we regret to inform you

Kampong life

2006-11-29T12:07:00.000+08:00

ta da, last weekend Handsome Daniel plus 2 noobs aka. Jfoo and Seth decided to visit wonderful kampongs at Tajong Pinang to enjoy a rustic, rural lifestlye.

Upon reaching the lovely island of Indoneasia, largest muslim SEA country, (seh or not? i never take pure geog leh) there was sights and sounds galore! There was so many people! And they all had no jobs so they just stood around and stared at you. Quite creepy but Jfoo shouldnt worry because according to Seth, he has a Malaysian face so he can blend in with the crowd. Apa?

Our first pit stop was at a typical Kopitiam. Me and Seth went to use to the toilet and what a culture shock we got. Even in the town, the freakin toilet was pitch black, a hole in the ground with a pool of murky weeds and water. When i was peeing, all i could think about was this...

Anyway, a short car ride (approx 1.5 hrs which is short in indoneasia because apparently time slows down there) later, we reached our temporary home away from home. Beautiful kelong resort! Built over the sea. Let me invite my beautiful assistants to present the pictures.

Of course, it was not all fun and games, we had to EAT too. Haha, the food there was gorgeous.. haha geddit? GORGEous.... what? not funny? Nevermind. Anyway, the otah was wonderful and it was freakin 10 cents per stick, we ordered 30 at a go! Poor Seth couldnt enjoy it because of his GERD.
Walk walk walk, and lo and behold, we saw a field of DIAMONDS!!

Haha nothing this good in Indoneasia, it was ikan bilis instead. Mountains and mountains of dried tiny fishes. Yum.

Off we went to another kelong. This time we stayed long enough to play. There was this little malay boy who was fishing out crabs using a string and a piece of string. So we thought, if he can do it, why not us? Handsome Daniel offered his expertise and hooked a line and a piece of fish together! The art of catching crabs is very exclusive and only few are known to possess the wit, cunning and ability neccesary. After an hour +++ (time moves strangely in indoneasia), í've realised that neither me, seth nor jfoo were meant to be crab catchers. Although Seth did make lots of noise because he struck first blood, Daniel eventually showed him who was boss by snagging a large MAMA crab hoho. Jfoo was left rueing the ones that got away. So the score at the end was this, Team Handsome + 2 Noobs - 2 crabs, Team Kampong Boy - 20+++. How embarrassing. Anyway, we managed to stuff the crabs in a bottle in hope that we could use it for fish bait later.

so thats all i have for now. Next post! THE NIGHT OF EVERLASTING FISHING!

Smite me!

2006-02-08T23:58:00.000+08:00

2 lowly mortals by the name of Jfoo and Baojie have crossed my path.
Going out of their way to bring unearthly harm to me.

I'm going to take firm action against them tomorrow and if all goes well, i'll come home to blog about it.

kill kill kill

2006-01-16T23:43:00.000+08:00

Today's GP lesson was very interesting. It was on the topic of violence i think. But somehow we managed to branch into censorship and other related ideas.

Mr Ng brought a really interesting video to show us- "Natural Born Killers". I have a feeling its a really old show. Because well...
1) The quality was kinda B grade
2) The music was kinda B grade
3) I saw Tommy Lee Jones mentioned in the opening credits but i couldn't find him. Which could only mean, the lead actor was Tommy Lee Jones when he was young and i couldn't recognise him!

We didn't watch much but for the portions we watched it was a mixture of both hilarious and disturbing entertainment. If i could watch the show again I'd look out for quotes. I mean I'm pretty sure the show had tonnes of insanely funny quotes but i can't remember any now.

Well, until i can think about something genuinely entertaining to blog about again, thats all for now.

all that noise and all that sound...

2006-01-13T23:12:00.000+08:00

Well this can mark my first post about fencing on this blog.

Tomorrow is the National Novices comp. Its sort of an amatuer competition held annually. Simply put, its one of the main competitions I'll participate in this year.

Frankly, i know most people dont really know much about fencing. In fact, I bet they think its just 2 people poking each other. Actually, my view of fencing was equally naive before i actually began fencing. Now i know the true art of fencing - its 2 people poking each other with EGO on the line.

Haha, of course it isnt just that! Fencing is a true sport and martial art. And like other forms of martial art, it requires discipline, physical and mental strength.

I guess I just want to say i really appreciate the chance that I actually love my CCA. I know some people don't really do. In fact, especially in JC where we're constantly pressured to obtain the coveted scholarships, people joining CCAs they dont really feel for is all the more evident.

Therefore, I know I'm blessed for being able to enjoy my CCA. I just want to show how much I appreciate it tomorrow.

P.S fight! kill! fight kill! haha okay i added this part later. I realised the more i think about the competition the less i feel all mighty and glorious and the more i feel like killing my opponents... bloodlust probably

updated

2006-01-10T15:52:00.000+08:00

If i could bring myself to, i'd post some random lyrics of a song right now.

Haha, hope i have something to blog about soon because I am facing a serious writer's block.

the better team lost

2005-11-12T23:59:00.000+08:00

Few important things happened today. First of which, i am now officially a hero.

