This Shit is so totally Weasel

For those who didn't realise... I'm back!

None the worse for wear, at about the same weight (you bastards), and with over 1000 photos and memories of good times (and bad times) gone by in the land of loving long time.

I wouldn't do justice to my trip if i haemorraghed the entire trip in a single post, and even if i did, my photos aren't quite done yet. So this will just have to do as a marker post, while the main body comes along later.

And for those who saw me last night, i was probably having much more fun than i was letting on, if you know what i mean. :)

It's a game of give and take.

Decadence.

Blissful, sweet, release.

I had never felt so relieved that my papers are over. For some reason, this semester seemed to hold a lot more intensity for me than usual. Perhaps I felt that I had put in much more effort this semester? Hopefully the results show it.

Following the anticlimatic ending of my last paper, the past few days have been a total rush. It's as if all the pent up energy from studying too hard had suddenly found a release. Wednesday I went zapping to Golden Mile with LeeLi, helping the two of them find backpacks. Didn't get anything in the end, but had a good idea of what they were looking for. That was followed by a bout of palatory orgasmic debauchery, butchering a platter of Sup Tulang, licking the flesh off it's bones and sucking every single dribble of the salacious marrow, filling me with its spongy osteoform goodness. Washing it down with a glass of refreshing sugar cane, we then proceeded to embark on a mission to conquer new bowls of Ah Balling....... which we devoured with relish. And then came the classic grass jelly in the classic bowl (which turned out to be plastic since they were going to close for the day.) But still, tasty herbal goodness. Aaaaah. Satiated, I returned to another bout of tossing people around in SWTFU, but ended up getting sidetracked on my brother's bed, watching him and Jerry go EXTREEEEEME in Gears of War 2. I need to learn to ass-kick like that. Khai and Ivan was asking me out, but lethargy got the better of my, and I succumbed to sweet slumber soon after.

Thursday went by a little more frenetically. Woke up at just past the crack of dawn (adjusting back to normal life), and decided that lying in bed was too sinful for a day such as this, so i went on to Operation Nuclear Disarmanent - Or How i Learned that A Clean Table is Actually Possible. It's still in progress, hopefully it'll be done before North Korea is. (ka-ching) Leaving the job halfway, I headed down to town, armed with some vouchers to pick up certain apparel for next year. Saw Cheryl on a lift, but couldn't drop by to say hi (and she looked rather occupied), and had to rush off for the Chemgineers Meeting. It ended up being not too bad, it seemed like most of us were having fun (including Pam, suprisingly.) Ivan was rather stoned from the night before, though. And I found myself with a vicious hunger for a new game, Zombies!!! (yes, three exclamation marks.) Leaving the cafe, we headed down for a few drinks, where Herman and Joshua provided ample topics for conversation. (They are seriously noisy bastards.) Had a Leffe Blonde, which didn't disappoint. Too bad none of my SMUgger friends were around (GLARE.) Left when we realised that suddenly it was dark and about 7.30. It was rather suprising to find out I still enjoyed talking to a certain someone. Got home and.... went for supper with my bro, Keong and Jerry. Dropped them off at Keong's place for more EXTREEEEME action, and me and my bro headed back. Crashed and burned.

Friday was zomfgwtfbbq. Woke up, continued with Operation Nuclear Disarmanent - Then got distracted and bullied brudder to come with me to Paradigm Infinitum - aka Geekhaven. There, i was...... disturbed. The call of the Geek side was strong... but the horror... the horror... I confess, I gave in. I came in with intention to get Zombies!!!, which i did. But i also... got a membership. :( crap. Now I'm one of THEM. And a nice Battle for Black Reach set which I'm gonna share with Jon the Orky Bastard (who better pay me half... you ass.) Headed back to YCK to pickup Leeli and Rich, and left on an EPIC SHOPPING SPREE...... which spanned the breadth of Singapore and 3 different warehouse sales. Needless to say, I ended the day damn broke. But i guess i got what i needed. Picked up the other half of RichanMeiyan and headed for AMK Astons... which was satisfying too. Left them all to go home and went home to rest a while, before picking up brudder and KH. Came back for Zombie Night - Drinking Graveyards, Playing Zombies!!!, and watching Evil Dead II. Insane. I ended the night at 4am buzzed and high and convinced that Zombies!!! was the game to take the edge of a 30 hour train ride.

Woke the next morning to send my mom to dialysis, then returned to crash and burn on my bed... before kicking the other two buggers awake and going for EXTREEEEME breakfast.

Yeah man. Like 8 pratas a head extreme. More to be found on TSFT.

And thats enough decadence for a lifetime of debauchery for me. My god.

The Power of the Dark Side.

There is nothing as satisfying as throwing assorted random stormtroopers into the air, watching them flail helplessly, then tossing them against the nearest bulkhead. And when one of them stands, groggily from the assault, sending arcs of twisted blue lightning to ground against him, watching him shudder with the spasms of pain racing through his body.

Aaaaaaaah. :)

Star Wars : The Force Unleashed is a terrific game. Most people who know me should know im terrible at gaming - But I LOVE the stories that go with it. SWTFU flows as a real story should - The fights are cinematic, the action is epic... and best of all, it's filled with the characters you know and love from the entire series.

The gameplay is fluid, with an exception being the mildly uncontrollable camera system. The fighting is fantastic, ranging from massive hordes of enemies to intense set piece battles against creatures 10 times your size, and gratuitious lightsaber action against other Jedi/Sith. Combos are easy to string together, and the variety of moves that you can perform with a few simple buttons is amazing. I have yet to truly delve into the more complex moves. Of course I realise in the end I end up zapping or throwing people around more than stabbing - but it's so fun!

The story is well crafted, filling in an essential gap between the first series and the prelude series. Needless to say, it melds well with the entire plot of the series as a whole, and expands the Star Wars mileau to greater depth.

CGI and enemy AI are more than sufficient for my taste. The highlight of the entire game for me has to be *SPOILER* dragging down an entire Imperial Star Destroyer with your bare hands (and the power of the Force). *SPOILER END* To me, that truly describes the awesomeness of the game.

I swear, if i have the time, i'm getting this for the Wii. And i'm gonna play it to death before I leave this damn bloody hot country for cooler pastures.

Mmmmmmm.

The Dark Side calls.

The Green Mile

3 papers down, 1 more to go...

It's always at the final step that my willpower seems to falter. Let's hope that this time it gets a little better.

The end of the year seems a little uncertain now. Bangkok doesn't look rather happening right now... unless you're the kind that likes to wade through a crowd of yellow shirted people trying to walk from the airport back to the city.

Ah well. Politics has always been a messy business. The impact of the December events on Thailand will be very strong.

