- a slice of my life -

Eyes Wide Shut

2008-03-30T02:58:00.002+08:00

I hate telling myself "I'll blog after I take my shower, so I'll be more relaxed." Utter rubbish. Plans for blogging promptly get washed away with the soap suds in the toilet, so I'm starting NOW before I conveniently forget.

I actually intended to update earlier this week. We had a funky event where it was an outdoors. Of course, I don't mind outdoor events - I remember the session I had at the Shell Refinery at Pulau Bukom. That was really something. This time round, to be frank, I was a little apprehensive.

We were hosting games for a group of physically challenged individuals.

That was all I was told, and so I went to work, as usual. We got to the location at the Singapore Sports Council and got everything set up. Nice and easy, and then our guests arrived.

What happened in the next few hours totally changed my views on physically challenged people.

I was teaching games, and this particularly attractive woman caught my eye (excuse me, but I'm still a guy LAH!). So I was thinking - wow, she's really nice to be helping out with the handicapped people. I also noticed that she was married, with a shiny diamond ring too. Then I noticed that her right hand was fake.

That absolutely blew my mind away - that everything thing fell into place with a loud clank, just like in novels. Dude, the loud clank exists. Trust me.

I've always thought of physically challenged people and absolutely relying on others for help, and how we must help them as much as possible, that, in my small mind, they were unable to lead a normal life.

She was the absolute anti-thesis of all that I believed about handicapped people. Life-changing event indeed, small it may seem.

Did I also mention that the event was an appreciation dinner for Singapore's Para Athletes, and their achievements at the 2008 ASEAN Para Games in Thailand, which they bagged 3 gold medals, 7 silvers and 3 bronzes?

My deepest respect and appreciation to these people who strive to do their best and beyond. In the words of Captain Jean-Luc Picard when asked on what makes one human:

"We are human, because we aspire."

2008-03-17T15:54:00.003+08:00

Ahh. How often do I get to wake up late in the afternoon without classes hanging over me? Such relief and fun at this.

Incidentally, I got out of bed simply because I think i twisted my back while sleeping - it was killing me to lie down.

Just had an impromptu movie marathon last nite - I really forgot how fun it was to watch movies without thinking too much for a change. All that movie analysis very nearly interfered with the simple fun that I used to have. I started off with Shrek, then Star Trek Insurrection and finally Ocean's Eleven. I think my eyes and brain gave out after that.

Yes, don't rub it in, I know these movies should have been caught the moment they were out in the cinemas - I just didn't fancy 8 bucks or so to hear my neighbour's annoying mobile phone ring tone.

A final stop will be Star Trek Nemesis I guess. 7 day rental? Absolutely obsolete!

2008-03-09T17:59:00.005+08:00

Edited on 13 March 2008. Some people told me that the video I was about to put wasn't that amazing after all. Bummer.

Today's RPG event thing was a washout though. I went down and discovered it wasn't so much an "RPG event" than a private event. Everyone else knew each other, and I was like an over-grossly swollen thumb sticking out. But thanks to my excellent acting skills, I actually looked like I was getting some work done, and packed up before the other people arrived.

So much for winning free items.

Gah. Plus weird SMSes coming in from people I least expect, I'm somewhat in a funky mood now. I think I better sleep.

Sleep IS the body's best medicine, or didn't you know that?

Weirdness.

2008-03-07T01:58:00.001+08:00

Well, this was an interesting day of ups and downs.

I woke up to a familiar buzzing on my handphone. Surprise, surprise, the vibration feature on it is working again! It was kind of a mixed reaction though - happy that the phone was still fine, irritated beyond measure that my sleep was interrupted. So I snoozed the phone and went back to sleep.

I discovered today that you can quantify time in monetary terms. 15 minutes is roughly 12 dollars, off peak. (The taxi fare to school was 12 dollars, minus whatever nonsense surcharges there were)

School, was another boring affair, which would probably bore me to sleep if I blogged about it here. Hence, I won't place this post at peril by risking sleep.

Off to work at 5pm then, and it was a pretty rush-rush affair as usual. A whole bunch of regulars turned up (Gary and gang, a couple that was here last week), so it was pretty fun just chatting with them. Work was pretty weird too, and I really don't know how to describe it. I should probably leave it at that too, for now.

Also, note to self: clearing the vacuum cleaner should be done on a regular basis. "Hey, the vacuum can't suck even hair up!" is NOT the key phrase to get the vacuum bag cleared.

Sucks be to me

2008-03-05T01:02:00.002+08:00

Right, today's a fine example of Murphy's Law.

Not only do I discover my laptop has a funky sound system (i.e. it's faulty), my handphone decides that vibrating isn't in fashion anymore and doesn't do so when SMSes and phonecalls come in. Now I need an annoyingly loud ringtone for both my message and call notice. Sorry in advance to people all around me.

Well now, after a little chat with someone online, I realized that it's been nearly 10 years since I've been happily attached. Well, technically I'm still attached, but to loneliness, but no one wants to admit that freely. I nearly went all emo - you're lucky you decided to go sleep early lol.

Still, it's kinda sucky to be the onlooker when everyone around you gets attached, ain't it?

2008-03-02T04:06:00.003+08:00

Back from work, and it's a Sunday morning again...