Yes, it happened all in a few short seconds. A normal and peaceful breakfast with the class at MacDonalds yielded unexpected horrors! After buying my meal, a sharp turn resulted in me crashing with a toddler. In those tiny seconds, my large coke started to tumble, heading towards the little kid's peril! But a sharp and selfless reflex over took my hands as i hugged my tray, saving the poor child's life. Of course, i lost my hash brown to the floor but that is a small price to play for my daily heroics.

In more saddening news, the Brisbane Bullets lost. I can't believe they did. JIESHI, me, Baojie, Lynne and Fujing had a great time watching 2 aussie basketball teams go head to head with each other. Namely: JIESHI, me and Bao supported the better team. However, the Perth Wildcats won a very very unglorious victory.

As such, my fatigue is taking over my ability to describe the match. I'll just have to post about it next post.
Until then.. Go Bullets!

i'm so obliging

2005-10-30T23:04:00.000+08:00

Have you ever made a music video? As in your own personal music video? I have.

All I need is my Ipod. You just hop unto a bus and stare out of the window and play shuffle. It's like the most amazing experience ever. I can see perfectly serene grasslands and play some out of this world rock song. I can watch mundane traffic groove to the beats of Britney. I can even watch old ah mas gossiping to the vocals of Craig David. Just kidding. I don't listen to Craig. No offense but eww.

Anyway since we're on the topic of self-entertainment. Let sleekisthefuture share with everyone a great site to visit to laugh your head off. Of course this will be more funny if you have watched or heard of this sappy (but pretty good) korean production - Stairway to Heaven. Without further ado, please visit this.
I'm sorry. It was begging to be insulted.

Sorry for the poor quality of posts of late. Just trying to post a little so the fanbase doesn't get too crabby.
Better stuff to come.

your flight has been delayed

2005-10-30T00:40:00.000+08:00

After a much needed break, sleekisthefuture is back in usual business.(take note that after much consideration i used the word 'break' instead of 'hiatus')It's always strange how generally bloggers use 'hiatus' to describe taking a break. Perhaps it sounds classier. But here at sleekisthefuture, we give you it to you how it is and was meant to be.Therefore, we took a break, not some -cough cough- "hiatus".

The break was long but was very much needed. However, the general public fails to understand that even geniuses require vacations. As such, there have been many unkind comments (please refer to tagboard). How evil! How despicable! Rejoicing when they received entertainment and casting us aside when we were tired. Treated like slaves, we are!

I hope those people feel very guilty and ashamed of themselves. And if they're not (which i'm sure most of them aren't), they'll be further insulted in upcoming posts.

For today, just want to comment on the recent convictions against bloggers. While I, myself, am a law abiding and perfectly non-prejudiced perfect example of a clean living Singapore citizen, i still feel a little exposed and scared. After all, if my memory serves me well, the latest convicted blogger was pretty near my age. Freaky.

That's about all i'm willing to divulge for now. More to come in the next installments.
We're just getting started.

big plans, big big plans

2005-10-09T22:31:00.000+08:00

Alright, seeing that i know have both the time and the willingness, i shall make an elaborate plan on how i things i would like to do. Frankly, i think designing and doing up a webspace is very interesting and i'm quite unsatisfied with my blog now. I feel that headings such as 'Blog', 'Links', 'Tagboard' is too standard! Too predictable. After all, most blogs just use the same formatt.

1)Therefore, i hope i can redesign my blog. Yea, if possible, do it from scratch! After all, DIY is just way cool. Or perhaps find a simpler skin. This skin is way cool. It was smart, innovative, funkay and still managable. But it does have some problems. I can only show 1 post at a time. And the archive system is just so bad so reading my older posts posts (bad pun) big problems. Also, i like to branch off away from mere 'blogging about my everyday life'. I feel that ,if possible, i'd like to have different sections. Such as, reviews, interesting thingys, funny shit and all that. Of course that is alot of work so yeap, it's just a dream.

For now. Anyway, i'm experimenting with MovableType so perhaps i can create my own domain(another bad internet pun!) from now on.

2)Organising. Yea.. this is definitely a major mundo problemo. I really need to go through everything and try to sort them out nicely. I feel that my blog now is pretty messy.

3)Pictures. I really feel that is a missing element in this blog. Seriously pictures really make a blog more interactive and fun to read. Of course, this means i actually have to take pictures and upload them and blah blah. But hey, i'd be rather happy to be able to put pictures up regularly.

4)Improve my writing. I really need to improve my writing. I don't think it's bad right now. But i feel like how Mr Koh described, "It's too sensationalistic." In other words, i tend to over-exaggerate, especially when i'm describing something. Hope in some ways, i can tone it down.

5)Updating often. Erm on second thought, nah. I rather post rare good shit than continously post shitty shit.

6)Collaborate. Blogs being individual outlets of expression is limitted and biased. Afterall, if we let people hear our personal thoughts, definitely some people will be offended. Of course theres a fine struggle between personal expression and basic courtesy but yes this is partially due to blogs being too individual. I've always imagined a perfect blog to be one with like 2 or 3 contributors.