But for me, I've got a lot of process modelling and numerical simulation left to do.

" but oh God, sometimes the Green Mile seems so long..."

Aaaaaaand......

Those were the days...

Iwannapickupmyguitaragain.

ZOMG

The songs from Avenue Q are...... infectious.

I can't stop playing them!!! *wail*

"It sucks to be meeeeeee......"

And one of the puppets sound like my prof. :p

Personality test 2008

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:

You like to flirt and behave seductively. The opposite sex finds this very attractive, and that's why you'll always have admirers hanging off your arms. But how serious are you about choosing someone to be in a relationship with?

Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

I do these about once a year? Haha.

And IM A FLIRT. Who are you kidding. I couldn't flirt to save my life... or so i think?

http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

Magnifique

I managed to catch Avenue Q yesterday, and I must say, it was good. Refreshing, witty, and it brought a new take onto theatre that I didnt quite notice.

Having puppets as a prop on stage brings a whole new dimension to the acting - It's like watching 2 people acting at the same time - but with the same voice. I can't remember who told me about watching the actors faces, but it did bring added nuances to their performance.

The set was... well, classic New York gutter style. Really brings about the feel of the dream of moving to the big city crashing on the shores of reality.

The songs! Oh the songs. Each an instant classic in it's own right. "It sucks to be me", "If you were gay", "Everyone's a little bit racist"... and of course the cheerful little ditty, "The internet is for porn".

Well I thoroughly enjoyed it. Too bad for those who didn't catch it, yesterday was the last day of the run.

Looking forward to many more of these... when I get there. :)

War.

They grazed in silence, until his own words reminded him of something he had wanted to ask.

"The sentries," he asked. "Are we at war?"

She did not understand the word.

"War?"

"Are we fighting people?"

"Fighting?" she asked doubtfully. "The men fight sometimes about their wives and that. Of course there is no bloodshed - only scuffling, to find the better man. Is that what you mean?"

"No, I meant fighting against armies - against other geese, for instance."

She was amused.

"How ridiculous! You mean a lot of geese all scuffling at the same time. It would be fun to watch."

Her tone suprised him, for his heart was still a kind one, being a boy's.

"Fun to watch them kill each other?"

"To kill each other? An army of geese kill each other?"

She began to understand this idea slowly and doubtfully, an expression of distaste coming over her face. When it had sank in, she left him. She went away to another part of the field in silence. He followed, but she turned her back. Moving round to get a glimpse of her eyes, he was startled by their dislike - a look as if he had made some obscene suggestion.

He said lamely: "I am sorry. I don't understand."

"Leave talking about it."

"I am sorry."

Later he aded, with annoyance, "A person can ask, I suppose. It seems a natural question, with the sentries."
But she was thoroughly angry.

"Will you stop about it at once! What a horrible mind you must have! You have no right to sy such things. And of course there are sentries. There are the jar-falcons and the peregrines, aren't there: the foxes and the ermines and the humans with their nets? These are natural enemies. But what creature could be so low as to go about in bands, to murder others of its own blood?"

"Ants do," he said obstinately. "And i was only trying to learn."

She relented with an effort to be good-natured. She wanted to be broad-minded if she could, for she was rather a blue stocking.

"My name is Lyo-lyok. YOu had better call yourself Kee-kwa, and then the rest will think you came from Hungary."

"Do you all come here from different places?"

"Well, in parties of course. There are some here from Siberia, some from Lapland and i can see one or two from Iceland."

"But don't they fight each other for the pasture?"

"Dear me you are a silly," she said. "There are no boundaries among geese."

"What are boundaries please?"

"Imaginary lines on the earth I suppose. How can you have boundaries if you fly? These ants of yours - and the humans too - would have to stop fighting in the end, if they took to the air."

"I like fighting," said the Wart. "It is knightly."

"Because you're a baby."

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

The Once and Future King, T.H. White

Roundround getaround I get around

Whew. The end of the year draws closer and closer with every breath I take. And there much more to be done...

The semester's gone by in a rush, and frankly, I'm not looking forward to it ending. It's not that I haven't learnt anything, which for that i'm rather amazed. Somethings actually seem to have crept into my lulling mind as i waltzed the semester away. But there's yet so much more to do!

Rapidly pacing up and down Orchard earlier today, I remembered the thrill I get from having a goal. Short, as it may be, but a goal nonetheless. Just having the urge to push yourself to get things done - That's my ambrosia. My sweet nectar. The thrill of the chase.

For me it seems to have been a semester of recovery, from emotional trauma, and refocusing my life on my fundamentals. I'm still looking for my fundamentals, and I think I might yet be a step closer to getting to know what I'm really about. 

And of course along comes the occasional revelation. "It takes two hands to clap", that's one. "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink", that's another. "It's not the triumph, it's the struggle." I learnt a lot from struggling. 

And the one phrase that sums up my first half of my year -

"When you're heart's on fire, you must realise smoke gets in your eyes."

Top Hat!

Fred Astaire isn't exactly the most handsome pick of the lot, but boy can he dance. He has a certain debonair style, with which he plays the part of one who is supremely confident of his own abilities, and knows what he wants.

The movie as a whole was not too bad, a more successful blend of light hearted humour and romance than "Singing in the Rain". But of course, thats my own opinion, some may beg to differ.  I find that as the dance scenes go, Fred Astaire really can carry off the compositions well, enhancing the scene with moves that suggest the mood. Point taken in "Isn't this a lovely day (to get caught in the rain)" and "Cheek to Cheek". What really struck me is how the sequences speak much better than the dialogue in describing their conditions.

And the "Cheek to Cheek" sequence rocks! I always liked that song, now i like it even more!

Twilight

No wonder my tuition kid can't put this book down when i'm teaching. Its hilarious really - She'll sulk and ask for breaks and tell me not to teach so that she can read her book. Its' the first time that had ever happened to me, I was at a loss to impose my decree to continue with math or let her carry on with her fascination with the written word.

I would think one of the main draws of the abovementioned novel is that it reads like a classic romance...... girl meets boy, girl finds something wierd about boy....... they undergo several hardships, but eventually live happily ever after. Of course, the main character being female, the book has obvious attractions to the average female student. It doesn't help that the prose is peppered with liberal sprinklings of how "his shirt could not hide his chiselled chest" and "the slabs of muscle on his arms flexed in a raw display of power" and all that. Oh, how my heart is a-flutter. The author does go about it rather discreetly though, drawing the potrait of love without the usual physical hangups.

