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?