Make it more of a website than a blog. More informative, more entertaining and more engaging. Differing views, and with more people we can update frequently without a drop in quality of posts! There are so many possibilties so yeap anyone interested in collaborating just message.

Of course i do take into account different people might not work the same and after all this whole blog business i more of a past time than a passion. But still, i'm hopeful.

Alright that's it for the moment. Hopefully, i can achieve these. I mean i definitely am so superbly abled but alas, geniuses need time too. That i don't have much of.

P.S As an after thought, i was thinking my present blog skin is pretty good to use for something like a Class website. You can like put a picture of the whole class on the main page and typing each person's name can lead to a whole page dedicated to that person. Cool idea, no? But then again, alot of work.

sorry no cure

2005-10-05T20:33:00.000+08:00

Here at Sleekisthefuture, we feel obliged to inform those who read this blog that the matter that was raised in the previous post has been resolved. Official statements were taken around 7 pm today.

On the scene, the accused was noted shouting, "Look at your table and take your words back!!!
TAKE YOUR WORDS BACK!"

The smaller accused was unavailable for comment. In fact, even if she did give a comment, it would be most likely useless.

Officials are in a large debate over the matter at present. Is it truly okay to forgive a thief for stealing something if they replace it the next day? Is this how we want society to function? Are we angry at the act or rather the principle behind the act. Officials gave no further comment.

However, the magnanimous victim Mr Daniel Tan gave this statement
"This whole thing has been painful. It was both physically and mentally trying for me during those dark periods of time. But since the goods have been returned i think we should let the matter rest."

His conduct was civil and orderly. The general concensus was that he was an innocent man caught in the worst of crimes. A simple case of good man, bad luck.

In other news today, a JC-wide calamity has hit the country. Said to be twice as powerful as Katrina, the chemistry paper swept VJC and many were both unprepared and shocked. Many were injured and the death tolls are piling up. One can only hope tomorrow's weather will look up. Truly, these are horrible news.

Perhaps one day we will learn the importance of diligent study and efficient mugging.

And perhaps, before we have to return hello pandas, we will have the heart to not steal it in the first place.

The mistake is forgiven but the act can never be forgotten.

the pain, the anguish, the sorrow

2005-10-04T15:05:00.000+08:00

Like Alicia Keys proudly sings, "...What goes around, comes around...", there is a natural balance to life.

Doing good deeds will beget blessings and sinful deeds will create trouble for yourself.
However, here at sleekisthefuture, is the cold hard truth about this idea of Karma. It's not always true.

I think I have conducted myself pretty well. I don't kill. I don't harm others. I do charity. I even resist the urge to slap people when i think they're asking idiotic questions. All in all, I'm practically a model citizen. Of course, sometimes when i do wrong. I try to make up for it.

But imagine my horror when i opened my room door one day to find wrappers and EMPTY boxes. Alas, what has happened? Did i not just buy a new stash of biskuits and tidbits to last me through the gruelling process of mugging? Did i not create a precious and sacred place for snacks? Where has it gone?

Vile theives have stolen it. My Hello Pandas (in all flavours red white and pink) were gone forever. I didn't even have the time to get to know them. I never had the chance to even taste them. Lost. Irreplaceable.

But who? or what stole them? How? My room is practically a fortress! Who could have been so bold and brazen to have sneaked in and stole them? My parents wouldn't have done it. My maid neither. Who else could it be?

I have no idea. I can only assume it was two cockroaches. Sneaking in and out, stealing my resources. These cockroaches (for the process of explaining i shall just name them Big M and Small M) have taken my freaking biskuits. Without an thank you, with an apology. Leaving me helpless and snackless in my time of study.

I have done nothing to deserve this. Life is unfair.

so clean and good

2005-10-02T11:40:00.000+08:00

a very strange thing happened today

i woke up feeling strangely energetic
it started raining heavily around 10am so the temperature was cool and refreshing
Breakfast was good but not too overwhelming
Lighting in my room was soothing and yet not sleep-inducing
And even my stationery seemed extra nice to use

Suddenly 1 day before the promos, i have encountered the nirvana of studying conditions, the perfect place time and temperature to study. This is too strange. Especially since everytime i study i'm secretly wishing that i had better lighting, temperature or level of fatigue.

Today everything is perfect. Even Jieshi is coming over later to study. Perhaps this is God's way of saying 'Study hard Daniel!'

Well then i guess this post is my way of saying, "Thanks!"

stu-dying

2005-09-24T22:27:00.000+08:00

okay i know. The title for this post is uncalled for but its just so hilarious.

In a very honest and humble attempt to re-invent my blog, i shall try to write differently today. Because well apparently, i have been too long-winded and hard to understand. My very candid and friendly gan die has aptly described my blog as "too chim... catch no ballz" Yes. That is a quote-worthy quote right there. Be sure to spread it around. And take note of the aesthetically pleasing 'z' behind the ball. Yeap, that there makes all the difference.