The pacing of the novel is not bad, although it spends the majority of it's time exploring the growing relationship between the two lead characters. It almost felt as if the antagonist of the latter half of the story was thrown in as an afterthought. Of course, their star-crossed love would face difficulties throughout the course of the novel, but it is hardly noticeable. And of course it's so exciting to do something that everyone disapproves of... Stirs up the rebel in everyone.

Overall, it was unputdownable. Whilst i know most people would tell me thats not a word, but i beg to differ. No other word comes close to describing the zest and vim of a novel that keeps the reader sufficiently entertained from cover to cover. I had a test today, so I HAD to put it down last night before sleeping. Today i had no such excuse, and finished it off thoroughly and satisfactorily.

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

Now, because i have a bad habit of doing other things when i should be doing my work, let's take a look into an analysis of "Twilight" in the framework of the monomyth (The Hero's Journey)

Can anyone identify the 17 Stages of the Monomyth?

1. Departure

a. Call to Adventure

b. Refusal of the call

c. Supernatural aid

d. The crossing of the first threshold

e. Belly of the whale

2. Initiation

a. The road of trials

b. Mother as Goddess

c. Woman(man in this case) as temptress

d. Atonement with the Father

e. Apotheosis

f. The Ultimate Boon

3. Return

a. Refusal of the Return

b. The Magic Flight

c. Rescue from without

d. The crossing of the return threshold

e. Master of Two Worlds

f. Freedom to Live

This is taken liberally from the wikipedia article on the monomyth.

I know what homework someone is getting next week....... muahahahahhaha.

Singin' in the Rain

And yet another chapter of classical movie education completed. :)

Slept at 2, but it was worth it.

It seems that comedies during that era would be what we consider slapstick now. The vaudevillian style of standup, the pies and the hooked canes. In my opinion, "Singing in the Rain" would have been better off advertised as a musical with a side of comedy, rather than a musical comedy. The comedy didn't quite strike me as rather fascinating, while the musical numbers were quite good!

Gene Kelly is a fantastic tap-dancer though. His routines mesh fantastically well with the tunes, almost as if every note was triggered by his individual steps. Very precise, very smooth.

It seems that every actor in these old films like acting as debonair rich people - Maybe it was easier to pull off? I guess noone wanted to see a scruffy bugger in the 1950s. Then again, that was the age of Sinatra et al, the coat and tie was the norm.

Comparing Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire - From what i see now, Gene Kelly is a better tapdancer, Fred Astaire has more emotion in his varied styles (and more ballroom oriented). Kelly has fantastical cheerful and vibrant movements, while Astaire moves more emotionally and vividly. Or perhaps it's the mileau of the background movie that dictates their styles? Top Hat and Singing in the Rain do have different themes. I guess i'll have to watch more of their movies to tell ( haha i just made myself a reason to find more movies)

One strange thing - I recognised one of the dance sequences from a parody in Family Guy. Sadly, I had to watch the parody before I saw the actual sequence. Shouldn't that be a good reason to enjoy the classics?

Cheek to Cheek

As Time Goes By.

Casablanca

A new friend of mine told me I should watch Casablanca.

And so I did.

And I was blown away.

There's a certain pace and rhythm to the movies of those times, and it is a calming one. Following the ebb and flow of the plot is simple, and pleasantly relaxing. One thing i'm really taken in by is, as i have previously mentioned before, the gravity of the actor's screen presence, and the way they steal the scenes everytime they step on. Humphrey Bogart plays the jaded owner to cynical perfection, while Ingrid Bergman steals the limelight in soft focus black and white. She looks like she's GLOWING.

Well, maybe not this one. But you get the idea.

Black and white cinema is a style unto itself - Lacking colours, it seems that either the actors are forced into being more in focus. Or is it that with a lack of colour, we, as the viewers are more entranced by the actors than the scenes?

And of course, amazing one-liners and quotable quotes.

"Play it, Sam."

"Here's looking at you kid."

"Of all the gin joints of all the towns in the world she has to walk into mine."

And possibly one of my favourite jazzy songs:

"You must remember this. A kiss is still a kiss. A sigh is just a sigh. The fundamental things apply, as time goes by. And when two lovers woo, they still say "I love you". On that you can rely. No matter what the future brings, as time goes by.

Moonlight and love songs, never out of date. Hearts full of passion, jealousy and hate. Woman needs man, and man must have his mate. That, noone can deny.

It's still the same old story, the fight for love and glory, a case of do or die. The world will always welcome lovers, as time goes by."

Pleasant days and pleasant nights. I'm learning a bit more of myself everytime I open my eyes. Life is moving. :)

Glee!

A conversation in a car on a road, moving on.

S: Hey cool car. *cues red convertible to drive past*

X: Yeah, it's a Saab.

S: Then the sporty ones they make for old men are called the hum-Saab right?

*The silence of the lambs*

X: You know, they used to make a lot of those cars. They called it the Saab-Standard.

S: Yah man yah man. Then the replacement for that model is called the Saab-stitute right?

*The sound of people not laughing*

X:  You know the company makes boats too. They're called Saab-marines.

S: Then their trains must be called Saab-Ways.

*The sound of more people not laughing*

X: Did you know they have a range of cars for lawyers?

S: No, do tell.

X: Its called the Saab-poena.

S: *mmmmph* Have you heard about the one that they like to drive out to eat late at night? Its called the Saab-per.

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

(Note - This part is completely fiction)

X: You know why they're not so popular?

S: Why ar?

X: Because if they did, they would cause a Saab-prime crisis.

*End*

OD'ing on Jap Cinema

Woah. The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Dreams. All in the last 2 weeks. I'm really starting to develop a taste for this. It's actually quite good, if anyone wants to try can come get it from me.

Oh and I was right, there is always a mad guy running around in his movies. It's Toshiro Mifune, and he's apparently one of the most well known actors in Japanese cinema in that period.

Seven Samurai

Somehow, I think my expectations of it was too high. It didn't quite elicit the response that i thought it would. Perhaps its due to the fact that its a bloody 3.5 hour long show, and the viewing was disjointed.

But still, it is interesting to see the development of the the panning screen technique (often used in Star Wars, and George Lucas has credited it to the influence of Akira Kurosawa), as well as the social commentary of the time.

In war, the conflict resolution often is said to be biased against the common people. In this take on conflict though, Kurosawa presents another point of view - The village who hired the seven samurai managed to escape relatively unscathed, while of the original seven, we see three in the end credits looking at a mass graveyard, topped with the four katanas of their fallen comrades. While in peace, the villagers live a comfortable, meaningful life. However, during war, they are helpless, and rely on these samurai to provide them with safety and security. And as soon as the need disappears, they go about their tasks, thankless to those who have given their life to the sword, and who in times of peace, as exemplified by the scene of the samurai watching the people at work planting next season's crops, are useless.