Man, work is really unpredictable. Random blackouts are kinda funky when people are all high and happy - they don't blame you at all hahaha. Tomorrow's the start of my last module under the advanced dip course, and then it's on to my degree, which rumours say begins in May. I don't mind the long delay, because I'll have the opportunity to work, but some of my classmates are a little anal about the long wait. Gets on my nerves sometimes when they do so - heck, you signed up for the course, ask your questions first. You guys had the chance... pigs for slaughter don't.

"Excuse me, do you mind if we end your life now? We're expecting guests over tonight, and they absolutely loved the pork knuckles your brother provided us with the other time."

I bet they didn't have that chance.

Oh and did I ever mention I love the English language?
*puts phone to silent while I sleep, in case of random calls in the middle of the night*

2008-02-28T01:32:00.002+08:00

Yet another boring day passes without incident... because I was sleeping the day away and playing a game (not games) on my NDS Lite.

Interestingly enough, while I never completed a single Final Fantasy game from 4 till 12, I've completed every single Phoenix Wright barring the latest one. I have this nagging suspicion that I'm near the end already, and I just had the game for under a week! Something's seriously wrong here.

Of course, this all happened, when I still have to complete this group report, to be handed up on friday.

I also received the wedding invitation from an old friend of mine from church, Guowei. Definitely a mixed bag of emotions here haha. I'm happy for him, yet distraught at the fact that someone near my age is getting married and finally touched that he still remembers me, despite the fact that I've not been to church in ages... something that I'm not too proud of.

Interesting how life is like, isn't it?

Inspiration

2008-02-26T01:31:00.002+08:00

Rawr, and I'm back with a vengeance... well, not exactly vengeance, but at least I'm typing again.

School's been really hectic these couple of weeks, and I just got through my hell week, where we had to complete some research that was meant for 10 weeks within less than 2 weeks. Gah. I'll probably never look at a cartoon the same way again. Sticking to anime was the correct choice after all.

Thanks for re-inspiring me to blog again lol. I would never have gotten my lazy ass off if you didn't mentioning blogging to me. :P

On a side note, red skies at night without rain really sucks.

2007-11-05T05:43:00.003+08:00

Update: I've tentatively created the beginnings of my new blog.

Linkage is as below - please leave comments!

http://couchcommentator.blogspot.com/

2007-11-05T04:04:00.000+08:00

An update after 6 months!

Well, after a night at the cafe, with Joseph reading blogs, I realized that I should start to update my blogs again, and maybe write more. Of course, the main reason why I started blogging in the first place was to keep my writing flowing, but evidently, it hasn't been going strong. I'll probably won't pay this blog much attention though - talking about what I ate for dinner yesterday and what I dreamed about the night before isn't really my type.

But for the few readers who actually check my blog once in awhile, don't worry! I'll see that this is still tweaked now and then, but I intend to set up a couple of other blogs, to further my writing - after all, that's what I really love.

I'll probably start another blog to comment on events happening not only locally, but in the world - I like having discussions and discourses.

Another blog... that will be my secret project for now. Of course it has something to do with writing, but that's another story, for the not-so-distant future...

2007-04-24T04:55:00.000+08:00

Getting back into the world of anime really should have been done a long time ago.

The quality of anime that's being released this year is superb - I'm actually trying to follow no less than five series at a time!

Currently following:
- Death Note
- Sola
- Nagasarete Airantou
- Hayate no Gotoku
- Romeo x Juliet
- Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto
- Lucky Star

And I'm even looking into more that I can follow, like Darker Than Black, Claymore and Heroic Age. Lordy. Wayyyyyy to many series to follow!

It's the study week as well. Just got back from the cafe though, since there were games to learn. Before that Indra, Rennette and Rosalin and I were at Pacific Coffee at Raffles Link studying for HMC - hope we got something done!

I've also been surfing quite abit, and reading blogs (since when did I pick this idea of reading blogs up?) and noted that a few things have changed and all. Interesting to see how lives and people around me change so fast though haha.

I also need to ask this question to a certain someone though:
Are we still friends? 'Cause I certainly don't feel it.

I don't even know what the answer will be - we hardly ever talk anyway. You have someone else far more important to concentrate on, so I can hardly blame you... I think.

2007-04-21T03:02:00.001+08:00

Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You

I will not make the same mistakes that you did
I will not let myself cause my heart so much misery
I will not break the way you did
You fell so hard
I've learned the hard way, to never let it get that far

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust
Not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I lose my way
And it's not too long before you point it out
I cannot cry
Because I know that's weakness in your eyes
I'm forced to fake, a smile, a laugh
Every day of my life
My heart can't possibly break
When it wasn't even whole to start with

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I find it hard to trust
Not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you
I am afraid

I watched you die
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry
In the middle of the night
For the same damn thing

Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I tried my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid

Because of you
Because of you

2007-04-18T20:28:00.000+08:00

Wow. It's definitely been quite a while since I've last posted - we just went through the week of hell when we were rushing out all out projects and assignments before the due date. Thank goodness we got 'em all out in the nick of time.

I don't even know where to begin for updates... Maybe on the fact that I just got my new pair of specs? Yeah, for a change, these are half-frame glasses, not frameless, so they're a little heavier than what I was used too. Bye bye black-framed specs!

Finally started up my PS2 once again, after like ages of not gaming - too much crap's been going on in life for me to actually sit down and immerse myself in a good game!

Anyway it's finally been an off day and I don't have to attend school, so I spent the day playing games, watching anime and sleeping. Ahhhh.... THE LIFE.

2007-04-05T00:44:00.000+08:00

Man. I'm tired. What am I still doing at my workplace?