Haha, just kidding Waiyip. Continue to complain about my blog! It's very heartwarming and caring!
Hey but i am serious about doing something different.
So, for a change, i'll tell a story.

This is a story about three little boys: Peter, Paul and Xiao Bai. Well, Peter, Paul and Xiao Bai are neighbours. Living just next to each other in their simple attap houses was how they passed their time.

Peter is the neighbourhood policeman. Although earning a measly wage, he still keeps the peace in town.
Paul is the son of a noble official. His father was sabotaged by a villanous court official. Hence, Paul is now living frugally as the village teacher.
Xiao Bai's father is a drunkard and mother a theif. Xiao Bai himself is no better. And chooses to live by stealing Maggi Mee from all the convenience stalls. In fact, he is perfect able to do work but prefers to spend his time at home experimenting with different tastes of instant noodles.

One day, unexpectedly, a bedraggled man burst into their compound. He looked weary and shouted for food. Peter and Paul rushed out. Tended to him and provided him water. Seeing the official crest he was wearing, they realised who this man was. This was their emporer.

"Oh highest of highs, pls come into my humble abode" gushed Peter.
Emporer : "Food... food..."
Peter: "Sorry sir, i am but a humble policeman. I have no food at the moment but i can..."
Emporer: "Begone!"
Paul: "Dearest heavenly heavenly sire, I am only a lowly teacher. However i can provide you with as much plain water as you so desire."
Emporer: "I am not thirstly you dumb witted slav! Just hungry! HUNGRY.."

At that moment, Xiao Bai came with a piping bowl of hot instant noodles. Without a second thought, the Emporer wolfed down the meal.
Emporer: "Ah! Many thanks my servant. I was hunting on my horse above that hill and i fell down. It is my blessing to have chanced upon this place. For your services to the Kingdom i shall award you a nice post and many gold and silver."

"But sir! He is a social menance. He steals for a living! He did not bother to help you when you first came. He did not tend to your wounds nor greeted you. He for one, has not spoken a word to your highness. Surely, you cannot reward such a man." Peter retorted.

"Silence. You shall be beheaded for those remarks. He is a loyal servant who gave me what i wanted. Furthermore, he is the only one who does not have a disgusting caucasian name!"

The end.

Moral: People don't care who you are. Where you're from. What you did. As long as you love mee.

P.S coincidentally, Paul was so angry and disappointed he went home. Took out his brushes and inks and decided to put together most evil papers of all time. He vented his frustrations and anger on this particular test. In fact, he made it such that one cannot just fail the paper. One will definitely fail miserably. Perhaps to symbolise the unfairness of his treatment. He killed himself much later due to a self inflicted wrist fracture which was caused by writing too much. However his last legacy lives on. Paul was the father of the Promos.

i can never really pronounce gasp

2005-09-23T20:47:00.000+08:00

In a bold and strange move, I have decided to NOT talk about anything to do with studying or mugging in this post. Yes, there is a public outcry from the blogging community representing 17 -1 8 year olds. Apparently, it is an unspoken law that during this period of time.. EVERY blog by a student should be about mugging.

However, here are sleekisthefuture, we aim to push boundaries and challenge stereotypes! So lucky reader, read on to this exclusive post.

I'm pretty pissed that i'm such a complainer. Yea, i'm whining about whining. I shouldn't do so much of it. But sometimes i can't help feeling that this situation can be handled in such a better way. But when i say complain i don't mean i start blasting my mouth of. I'm talking about a worse kind of complaint. One that i do not like. The silent complaint.

Every has silently complained before. Some do it when the bus is crowded. Some do it when you just missed an A grade. Some even do it smiling. It's a dirty thing to do and yet it happens so naturally sometimes that i have to ask why? Has something gone wrong with education? Has years of telling students that good grades (which can be the result of short term memorising) are more important than a CCA record (which can only be obtained through long term commitment)? Have we unwittingly told pupils that it doesn't matter how you fair normally just make sure you score big when it counts? Have we created people who are silently complaining.
Silently resenting the world. Secretly envious of others.

Negative emotions are sometimes part of growing up. Yes, that is understandable. But hasn't the best way to deal with such negativities always been talking about it? Voicing what you really feel should be the true way to solving our problems but is today's society telling us that? Sometimes i even feel that when a child is about the age of 12 and up and can start evaluating costs and benefits. The child may equate that why bother to explain your stand to a parent scolding you. If i explain what i really feel, i may succeed in proving my point which will lead to perhaps a longer discussion. If i fail to succeed it will only anger my parent and the lecture will be extended. But what if i just keep quiet? This is the best option to save time. Keeping silent will eventually tire my parent out and i shall only need to suffer the sunk cost of perhaps 5 minutes of scolding. Of course i will gradually lose any emotional or social link to my parent but in today's society who cares? I'll save time.

Ridiculous? Far-fetched? Maybe. But what will you do when you're keeping silent? You'll complain. Just like me. Just like everyone. And it all starts small. Next time you find yourself cursing the day for being sucky, stop. Silent complaining kills society.

