only live life once so go LIVE it!!
Okay, this is the end of a rather short post. (actually I do have shorter ones :p) Till next time, may the higher powers bestow their blessing on this fragile world we are living in!

Distant Friends

2008-07-14T00:23:00.003+08:00

Have you ever felt like it's difficult to make friends? I do admit I suffer from this affliction as I appear to be hostile and cold on the outside. However, just like the M&M advertisement, I do melt pretty easily on the inside. Once people get to know me, they will find another side of me. The great big problem is how to get past the first step. This step is always the hardest and also the most necessary. Just as much as I would like to make more friends, it is just as hard for me to open up. One reason could be I'm more of an introvert kind of person. I go green with envy at those people who effortlessly go up to strangers and have a conversation with them. There's a place in my heart where I hope to emulate them and be as outgoing. It's omething I'm trying desparately to change even though I know it's not going to be easy. This happens to be part 1 of my entry. Part 2 is probably more important...

Friends are people who you know to certain extents. These extents determine what kind of friend he or she is to you. One group of people who almost always end up as your friends is your classmates. They are the people who you see every day in school. In other words, they could be the group who spend the most time with you. (maybe apart from your family) Friendships would have been established quickly as they share weal and woe with you. They are the support when you feel like giving up; they will be there at the finish line cheering you on; they are the the ones who eat lunch with you at the canteen; they are the ones who you find to have fun with...the list goes on and on. Everyone has positive memories about their classmates. This is also the time when the bonds are the tightest. The problem only comes when everyone graduates. This is the most crucial time in my opinion. If contact is lost at this point, the bridge will fall no matter how stable the foundation was. It breaks my heart that something so special can be easily defeated by a lapse of concentration from both parties. Although it is saddening, it happens more often than I wish. It takes 2 hands to clap and so it does. People deal with graduations differently. Some find it the end of an old life while some treat it like the prologue of a book. Effort is needed to maintain contact with peopl who you care for as well as people who care. Even if it is one-sided, have faith that it can change and be satisfied that at least you have done your part to keep the flame burning.

I have experienced my fair share of disapointments. While I'm no expert at keeping contact, I have resolved to change this. The first step in doing so is to recognize that there's a problem. What comes after that is courage, will and determination. Nil Sine Labore.

Till next time, please give me your support so that I can change for the better. Honesty is the best policy and friends should not lie just because the truth may hurt. The intention to really help is what a true friend should do. :)

Influence

2008-07-11T22:11:00.002+08:00

What is this entity that seeks to permeate every corner of our lives? Can it even be classified as a thing? In our lives, there will be instances when people have influenced you or that you have influenced others knowingly or unknowingly. Nevertheless, how powerful is influence?
Let's talk about bad influences first. Most of these bad influences actually come from the people around you. There is definitely a higher possibility of a person taking drugs or smoking if his friends are all doing the same thing. This is popularly known as peer pressure. The person will be goaded into doing illegal things in order to get in his friends' good books. Unfortunately for him, his life was left in tatters the moment he succumbed to the poison apple. Lots of people understimate the power of peer pressure. People who do not have the opportunity to grow up in a nromal family are particularly susceptible to this kind of peer pressure. When there's no one to turn to, when your family doesn't show enough concern over your well-being, when you are at the age of rebellion, the heart is more likely to accept the darkness around. If you do know about people like this, lend a hand. Pull ther person before he drops into the abyss. A new-found friend can do wonders for anybody.
Next up are positive influences. They can come from anybody or anything for that matters. Self-help books are considered positive influences to some extent since they help you become a better person. Teachers are also a very good source of positive influences. They shape character and also play the role model. In fact, they are probably one of the most important people in your life. Teachers is a term I would use loosely. That is because anyone can be a teacher. What does a teacher do? He or she teaches and is the vessel of knowledge transfer. Teachers recount experience so that the student can learn and not repeat the same mistakes that were made. Teachers educate about morals so that the student can decide for himself in the later part of his life what to do and what not to do. Teachers offer possibilities and choices but they do not compel. At least, that is my view on teachers. Beacons of light that shine in the fierce seas, guiding trapped ships to safe harbor. Teachers are really quite similar to lighthouses if you think about it.
So a follow-up question: Is it better to influence or be influenced? Would it be all right to influence others to let then see your point of view? Or is better to listen what others have to say? Life is not about extremes so let me qualify the question. Which option, in your opinion, is more important in your life?
Till next time, when the start sparkle in the sky, the moon hanging in the sky like a medallion, and the clouds forming a picturesque background to the vibrant surroundings.