Came over after school to pick up some stuff actually, and ended up here, pondering whether to stay over or not. And before that? A bunch of us went out to have a meal... at... err... I can't remember where. Suddenly my memory fails me, as usual. I'm told it's one of the signs of aging haha. Oh yeah, we ate at Carl's Jr! Was with Johari, Mel, Dior, Justin and Ethan. Amazingly, we actually met Rennette, Indra, Rosalin and Reen while we were eating, and clever Ross tried to put black pepper on Jo... but got discovered. I believe she won't be doing that again anytime soon hahaha...

After that I was euchred into... something. It's in the past, no need to mention it now. Move along, nothing to see here.

Then the rest moved off, and I was left with Jo to realize that the reason we were not home was because we wanted to discuss our TDMC project... so we moved on down to Starbucks to access the internet... and charge my laptop haha. We got most of the facts ironed out, at least enough to smoke our way through. When we were done, we tried calling rennette and asked them to meet up and chill for awhile. They said yes and so we waited... and waited... and waited. When we called her again, guess what?
Eh, I on the train liao. Not meeting you all le." In the words of talkingcock.com... FWAH LAU EH! Rennette Yeo, you owe the both of us a drink hor! But me and Jo had a nice time having a long talk about... stuff... (appreciate it brother!) while waiting for... AHEM.

Then I just played some mahjong. Wahkaoz. Lose man. I think my friend going to kill me, since I was playing for him lol... deaded!

Anyway... things seem to be returning back to normal... But of course, habit die hard, right?

2007-04-03T15:20:00.000+08:00

3.30pm in the afternoon on a weekday and hey, I'm blogging! Is class that boring?

Actually, I'm at home. Self-declared holiday. Thought I needed a break... after all the things that have been happening. My sensitivity meter is peaking as well - seeing too much into things as well. Funny, how being ultra-sensitive is both a curse and blessing. Thanks ethan. Miss you guys in class too - just felt i needed to be away for awhile... at least you guys noticed. i doubt many others would haha.

We're finally done with with SBS project, and I have to admit that Reen did the most work. Heck, I feel awfully guilty about the whole thing and felt I could have done more... so I did. I didn't read the book and reduced all the double spacings to single spacings. I think she nearly had a heart attack when she saw the printed copy...

I'M SO SORRY REEN!

Thankfully TTS was cool with the whole issue and said it was ok. I tell you, I think my balls probably shrank to the size of dots when she showed me the line that said we needed double spacing. Oops. =X

Anyway I'm starting to talk to her again... slowly... and not too surely. I always feel that I might overstep the boundaries again and she'll feel "pushed". Gawd. I hate that feeling, not being able to talk to someone naturally... gah. I don't know exactly what's going on, but if you're happy, I am too. Make the right choice.

2007-04-01T04:29:00.000+08:00

I'm now at ethan's house blogging... after spending most of the night here partying.

Man, so many things happened tonight - and i have no idea what triggered them an all. we started off with mahjong first... but that didn't last that long lah. then the others went swimming while i tried to catch up with some anime that i totally lagged out on. caught a couple of episodes of death note - man. that's all i have to say about death note haha. man.

anyway after yesterday, things were thrashed out, and i hope we can start over... and today is proof that i can control my emotions. i don't want to say anything at all now though. what ever i say falls on deaf ears anyway, so no point getting all emo about it. i'm not sure how to handle it if it goes on though... we'll have to wait and see. even though i crossed that final barrier i talked about, i think there are still many obstacles i have to overcome as well... there are so many conflicting emotions within me now, and i must suppress them...

edit: if i followed "your" advice on verbal vomitting, i think i would get people really upset haha...

2007-03-30T01:34:00.000+08:00

I'm finally laughing like before.

After a long extended talk, which I finally thrashed out all that excess crap that has been hanging over our heads, I feel that a giant weight has been lifted from my heart. We talked, argued, ranted at each other, and finally... the end is in sight. To be honest, I really thought that it would come to a point where we would end up as strangers again, but it seems like this time, my life won't go that fatalistic way.

To people who are concerned for me, thank you guys for the support. Dudes, I would never have survived without you guys. Sweating it out once in a while rocks. :)

Now... there is just that one last hurdle I need to cross... and I must cross it tomorrow...

2007-03-29T21:47:00.000+08:00

Woah. What a day.

Just got back from cycling and blading at east coast, working up a sweat with ethan, dior, justin, rennette, beng, mel and denis. Biked by heart out... then realized I started without any water intake, without any food intake. I knew what was coming when we stopped at bedok jetty for a breather... heatstroke. what didn't help was that i was wearing an extremely thick polo tee today as well. really tried to puke, but with no food or water, there was no mess, thankfully! finally after resting and slumping on the ground for like 15mins, i managed to weakly crawl back to my feet, and bike back to the starting point at mac's. halfway there, suddenly felt full of energy, and just went on and on and on till near kallang, when i spotted like a dozen cats lounging about the grass patch... and i HAD to stop lol.

We then went on to BK, had dinner, and suddenly after a smoke, everyone was like super nua... so we scrapped our arcade plans. the long bike ride gave me time to think about stuff, and how to put them right.

School... was... uh... usual. i sat in my usual position, then the other person simply avoided me like the plague and sat somewhere else. of course, when she entered, she just headed straight for the other person... gah. i read SO much into such little things.