P.S Must be noted some ideas on education are not entirely my own. Some were adapted from conversations with leslie on very long bus journeys home.

P.P.S Amazing how i can make myself sound more logical by just using alot of rhetorical questions, no?
See what i mean?
Amazing, isn't it?
I should really stop now, shouldn't I?

one who serves others

2005-09-17T23:04:00.000+08:00

Woke up today feeling positively horrible (haha 'positively horrible' seems to cancel out each other). Apparently the 'minor cough and flu' bug has escalated into a throat inflamation. So i went over to the doctors and got some medicine. During which, the very kind doctor asked me if i needed antibiotics. Being the brave and handsome (but ultimately too stubborn) guy i said a resounding 'Nope'.

She told me i should take antibiotics 1. if my temperature were to rise 2. if my throat started hurting more badly.
10 minutes after i left the clinic, my temperature rose and my throat felt like it would burst into flames any time.

Anyway, the next half of the day was spent trying to study with Jieshi. However, the pain took over and we decided we should just go over to her place and watch some vcds.

And on this average day, under these unsurprising conditions was how i watched "The Last Samurai" for the first time.

At this point i can already hear what people are thinking as they read this:
"What?! He's only seen this now?" Yes, i didn't think too highly of it when it first came out.
"What's the Last Samurai?" Good movie! Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe
"Didn't Ong Sor Fern give it a measly 2 stars?" Goes to show her ratings are more than just 'slightly off'
"Damn! Daniel is just so talented and amazing!" Why yes, thank you.
"Why are his entires always so long?" Because quality sometimes demands quantity
"Why is he wasting our time with this useless paragraph?" Just to prove i can read your mind... and make you laugh

Anyway, the movie was breifly about how a war-veteran (Cruise) was sent to Japan to fight a rebel samurai clan(headed by Watanabe). He eventually got caught as a prisioner and learns to live life the samurai way; that being to serve the people. Among many Hollywood films, this is a rare one which does indeed portray the Asian values of honour and humility accurately. And i believe that it is the details which the film tries so hard to represent that make the experience so authentic and enjoyable. It is, in fact, a good movie. (Watching it with someone special also helps)

The movie's theme of samurai honour and determination really made an impact of me. Somehow i am proud to be Asian. Perhaps we are the least civilised and simplest of the nations but honour of the Asians is something that many other countries might lack. It's funny to think how pride while viewed as a deadly sin in Western societies is a sought after virtue in the Asian world. Inevitably, I somehow think about my promos.

Perhaps it is not just through memory and intelligence that one can score well. Perhaps it takes a little determination and pride. The times which i performed best was when i was ashamed of my previous results. I realised that studying with a determination to hit a certain aim produced the best results. I until this point, regardless of the amount i have been studying, have probably underestimated the promos. Like samurais entering battle, I should also show more gusto and pride. For the only way to succeed is perhaps by dedicating yourself to an ideal.

Haha, i dare not continue for i fear i shall fall into a bottomless pit of melodrama and "sensationalistic writing". But i did enjoy the movie. And it did remind me that the fight is just beginning and it requires my dedication to accomplish.

But first, i shall sleep to recover. :)

Good Service, the social Viagra

2005-09-13T23:17:00.000+08:00

For the last few weeks, I've basically visitted a number of fast-food outlets to find a nice environment for studying. I must agree that the most valued thing i like to get studying there is good service. Definitely important points are the air-con and environment but it is the good-natured staff that really leave an impression on you.

Here, i would like to single out a certain old lady working in the MacDonalds' at Paya Lebar MRT. I don't know her name of course but i think she totally outshines her fellow (younger!) co-workers. Polite and clear, she took careful time to talk about each set meal. She even happily busied herself to get me various sauces that i requested for. You might think, "Hey, that's nothing special, all staff do that." But she was different. Clearly different.

I've seen other counter staff get me special sauces (oh that sounds wrong..). They do it emotionless, without expressions, almost as if they were programmed to do such functions. Bend down. Open drawer. Take Sauce. Give Sauce. Next!
Old granny here did it with a smile and i swear she danced her way about to get my sauce and return it on my tray with two hands. With two hands! Can you imagine that? The respect she gives to the customer, the sauce and her job! Phenomenal. It was as if her entire life was dedicated to passing me this single packet of sweetened flavourings.

Also, i was there with Jieshi. The old granny was all smiles and she never failed to say thank you after each sentence. Although i suspected that the she smiled at Jieshi way more than she smiled at me. Gender preferences working against me as usual. Anyway, i remember Jieshi agreeing that she was a very good counter lady and she should be nominated for Senior Citizen of the Year. (Senior citizen sounds so much worse compared to Le Lin [chinese for old people which roughly translates to 'the happy years'])

I think so too. Although i would minus some points for being biased against guys. (handsome guys!)