First Meetings

2008-07-09T23:49:00.002+08:00

First meeting are always happy moments. Sure, there may be awkward moments but eventually they become joyous moments. The sense of excitement that builds up just before meeting someone new, gives a thrill which is not unlike riding a roller-coaster in a theme park. There would be this picture that in your mind that brings out all the positive attributes of the person you are going to meet, a beautiful portrait that would be worth a fortune. There is this sense of knowledge that the person would ake a perfect friend, one that is trustworthy and loyal. He would be prepared to jump through fire for you, offer you comfort when you are sad or depressed, celebrate with you when there's a joyful occasion and basically stand by you through the fiercest storms and cheering you on when faced with challenges. Then you meet the person and you realise that he far exceeded your expectations. Bonds are forged and a new friend is made. First meetings are beautiful and offers boundless opportunities. A chance, a sliver of hope, a breakthorough, I believe in all these things. Friendships all start with the first meeting and so they should be.
Till next time, always believe in the positives of life. May your first meetings always bring you the dreams that come true and the meeting of your guardian angels.

El Nino

2008-07-02T22:16:00.002+08:00

Yar I know this entry is coming pretty late considering the result has already been announced worldwide. But Spain won the EUROS!!! My prediction (or you can say my biasness) that Spain will emerge victorious came true. Now if only I can strike the Singapore Sweep that would be nice...
Let's talk about the new European Champions. Oozing with confidence, playing with both style and substance yet still finding it in them to dig deep when needed, it would be hard-press for anyone to deny that Spain deserved to win this one. Let's look at the heroes. In goal, we have who many people claim to have the safest pair of hands Casillas. In front of him is the ever-reliable Puyol and the sturdy Machena. On the wing-backs, we have the Man U target Ramos and on the other the bombarding Capdevillea. Protecting the back four is the strong and courageous Senna. The magical trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Silva produced one of the greatest sorceries of all time, weaving in and out, interchanging flanks, producing breathtaking skills and to put it simply, was the major force behind Spain's triumph. In attack we have Kop hero Torres and Euro's Golden Boot David Villa. With such a team of talented individuals playing together in harmony, it is little wonder the result.
Okay, that's enough for this post. Spain for World Cup 2010? The world is waiting with bated breath. :-)

Limits...Sum to infinity?

2008-06-29T14:20:00.003+08:00

Don't worry too much about the title. The topic today has little to do with mathematics. Rather, it's an exploration of the broad term 'limits'. We all have different limits for different things. For example, we have an anger limit. This is basically an accumulation of things that cause you to become angry. How much you can take is your limit. I do recall an interesting programme on MTV (yes, the one and the same channel which brings to you music among other things) called Boiling Point where a situation is set up such that the producers try to instigate unsuspecting contestants to blow their top within a certain time frame. Those that don't get to win a prize. I find it amusing sometimes at how easily we lose our temper. Thinking back, I also realise that I do have a short fuse though it also depends on the situation.
Then we have another different kind of limit. Endurance limit is another thing which I like to explore. When we are working, there will come a time that our body won't be able to take the work and shut-down as a defense mechanism. So what is this limit? How long can you stay awake studying?
The number of limits to explore are endless. So are these limits fixed? Can they be changed? Common sense suggest that they can. Physical conditioning can improve endurance. Anger management can maybe increase your tolerance level. The leading question would be which can be changed? Which can't? That's probably why I say that limits do have a sum to infinity. Identifying and analysing them would take an eternity.
Enough of all these introspective views. On a lighter note, can Spain lift the Euro 2008 cup? Definitely. Stay tune for results. Till next time, can lies exist in truths? Can truth exist in lies?