Is it a natural contrast in purpose? Where do the warriors go when there is no war? I doubt that it is a new issue. On one hand, we cannot deny the helpfulness of those who defend us, but in times of peace, they can seem all too useless, or unnecessary.

This is taken from a view of a feudal society, where the castes are well defined, and cross caste relationships are unapproved. Once a farmer, always a farmer. Perhaps the discrimination is less apparent in an open world, where there are no strict caste restrictions. But is it still there?

What use have we of a military force when peace is prevalent?

Does the threat of future conflict warrant a maintenence of a defence force?

Well, there is always the Singapore model. But we can see the roots of dissatisfaction kicking in already. Goodness knows how many people I know have many comments about it.

Well, I still prefer Dreams. Perhaps its the episodal format, keeps it sharp and thoughtful. Seven Samurai is a little long in the buildup, but I think it builds rapport for the characters.

And Kurosawa always seems to like having a wild man running around in his movies...... I wonder why.

Dial M for Murder

Had the opportunity to catch the above-mentioned film with the USP people. FYI, it's made in 1950, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Pretty good, the style and pace was a refreshing change from the usual hollywood trash that comes out nowadays.

Something that struck me about the early days of cinema - The movie is driven solely by the well thought out plot and the gravitas of the actors. The scene is simple, with the majority of the movie played out within the same room. Perhaps it is to save on the budget, but the sparseness of the sets emphasize the effective dialogue and convoluted plot lines.

And who can forget the seriously hot actress, Grace Kelly. Or rather, Princess Grace, ex-queen of Monaco. I can't believe I actually found that out from my mom. :p

Next up - more Kurosawa. Done with Rashomon and Dreams, now watching out for Seven Samurai, Derusu Uzara and Yojimbo. Anyone has the Hidden Fortress? Apparently Star Wars was inspired by it... Time to see what all the fuss was about.

Vividly.

I cannot help but think about this. It has been a week since it has passed, but it remains stained in my mind.

It is a dream, yes I know it. One night as I lay sleeping, I dreamt a dream of you and I, walking together. Friendly, yet hesitant. Talking about everything and nothing, the little bits of the days that passes us by.

And suddenly, all of a moment, you turn and hold my hand, hesitantly. And my heart leaps into my mouth, and I am all agog. The pounding of my heart increases, and I look deeply into your eyes. I see a shy laughter, and a twinkling of a star. And then you lean over and give me a peck on the cheek. A shy peck, but it embarasses you so. And we laugh and carry on gaily as if nothing had happened, and everything had happened, all in a flash of vivid life.

We walk on, secure in the knowledge that we have shared something so ephemeral, so sudden, so beautiful. And i wake up with a smile on my face and a spring in my step. For in that one moment of unconscious awareness, I was happy, I was content, I was overjoyed. I had tasted the fruit of love, albeit in Morpheus's realm, and it was good.

Everyday, we go about the same routines. Everyday, we walk past the same sights and sounds. Everyday we may stroll and pass, sometimes glancing, sometimes engaging in meaningless chatter, sometimes searching, in each other, the meaning of this exchange. Everyday, I walk on, hoping against hope that this day, it would be different.

And someday it might. And for that one chance, I hold on.

Got to get you into my life

Beauty and the Dream.

Sakura in bloom

Ephemeral beauty seen

Kurosawa's dream.

Understanding Uncertainty

It is only human to be scared of the unknown.

Thus ventures the mental gymnastics of the species, steadily categorizing new experiences, expanding the forefront of human knowledge, rigorously explaining and correlating all that we know.

And yet we still find ourselves on the brink of uncertainty daily. The presence of human errors lead to the unpredictability of life, and the fear of the unknown that lies behind it.

It is this fear that drives people to believe in religion, that there is a quintessential need for someone to take care of the race as a whole, to guide us towards a higher purpose. That there is something for us after we pass, something for us to look forward to. It makes the darkness of death a little brighter by placing a little light at the end of the tunnel.

It is uncertainty that drives us as a species to explore every single facet of this existence we know as life. We are creatures that abhor entropy, the disorderliness of the system in which we exist in, and it is ironic that in our struggle to form order, we introduce even greater disorder on a microscopic scale.

We live each day with the same fundamental rules - The sun rises in the east, we breathe and awaken, we eat and move and talk. We know intrinsically how to do these certain actions, we know intrinsically how the world works as a whole.

But closed are the minds of men and the ways of people, for these are the vagaries of the human race.

We strive each day to place new order in our lives, and to define rigidly the boundaries and barriers that we have placed. We search for new rules and new ways to intepret the data that we are presented with.

But what if the answer is not one that we are searching for?

Pleasant Sundays

I must say a highlight of every weekend is giving tuition.

It's actually quite fun to teach, especially when you have students like these:

Hint - The one on the right is actually more attentive and hardworking.

And who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

Awesome lunches. Hah.

I used to think that the day would never come.

It's a pleasure in the morning

with the misty sunlight dawning

To crick your back while yawning

At the waking open sky.

As the moving moonlight passes

A breeze runs through the grasses

I sense a strong catharsis

and I know I have to try - 

For the day is bright and early

and the future isn't surely

as set and cast entirely

in a granite block of stone.

We know we have the power

to choose and make our hours

the choice entirely ours

a choice we make alone.

The darkness of the passing night

gone with day's dawning light

reveals a certain insight

That we never walk alone.

29R

Now what?

Catching the early morning spray

There is something magical about the early mornings.

The feeling that a new dawn is breaking, is showering the world with a golden light of new opportunities and chances.

The feeling of a wall of infinitesimal droplets propelled by a cool morning breeze just cleansing your face, pulling away the sleepy doldrums that inhibit the mind.

The feeling of the spring in your steps, knowing that there is something to look forward to each day.

A new day dawns, and with it comes new experiences and new opportunities.

"Hope springs eternal in the human breast; man never is, but always to be blest."

Hitler and ERP

Hilarious.

Wherever I may roam

And the road becomes my bride
I have stripped of all but pride
So in her I do confide
And she keeps me satisfied
Gives me all I need

And with dust in throat I crave
Only knowledge will I save
To the game you stay a slave

Rove or wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will

But I'll take my time anywhere
Free to speak my mind anywhere
And I'll redefine anywhere

Anywhere I roam
Where I lay my head is home

(And the earth becomes my throne)

And the earth becomes my throne
I adapt to the unknown
Under wandering stars I've grown
By myself but not alone
I ask no one

And my ties are severed clean
Less I have the more I gain
Off the beaten path I reign

Rove or wanderer
Nomad, vagabond
Call me what you will

But I'll take my time anywhere
I'm free to speak my mind anywhere
and I'll never mind anywhere

Anywhere I roam
Where I lay my head is home
YE' YEAH

But I'll take my time anywhere
I'm free to speak my mind
And I'll take my find anywhere

Anywhere I may roam
Where I lay my head is home
I say!