But then again... am I? as usual, the class started teasing the two of them... and all the emotions that i've tried to shove aside just fell back out the closet. cue emo mode. if you're reading this - i want to solve this problem as soon as possible... there are so many things i want to tell you, and even when you say you treat me like a friend, and value talking to me and all... i don't see it. you would rather... nevermind. i just want to find some time to talk to you, solve this dumb issue and put an end to it. GAH. i wish i could SCREAM and let it all out... but i must preserve this facade. i must.

2007-03-28T04:33:00.000+08:00

On a side note? I feel absolutely crap as well when I someone seems to be in trouble or afflicted with a problem, and I can't help at all? I know it might be none of my business (most likely it isn't haha), but not knowing the problem really makes me jittery too. I want to help. I don't know if I really can do anything to improve the situation, but hell I WANT TO HELP. LET ME. PLEASE.

That said and done, I think I should go crash. Loooooong day ahead.

2007-03-28T04:17:00.000+08:00

And I'm awake at this ungodly hour? Perfectly normal!

Today I just realized that there are a couple of projects due pretty soon. Crap. Time to get to work.

Also, I finally managed to persuade a few of my classmates to come on down to Settler's and play... brainless games, requested by Ros. Even my colleagues were stunned when I grabbed brainless game after brainless game off the shelves. THANKS HOR, MY REPUTATION HAS BEEN USED AS A RAG. Overall had an interesting time, and realized that we needed more people around. Hello people, get down to Settler's PLEASE!

As you can see, I seem to be in a better mood as well... I guess I am, slightly. I found that pushing all my emotions to the side does help a little. Of course, like I've said many, many times, please be aware of your actions my dear... There were a thousand things running through my head when I saw your SMS just after noon... It's not because I'll go into emo-mode for no rhyme or reason, it's because of actions. Actions speak louder than words. A picture paints a thousand words. Blah.

But I am thankful you gave me a warning... but no matter what it still felt a little wrong. And I absolutely cannot predict what will happen tomorrow when that person returns to class. I have this strange feeling that our convos are going to be limited to SMSes again... You said it was my fault purely... To be honest? When you said that, I felt absolutely crap inside. Whatever I mentioned to you before gets brushed aside, and then you side with that person, as though that person is blameless... Oh well. There I go again... that's why I'm trying to word vomit here, as per your belief that it works... I don't see any effects now though. It really works?

2007-03-24T02:48:00.000+08:00

I'm not even sure if your blog is talking to me, but I'm assuming that it is.
Edit: Thanks for clarifying!

Please don't feel bad. And what's more, it's all right if I'm not happy. As long as you're happy, everything is all right, so please don't worry about me that much.

I also wish that we could have talked like last time, when we first met... and not have that other person/issue come up as well.

But he broke one of my cardinal rules of a relationship, and I can never erase that thought from my mind. I know you want the two of us to get along, but it's going to be really hard. I know I've spoken to you about the problem countless times, and each time when I try to warn you, you tell me it's not as issue... but it's definitely as issue when I can't talk to you face to face at all. I can't even get close enough to you without him hovering around you. Don't tell me that's normal - you know it's not. It would be a lie if I promised you that I would talk to him.

However... despite all my misgivings and feelings about the problem, I can promise that I will try to talk to him... for your sake. I don't want our friendship to crumble just because of such a problem. I've lost the ability to talk to you face to face, and it seems that I'm losing the ability to even communicate with you via SMSes... I don't want to lose this friendship at all...

2007-03-22T15:19:00.000+08:00

Funny, how all my entries start with: "It's been a while since..."

No choice there, looking at the available time that I have. Juggling school, work and other stuff takes up so much time that I barely have enough left over to actually relax and chill. Normally those times are taken from my sleep time... Oh well. Not much of an exchange there haha.

School's been really tiring, ever since I got press-ganged into being the class rep. Geez. People, if you're reading this, help me out here and know your assignment due dates PLEASE! I can't keep track of everything in class all the time.

With all the assignments that I've had to prepare for school, I've had to cut down on work lots. I used to hit the cafe almost every day, and now it's like only fridays and saturdays. Ah well. I still get the fun days at least!

And then there's the issue of finding someone... well... you get the idea. As usual, the same old sentence (You're better as a friend! Really!" works out just fine haha. I think I'm growing numb to the fact, but still... I really hope it isn't just an easy excuse to say no. Add that to the fact that... ahh. I guess I'm going on too much about this crap in my life haha... But maybe the only way to solve it would be to totally step out her life... maybe...? Sounds good...

Bleahz.

2007-02-26T01:51:00.000+08:00

I know, I know. It's been awhile since I've lifted my lazy fingers to churn out something for this blog.

Time for updates...
It's been an uneventful Lunar New Year, and I got through without winning or losing any cash... even after an extended spell at Shuang's house. I really guess blackjack isn't my game - give me Russian Poker or mahjong anytime! Oh well, 7 days left of the Lunar New Year. Time to make the most out of it!

Angpow collections have been average, I didn't really count it all out.

And yes, my new semester has started, and I'm already swamped with assignments and whatnot to prepare. Good grief. How can so few subjects invoke so much work! Thankfully we have pretty likable lecturers, so at least going to school isn't a drag.

And in case you're wondering why I'm up so late - school starts at 2pm every day now... woohoo! Mahjong, karaoke, late night gaming, here I come!

2007-01-05T03:30:00.000+08:00

As promised, regular updates... finally!

