I am too lazy to blog.
Here's a great video my friend sent me:
Thursday, July 6, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
depleting reserves
We had another organised tour on Saturday, albeit a short one. Fortunately or unfortunately, these tours will be a regular fixture according to the schedule. I can always skip them if I have something else better to do.
Then we went to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. My friend describes it as three levels of boredom. Not exactly what I feel. Some of the exhibits were quite interesting because their themes were rather contemporary. There was an entire exhibition with a shopping theme (one exhibit was a shelf of products like those in a mall - liddat oso art meh) - food and beverage, leisure and entertainment, etc. The other exhibitions were mostly Chinese heritage stuff - which was boring.
The coaches then brought us to New Town Plaza at Shatin. That's where we'd been hanging out the past week so we decided to explore Fo Tan for food, which was one station away. Upon exiting the station, almost everyone began to look as gloomy as the locals in Fo Tan. Here the streets were not filled with cars like the popular shopping streets. You had to watch for crazy taxi drivers crossing streets in Tsim Sha Tsui but you can probably lie down on the road for some time in that area of Fo Tan.
I noticed something really hilarious when I was walking behind the group. The girls were literally turning heads. It was damn obvious how all the uncles and young men alike turned to stare at the same time as they walked past us. They didn't even try to be discreet. Wow. Must be tough being eye candy. There certainly is a lack of that around Fo Tan though.
The buildings looked old and the people we saw were mostly middle-aged. What a stark contrast to the busy and crowded shopping districts, the immaculate and air-conditioned shopping malls we've been to so far. To put it simply, the place seems quite dead. But this is probably the "heartlands" of Hong Kong. Like some of the old decrepit HDB estates in Singapore. My grandparents' previous apartment comes to mind but that was a decade ago. Which estate is the oldest now? Potong Pasir? Must be if everyone says they need the upgrading.
We had a not so delicious "zhi cha" meal at some deserted hawker centre like place. Lots of tables and chairs, a few people touting, but hardly anyone there except us. Business only began to pick up as we finished our food.
Sunday's just shopping around at Tsim Sha Tsui. Very very boring. I saw Porsches, a Mini Cooper and a Ferrari on the street though. Knn. Hao lian. Only managed to get a picture of the Ferrari because it was parked.
park there long enough and it will get stolen
We went to some Taoist temple called Fung Ying Seen Koon (very cryptic name if you ask me) in the blistering heat. I have never fully explored a Taoist temple even though my family belongs to the religion. Wonder who does that (except tourists). Usually people just enter, pray a bit, get some fortune read, and then exit. There was someone who would interpret our "qian" for free as well. I refused to get my fortune read. Because if it sucked, I would feel down. If it was a "shang shang qian" or some kind of good fortune, I wouldn't believe it. So far the ones I know who got their fortunes read seem to be in some state of perplexity. "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed" - ignorance is bliss.
求签
求签Then we went to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. My friend describes it as three levels of boredom. Not exactly what I feel. Some of the exhibits were quite interesting because their themes were rather contemporary. There was an entire exhibition with a shopping theme (one exhibit was a shelf of products like those in a mall - liddat oso art meh) - food and beverage, leisure and entertainment, etc. The other exhibitions were mostly Chinese heritage stuff - which was boring.
The coaches then brought us to New Town Plaza at Shatin. That's where we'd been hanging out the past week so we decided to explore Fo Tan for food, which was one station away. Upon exiting the station, almost everyone began to look as gloomy as the locals in Fo Tan. Here the streets were not filled with cars like the popular shopping streets. You had to watch for crazy taxi drivers crossing streets in Tsim Sha Tsui but you can probably lie down on the road for some time in that area of Fo Tan.
I noticed something really hilarious when I was walking behind the group. The girls were literally turning heads. It was damn obvious how all the uncles and young men alike turned to stare at the same time as they walked past us. They didn't even try to be discreet. Wow. Must be tough being eye candy. There certainly is a lack of that around Fo Tan though.
The buildings looked old and the people we saw were mostly middle-aged. What a stark contrast to the busy and crowded shopping districts, the immaculate and air-conditioned shopping malls we've been to so far. To put it simply, the place seems quite dead. But this is probably the "heartlands" of Hong Kong. Like some of the old decrepit HDB estates in Singapore. My grandparents' previous apartment comes to mind but that was a decade ago. Which estate is the oldest now? Potong Pasir? Must be if everyone says they need the upgrading.
We had a not so delicious "zhi cha" meal at some deserted hawker centre like place. Lots of tables and chairs, a few people touting, but hardly anyone there except us. Business only began to pick up as we finished our food.
Sunday's just shopping around at Tsim Sha Tsui. Very very boring. I saw Porsches, a Mini Cooper and a Ferrari on the street though. Knn. Hao lian. Only managed to get a picture of the Ferrari because it was parked.
park there long enough and it will get stolenFriday, June 23, 2006
bad luck
It's been forever since I last fell sick that I wonder how I suddenly had a fever yesterday. I started feeling cold in the middle of my Chinese Philosophical Thought lesson and soon became totally debilitated - had to stay in bed while everyone went out to Central.
It is such an irony. A couple of my friends just fell sick two days ago and I ruled out the steamboat dinner we shared on Tuesday as the cause. 2 out of the 4 present were fine. Now that I am also sick only 1 is left. I have a feeling it's the oysters we ordered.
I didn't feel well enough to go on the Shenzhen trip this morning either. Sucks being left out. Everyone speaks of Shenzhen like some shopping heaven (for fakes). Apparently that's where a lot of the locals do their shopping too. Never mind, I still have 5 weeks left to get there.