But I'll take my time anywhere
I'm free to speak my mind anywhere
And I'll redefine anywhere

Anywhere I may roam
Where I lay my head is home

Carved upon my stone
My body lies, but still I roam,
Yeah yeah!

Wherever I may roam
Wherever I may roam
Woah

For The Love of God

The Science of Selling Yourself Short

Timbre Music Fest on Campus

Was awesome.

Had a good workout with my new 18-200 lens. Some actually turned out quite nicely!

And the music was better than expected. I should go to Timbre more often. I liked the Soulfellas rendition of "Let's Groove Tonight" and 53A's rocking cover of "Pretty Fly (for a White Guy)". Kept walking around to take pictures though. But with a big lens and a big camera somehow everyone thinks you're professional. LMAO.

Touched.

Well I wasn't expecting this much accord on my birthday. Looks like people are more thoughtful than I thought.

A big shout out to all the homies that wished me happy birthday. I'm sincerely touched.

And especially to the barista's at Starbucks Tanglin Mall. To Niq who gave me a free up-size for my coffee frappucino, and who masterminded the free cake. Guys, I know im a regular, but this was beyond the call of duty. I really appreciate it.

And to top it all up, I'm like more or less done attempting the tutorials for tomorrow! No midnight oil burning for me ya... Get some nice beauty sleep and carpool tomorrow, 6.30am.

It was a good day. :)

Pretty in Pink

Daddy's flown across the ocean
Leaving just a memory
Snapshot in the family album
Daddy what else did you leave for me?
Daddy, what'd'ja leave behind for me?!?
All in all it was just a brick in the wall.
All in all it was all just bricks in the wall.

When we grew up and went to school
There were certain teachers who would
Hurt the children in any way they could

By pouring their derision
Upon anything we did
And exposing every weakness
However carefully hidden by the kids
But in the town, it was well known
When they got home at night, their fat and
Psychopathic wives would thrash them
Within inches of their lives.

We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

We don't need no education
We dont need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone!
All in all it's just another brick in the wall.
All in all you're just another brick in the wall.

Split Personality.

The good thing about campus is that youtube loads so quickly.

Tainted Love

Sometimes I feel I've got to
Run away I've got to
Get away
From the pain that you drive into the heart of me
The love we share
Seems to go nowhere
And I've lost my light
For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night

(chorus)
Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I'll run from you
This tainted love you've given
I give you all a boy could give you
Take my tears and that's not nearly all
Oh...tainted love
Tainted love

Now I know I've got to
Run away I've got to
Get away
You don't really want IT any more from me
To make things right
You need someone to hold you tight
And you'LL think love is to pray
But I'm sorry I don't pray that way

(chorus...)

Don't touch me please
I cannot stand the way you tease
I love you though you hurt me so
Now I'm going to pack my things and go
Tainted love, tainted love (x2)
Touch me baby, tainted love (x2)
Tainted love (x3)

Fire Water Burn

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire,
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire,
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire,
We don't need no water let the motherfucker burn,
Burn motherfucker burn.

Ah Ma, please wake up.

Last night my grandmother passed away peacefully at around 10pm.

It's a mercy really. She was bedridden for the past 10 years, and struck with both stroke and alzheimers in her later years of life.

She could barely talk, barely move, and had to be helped in everything she had to do.

Godspeed Ah Ma, into the light.

My mom commented - It's the seventh month, and when the gates of hell are open, perhaps my grandfather came back and told my grandmother - "stop suffering. Come with me and be free from the pain and suffering."

Poetic, really. He has been waiting for her for more than 20 years.

The sad part is watching my aunties and uncles, her children cope with the loss.
It's really terrible to see them breakdown, and let it all out.
But therapeutic I guess?
People cope with loss in different ways.

The wake is on from today until friday. If you guys cant seem to contact me, i'll be busy cementing the solidarity of a family united in grief.

Plus its a nice and quiet time to sit and read some stuff.

And a good time to take notes. Someday, I might have to do this for my parents. Hopefully that day is far far into the future.

I must be like the most depressing person to talk to these few days lah. Haha.

A Categorical Imperative

I always wanted to read Immanuel Kant's work.

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law."

I found that statement to be eminently impressive, in both scope and application.

Of course a more popular restatement of the sentence would be exemplified in the Golden Rule:

"Do unto others as you want others to do unto you"

And suprisingly, it's in the Bible!

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Luke 6:31

Coincidence? I think not.

In my life, I have always found it beneficial to apply this rule as an universal maxim of human behaviour. Be nice to others, others will be nice to me. Childish, perhaps, but still true. Being pleasant and engaging never hurt anyone.

And of course, the world is round. What goes around comes around.

Perhaps Kant got it right the first time around.

2745.

Pressure forward.

Revelations

I wonder how it feels like to watch the "Ringu" video.

You know its nasty, but sometimes you have to see it through to the end.

What starts off as something simple and mild warps to a nightmare dragged from the deepest recesses of your imagination.

Genesis to Revelations, it's all part and parcel of life.

I really can't help but look. Each time it hardens me a little bit more.

Amazing grace. How sweet the sound. That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost. But now am found. Was blind but now I see.

Friends will be friends. I should listen to mine more.

Chapter closed. Life moves on.

Still searching. One false lead down, but the hunt moves on.

Am I fine?

Does it matter? :)

23/45.

Pressure forward.

Purchasing Power Parity

An A4 size print in Singapore costs abt $10.

An A4 size print in Bangkok costs abt $0.50.

This is soooooo fucked up.

Love shouldn't be so Melancholy...

Water burning engine???

http://www.convertunits.com/carwater/

What a piece of bullshit.

›› How a WATER-Burning Car Works

The engine in your car is the same, but instead of pumping liquid gasoline you use regular tap water. The electricity from your alternator converts the water into a gas called HHO. That gas can be mixed with regular gasoline and sent through the internal combustion engine.

The result is that you get more energy from the expanding gas, which results in higher gas mileage, and the byproducts are mostly H2O, so you also get cleaner emissions.

Of course, you can't just pour water into your tank and expect it to work. You have to know what you're doing and you have to buy the right materials and install it correctly.

That's the main benefit of this guide -- it shows you step by step how to modify your car and what parts you need. The cost for parts will be less than $60 at a hardware store, and you should be able to make your car into a hybrid for less than $150 total.

The 90-page guide gives you detailed instructions. This is the best way to make sure you're installing everything correctly and optimizing your gas savings.