But how can i say good service is a social Viagra? Simple.
Firstly, it makes you stand up and take notice of the staff. Simple thank yous and smiles make all the difference.
Also, it's really hard to get. Its been such a while since a staff counter left such a lasting impression.
And finally, surely we can all still function as staff and customer without good service. But good service makes the whole process faster and more enjoyable.

Enjoy.

P.S Hey please no comments on the bad allusion to Viagra. I thought it was quite funny. And at least resisted the temptation to add in some pun to do with 'I'm Lovin' It' !!

thought.pen.letters.words.magic

2005-09-11T23:12:00.000+08:00

I've always wanted to write good writing.

Forgive me for being so academically-inclined but it is the last night before school reopens. I don't know about others but I always have mixed feelings when reading a good essay or even a good blog entry.

On one hand, i feel the pleasure and satisfaction of reading a beautifully written paragraph or just a few lines of deft descriptions. (Don't you just love the way 'deft' sounds? Haha)

But on another hand, I always feel slightly sad that i can't write as well. (This is especially the case if the author is of same age as me... or even younger!) Of course, good writing is just a perception to the author but we all write to satisfy ourselves. I only hope that i can produce an article which i can be proud of.

Oh well, i hope i can slowly cultivate my use of words. May i be able to craft my arguments stronger, make metaphors and analogies more aesthetically pleasing and most importantly finally understand what in the word is subject-verb agreement. I've always found that phrase amusing. You can almost imagine 2 big guys (named subject and verb of course!) quarreling! Agreement is just such a funny word to describe grammar.

Anyhow, I've recently been impressed by an author/artist/everything Neil Gaiman. Of course i don't mean i was never impressed before but to put it simply: I heard he was good. But i never knew he was this good. I first came across his works through his most astounding piece of art - The Sandman graphic novel series. I can't even describe his graphic novels because it would be doing them a grave grave injustice. Just google "The Sandman" or "Most influencial post-modern literary art cross breed that will eventually shake all the foundations of modern day thought" and you'll basically get the same thing.

Anyway, I've recently (thanks to Jieshi who is also an avid fan) read some of his novels. I am almost finishing "American Gods" which is amazing. I'd like to describe it as thought-provoking but that would be like describing water as wet. His ability to write is astounding. It is not something peppered with beautiful allusions or anything to that extent. In fact, his words are so down-to-earth and honest i can't help but believe everything he says. Actually he doesn't say anything to me but i can almost hear him talking through his words.

You know how sometimes you can just read an article boring-ly? Like you purposely make your voice dreary and drone away reading the words but not taking them into your brain? Well, you can't do that with his stories. Gaiman's words are so vivid and strong you have to absorb it. You cannot not enjoy his writings. Such is his inspiring but mysterious power.

Anyway, browing through his online journal (its not a blog because he started it way before blogs were even created) is pure joy. In fact, he mentions Singapore quite a number of times! Apparently, he has a pretty strong fan-base here. Anyone reading this might like to know he has a good number of award winning novels such as Neverwhere and American Gods. His latest book being Anansi Boys. Check it out!

But i hope i don't get too intimidated by such good writers. Do not forget, we all have the ability to write well. Anyone with a pen and paper can too be a creator of stories and tales. And writing shouldn't be about technique and all those flowery stuff, writing is something to be enjoyed and pondered upon. After all, just like Gaiman said, "writing is like coming home."

innocence wild!

2005-09-09T09:06:00.000+08:00

As of now, my brand new (albeit replaced) ipod is happily charging itself next to me.
I can't help but to derive pleasure from touching its flawless metal skin for just two weeks ago, my previous ipod had problems holding charge and i had to send it in (with bumps and scratches no less) to the Apple Centre.

I admit at that particular point in time, i didnt have a peachy impression of Apple products well because this ipod was but a few months old. Surely a company such as Apple which focuses on the quality of their products shouldn't market a product that will malfunction in just a few months. However, Apple's customer support won me over.

They were firm and efficient and surprisingly polite. I even could collect my ipod on an earlier date. However, what really got me pleased was them replacing my old ipod with a brand new one. Wow! Haha, good customer service saves the day.

Everyone should try visiting the Apple shop because the products there are really very very cool. I mean they have stuff that look so simple and powerful. Furthermore, their marketing director must be a genius because i have to say Apple's packaging and advertising is pure delightful. Personally, i can't wait to see their new advertisement. The one with those green pink yellow blue backgrounds and shadows of people dancing. It's exactly like their product: Simple in essense but immensely fun and entertaining! I mean i see people rush out of their bathrooms, put down what they are doing to huddle infront of their TV watching some cool raggae dude dance and groove to Apple's new beats!

Seriously. Good advertising is when people watch drama serials in hope of catching the advert!

Okay i think i might sound like i'm a little too pro-Apple. But the truth is that i can envision them to be the leading computer brand in the near future. I'd love to change my home desktop to a Mac but i doubt that will happen. Firstly, Apple's pricey. Very pricey. But well, i believe a home desktop is something people will dare to spend more on. Hence, this is not a very big problem.