Anyway, I think it won't be too long before I get sian here. Just like the slogans of those HK tourism ads - 买东西，吃东西 (buy stuff, eat stuff), these seem to be the only things one can do here. Lest I get bored, I've started downloading stuff from btchina at incredible speeds. China's population of Bittorrent users are all closer to me now so I can leech at higher speeds. Yay.
It is such an irony. A couple of my friends just fell sick two days ago and I ruled out the steamboat dinner we shared on Tuesday as the cause. 2 out of the 4 present were fine. Now that I am also sick only 1 is left. I have a feeling it's the oysters we ordered.
I didn't feel well enough to go on the Shenzhen trip this morning either. Sucks being left out. Everyone speaks of Shenzhen like some shopping heaven (for fakes). Apparently that's where a lot of the locals do their shopping too. Never mind, I still have 5 weeks left to get there.
Anyway, I think it won't be too long before I get sian here. Just like the slogans of those HK tourism ads - 买东西，吃东西 (buy stuff, eat stuff), these seem to be the only things one can do here. Lest I get bored, I've started downloading stuff from btchina at incredible speeds. China's population of Bittorrent users are all closer to me now so I can leech at higher speeds. Yay.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
more rants
Lessons have started. I am taking International Finance and Mainstream Chinese Philosophical Thought (what a mouthful). The finance class was held similar to the NTU seminar style. Anyway, I think my finance professor taught in Harvard. And apparently she knows the Dean of SMU's Business School. Cool. Did I mention that there's this cute Canadian Asian with uber huge eyes in the class? Power. She can compete with Hamasaki Ayumi for the biggest eyes relative to face size.
Mainstream Chinese Philosophical Thought was interesting for the first part about the contrast between Western and Chinese philosophy. How Chinese philosophy has no transcendental beings or ideas as compared to Western's Christian God or the Platonic ideals. Then she got to the Chinese history part about Zhou Dynasty and I dozed off.
Anyway, it's a pretty cool mix of people around here. Despite being from the smallest country (in land area), the Singaporean contingent is the largest at 30+ or 40+ people. Must be the tution waiver. There are groups of Americans, Canadians, Chinese, Australians and Taiwanese as well while I've met a Mexican, a Swede and a Korean. I think the TV lounge will get quite interesting if there's a World Cup match between the countries of some people here.
I feel kind of out of place being here. Well, as a product of the Singaporean education system, I am supposed to be bilingual. But if I start sounding too Singaporean the ang-mos would fail to understand what I say. Yah I can try to speak to them with a slang and though it works better it feels so unnatural. As for the Hong Kongers, I don't understand Cantonese so I get totally stunned when the sales people can't speak Mandarin or English.
Really can't help but feel like being I'm neither here nor there. Like a Jack of all trades but a master of none. Never mind, there will come a time when Singlish will conquer the world. Then the world will become a better place.
Mainstream Chinese Philosophical Thought was interesting for the first part about the contrast between Western and Chinese philosophy. How Chinese philosophy has no transcendental beings or ideas as compared to Western's Christian God or the Platonic ideals. Then she got to the Chinese history part about Zhou Dynasty and I dozed off.
Anyway, it's a pretty cool mix of people around here. Despite being from the smallest country (in land area), the Singaporean contingent is the largest at 30+ or 40+ people. Must be the tution waiver. There are groups of Americans, Canadians, Chinese, Australians and Taiwanese as well while I've met a Mexican, a Swede and a Korean. I think the TV lounge will get quite interesting if there's a World Cup match between the countries of some people here.
I feel kind of out of place being here. Well, as a product of the Singaporean education system, I am supposed to be bilingual. But if I start sounding too Singaporean the ang-mos would fail to understand what I say. Yah I can try to speak to them with a slang and though it works better it feels so unnatural. As for the Hong Kongers, I don't understand Cantonese so I get totally stunned when the sales people can't speak Mandarin or English.
Really can't help but feel like being I'm neither here nor there. Like a Jack of all trades but a master of none. Never mind, there will come a time when Singlish will conquer the world. Then the world will become a better place.
Monday, June 19, 2006
weekend
Have been travelling around the Kowloon area the past 2 days. There was an organised tour to Repulse Bay, Stanley Market and Victoria Peak on Saturday. Repulse Bay seems like a pretty popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Everyone was just suntanning on the beach. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any beach games being played. We didn't have enough time to do anything useful here anyway.
Stanley Market seems to sell only Chinesey wares that gwai-los or our ang-mos would buy. They would buy anything Oriental looking that we probably would not use in real life. The selection of clothes is rather horrible in my opinion.
The view from the Peak was excellent. Though like my friend said, it would be even better if we went there at night instead. The city lights would make excellent photographs.
We went to some club called Edge in Lan Gwai Fong after the welcoming dinner. Lan Gwai Fong is filled with clubs, pubs and the likes. Just like our Mhd Sultan Road. Only bigger and with inclined streets. So you sweat before you even start dancing. As you walk up the street, the crowd, the incline upwards and the bright neon lights on both sides of the narrow street make the place look really cool. Didn't bring a camera though. Hopefully someone else had gotten a picture.
Mong Kok was our destination for Sunday. It's one huge shopping district. I had no idea where I was at any point in time. Good thing one of us is damn good at topo. I see some of the same shops a couple of times so we must have done a couple of rounds around the area. Lots of shopping though. And it's damn fricking crowded. Not my kind of place. I might be back to buy some stuff but I would definitely do that on a weekday instead.