Some obvious issues:

1. HHO is like so H2O. Any simple chemistry student can tell you this. Water + petrol... = HHO? If you can make something out of nothing, why not invent cold fusion while you're at it.

2. While it is true that expanding gas does push the engine piston, THERE IS NO EXTRA ENERGY GENERATED. The fuel, gasoline, is actually present in an even smaller proportion, due to the addition of water in the fuel mix. Hence, going by the first law of thermodynamics, the net energy generated is actually less per volume of "mixed fuel".

3. Do you get more energy? As per point 2, not possible due to the limitations of the first law of thermodynamics.

4. Are emissions cleaner? Technically yes. If you use less petrol of course it doesn't create as much pollutants. Byproducts mostly H2O? If you put water in, you get water out. Duuuuuuuuh.

5. Furthermore, car engines are DESIGNED to run with petroleum/diesel fuel. These are mostly (if not completely) non-polar solvents. Adding water (a polar solvent) into the mixture, we will observe a two-layered solution, as water and petroleum are immiscible. What are the effects? First, the car engine may not function as it should. The spark plug is designed to ignite an atmosphere rich in petroleum fumes (which is what normally happens in a car engine.) Having water in the engine may reduce the partial pressure of petroleum fumes in the engine atmosphere, reducing it below the spark point. Hence engine may not function at all. Second, given the design of the engine, addition of water may actually cause faster wear and tear of the parts, as they are not designed to work in a moisture rich atmosphere. And I'm sure everyone knows what hot H2O is.

What the hell man.

(disclaimer - I am not a mechanical engineer, nor am I an expert on car engines. I just happened to chance upon this article, which screamed to my mind "scientific inaccuracy".)

The Internet

"You know what I like about the internet? You can't photoshop personality."

http://www.dieselsweeties.com/archive/1718

MySpace

see more hipster robot webcomics and pixel t-shirts

You are The Hermit

Prudence, Caution, Deliberation.

The Hermit points to all things hidden, such as knowledge and inspiration,hidden enemies. The illumination is from within, and retirement from participation in current events.

The Hermit is a card of introspection, analysis and, well, virginity. You do not desire to socialize; the card indicates, instead, a desire for peace and solitude. You prefer to take the time to think, organize, ruminate, take stock. There may be feelings of frustration and discontent but these feelings eventually lead to enlightenment, illumination, clarity.

The Hermit represents a wise, inspirational person, friend, teacher, therapist. This a person who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious and confusing.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Aftermath

Someone has told me the message wasn't clear.

I will survive.

That's it.

Fuck lah. It's still a super emo night.

Fuck lah. It's just a super emo night.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

It's all coming back to me

Complicated Heart

Even if you want to go alone
I will be waiting when you're coming home
If you need someone to ease the pain
You can lean on me, my love will still remain

Home?

Well, i'm back.

Back from the whirlwind of 12 days that ended so sharply.

Withering activity, peace in a pack.

I'm back.

But I don't feel at home.

Life passes by in episodes, vigorous activity, quiet interludes.

I'm back.

Silence is deafening, when you are looking for it.

Space is more obtrusive when it is empty.

I'm back.

And I keep trying to convince myself I am.

They say home is where the heart is.

I'm back.

But am I home?

Bangkok Dreaming

Heading overseas to Bangkok tomorrow.

The most wretched hive of scum and villainy in this corner of Southeast Asia.

Where 1 out of every 5 girls you walk across is damn &*(#$%*$# hot.

Where beer is $1.50 sing per bottle.

Ooh i cant wait.....

Pretending to be busy

It does seem to be a trend that at the period that I'm most busy is the period I blog the most. And the days where time just saunters by are filled with reflection and thought, less so of the blogging.

Life and times have passed me by, as I sit bemused and stare. The rain falls gently out my window, soft and without a care.

I'm seriously considering the MCAT, and hope to do well. In the meantime a new hobby approaches, and you can see the results at Infinite Kaleidoscope

Do I think I'm wasting my time?

No not quite.

I choose to appreciate what time this life has given me by.

What happened to all the nice guys?

http://exposingfeminism.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/what-happened-to-all-the-nice-guys/

Up yours Courts!

For the past three days, I tossed and turned at night. My mind's eye was filled with surges of information, flowing rapidly across the firing neurons in my cerebral matter, keeping the imagination alive, in a constant state of semi-awakeness.

I couldn't take it.

Something had to break.

I rushed down, taking care to note what I was doing. I touched it gingerly, afraid I was going to break it. Thoughts rushed across my mind - Would i regret it? Is this a rash decision? What will people say?

I braced myself.


I took out my wallet, and placed it on the table.

"You know what you have to do."

It just laid there, quietly mocking me.

I solemnly took out a lighter, and flicked it on.

"I don't like to do this."

It just laid there, in a stoic silence.

I reverently carried it, and hoisted it above the flame... Watching as the ashes flew.

Pleased by the sacrifice, the Lady smiled.

I wondered to myself - What have I done?

And i knew the sacrifice was worth it.

Up yours Courts! $888 for a D40 my ass.

D40 with 18-55mm kit lens + 2 GB SD card + Tamrac bag = $700

More pictures when i learn how to use this bugger properly.

Pocket Revolutions

(Blogging from the Airport, waiting for a Jack)


I happened to stumble upon this sight as i left a cubicle -
Truly, a poetic moment of rebellion.

A little symbol, stuck in an in-obtrusive location. In the most public of places, yet the most secluded of places.

It is nothing special actually, just another prosaic moment in life. But I find something definitive in the expression, a yearning for exposition, a pocket revolution.

It is the lot of the son to rebel against the father, an almost psychological urge to prove himself different, to assert his unique identity and set it aside from the generation before. It fulfills a basic need for identity, and to differentiate the individual assertion from the mundanity of the collective consciousness.

In such cases, laymen assert the claim that "rules are meant to be broken", as a symbol and driving mantra of those who seek fulfillment from the development of the individual psyche, an envelopment of a angst ridden mind with the little liberties and tinglings of freedom of expression, against the backdrop of a totalitarian rule, of nation, of society, of family.

However, such expressions are by nature selfish. It is the individual who benefits from such acts, the fulfillment of individual wants and needs, an action for the betterment of a singularity. Unavoidable as it is, it betrays a lack of understanding of the collective, the implicit nature of collaboration that is society, where each have their own part to play, driving the collective into progress, freshness and advancement.

The irony of the situation being that an individual, once subsumed into the collective masses, does not retain his unique identity and marker, and thus being unable to stand out from the crowds of mundanity, loses a certain power of the singularity. Society depends on the outcasts to redefine itself, to make trends move onwards, to push the borders of known thought.