The more severe problem is that people don't like adapting to Mac's new OS. Everyone is familiar and comfortable with Windows. My mother, for example, would find it too troublesome to try out Mac's new OS, therefore, she and probably her peers would rather stick to Windows out of convenience.

Oh well, we shall just have to see how things go in the future...

shutter and flash

2005-09-07T00:42:00.000+08:00

Had trouble thinking of a good topic to blog on but i've settled with this: Neoprints.

First and foremost, i am very proud to say i have never taken one in my life. I know many (my sisters included) who absolutely adore neoprints. In fact, apparently i've heard the best way to start and end an outing is by taking neoprints! Personally, i feel neoprints are horrible. And would like to use this opportunity to tell all fellow neoprint-virgins out there to stay pure. Abstinence! Never step into that booth of sin!

But dear reader (who probably has taken a neoprint before and is probably slightly pissed ) don't get me wrong, I firmly believe Photographs are magic. They capture a moment of time. One second of your life. Be it happy, sad, the photograph never lies. In fact, that must be why every family love their photo albums. A photograph encapsules our life, love, memories, pain and ultimately, our essence.

I vaguely remember a quote from a wonderful Robin William move 'One Hour Photo' that explains why photos are so important to us:

"... when someone takes a photo of you, it represents you were there... you existed at this time.. and someone loved you enough to take a picture of you to keep.."

Therefore, i feel there's really nothing wrong with friends who take neoprints to commerate their friendship, enjoy their good times or save a moment of time for themselves. For these people have not deviated from the true meaning of photographs. But for the rest who take neoprints just to doodle draw flowers, hearts and crowns over their faces and pepper their pictures with the most absurd lines like "beauty queens", "hee hee ha ha" or "Hot Mamas!".. These people are the true evil doers.

Well but a very reliable and lovely source (jieshi!) has told me that neoprints can actually cost up to $15! In fact, a single photo alone costs $5! Wow. I mean while the product may be horrible. The innovators who thought up this product must be well, geniuses! It is sheer intelligence! They just provide a camera, ink and sticky paper to people and they actually pay them exhorbent prices.

I'm inspired. Maybe someday i'll think of a clever way to provide people with a tap and cup. Ask them to come drink my neowater and charge them high prices.

These people who think up of these gimmicks are just too smart.

Or maybe we're just too dumb.

the Superstar effect

2005-09-01T22:42:00.000+08:00

My television selections this week were mauled by a single programme- Project Superstar.
With their endless advertisements, promotions and speculations on who should win, the people and media almost convinced me that this was a show to watch, they almost made it sound important.
Most of them couldn't see that this show was just like the points on 'Whose Line', both don't matter.

I've watched this show twice actually. An episode of the auditions (that proved promising) and an episode somewhere in the middle. The singing was horrible. I mean, i don't really have that high standards but still, you can't expect any of them to be superstars. Bad vocals, poor musical intonation and dancing that should never have been attempted on stage. It was good for laughs though.
Anyway at that point i noted that all contestants were fairly homogeneous.

1) The girls have all the same hairstyles.
2) They all have the same beng-lian accents.
3) They all, yes all, sound exactly the same.

So i predicted that the one who will eventually win this poor excuse for a talent contest to be the one who could garner the most sympathy points. After all, every contestant seemed to be doing it. The guys were doing their 'puppy dog' acts to get the girls voting for their "poor cute idols". The girls cutesy-fied their voices and stuck their fingers permanently in a peace sign. In such an environment, there's no suprise that i predicted the blind guy (yes i don't even know his name) to win!

He's got everything a chinese idol needs. Don't get me wrong, i feel particularly impressed and motivated to see a handicapped person enters something like Superstar. I mean, he's going up against obstacles i probably could never overcome. He's a hero. I feel he should win especially since there's no overwhelming evidence he sings worse. I'm not saying he sings good. I'm just saying noone can really honestly outsing him.

You anti-blindguy people can't fault me on this. Here's a brilliant example:
I came home today and upon hearing about the finals, me and my sister had a conversation.
Me: Blind guy should win.... He's blind!
Sis: No...(she mentioned the other contestant's name but i forgot) is better
Me: But what's wrong with the blind guy?
Sis: err.. he has no eye contact.

You see! The problem with this situation is that the average level of singing in this competition is horrible. So horrible, as long as you can hold a melody, you're into into the semis. And if you have some leverage in the form of sympathy, you're through to the finals! Well this could be due to 2 things, either the producers screwed up during the auditions or the pool for Chinese singers in Singapore is appalling. And honestly, i don't think the producers did any wrong.

I just hope the next talent show i get to watch (Singapore idol maybe?) would have better singing.

P.S I forgot to add that many told me that their fav singer was having a sore throat during this or that episode. This is extremely funny because one of the sponsors of Superstar is Voda Voda - apparently supposed to be a new 'healthy' form of mineral water.

tick tock tick tock

2005-08-25T23:37:00.000+08:00

Ah, i now understand why so many people have trouble keeping a blog updated frequently...
Commitments aplenty!