The lessons are starting but no one seems to give a damn. Well, we really only need a pass anyway. This is summer studies thing is like an incredibly huge excuse to fool around in Hong Kong for 6 weeks. I'd better conserve my money to last till the end.
Stanley Market seems to sell only Chinesey wares that gwai-los or our ang-mos would buy. They would buy anything Oriental looking that we probably would not use in real life. The selection of clothes is rather horrible in my opinion.
The view from the Peak was excellent. Though like my friend said, it would be even better if we went there at night instead. The city lights would make excellent photographs.
We went to some club called Edge in Lan Gwai Fong after the welcoming dinner. Lan Gwai Fong is filled with clubs, pubs and the likes. Just like our Mhd Sultan Road. Only bigger and with inclined streets. So you sweat before you even start dancing. As you walk up the street, the crowd, the incline upwards and the bright neon lights on both sides of the narrow street make the place look really cool. Didn't bring a camera though. Hopefully someone else had gotten a picture.
Mong Kok was our destination for Sunday. It's one huge shopping district. I had no idea where I was at any point in time. Good thing one of us is damn good at topo. I see some of the same shops a couple of times so we must have done a couple of rounds around the area. Lots of shopping though. And it's damn fricking crowded. Not my kind of place. I might be back to buy some stuff but I would definitely do that on a weekday instead.
The lessons are starting but no one seems to give a damn. Well, we really only need a pass anyway. This is summer studies thing is like an incredibly huge excuse to fool around in Hong Kong for 6 weeks. I'd better conserve my money to last till the end.
Friday, June 16, 2006
First day in CUHK
I took the 6.40 am flight to Hong Kong this morning. Since I didn't sleep last night I was practically a zombie throughout the day. The intermittent sleep I got during the 3 hour plus plane right wasn't enough at all. Lesson learnt.
Anyway, it's fugging hot here in Hong Kong. Not sure about the exact temperature but it certainly felt warmer than Singapore. Somehow it feels even hotter than my room, which is pretty much a sauna in its own right.
We toured the campus for a bit with a couple of CUHK female students leading us to the canteens, barber, bank, supermarket, etc. Places essential to our survival. Oh, by the way, for some reason toilet rolls didn't seem provided for in our toilets. The supermarket sells a large pack of 10 toilet rolls at 20 HKD or so (around 4bucks) - which is crazy compared to the bloody few cents kind we can get in our beloved SAF eMart. Now I believe that's how the supermarket intends to stay afloat - sell toilet paper.
view from my hostel window
My hostel room has a wonderful view. Actually, anywhere you look here in this part of HK seems to have a wonderful view. It's all gotta do with the mountainous terrain here. Turn somewhere and you either see a cliff/slope facing you or you are standing on one. If you think NTU or NUS has horrible slopes, come here man. If I stayed here for a semester and just walk to classes I think I can get Gold for IPPT.
Anyway, it's fugging hot here in Hong Kong. Not sure about the exact temperature but it certainly felt warmer than Singapore. Somehow it feels even hotter than my room, which is pretty much a sauna in its own right.
We toured the campus for a bit with a couple of CUHK female students leading us to the canteens, barber, bank, supermarket, etc. Places essential to our survival. Oh, by the way, for some reason toilet rolls didn't seem provided for in our toilets. The supermarket sells a large pack of 10 toilet rolls at 20 HKD or so (around 4bucks) - which is crazy compared to the bloody few cents kind we can get in our beloved SAF eMart. Now I believe that's how the supermarket intends to stay afloat - sell toilet paper.
view from my hostel windowMy hostel room has a wonderful view. Actually, anywhere you look here in this part of HK seems to have a wonderful view. It's all gotta do with the mountainous terrain here. Turn somewhere and you either see a cliff/slope facing you or you are standing on one. If you think NTU or NUS has horrible slopes, come here man. If I stayed here for a semester and just walk to classes I think I can get Gold for IPPT.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
short update
It seems like my updates are getting shorter and more infrequent. Damn I knew this thing won't last.
Anyway, I was away for my very first in camp training last week (which was slack, to say the least) and attended Don's ROM with the entire platoon on Sunday. That was my first time there. And it's just like in the Ch 8 drama serials with everyone packed in the small room while the couple sits in front of the some marriage registrar or something. I wonder who will be next to invite me haha.
By the way, I would be leaving for Hong Kong this Friday morn. And I am still pretty much not packed for the trip yet. With my almost non-existent command of Cantonese I can expect myself to "loogi" when I try to buy anything. At least that is what somone told me. Apparently if you speak anything other than HK's Cantonese you will kena "chopped" by the experienced sellers. Not even Malaysian's Cantonese (like I can tell the difference) will do. I think I'd just say "tai guai la" (too expensive) whenever they quote a price. We'll see.
P.S. if anyone has a video camera can sms me? I'd only need it for Thursday.
Anyway, I was away for my very first in camp training last week (which was slack, to say the least) and attended Don's ROM with the entire platoon on Sunday. That was my first time there. And it's just like in the Ch 8 drama serials with everyone packed in the small room while the couple sits in front of the some marriage registrar or something. I wonder who will be next to invite me haha.
By the way, I would be leaving for Hong Kong this Friday morn. And I am still pretty much not packed for the trip yet. With my almost non-existent command of Cantonese I can expect myself to "loogi" when I try to buy anything. At least that is what somone told me. Apparently if you speak anything other than HK's Cantonese you will kena "chopped" by the experienced sellers. Not even Malaysian's Cantonese (like I can tell the difference) will do. I think I'd just say "tai guai la" (too expensive) whenever they quote a price. We'll see.