Well, we're nearly at the end of the first week of the new year, and I feel totally trashed. Every night, I've been staying out and returning home in the morning... and I've not studied yet! I think I'm so going to crash and burn during the exams! Check out this funky vid my classmate made with the pictures we took at various outings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYmFjTsbC1Q
And no, there isn't anyone with gay tendencies in my class... really!

Yesterday I actually went down to the cafe for a KTV session... that got erased >.< We ended up leaving the cafe at 1am because we were playing Scrabble... then found out that the nearby Party World closed at 3am. I'm not going to sing with like 9 people for 2 hours (works out to be about 3 songs per person, estimating at 5mins per song)... and the other branch was too far. So we went back and played Boggle... and a traditional game that required a special table and tiles. Ended up nearly snoozing on the tiles at 7am, then fell asleep with everyone around me dropping like flies. When I woke up, the sun was shining, and I was the only person left... LOL. I snooze for wayyyyyyy too long, and actually woke up at 1:30pm, just half an hour shy of the opening time of the cafe... thankfully I actually woke up!

Anyway you guys aren't going to hear from the for the weekend... I'll be busy studying... aboard the SuperStar Virgo! Muahahaha... cruise, here I come! It's been awhile since I've actually gone on board again, and really looking forward to it! And then I'll come back to exams... oh gawsh.

2007-01-02T12:51:00.000+08:00

Right now, Ilm sitting kinda stoned in the cafe, typing this. We just had a movie marathon, where the general audience voted for V for Vendetta and... Date Movie. That had to be THE most brainless movie that I have ever watched - it even emptied my brain out there for awhile. I view the sleep that I had as brain restoration time... thank goodness I never paid any money to watch it at all. Eww. The best part was that Jerry voted for it... and he was sound asleep while we had to suffer that one and a half hour of crap! (*#$)(%)(#%

Anyway it was a pretty enjoyable experience, with snacks provided by Kaejer and Yours Truly... but my snacks paled in comparison to his ba kua. BA KUA! Not even Lunar New Year, and there's BA KUA! Back to the point, most of the staff turned out... more of the newer batchs.. Wanwei had a report to rush out, HM was sick, Leon didn't know about it, Chinsiang had to leave halfway, Chinwee was doing duty in camp (don't EVER complain about New Year's duty - I had to do mine on the first day of the Lunar New Year!).

Gotta rush off now, I have to get the cafe prepped for opening... and i's full house again today. It never ends... I just wish they get smarter. That has to be my New Year resolution.

2007-01-01T07:56:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year!

Right, that's out of the way. Just got back from Settler's... amazing, how I still go back to my workplace to play - you would think I would be sick of it! Anyway it was the usual 4chink gang... (man, that name's like stuck to us for years), mark, candy, weiwen, jiahui and me, with hq working on New Year's Eve... sadness exemplified. Anyway we had a great time, as usual... and ww and jh just cheat at games. We were playing intrigue, and they had their own game going on... and ww had to keep saying I had the most cash... and i ended up with the least. WW YOU ASS. =P

Had a pic of mark posing with all the eggs too with Hoshino AKi on his shirt, making him look like some pervert... go ask him about it, haha! But after that we tried to get a cab at 2am... and as usual, all cabs are full. So we decided to move over to a nearby lan shop to DOTA till 5:30am... and STILL NO CAB. Breakfast of ba kut teh till about 6am... and STILL NO CAB. Like what the heck is wrong with you uncles! Wait till the government starts running overnight bus services on holidays and then you all will suffer! Gah!

Ended up we had to take a bus home... and here I am, sitting here half stoned, blogging. I tried to blog earlier today, but for some reason, it didn't show up - so I lost mood. Ah well, it looks like a very cloudy morning... not sure if people actually got to see the sun rise... and ahhh... looks like it's just past 8am... so to folks in England - Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-25T19:51:00.000+08:00

Trivia for the day- Did you know that 25th December isn't really the birth date of Jesus Christ? We don't really know His birth date, but we just celebrate the 25th in remembrance. It was actually a pagan holiday, that was resold to the public as Christ's birth date, so as to integrate Christianity into a naturally pagan people.

Anyway, it's near the end of the year, and most likely, this will have a major impact on this blog. This has lain dormant for far too long, and an update would probably seem timely. Contrary to my previous stand, I'll start to blog about my daily life as well, and continue my other rants about life in this little red dot, on this little blue speck, in this little solar system, in a huge-ass galaxy.

There. Made you happy now, tudi? =P

2006-06-20T01:46:00.000+08:00

I shall blog, because my tudi has been clamoring for more. Actually, I've just been lacking the inspiration to actually write any articles - nothing really controversial these days.

Of course, the only thing that's making the headlines is the World Cup being held in Germany - it's nearly the knockout stages. Not too many major upsets, barring the Czech Republic vs Ghana match, but a whole host of disappointments. England for one looks really boring and uninspired, and Italy not being able to beat a 9-man USA spoke volumes.

The punters wouldn't say that though. Many have lost on what seemed to be predictable matches, and won big on outside bets - no one expected Germany to put 4 past Costa Rica, while taking 2 goals. Apparently, a friend of mine who placed 5 dollars on that match earned himself a tidy sum of 60 dollars. Go figure the maths if he had put down 500 bucks on it.

Other than the World Cup, it looks like nothing really seems to matter - at least, it was better than in 2002, where people stopped working in the business district just to watch football. Heck, it was an acceptable excuse to NOT work and watch it. Speaks volumes. 1 for Fanaticsm, Nil for Common Sense.