Slow-mo

2008-06-23T16:16:00.002+08:00

Everything seems to be in slow-motion these days. the days seem to pass fast yet they do not. Time no longer seem to follow its rules. The clock on the wall seem to be moving at a snail's pace and yet the next time i blink, it is already tomorrow. My concept of time seem warp most of the times. I'm bored yet feel that there is a lack of time. Thoughts are jumbled and they are barely coherent in my mind. There's this vast ocean in my mind now and it seems to be swallowing up whatever thoughts I have. I am relaxed yet I am stressed up. Contradiction seem to exist at every corner. The thin line between fast and slow is very blur. Hopefully I can get out of this rut soon. University life beckons. Will I be able to enjoy the life I have now? It is slow-paced and relaxing. Or do I have to participate in the rat race in a bid to make my mark in this world. Is it all right to achieve the same thing without the cutthroat vision that I have? Or will I fall into the pit that already threaten to swallow many people? I wait with anticipation yet a sense of dread. If I'm not making any sense it's all right. Because now I am relaxing and complicated things become more complicated if I think about it.
Till next time when I'm more able to express myself then! Hope and peace are the only things that stand in the way of war.

Fear

2008-06-19T10:31:00.002+08:00

Yes, I'm talking about the immense discomfort people experience that may cause temporary paralysis of the body. Sometimes body-numbing, other times mind-numbing, it can cause involuntary shivers down the spine. The heart starts working overtime, and the blood freezes. There are also times that it strikes the heart like a thunderbolt. So what is fear? If the above doesn't explain it, I'm not sure how to. There are many causes for fear. When people do something wrong or illegal, they tend to nurture this feeling. Well, it is perfectly reasonable in this way. Try not to do any of these things so that this feeling has no chance of growing in your heart. There other types of fear. Some people are claustrophobic which is the fear of enclosed places. Xenophobic tends to affect the more introverted group. While these are medical conditions, they are also a type of fear. How do we understand it? Sometimes, these fears are triggered by an event that happened in the past. Maybe the fear of water can be attributed to an incident when the person almost drowned. Again these are only possibilities. I doubt that even the medical specialists can accurately diagnose the reasons for fear. Can we overcome it? It is possible of course. It depends on how strong-willed the person is and how badly he or she is affected by the fear.

Anyway, till next time for more serious topics. I do hope Spain win the Euros. If Holland wins it's ok too I guess! :-)

What if...

2008-06-12T21:05:00.002+08:00

Everybody wonders about things that could happen. There's this perfect world that exists in everyone. In this world, everything goes according to plan. The day will be sunny when you are going out for a picnic. The tests that you need to take will turn out with distinctions. The choices and decisions that you have to make will all turn out right for you. There's nothing really wrong by fantasizing about the best case scenarios and maybe indulging in a little escapism. But do not immerse yourself into the 'what if' world. The reality tends to be harsher than that 'world'. It's only human to wonder what would happen if that particular thing didn't stop you from winning. Going a little off tangent is also acceptable. However, the fact is that you didn't win or that you did not get that favourable result. It takes a certain courage to be able to face it. Defeat is not the end but a new beginning. A cliche it maybe, but who cares if it is appropriate? Reality is what we have to face and to do so head-on may yet be the best way to approach it. So the nex time you wonder 'what if', wouldn't it be better to ask, "How can I improve?"

Till next time, let time not taint beauty but groom it!