P.S. if anyone has a video camera can sms me? I'd only need it for Thursday.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Bounce back to life
I think all Singaporeans have seen Mr. Kiasu in some form or another - either the comic book or the (horrible) sitcom. I used to be a huge fan of all the Mr. Kiasu comic books. There were a bunch of other comic books by the same publisher and probably drawn by the same author. A memorable one involved a pair of feline detectives, one fat, one thin but both wacky as hell. But I can't find my collection of those comic books any more. It must have got lost while I was moving around or my mum must have given them away to my cousins, presuming that I won't need them any more. But it has got so much sentimental value man...
I was reminded of it when I came across this webcomic called Bounce Back To Life. You must check out the author's parody of Star Wars. Absolutely hilarious lol! I haven't seen any comics with such a distinctly Singaporean flavour since Kiasu. It's not just the omnipresent use of Singlish, but somehow it aptly illustrates a slice of Singaporean life. This is very different from the ones in ST's Life. Those may be interesting at times but more often than not they just involve corny puns.
Anyway, here's another artistically talented blogger. Not comics though.
I was reminded of it when I came across this webcomic called Bounce Back To Life. You must check out the author's parody of Star Wars. Absolutely hilarious lol! I haven't seen any comics with such a distinctly Singaporean flavour since Kiasu. It's not just the omnipresent use of Singlish, but somehow it aptly illustrates a slice of Singaporean life. This is very different from the ones in ST's Life. Those may be interesting at times but more often than not they just involve corny puns.
Anyway, here's another artistically talented blogger. Not comics though.
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Hello 3 Hour Commute Time
Basket... I just got notice that my application to stay in hall has failed. Cut-off was 87.1 points for the guys and 66 for the girls. Missed it by a staggering 14 points. And I thought they were converting some male dorms to female ones - guess demand doesn't meet supply for them. :/
Unless some people decide not to stay and leave a bunch of vacancies, I'm going to have to spend 3 hours plus in total to commute to and from NTU each day I go to school. Not exactly too bad a thing, I guess. Now I can spend 3 hours extra bioing chiobus each day on the train/bus.
No, I'm kidding. I hate commuting because (1) it's so unproductive and (2) I always, invariably doze off. That's just an awful waste of time. I will probably take the train all the way to Marina Bay if I'm too shagged. Then I'd have to take it all the way back to Ang Mo Kio again.
Now if only I can get my laptop battery to tahan for longer than 3 hours and some WiFi internet access in MRTs...
Curse you all 87.1+ pointers!
Those with exactly 87 points must be banging their balls now ahaha
Unless some people decide not to stay and leave a bunch of vacancies, I'm going to have to spend 3 hours plus in total to commute to and from NTU each day I go to school. Not exactly too bad a thing, I guess. Now I can spend 3 hours extra bioing chiobus each day on the train/bus.
No, I'm kidding. I hate commuting because (1) it's so unproductive and (2) I always, invariably doze off. That's just an awful waste of time. I will probably take the train all the way to Marina Bay if I'm too shagged. Then I'd have to take it all the way back to Ang Mo Kio again.
Now if only I can get my laptop battery to tahan for longer than 3 hours and some WiFi internet access in MRTs...
Curse you all 87.1+ pointers!
Those with exactly 87 points must be banging their balls now ahaha
Friday, May 26, 2006
Time is such an amazing phenomenon. It is unstable – at times unbearably slow, yet at times passes at the blink of an eye. It is almost like some sort of unrequited love – intangible, unforgiving, moves only in a single direction and you don't really know why it keeps on going.
Time takes away possibilities and confers wisdom as it goes by. Our potential narrows as we get older and we lament our want of choices. At the same time, though, we also gain the wisdom of experience.
Time is hard to grasp. What is ten years compared to eleven years? I don't believe I can fully appreciate that difference of a year unless I'm in it right now.
Yet time is, in my opinion, the most precious possession (if it can be called that) we can ever have, especially in our youth. The time we have now is more precious because we have a lot more opportunities where we are not burdened by a failing physical body nor a failing intellect. Besides, there is no telling when tomorrow will cease to be.
So why do so many of us go off in pursuit of more wealth than we might ever need, and then some more? Greed? A more comfortable retirement life? Hunger for power?
Young, professional “career ladder climbers” compete and spend much of their youth advancing their careers. In the end, only a handful rises above all the other CEO hopefuls. I'm not working yet, so I have hardly any experience on this. However, from what I have heard about fresh accountancy graduates slogging in auditing firms, they have hardly any leisure time. Even Sundays are lost during busy periods. Unless one is lucky, inordinate remuneration obviously requires inordinate effort (and the corresponding time).
Is it worth it? Is our youth really worth trading for money and a comfortable lifestyle in our old age? I wished I knew the answer. Then I would have a stronger conviction about my choice of study and the corresponding choice of career. I wished I will be doing something I would love to do, something I would never think of as work, like design, or maybe advertising, for example.
But I know that if I fail, I might not be the only one that suffers. My upbringing obligates me to fulfill my familial duty. I am not complaining since these values have become part and parcel of who I am and I suppose, most of us as well. How can I risk it all if it is not just myself that is at stake?
Time takes away possibilities and confers wisdom as it goes by. Our potential narrows as we get older and we lament our want of choices. At the same time, though, we also gain the wisdom of experience.
Time is hard to grasp. What is ten years compared to eleven years? I don't believe I can fully appreciate that difference of a year unless I'm in it right now.
Yet time is, in my opinion, the most precious possession (if it can be called that) we can ever have, especially in our youth. The time we have now is more precious because we have a lot more opportunities where we are not burdened by a failing physical body nor a failing intellect. Besides, there is no telling when tomorrow will cease to be.