2006-05-25T02:13:00.000+08:00

Looks like I'm out of my funk. I admit, I was lazy too. Anyway, I've decided to begin posting again, little slices of my life that I hardly ever advertise. I admit, someone sort of buggered me into beginning to blog again, so, I hope you're happy now, tudi. =)

Anyway, an update on what happened ever since that day:
- Out of my funk
- Sprained my ankle
- Slacked, slept and lazed through three whole weeks of MCs
- Recovered partially and clearing leave

Yup, it looks like I'm back to normal.

Been in contact with a Today (a tabloid in Singapore) reporter. She recently published an article that really caught my attention, regarding gaming. Or to be more accurate, earning money from gaming. Now, all gamers will swear that they love gaming, which is mainly true. What they will NOT admit is that they want to live a life of gaming, simply because it was never really feasible, or even legal in some aspects. Now this article that I read made me laugh outright first, because it seemed totally wrong. Let me explain a little.

[gamer knowledge]In 99% of online games, it is against the rules (legal EULAs, or end user legal agreements), to sell ingame items, cash or characters for cold, hard cash. Simple examples are Final Fantasy XI and World of Warcraft. [/gamer knowledge]

An up and coming local company announces plans for creating an online bank, where gamers can deposit their online cash into a bank, and reap dividends. In real life, banks earn money from re-investing deposited cash and can therefore generate an interest for customers. Last I checked, there weren't any businesses ingame that produce an annual report for their shareholders. I doubt Orcs and Tarutarus have stockmarkets, but I digress. Furthermore, they propose that online cash can be traded among games, at certain exchange rates, depending on how popular a game is. Conspiracy theories aside, I highly doubt all MMOG companies are under a single corporation.

Interesting concept, this virtual bank. Highly unfeasible, but interesting. I will observe closely.

2006-04-08T02:08:00.000+08:00

This will be the first and the last time I'll break my cardinal rule about not talking about myself on this blog of mine.

God, I'm so tired. I'm really tired. I hate having to wear masks. So tiring. Smiling. Everything's all right.

God. I'm so, so tired.

Sometimes I'm too nice. Sometimes I'm too young. Sometimes I'm better as a friend. Sometimes I'm too similiar. Sometimes I deserve someone better.

But I'm always tired. So tired.

Giving it all... giving till I'm empty. That's my way. Care not for me. But still, the same answers. Too nice. Too young. Better as a friend. Too similiar. Deserve someone better.

But I wait. I wait... and I wait.

And I'm still tired. Always tired.

God. Why?

2006-04-07T01:39:00.000+08:00

It's been awhile since I've actually blogged anything... maybe I'll do something about it soon. It's not exactly wise to spread knowledge about my blog to friends, and leave them with the latest post, dated 28th February. Excellent job, me.

Anyway, the following World Cup will be an interesting one. Yes, I'm a football fan. No, I'm not going to rant about whose skills are better, who has a better chance. I'm more interested in the fact that there recently was a whistleblower within the footballing world. According to a New Paper report a couple of days back, footballers are actually providing inside information to each other about their matches, upcoming lineups and other inside information to be used on bets. Of course, palyers won't bet on their own matches. Rather, they would have friends from other clubs calling them with information. Armed with such knowledge, they would then proceed to bet on their friend's matches. Good job, violating the footballer's code of conduct. It's just the tip of the iceberg... This upcoming World Cup might explode for the wrong reasons... it's definately going to be interesting to keep an eye on, even if you can't, for the life of you, understand why 23 men would want to chase ONE ball for 90 minutes.

Oh... Shifu sez hi to tudi. Hehe~

2006-02-28T01:20:00.000+08:00

All hail the new skin! I really think it fits better than the previous one... pardon the cuteness of the entire thing.

2006-02-26T23:59:00.000+08:00

Today, I was tricked.

Ok, I admit I kinda walked into the whole setup, but when a friend whom you have not hear from in a long time (read: a couple of months) suddenly sends you an SMS tell you to meet in a couple hours without any reason whatsoever, would you go? Probably not... But I still went. Blame my overactive imagination.

So I went, and we met, and we walked... Where? She said she wanted to bring me to her company to "take a look". Suspicious glance at her. She then asked me why I'm so suspicious and attempts a laugh to ease me. Suspicion is in full blossom.

So we take a walk down Shenton Way... Straight into her company, filled with other people I assumed we pulled down by THEIR friends. Oh boy, here we go. Suspicion confirmed. It's another Multi-Level Marketing thingamajig! So I smile and told my friend flatly I definitely do NOT want to sit through a seminar which I can more or less predict its outcome. But... I hate my nice side. I stayed, so she wouldn't be the one who would be accused of not being hardworking.

"Business Executives" then flocked to me, asking me about myself, what do I do, and what were my plans for the future WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT THEMSELVES. That has to be one of my BIGGEST pet peeves. They dig for all sorts of information about you, yet reveal nothing about themselves. Restrain was definitely the watchword for the day. The same questions, the same answers, just different faces. Oh man... I really wanted to hit someone, hard. Then I decided to play along... And providing answers to their questions. Of course, those answers would be nicely packaged in such a way where they won't have a foothold to launch their next assault of questions. The first guy who I attempted it on promptly gave up after a couple of questions. Fun and games indeed. Next was the seminar, and I absolutely CANNOT believe the speaker had the GALL to tell everyone Pyramid Selling is NORMAL, and is EVERYWHERE. He quoted the example of a school, having 1 Principal, several Heads of Departments, Teachers, followed by students. And that, he proclaimed, was a pyramid. It took plenty of self-restraint to not laugh right in his face.