A balancing act that teeters on oblivion, the individual resists the attempt to normalise himself, driving himself to further and further extremes in behavior. Thus the revolutionary is born, an expression against the world social order, a revolt against the norms.

Or perhaps its just some lazy bugger who didn't bother to just throw it away properly. God knows how many lazy people there are in this world.

Or is it?

Every Breath You Take

Every breath you take
(and release, slowly expressing yourself in an explosion of emotion)
Every move you make
(taking in sweet release, covering the world in a haze of colour)
Every bond you break
(into a million little pieces, too small to see, lying around an arterial chamber)
Every step you take
(away, without looking back, always focused inwards, never into the distance)
Ill be watching you
(with breath bated, with eyes torn, with heart asunder, with life worn)

Every single day
(and night it commands my mind)
Every word you say
(in anger, in sweetness, in sternness, in love)
Every game you play
(throwing my heart to new heights, sinking to deeper depths)
Every night you stay
(in your dreams, in your nightmares)
Ill be watching you
(with breath bated, with eyes torn, with heart asunder, with life worn)

Oh, cant you see
(pain within belies pain without)
You belong to me
(and i was meant for you)
How my poor heart aches
(pounding, ripping, tearing)
With every step you take
(away from me)

Every move you make
(sensuous, vivacious, alluring)
Every vow you break
(over and over again)
Every smile you fake
(for yourself, for myself, for ourselves)
Every claim you stake
(for I'm yours, now and forever)
Ill be watching you
(with breath bated, with eyes torn, with heart asunder, with life worn)

Under Pressure

Sometimes I wonder if we are but just disembodied minds, floating around our sea of consciousness, tenuously attached to the physical vessels that we inhabit for our mortal lives.

(mind-body duality)

With the right amount of control, we can manipulate our physical essence to do almost anything. Hence the stories of superhuman feats, the amazing tolerances of the human physique. With enough control, we can ignore the flung spears of pain and sorrow, thrusting on with our lives.

Then my mental image is suddenly shattered by the most tiny of pricks, a little dagger of derision, stabbing close to the heart, severing tendon by miniature tendon of the muscles most intimate.

It is those who we allow close that are able to perpetuate the most insiduous of inside jobs.

(its the terror of knowing what this world is about)

And I am suddenly brought back to reality. The veil of composure is hardest to keep when new wounds are being punctured all the time. A plastered smile but barely covers the scars within, throbbing with pain.

(one, by one, only the good die young)

Who can know what sorrows perpetuate inside? The scars but mark the incision, the wounds fester beneath. All I await is the eventual dulling of the blade, and the healing of the scars they have caused. Or maybe, someday I will be proven to be as good as some people say I am.

Isn't it always easy to blame others? I choose not the simple path. My faults are mine alone, and my sorrow mine alone to bear. I will carry my cross as far as I can go, and as far as I can I will chip away at the edges and wear them away. Someday I will collapse, alone, adrift, and far from shore. But until then, I walk alone, my cross mine alone to bear. Until i find someone willing to carry it with me.

With a stiff upper lip, life carries on.

Only the good die young

A hand above the water
An angel reaching for the sky
Is it raining in heaven -
Do you want us to cry?

And everywhere the broken-hearted
On every lonely avenue
No-one could reach them
No-one but you

One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flying too close to the sun
And life goes on -
Without you...

Another tricky situation
A get to drowin' in the blues
And i find myself thinkin'
Well - what would you do?

Yes! - it was such an operation
Forever paying every due
Hell, you made a sensation
You found a way through - and

One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
We'll remember -
Forever...

And now the party must be over
I guess we'll never understand
The sense of your leaving
Was it the way it was planned?

And so we grace another table
And raise our glasses one more time
There's a face at the window
And i ain't never, never sayin' goodbye...

One by one
Only the good die young
They're only flyin' too close to the sun
Cryin' for nothing
Cryin' for no-one
No-one but you

Second hand advertising

Hi guys and girls who are reading my blog...

(long silence......)

Is anyone there?

Anyway, my cousin asked me to do him a favour, and help promote his new internet website to some of my friends. It's called Shoplette - a service you can use to tell your friends what you bought and where you bought it, check out what your friends have bought and where they’ve been shopping, discover new stuff to buy and new places to shop, and find out what’s hot and where to shop in other countries.

Please visit at www.shoplette.com

Weekend Warrior, Daytripper Extraordinaire

The most wonderful and vivid of weekends has flashed me by
Leaving behind the most ephemeral of memories
The colour of the sky so blue
and your eyes so deep
Lasting impressions in my mind
The touch of your hand in the cool sunrise.
Life is fleeting you say,
That every moment should be savoured as it passes.
Savour it i do
and yet i hold a little back
Because i believe in pleasure delayed
Pleasure to come
Is worth every exertion of self-control.
Moments of magic
A weekend fairytale
I feel complete.
=)

I'm just a poor boy, i need no sympathy

I'm in a maybe im here, maybe i'm not, maybe i'm a butterfly dreaming im human kind of mood

Don't Be Cruel

You know I can be found,
Sitting home all alone,
If you cant come around,
At least please telephone.
Don't be cruel
To a heart thats true.

Baby, if I made you mad
For something I might have said,
Please, lets forget the past,
The future looks bright ahead,
Don't be cruel to a heart thats true.
I don't want no other love,
Baby its just you I'm thinking of.

Don't stop thinking of me,
Don't make me feel this way,
Come on over here and love me,
You know what I want you to say.
Don't be cruel
To a heart thats true.
Why should we be apart?
I really love you baby, cross my heart.

Lets walk up to the preacher
And let us say I do,
Then you'll know you'll have me,
And Ill know that Ill have you,
Don't be cruel to a heart thats true.
I don't want no other love,
Baby its just you I'm thinking of.

Don't be cruel to a heart thats true.
Don't be cruel to a heart thats true.
I don't want no other love,
Baby its just you I'm thinking of.

Bad analogy

Im busier than a free prostitute.

Have you ever?

To get up and walk away would be too easy.
So stay and stand your ground, just watch your mouth with me.
On the back of every right, there's a wrong looming.
So here you and I should tread as soft as these razor blades for boots will let be.

Have you ever tried to step in my shoes?
Have you ever tried to balance that beam?
And if you ever tried to fit in my shoes,
They'll never be quite as soft as they seemed.

(Thought!)
Unabashed honesty would be ideal,
But a prophet did once say that honesty is a lonely word.
So where do we go from here... Abandon ship now?
My problem is you make me melt and I don't want to be frozen anymore.

Have you ever tried to step in my shoes?
Have you ever tried to balance that beam?
And if you ever tried to fit in my shoes,
They'll never be quite as soft as they seemed.