So why do so many of us go off in pursuit of more wealth than we might ever need, and then some more? Greed? A more comfortable retirement life? Hunger for power?
Young, professional “career ladder climbers” compete and spend much of their youth advancing their careers. In the end, only a handful rises above all the other CEO hopefuls. I'm not working yet, so I have hardly any experience on this. However, from what I have heard about fresh accountancy graduates slogging in auditing firms, they have hardly any leisure time. Even Sundays are lost during busy periods. Unless one is lucky, inordinate remuneration obviously requires inordinate effort (and the corresponding time).
Is it worth it? Is our youth really worth trading for money and a comfortable lifestyle in our old age? I wished I knew the answer. Then I would have a stronger conviction about my choice of study and the corresponding choice of career. I wished I will be doing something I would love to do, something I would never think of as work, like design, or maybe advertising, for example.
But I know that if I fail, I might not be the only one that suffers. My upbringing obligates me to fulfill my familial duty. I am not complaining since these values have become part and parcel of who I am and I suppose, most of us as well. How can I risk it all if it is not just myself that is at stake?
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Sloth
Before the holidays I told myself I was going to be more productive and would therefore actually do something useful during this vacation. In fact, I made a list of the things I wanted to do (well, at that point in time). For some reason I have yet to do any of them.
It seems that right now, I don't have the motivation for anything. Oblivion is the only exception. But something within tells me I should give Oblivion a break. I'm not going to gain much other than the entertainment value.
I wonder why I don't feel like doing anything right now. Following a To-do list feels like making a decision at every stage. Should I decide to spend my time on task A or B? Does it take too long to complete? How much effort must I put in to finish it? Can I postpone it? I ask so many questions I must spend more time thinking about what to do than the actual doing. Come to think of it, this entire post is itself an example.
Of course, the tasks usually fail the criteria. If I can postpone it, I will. If I have to put in a lot of effort or spend a lot of time on it, I will do it later. If benefits and goals are too long-term I will probably forget about it.
Heck, I can't remember all of the seven deadly sins but I can definitely remember Sloth. That's where I'm the weakest.
Now, any ideas how not to be lazy?
It seems that right now, I don't have the motivation for anything. Oblivion is the only exception. But something within tells me I should give Oblivion a break. I'm not going to gain much other than the entertainment value.
I wonder why I don't feel like doing anything right now. Following a To-do list feels like making a decision at every stage. Should I decide to spend my time on task A or B? Does it take too long to complete? How much effort must I put in to finish it? Can I postpone it? I ask so many questions I must spend more time thinking about what to do than the actual doing. Come to think of it, this entire post is itself an example.
Of course, the tasks usually fail the criteria. If I can postpone it, I will. If I have to put in a lot of effort or spend a lot of time on it, I will do it later. If benefits and goals are too long-term I will probably forget about it.
Heck, I can't remember all of the seven deadly sins but I can definitely remember Sloth. That's where I'm the weakest.
Now, any ideas how not to be lazy?
Monday, May 15, 2006
Sunday, May 7, 2006
Wait five more years
Damn. Why did WP lose in Aljunied? If they had won it would have been a sign of change in Singapore. Opposition captures GRC and the floodgates are opened. Perhaps the media would lan lan have to have a more balanced view. Or perhaps more candidates will start joining the Opposition.
My area Serangoon Garden used to be in Marine Parade GRC. Maybe they decided to put us in Aljunied because they planted a few more trees here, spruced it up a bit and repaved the Circus so can increase votes in PAP's weak area. Or from some rumours I heard, maybe because there are many civil servants staying around this area or something. What the heck. As long as they don't split up Aljunied like they split up Cheng San after 1997. Then five years later there might finally be a win in a GRC for WP.
My area Serangoon Garden used to be in Marine Parade GRC. Maybe they decided to put us in Aljunied because they planted a few more trees here, spruced it up a bit and repaved the Circus so can increase votes in PAP's weak area. Or from some rumours I heard, maybe because there are many civil servants staying around this area or something. What the heck. As long as they don't split up Aljunied like they split up Cheng San after 1997. Then five years later there might finally be a win in a GRC for WP.
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Le Petit Prince
I must be living under a rock because I have only just discovered this amazing book. It was written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery and has sold millions of copies. It is originally French but it has been translated into many other languages since it was published in 1943.Thanks to the wonder of the Internet and its lack of governance... this book is effectively free for consumption. Hurray.
Well, this book is like a "Guide to Life, Relationships and Almost Everything Else" under the disguise of a children's book. There are so many meaningful messages the author sends across in each chapter that it's really amazing how he put all that into a book with less than a hundred pages.
Here is one very interesting quote from the book:
It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.
Essentially, the amount of time we spent on our relationships or perhaps, anything in particular, are what makes them so important to us. How true. Why do we seek our long lost friends or childhood sweethearts? These friends are of no immediate relevance to our current stage in life, but because they have shared so much of our past with us, they are still very special in our eyes.
But then again, if what makes them special is the amount of time we have spent with them then it doesn't really matter who they are, does it? The reason why anyone is more than a stranger seems to be just because we happened to meet them at some point in our lives and decided to spend more time with them.
How did we decide? Perhaps they had the same interests. Perhaps they were the only ones around. It seems to sound a little depressing but it makes sense because we don't know people until we meet them, talk to them and find out their thoughts etc. Their characters apparently have no bearing on why we started to know them in the first place. Who they are underneath though, will perhaps determine how special they can get.