After then whole event was over, I left with my friend and I got right down to trying to convince her about the situation she was in. Oh, she did say she thought about it all... But clearly she didn't. For her sake, I really hope she opens her eyes. I could go on and on about the pretty packaging the MLM company did, but that's a story for another time.

2006-02-16T22:17:00.000+08:00

Right, I felt like blogging, but I just couldn't get any main idea up for the post.

Looks like my first official case of writers' block. Funny how it never happened back in secondary school when we were still writing essays for exams. Normally, the teacher would beg me to lighten up on the word usage... and to save the trees. Paper comsumption was quite heavy, and ditto for ink consumption. Of course, that lead to heavy brain cell consumption on the part of the teacher... and he/she didn't want that. But I digress.

I've always wondered what causes writers' block. I mean, is there something blocking the flow of ideas that hit the brain? Is it something that runs in the family? Was it something traumatic that happened to you? Was it a sudden blow to the head? Was I plain lazy?

After thinking for the whole of 1 minute, I've reached the tentative conclusion that it happens when you don't have time to daydream. Yes, I'm actually espousing the fact that when you sit in the office and stare into space, you're actually doing constructive work. As a side note, this blog is not available for use in defence when you are actually caught by your boss.

I mean, look at it reasonably - when you daydream, your mind wanders and explores the world in a way you could never do in a physical sense. You could fly, go out of the dream date, have a huge company under you, roll in cash and the works. When that happens, your brain is working to create mental images to go with your ideas - sorta like mental exercises, if you may. With this, you can be pretty much assured that you're not going to go senile very soon (subject to approval from a medical viewpoint).

And then you blink.

And you realize that even with so called "writers' block", you have managed to verbally vomit a pretty long rant on your blog.

Maybe we're all just plain lazy when we excuse ourselves with writers' block.

2006-02-14T00:29:00.000+08:00

Yet another year that I'll have to spend Valentine's Day alone. Before you think I'm about to start whining... hold yer horses! Just had a few trivia I wanted to share about this fine day of love:

- A prisoner fell in love with the daughter of the prison warden. Apparently this is the main story that's been doing the rounds, as to why Valentine's Day came about. That was in the 17th century or something. In current society, what the HECK was the prison warden's daughter doing mingling with the prisoners?!

- Flowers, especially roses, get hit with a suddenly inflation, catapulting them to many times their original selling price. Of course, the florists still buy the flowers from wholesalers/overseas at normal, non-inflated prices. Future hothouse owner wannabes, anyone?

- In Japan, Valentine's Day is milked for cash to the ultimate. On the 14th of February, guys give chocolates to girls and confessing their like/love for them. Unlike other lucky/unlucky guys that get a response immediate, they have to wait for exactly one month. On the 14th of March, otherwise known as White Valentine's Day, girls will, in response, give guys chocolates. Normally if a girl sends you chocolates in response to yours, the feelings are mutual. Imagine the amount of chocolate sold on these 2 days. It'll make money changing hands at a bank seem paltry!

- Chocolates are one of the most commonly gifts on Valentine's Day. But what do chocolates have in common with love? Actually, there's a certain chemical within the cocoa that's used to make chocolates. This, according to scientific studies, when consumed, will induce the feeling of being loved. Go ahead, load your crushes with chocolates and wait for the effects to appear. =P

Happy Valentine's Day!

2006-02-09T00:25:00.000+08:00

Well now. Amazing, isn't it, to see a totally different blog?

I could make up excuses, and said I had a flash of insight/revelation/awakening and decided to change the total outlook of my blog AND update it.

Well actually, it's partially correct... I DID hate how my blog looked. Of course, the fact that the links my previous blog template used died weighed heavily on my decision too... Why am I doing this in the middle of the night when I'm supposed to be asleep, resting for a day of work?

I have no idea.

2005-07-11T23:32:00.000+08:00

And so begins my little quest to tweak this blog into something respectable.

Over time, you will most probably see subtle changes, the most evident one will probably be making the blog "best viewed" in a 1024x768 and above resolution. Hey, if you can't see in 1024x768 or smaller, you need to either check your eyesight/glasses/contacts and correct them.

Anyway, I digress. To the topic at hand.

I believe everyone's either read/heard/seen/experienced the London blasts. For the people who have been living in seclusion, 4 bomb blasts ripped through London, basically disrupting the entire public transport network. The Tube was hit, as were buses. Lives lost number more than 60, and are still rising.

Now here we have a classic example of terrorism. So what happens? Let's see the last example - 9/11 happened, and the US basically went to war. Of course, the main purpose of the war got muddied up after they hit Iraq, but the starting focus was to destroy Al-Qaeda. So they sally forth, and when losses in war are encountered, the general US public turn tail, and demand their men back from war. So the US and its allies lose 500 men in the course of battle, where casulties are expected, and allies start to capitulate. They pull their forces back. They start anti-war demonstrations. Rival politcal parties start demanding a change of administration. Yadda yadda yadda... Boom! Another 9/11.

Ok, I admit that last part was totally fictional, and sincerly pray that we will never witness another such tragedy. But see where this dangerous trend is going? Let me attempt to illustrate a simple chart.

Terror Attack -> War on Terror -> Casulties in War on Terror -> Troops capitulate to homeland pressure -> Terror groups breathe easier -> Another Terror Attack

Rinse and repeat.

Is this what we really want?