Driving

2008-06-05T09:53:00.002+08:00

I think I have motor skills problem. I don't seem to have the ability to coordinate my hands, eyes and legs. Always worrying about the clutch cause me to forget about the foot brake. Looking at the mirror cause me to forget that I'm in the wrong gear. Everything is not smooth at all. This lead me to recall an advertisement by Gold 90.5FM about only hearing the good stuff. In the advert, the girl apparently cannot drive but only listens to all the 'good stuff' while blocking off the reality. Well, for me, I don't have the ability to shut thing out though the instructor never really criticise me badly, just said I needed practice. Still I feel I ought to do better. It's pretty frustrating when you want to practice but there is a lcak of opportunity. Anyway, on to the next relevant sub-topic.
Are cars really needed in Singapore? Without touching on pollution, whcih by the way is a serious threat to the environment, the transport system in Singapore is pretty good. Despite the spiking of prices for taxis and less recently, buses, most Singaporeans will agree that public transport is affordable and efficient. The fact that Singapore is not really a big country probably contributes to the efficiency. MRTs can take you almost everywhere without the hassle of traffic jams. Buses have bus lanes during the peak hours. Taxis bring you to the doorstep of your destination. Overall, I must say that public transport is a very good option for travelling. Yet, many people in Singapore still purchase cars. Some buy them because everyone has one. Not a good reason. Others buy them so that they do need to rely on publi transport. Better, but due to the efficiency of public transport therefore still lacking. Another group buy them because they have a family. This is probably the only good reason I can think of when buying a car. It's definitely a plus when you have a family since public transport may pose a problem due to family size. That's all I have to say for today. Till next time may brilliance arrive to those who seek it!

Gambling

2008-06-01T22:02:00.002+08:00

Most of us do gamble. Be it buying 4D, TOTO, horse racing, SCORE, poker, mahjong...I guess most of us do indulge in it once in a while though for some, it's pretty often. My guess is that because money is involved, and the thrill involved when you win is more than enough to get people hook. Just like casinos, which glamourise gambling by offering a wide array of 'test your wheel of fortune' kind of games, there are many forms of gambling. However, one important thing to note is that it is normal that the casinos always win. Even in jackpot machines there are programs to ensure that the house always win. 4D and TOTO are purely about the odds. While they are considered legalised gambling, the odds of winning are heavily stacked against the gambler. Horse racing and SCORE have in recent years been associated with the syndicates who are prepared to shell out a fortune to bribe and fix races and matches respectively. If you are lucky then well you will make a pile. If not, the losses will pile up. Now poker and mahjong involve a little more of skill. Poker requires guts and a 'poker face' that gives out no emotions. Mahjong requires the memory of the tiles that have been played and making intellectual guess on what to hit. But to sum it all out, gambling requires a fair bit of luck and should only be persued within one's abilities. Staking the family jewels on gambling is one sure way of losing everything. Gambling addiction is a real threat in society and one that cannot be ignored. You have been warned.

Though forewarned, this blogger often indulges in mahjong. The only redeeming factor is that he refuses to play large stakes as he is in it only for the fun! :p

Debate

2008-05-27T21:32:00.002+08:00

Watched The Arena yesterday and was pretty impressed by the various debaters. If I recalled quite carefully, the two schools were Nanyang Girls and RI. Was actually rooting for Nanyang but felt that RI probably deserved to win mainly because they set up devious traps which the girls fell into. (My opinion so please note that) Still, the highlight of the debate was the last speaker. Nanyang's last speaker and RI's last speaker displayed distinctive styles in their debate. While Nanyang was full of information and rushing to give their argument a firm structure, I could hardly understand what she was talking about. My parents like to say I merge two words into one so they don't understand, she was probably combining 3 words or more into one. I must say I'm very impressed the judges could understand her at all. The RI speaker used a very calm and measured tone to bring his point across, sacrificing content for clarity. If I could choose which style I like more, the Rafflesian will get the nod. He's what I thought a debater should be like despite his occasional stumble over words. The result wasn't what I would like to be but hey, the best team won!
Till next time then, remember to speak clearly and bring your point across!