There are 6 billion people in this world and chances are, you won't get to meet everyone. So personally I am starting to believe that in life, God/Fate/Luck/Probability brings you this particular bunch of people who are your potential friends/spouse/whatever. Then it is up to us to choose which one to go along with. (Come to think of it, I find this an eerie similarity to those Jap dating simulation games)
What does this all mean?
I knew you all because God/Fate/Luck/Probability gave me the candidates. Then I anyhow voted. Mwahahahaha...
Friday, April 28, 2006
now I hate Accounting II
The exams are over! Well, I still have one more but I have already S/Ued it so I'm gonna forget about it for now.
I can't help but feel that the someone up above is playing a fool with me the past week. On Monday I got the email from the IRO that I was rejected for the Summer Studies thing. I had kind of expected that coming because I had not heard from them since I sent in my application. So, I wasn't that disappointed.
Then they called me up on Tuesday saying that there was a vacancy! I thought Eddie would be ahead of me in the waiting list since he had a higher GPA. I accepted their offer immediately and called him to check with him. Turns out he didn't get to go. What a pity. Must be his recommendation form. Now I get to go Hong Kong. Alone.
Anyway I had to finish up all the online applications that day even though I had a bloody IT paper the following day. What the heck, going overseas is more important man!
So it was settled and I was content. I readied for intensive mugging for Accounting II. Then the IRO sent me some email informing me I had to hand in some other documents as well. For some time there I was really afraid I won't get to go because of that. I guess it's all the exam stress that's causing me paranoia.
The past two days I really mugged like I have never mugged before... It was probably the first time I've managed to keep my concentration for so long. Usually I would start surfing stupid websites or play stupid games after 45 mins of studying. But for the two days, I was truly one with Hansen and Mowen. Well, the fact that I hardly studied it during the entire exam period was also a major contributing factor. Surprisingly, I felt well-prepared at the end.
At about an hour before the paper, I received a message from my groupmate about our Accounting II project that he had just went to retrieve. fuck. C+. My mind just turned blank and I was stunned for a long time. I was hoping he was joking but something also told me he wasn't. I went into the exam hall still feeling stunned. The main paper was too unbalanced by the way. The calculations were too damn easy and the writing portion took up a large portion. Everyone scores on the calculations while I would be stuck in the rut with my less than stellar writing ability and poor handwriting. Add this together with the C+ for the project? Sigh.
Now I know there will be a lot of people who would probably think I am overreacting. I don't know, maybe I am. But it is like 20% down the drain. Moreover, I knew about it just an hour before the exam itself. I couldn't imagine how much more I needed to catch up in the main paper. I can't be blamed for still being shocked.
It is also because I seriously cannot believe that all the bloody effort we put into it was just worth a mere C+, or 2.5 on a scale of 5. That's just passing man. No offense but it's usually a grade for people who don't understand what they are doing. After reading through the comments by the grader, it almost seemed like we deserved it. Now I dislike whoever graded it. By the way, the grader also commented on poor English on our part. WTF. Ok, there were one or two sentences we overlooked during editing but that's a couple of sentences out of the entire report! And how dare the grader deem "and rightly so" as bad English? Just google for it. It shouldn't be that bad if google can find 2,640,000 search results for it. Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think the most pedantic English teacher will call that grammatically incorrect.
Also I don't think we were any worse in our understanding of the materials. Our biggest mistake was that we were handicapped by the lack of certain information about the company we worked on. I still think we deserve a B at the least - and rightly so.
Sorry for the long rant. If you stuck it through, good for you. You will make a good listener. And maybe everyone will start complaining to you because you will listen. Or at least they think so.
I'm trying hard to figure which of the following is worse:
When you didn't try for something or when you tried but didn't get it?
I can't help but feel that the someone up above is playing a fool with me the past week. On Monday I got the email from the IRO that I was rejected for the Summer Studies thing. I had kind of expected that coming because I had not heard from them since I sent in my application. So, I wasn't that disappointed.
Then they called me up on Tuesday saying that there was a vacancy! I thought Eddie would be ahead of me in the waiting list since he had a higher GPA. I accepted their offer immediately and called him to check with him. Turns out he didn't get to go. What a pity. Must be his recommendation form. Now I get to go Hong Kong. Alone.
Anyway I had to finish up all the online applications that day even though I had a bloody IT paper the following day. What the heck, going overseas is more important man!
So it was settled and I was content. I readied for intensive mugging for Accounting II. Then the IRO sent me some email informing me I had to hand in some other documents as well. For some time there I was really afraid I won't get to go because of that. I guess it's all the exam stress that's causing me paranoia.
The past two days I really mugged like I have never mugged before... It was probably the first time I've managed to keep my concentration for so long. Usually I would start surfing stupid websites or play stupid games after 45 mins of studying. But for the two days, I was truly one with Hansen and Mowen. Well, the fact that I hardly studied it during the entire exam period was also a major contributing factor. Surprisingly, I felt well-prepared at the end.
At about an hour before the paper, I received a message from my groupmate about our Accounting II project that he had just went to retrieve. fuck. C+. My mind just turned blank and I was stunned for a long time. I was hoping he was joking but something also told me he wasn't. I went into the exam hall still feeling stunned. The main paper was too unbalanced by the way. The calculations were too damn easy and the writing portion took up a large portion. Everyone scores on the calculations while I would be stuck in the rut with my less than stellar writing ability and poor handwriting. Add this together with the C+ for the project? Sigh.