2005-07-06T22:24:00.000+08:00

Well well. You thought this blog was dead? It would have probably stayed dead, if not for a certain special someone who inspired me to revive this... =)

Anyway, apparently the hottest thing in town has to be the IOC in Singapore, coming to decide which city would host the 2012 Olympiad. Honestly though, the average Joe doesn't really care where it's held. I'm one of them, and I'm willing to bet the greater majority of the people reading this are part of the apathetic crowd. But look at the whole issue from a different standpoint - havn't the Games been overshadowed by all the internal/international politiking? Not only that, it's been widely viewed that which ever country/city hosts the Games, fame and fortune will likely follow. It's just another tourism tool. Well, isn't that something now.

#7 - The last will and testament of...

2004-09-05T01:14:00.000+08:00

Ugh. I thought I would go to sleep but... my cough's keeping me up. I had a real string of coughs for like 15minutes? Good grief... this is worse than the Tekong cough, and past problems... this is BAD! Maybe I should get another dosage of medication... then try to sleep again. *insert another round of coughs*

#6 - Doctor, is this normal?

2004-09-04T23:54:00.000+08:00

It's the weekend! Wahoo! *insert bout of coughing*

Yeah, my cough's still here, and I was actually a little worried when I had to spit out some phlegm on friday morning and saw a little blood in it! Like... woah. My medic friend, Jerry, then calmed me down, saying it's probably a little cut in the throat after all the coughing. Oh well, but I hope the cut doesn't lead to a full blown infection. I mean, I've been coughing a ton, but it hasn't reached the painful stage yet, where a cough would feel like it's ripping throat apart.

Coughs and illness aside, I just went thru a few of my friends' blogs, and realized that being in SOA's a pretty thankful thing. Looking at the rest, they look like their going thru hell... and Joel, if you're reading this - heeeeey. Everyone working with you in Tekong are your collegues lor... it's like our platoon - we have fights, but ultimately we make up. I guess everyone has a reason for behaving a certain way at a certain time right? Cheer up ya?

*insert another bout of coughing*

Anyway I'll be posting out on Wednesday, and frankly, I'm a little sad to leave SOA, and my friends in ATT. Even though I was a part of them for 3 short days, but still, I think I'm closer to them, compared to my SA coursemates. Honestly, I really think it's God's blessing in disguise, and I really just have to trust and let Him lead me all the way - at least He knows what's going to happen!

Right, I'll be signing off for now - hopefully I can make it to church in one piece tomorrow, with my throat in a not-too-bad condition... lol!~

#5 - SIck

2004-09-02T11:25:00.000+08:00

Yes, it's finally happened - I fell sick during this short course. Been coughing really bad for a couple of days, and had really funny coloured phlegm... greenish-yellow and all, so I guess I'd better go see a doctor before it got any worse. Popped by the polyclinic after camp and waited.... for AGES. Turns out that the printer was the main culprit, so I guess I shouldn't really fault the doc. =P So there he goes, saying my throat hasn't reached the infection stage yet, but it's getting there. Drink more water, a ton of medicine, and off I go, with a 1 day MC for the next day... which is today! Honestly speaking, I hope I didn't miss anything important today - I checked my schedule and all, and looked like it was ok, since my final exam's on friday/monday. Hope I get better tho - I don't want to get thrown out of my course after passing all my tests! >.<

#4 - Weekend Absence

2004-08-30T18:37:00.000+08:00

Wow. After all the initial hoo-ha about starting a blog, I suddenly forgot all about it over the weekend.... see what the army does to a poor young boy? >.<

It was a pretty uneventful weekend... 'cept that I fell sick on Saturday night and then had to give church a miss again on Sunday. I've got to make it for the following week - and you heard it here first! Point this post back at me if no one sees me on Sunday.... *bleahz*

Oh, and I managed to push my white mage to a decent 12, but now I have to make the run from Valkurn Dunes back to San D'Oria to switch my armour... what a hassle. Oh well, I might as well take the opportunity to take in the La Thien Plateau scenery again... haha.

Gotta sign off for the day now - it's been a long day, and my evenings are REAL precious!

#3 - TGIF

2004-08-27T21:00:00.000+08:00

It's finally Friday! I mean, after a "gruelling" week at work, I can finally grab some much needed rest on Saturday, after another half a day at camp. Had a test today on inspection of ammo, and honestly speaking, if anyone stayed awake during the lectures, you're guarenteed a pass at least!

Btw, noticed anything different? Frankly... there isn't! =/ I'm still checking out the various ways I can use to mod this lil blog of mine, and maybe finally, get it looking more like my personality... now wouldn't that be interesting? =P

Right, it's still early, but heck, imma go ahead and take a snooze now... never hurts to have extra sleep, y'know? ;-)

#2 - Well... looks like something up?

2004-08-26T22:06:00.000+08:00

Geez. I hunted around for some templates to spruce up my site, but guess they either don't work, or I'm just not in the right frame of mind to make them work... it's like 10pm and I'm supposed to be sleeping!

Sometimes army life can be a drain... but the euphoria when we knock off at 5pm... the fairer sex will never know THAT feeling! =D

P/S: Added a TagBoard on the right... drop me a message when you're free!

Post number One.

2004-08-26T21:14:00.000+08:00

Never thought I would actually set up a blog of my own - I've always never really bothered to actually read a blog... till I got hooked reading a few of my friends'. Well... this little post won't be anything substantial, nor will I post for awhile... at least until I finish off my blog design. Till later!