Have you ever... Have you ever tried to?
I have never... I have never tried to.

Have you ever tried to step in my shoes?
Will you ever try to balance that beam?
And if you ever try to fit in my shoes,
They'll never be quite as soft as they seemed.

Whistleblowing

I'm currently doing a project on whistleblowing, as part of a module on Engineering Professionalism.

And it brings me back, to a time just about two and a half years ago, where i was an accessory to a story, a tragedy, a crime.

It's so easy to pinpoint the right and moral way to do things now.

But when you're a part of it, it seems so hard.

It's been two and a half years.

I know you did what you had to do.

I still don't forgive you.

The Inevitable Tragedy

I was with a close friend recently, and he was recounting to me (and my brother) the circumstances of a death in his family.

It is always rather depressing to hear such a tale. How the once living, once active, once full of life, degenerate into a miasma of pain and suffering, dragging the related into a whirlpool of sorrow.

Im normally not a fan of walker, but for him i took a draft. It was the least i could do to share his pain. It was rare to see him in such a state. But then again, extraneous circumstances were at work here. Memories strike hard, and when you least expect it.

What do you want your last words to your loved ones to be?

Neverwhere

In a rare moment of lucidity, i find myself drawn into a compelling narrative. There is no other way to put it. With a touch of a chapter and verse, i am drawn, willingly compelled, into a world that exists between slices of thin parchment, that spans the length of the universe and the breadth of time. Everywhere, nowhere, and anywhere.

That is the depth of imagination. I always stand in awe of a true storyteller - For he is one that i admire. The ability to draw people into a clear, crystalline world where everything is real and yet not as it seems, where there is no rule of nature's law, and everything exists at his whim and fancy.

We are all creators of our own world. On paper, we are all small gods. For those who transcend this little piece of personal real estate, they find themselves worshiped, a small cult of followers pandering for their newest bible.

Perhaps it is my weakness. The tendency to escapism from the here and now.

Or it is my strength - the suspension of disbelief, the eager stretch of imagination, the boundless world beyond my own perspective.

Life is more than looking through your eyes.

Let's do the math!

For those who don't know, a certain Mas Selamat Kastari, alleged leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group has escaped from a detention centre in Singapore.

Factors involved:
1. Number of suspects searched for = (sus)
2. Number of people searching = (cops)
3. Size of search area = (land)

Result value: Time taken =(time) (in days)

Some relations:
1. It is easier to search for a a large group than a small group, as a small group is easier to hide
2. The more people you have searching, the easier it is to search.
3. The larger the area to search, the more time it takes.

therefore, a simple governing equation can be taken as:

time ~~ land*sus/cops
stating all as first order relations,
time = k*land*sus/cops

Using a previous case, the 3 robbers who escaped on Pulau Tekong, we shall ascertain the constant.

Test values:
3 robbers
3 days to catch them
24.43km^2 land area of Pulau Tekong
700 people estimated to be searching

k = 700*3/(3*24.43)
= 28.65

Equation:
time = 28.65*land*sus/cops

For the case of Mas Selamat Kastari, we have:
1 suspect
704km^2 of land
1000 people estimated to be searching

time = 28.65*704.2*1/1000
= 20.18 days

Hrmmm. There we go. 20 days to look for one terrorist, assuming that all the borders prevail, an incorruptible police force, and 100% efficiency in searching. If any definite results are to be expected, many many more people are needed. (Figure may not be accurate as number of people searching for Mas Selamat Kastari is a complete, wild guess)

And all this when i should be doing my work or studying for my two term tests. Well done to me! woohoo

(Note - After being informed by my rather well-informed girlfriend, the number of people searching is actually 3000. Therefore a better guesstimate would be 7 days.)

The Good Samaritan

To Frankie, the guy in the Subaru Forester, probably buddhist, probably Prudential Insurance salesman, who gallantly gave a guy and two girls a lift from the Malaysian side of the causeway at 0130HRS on 22nd February 2008 to the Woodlands Checkpoint, without demanding anything except some pleasant conversation:

I salute you.
You restore my faith in humanity.

Similarities

I just realised im like a Creative Mp3 Player.

Im not as stylish, but i don't look shabby either.

Im easy to use and very friendly to others.

Im easy to understand, and very good to have with you.

I don't need a lot of money to make me happy.

And of course, im firmly rooted in home-grown goodness. ;)

Happy Valentine's Day sweetheart.

Ab-so-fucking-lutely

This world is so bloody depressing.

You can build a house of cards, but with a single mistake in the base and the whole thing comes tumbling down.

Life is a zero-sum game - You can't get something without giving something up in return.

People are different, no matter where they are. Noone is exactly the same. Noone behaves exactly the same as everyone else.

Sometimes people can't get along no matter how much they try.

Sometimes i wish i was born a farmer in an isolated windswept mountain somewhere. Where all i need to do is to till the ground and watch the cows.

Or maybe a monk in a temple somewhere, in the silent pursuit of enlightenment. Stripped of all the cares of the world, free to pursue his goal.

Sometimes i wish i could cut back all the bloody background noise from my life and focus on what matters.

But how do i know what is the background noise?

Can i see your Id?

Moments pass us by all the time.

In a twinkling, between blinks, our life moves on, a grand procession of scenes and places pass our eyes, ebbing slowly from the high definition present, before relegation to the black and white of memory.

My dreams are surreal. Playing what-if's in my mind in waking dreams, as i drive mechanically past the same stretch of expressway. The cars swoop by as pleasant thoughts of justice cross my mind. Vigilante it might be, but justice it still is. Before i snap myself back to reality and the upcoming light, watching warily for unwary drivers keen to cross my path.

As the years pound wearily on my back, i think back on the value of the persona. Who am i, really, and what does it mean to be me. Over time, people change. But what is it that i can truly call myself? What is it that over the years, has been there, has been central to my identity and my life?

Hobbies come and go. So do friends and people that i hang around with. What is the core unifying trait that pulls me together over the years?

Where am i in the depths of my soul?

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"No plot, no good action, no love story."

"It sucks."

"Its so bad, its not even worth downloading to watch at home."

"If i was the director, i would change my name and go into the Witness Protection Programme"

"You'd probably get better entertainment by flipping 8.50 worth of coins into the drain"

"Released on December 25, 2007, AVP-R grossed $9.5 million on its opening day for an average of $3,707 per 832 theatres.[9] AVP-R has earned mostly negative reviews from critics with 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, 5 positive to 27 negative with an average of 3.1 out of 10 and a user rating of 58%. The film has grossed $26,880,000 domestically as of December 30, 2007, ranking sixth at the box office." - Wikipedia