Now I know there will be a lot of people who would probably think I am overreacting. I don't know, maybe I am. But it is like 20% down the drain. Moreover, I knew about it just an hour before the exam itself. I couldn't imagine how much more I needed to catch up in the main paper. I can't be blamed for still being shocked.
It is also because I seriously cannot believe that all the bloody effort we put into it was just worth a mere C+, or 2.5 on a scale of 5. That's just passing man. No offense but it's usually a grade for people who don't understand what they are doing. After reading through the comments by the grader, it almost seemed like we deserved it. Now I dislike whoever graded it. By the way, the grader also commented on poor English on our part. WTF. Ok, there were one or two sentences we overlooked during editing but that's a couple of sentences out of the entire report! And how dare the grader deem "and rightly so" as bad English? Just google for it. It shouldn't be that bad if google can find 2,640,000 search results for it. Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think the most pedantic English teacher will call that grammatically incorrect.
Also I don't think we were any worse in our understanding of the materials. Our biggest mistake was that we were handicapped by the lack of certain information about the company we worked on. I still think we deserve a B at the least - and rightly so.
Sorry for the long rant. If you stuck it through, good for you. You will make a good listener. And maybe everyone will start complaining to you because you will listen. Or at least they think so.
I'm trying hard to figure which of the following is worse:
When you didn't try for something or when you tried but didn't get it?
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
more lame shit
Today's such a bad day.
The people at the International Relations Office suddenly became very vague about the criteria for the HK summer studies program. They stated in the email that it was based on first-come-first-serve basis and if there are excess applicants, it would be based on academic merit. On second thought, I realised that these two can't co-exist. If there are excess applicants, would it be first-come-first-serve or academic merit?
That's the problem now. I've heard that there is overwhelming demand for these vacancies and that they were going to stick to first-come-first-serve. That would be horrible. I had an Econs paper in the morning and there was no way in hell I could be one of the first 15 to submit my documents. Besides, they stated they would use academic merit.
Damn, there goes my chance of going Hong Kong for my vacation. They'd better use academic merit or the strength of the recommendation form as criteria or I'd be quite pissed.
Speaking about Econs, I couldn't finish a 12 mark question. Everyone else seemed to be able to. I have doubts about my answer for the first question too. Sigh, there goes all hopes of an A. 2 papers down and still 4 more to go. It'd be at least 3 weeks before I get to taste freedom.
But life is still good, because I have all these lame videos to cheer me up.
Enjoy! (in order of hilarity)
The people at the International Relations Office suddenly became very vague about the criteria for the HK summer studies program. They stated in the email that it was based on first-come-first-serve basis and if there are excess applicants, it would be based on academic merit. On second thought, I realised that these two can't co-exist. If there are excess applicants, would it be first-come-first-serve or academic merit?
That's the problem now. I've heard that there is overwhelming demand for these vacancies and that they were going to stick to first-come-first-serve. That would be horrible. I had an Econs paper in the morning and there was no way in hell I could be one of the first 15 to submit my documents. Besides, they stated they would use academic merit.
Damn, there goes my chance of going Hong Kong for my vacation. They'd better use academic merit or the strength of the recommendation form as criteria or I'd be quite pissed.
Speaking about Econs, I couldn't finish a 12 mark question. Everyone else seemed to be able to. I have doubts about my answer for the first question too. Sigh, there goes all hopes of an A. 2 papers down and still 4 more to go. It'd be at least 3 weeks before I get to taste freedom.
But life is still good, because I have all these lame videos to cheer me up.
Enjoy! (in order of hilarity)
Korean Clock Lady
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Some people have too much money
And I want to be one of them.
Look at this crazy DELL PC (link and pic from engadget).
This thing costs a f***ing US$10,000!
It has FOUR, yes, FOUR graphics cards. WTF? I'd be happy if I get one of the four they have inside. They total up to 2 gigs of RAM just on the card. I don't even have 1 gig of RAM in my entire system.
And it even has a physics accelerator. First time I've heard of it.
Well I thought it might make this PC transform into some robot and defy the laws of physics by flying around or something. But it only accelerates the physics calculation in 3D games.
It has a 30" widescreen monitor too... Sigh...
Gotta go clean up my drool now.
Look at this crazy DELL PC (link and pic from engadget).
This thing costs a f***ing US$10,000!
It has FOUR, yes, FOUR graphics cards. WTF? I'd be happy if I get one of the four they have inside. They total up to 2 gigs of RAM just on the card. I don't even have 1 gig of RAM in my entire system.
And it even has a physics accelerator. First time I've heard of it.
Well I thought it might make this PC transform into some robot and defy the laws of physics by flying around or something. But it only accelerates the physics calculation in 3D games.
It has a 30" widescreen monitor too... Sigh...
Gotta go clean up my drool now.
Saturday, April 8, 2006
The Fortune-telling Media Player
I was surfing through some blogs and I came across this very interesting meme. I never knew the mp3 player software sitting on my desktop can be an advanced version of a magic 8-ball!
How does the world see me?
吃你煮的鱼 by 南拳妈妈
Huh? This doesn't make a lot of sense. I want to eat the fish everyone cooks? The world wants to eat the fish I cook?
Will I have a happy life?
That I Would Be Good by Alanis Morrisette
"That I would be good even if I lost sanity/That I would be good/Whether with or without you" Sounds like a life of happiness with some self-deception :)
What do my friends really think of me?
流浪地图 by 孙燕姿
Somone enlighten me.
Do people secretly lust after me?
Good People by Jack Johnson
"Where'd all the good people go?" I guess that's a no.
How can I make myself happy?
My Girl by Temptations
Ah... finally something that makes perfect logical sense as an answer. But I have no girl.
