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?

AVP2 Anti-Advertisement

"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

Ok, im back.

Now what?

The Problem with Wednesday

Strangely, i always seem to argue with alvy on wednesday. The coincidence always strikes me as absurdly karmic.

I guess im not perfect (duhhhhh). Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?

Its probably just a clubbing issue. Hopefully we get over it.

Oh, the exams are over. Whoopee. Wish i had a job, and something that occupies my time and gives me money. It seems money is in shorter and shorter supply nowadays.

But actually im quite thankful for my free time. As my life goes on, its harder and harder to find time to be relaxed and be by myself. So for those out there who think life is boring, enjoy it. If i recall, there's some ancient chinese curse - "may you live in interesting times".

arrrrrr fuckit. I have no idea what the hell im talking about.

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine
I keep my eyes wide open all the time.
I keep the ends out for the tie that binds
Because you're mine, I walk the line

I find it very, very easy to be true
I find myself alone when each day is through
Yes, I'll admit I'm a fool for you
Because you're mine, I walk the line

As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've known proves that it's right
Because you're mine, I walk the line

You've got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can't hide
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide
Because you're mine, I walk the line

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Well I woke up Sunday morning
With no way to hold my head, that didn't hurt
And the beer I had for breakfast
Wasn't bad so I had one more for dessert
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes
And found my cleanest dirty shirt
It's the one I'm wearin'
And I shaved my face and combed my hair
And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day

I'd smoked my brain the night before
Or I smoked so much the night before
With cigarettes and songs that I've been pickin'
My mouth was like an ashtray I'd been lickin'
But I lit my first and watched a small kid
Cussin' at a can that he was kicking
Then I crossed the empty street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken
And it took me back to somethin'
That I'd lost somehow somewhere along the way

On the Sunday morning sidewalks
Wishing Lord that I was stoned
'Cause there is something in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone
And there's nothin' short of dyin'
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin' city side walks
Sunday mornin' comin' down

In the park I saw a daddy
With a laughing little girl who he was swingin'
And I stopped beside a Sunday school
And listened to the song that they were singin'
Then I headed back for home and
Somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'
And it echoed thru the canyon like
The disappearing dreams of yesterday.

On the Sunday morning sidewalks
Wishing Lord that I was stoned
'Cause there is something in a Sunday
That makes a body feel alone
And there's nothin' short of dyin'
Half as lonesome as the sound
On the sleepin' city side walks
Sunday mornin' comin' down.

Bastards.

This really pisses me off. Bunch of motherfuckers.

Stardust

And now the purple dusk of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that were apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by

Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely nights
Dreaming of a song.
The melody haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you.
When our love was new, and each kiss an inspiration.
But that was long ago, and now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song.
Beside the garden wall, when stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale tells his fairy tale
Of paradise where roses grew.
Though I dream in vain, in my heart you will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of loves refrain.

Over the rainbow

A song so beautiful it makes me want to cry whenever i hear it.

Good Grief

You know whats the definition of insanity?

Its doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.

Its not like the underlying conditions have changed.

You dare call people stupid? Then what are you doing? Did you really think that you are that intelligent? After doing something that causes you so much trouble and pain over and over again?

You're not going to learn until you hurt yourself.

Which is the biggest pity, because before you do hurt yourself, you will hurt many many more people first.

Gah.

Headache

The lady H walks through my mind
Unsettling the dust of thoughts below
With a twirl of her head
the snowglobe of my awareness spins
sending snowflakes of memory flying fro
each a dagger piercing the glass
that disturbs the integrity of the sphere

Stalking the halls of thought
The lady H leaves no corner unsought
persisting in pain
spreading uneasiness as
emptiness blooms in her wake.

Atlas Shrugged

The weight of schoolwork bears down on me.

6 fast paced weeks of lectures and tutorials.

And 4 mid terms after this one week break.

Feels like shit already.

And The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is screwing up my life.

Can anyone lend me some discipline? Or at least something to chain me to my table?