What should I do with my life?
Big Big World by Emillia
I should spend the rest of my life checking out the big big world out there.
Will I ever have children?
Milk And Toast And Honey by Roxette
I usually skip breakfast so this gotta be for my future kids.
What is some good advice for me?
40 Kinds Of Sadness by Ryan Cabrera
Who would advise someone to get depressed?
How will I be remembered?
Beauty And The Beast by Celine Dion with Peabo Bryson
The inherent randomness in this game is mocking me.
What is my signature dancing song?
Collide by Howie Day
How true, I'd probably collide into someone during the dance.
What do I think my current theme song is?
飘移(头文字 D 主题曲) by 周杰伦
This song actually doesn't make much sense. Or I can't make much sense of it because it's all mumbling. So... my life doesn't make sense?
What song will play at my funeral?
Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader
I'd be back to haunt people by dancing on top of my grave in the middle of the night.
What type of men/women do I like?
Men: My Favorite Game by The Cardigans
Err.. It's kind of true I got to know a lot of my friends through the games we play. But the lyrics speak a totally different story lol.
Women: One Last Breath by Creed
Yup, I only like women with one last breath left in them. Then we can go dance on top her grave in the moonlight.
What is my day going to be like?
Take Me Away by Lifehouse
Will I get kidnapped or something?
Lousy answers... I'm gonna change my media player software.
By the way, has anyone seen this? Bunch of stupid Singaporeans climbing up some obscure mountain in Japan to look for legendary Karate master and hermit...
"My sons, you must climb up the Ee-wa-ki Sua in Jit Pun and seek out my old Shifu Mr Miyagi. He will teach you the Jue Shi Wu Gong™ of our Ee-wa-ki Karate Style. Then you will be the Wu Ling Meng Zhu and lead a rebellion to defeat the PAP in the upcoming elections" *coughs* *dies*
Instructions: Go to your music player of choice and put it on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question. NO CHEATING.Just couldn't resist so here's mine:
How does the world see me?
吃你煮的鱼 by 南拳妈妈
Huh? This doesn't make a lot of sense. I want to eat the fish everyone cooks? The world wants to eat the fish I cook?
Will I have a happy life?
That I Would Be Good by Alanis Morrisette
"That I would be good even if I lost sanity/That I would be good/Whether with or without you" Sounds like a life of happiness with some self-deception :)
What do my friends really think of me?
流浪地图 by 孙燕姿
Somone enlighten me.
Do people secretly lust after me?
Good People by Jack Johnson
"Where'd all the good people go?" I guess that's a no.
How can I make myself happy?
My Girl by Temptations
Ah... finally something that makes perfect logical sense as an answer. But I have no girl.
What should I do with my life?
Big Big World by Emillia
I should spend the rest of my life checking out the big big world out there.
Will I ever have children?
Milk And Toast And Honey by Roxette
I usually skip breakfast so this gotta be for my future kids.
What is some good advice for me?
40 Kinds Of Sadness by Ryan Cabrera
Who would advise someone to get depressed?
How will I be remembered?
Beauty And The Beast by Celine Dion with Peabo Bryson
The inherent randomness in this game is mocking me.
What is my signature dancing song?
Collide by Howie Day
How true, I'd probably collide into someone during the dance.
What do I think my current theme song is?
飘移(头文字 D 主题曲) by 周杰伦
This song actually doesn't make much sense. Or I can't make much sense of it because it's all mumbling. So... my life doesn't make sense?
What song will play at my funeral?
Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader
I'd be back to haunt people by dancing on top of my grave in the middle of the night.
What type of men/women do I like?
Men: My Favorite Game by The Cardigans
Err.. It's kind of true I got to know a lot of my friends through the games we play. But the lyrics speak a totally different story lol.
Women: One Last Breath by Creed
Yup, I only like women with one last breath left in them. Then we can go dance on top her grave in the moonlight.
What is my day going to be like?
Take Me Away by Lifehouse
Will I get kidnapped or something?
Lousy answers... I'm gonna change my media player software.
By the way, has anyone seen this? Bunch of stupid Singaporeans climbing up some obscure mountain in Japan to look for legendary Karate master and hermit...
"My sons, you must climb up the Ee-wa-ki Sua in Jit Pun and seek out my old Shifu Mr Miyagi. He will teach you the Jue Shi Wu Gong™ of our Ee-wa-ki Karate Style. Then you will be the Wu Ling Meng Zhu and lead a rebellion to defeat the PAP in the upcoming elections" *coughs* *dies*
Sunday, April 2, 2006
The beautiful game
I love this commercial. It just makes basketball way cooler with its slow-motion shots and music. Simply beautiful.
I don't know if you caught this guy's description of the NUS forum on politics (It was tomorrow-ed). But if you haven't, it is a good read. For those who are turned off by SM Goh's blatant use of the HDB upgrading programme as threat, here's a link to a petition.
It's less than a fortnight to the exams but rather than thinking about the exams, I'm thinking about what to do after the exams... Anyway, it's really high time to chao mug liao. I hope I make better use of the time available this time round.
So... good luck and best wishes to all preparing for your exams!
I don't know if you caught this guy's description of the NUS forum on politics (It was tomorrow-ed). But if you haven't, it is a good read. For those who are turned off by SM Goh's blatant use of the HDB upgrading programme as threat, here's a link to a petition.
It's less than a fortnight to the exams but rather than thinking about the exams, I'm thinking about what to do after the exams... Anyway, it's really high time to chao mug liao. I hope I make better use of the time available this time round.
So... good luck and best wishes to all preparing for your exams!
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