I'd like to commend my class. A recent wave of "hardworking-ness" has hit our whole class.
It's amazing and yet inspiring. Our class has always been considered to be a "all-fun no results" kind of class by our teachers. While i felt that was a rather sweeping and demeaning statement to be made by our teachers, i could see why they said that. Our vibrant and impossibly lame (but very entertaining in a kindergarden kind of way) jokes even gave me that kind of impression.

But gradually i've changed my view. I'm beginning to feel my class contain all the elements of a great class. And this recent enthusiastic approach to the promos have convinced me so. I shall not use 'mugging' to describe the way the class is behaving now because simply, it's NOT mugging. While it is primarily studying harder, i feel unlike mugging, there is a positive aura and influence around us.

Mugging is basically very personal. It is something motivated by the individual to achieve what ever he/she is aiming for. But each of our classmates lack this air of selfishness. Group studying, creating a conducive environment and even mutual encouragement. (Right about now, people not in my class will probably think i'm exaggerating but, believe me, i am fully objective and unbiased in my reportings)

The fact is that, while the workload from JC has increased by a mountain-fold, so has the working environment.
I can only hope this positive studying will rub off me. (This is a figurative statement for the uninformed)

I guess i'm just trying to say i'm thankful for my class.

P.S Thanks to Jieshi too! Studying with you is twice as productive!

amazing grace

2005-08-14T23:17:00.000+08:00

I am, at this moment, reading from a book about the Hinduism faith.
The book is laden with multi-coloured pictures of temples and spliced with flowery phrases such as "in god's great mercy" and "invocative sanctum"
Also, there are many, many ideas and thoughts which go directly against my religion and its teachings.
i.e. "Image worship is one of the most effective ways to get the grace of god"
Even the wispy scent of the book irritates my nose

And no, getting this book wasn't easy. Me and my pw groupies (Fujing and Alvin) had to travel all around Paya Lebar only to be greeted by an fierce-looking, broad chested, bearded temple attendant who thought we wanted to get a job interview.
Haha, well i think the it was a pretty priceless and hilarious moment.
Honestly, if 3 casually dressed teenagers walked up to you and explained we were from VJC and wanted to find your boss to do an interview, would you think they were trying to steal your job?
I mean... duh!

Anyway, we didn't get the interview. But we did get this book. This compilation. This carefully assorted pages of text and images that can basically sum up a religion that dates back hundreds of years and spans across 1 of the largest continents in the world exactly 134 pages. Yes, we got this book. Which, may i add, would prefer any day to the temple attendant.

But. Yes.. note the large but, the book is not ours to keep. We have to return it.
This makes me wonder about the importance of this book. I mean i thought this was a book for propaganda and spreading the Hinduism faith and hence, i had assumed (silly me) that we could actually keep the book. I mean a Mormon missionary had once given me a Mormon bible which is certainly quite thick and i would definitely think it was worth quite some money. Please note that i am not in any way saying that Hindus are cheap or calculative. I just want to say i'm curious over how much they value this 134 paged book.

Either it's really important that they want it back or it's well too expensive for them to just give them away freely.

But still, here i am, reading this book on Hinduism. I really have no interest in it. The Hinduism faith i mean. I feel my Project work is really interesting. Honestly, i actually enjoy the topic and our discussions but i do not enjoy this book. This little grey bounded article is undeniably uninteresting but i have to read it because i do not want to neglect any religous viewpoints in my project. It is, in short, a pain.

Oh, by the way, the book is titled "Truth"
... sometimes life's irony can be so painfully amusing.

we had no right, we had no say

2005-08-09T23:41:00.000+08:00

National day was surprisingly pretty fun this year.

However,i am determined not to blog about the following:

1. The NDP: Seriously its the same every year
2. Fireworks: Because i didn't see any
3. Shooting Stars: Because there are probably already hordes of Singaporeans who have already blogged their 2-cents worth. And well, i haven't watched it so i really shouldn't be prejudiced but seriously... haha?! It's a show filled with Singapore Idols. And we already know they can't sing, odds are their acting's ain't too fab either

What i would like to talk about is my brimming pride for our little country of Singapore.
It occurred to me that while i am delighted to have been born and bred here, there is nothing that i really feel proud of. I mean sure our airports and seaports are the best but I don't have any sense of connection to those transport facillities. It's true. This may be one of the safest and most prosperous countries in the world but there is nothing here that is truly Uniquely Singapore.

80% of our population live in lego blocks, all our natural surroundings have either been artificially structured or man-made, and we are gradually subversing into a globalised society. Safe to say, your childhood, experiences and even your life up to this point in time, can be easily AND readily duplicated in any other country.

But reader do not be afraid because well, there is something that makes Singapore truly special. It's the internet. Apparently according to our friends down at bbc, Singapore is one of the most net-savvy and well connected countries in the world. Our whole society has been exposed to a great level of technology and that is something maybe noone else will experience. That explains alot.

Like how most of my peers have a large vocab of html know-how
Or Like how a new computer is outdated before its even delivered
And most importantly, it tells me why i am not freaked out upon hearing that even market aunties also have blogs (haha... ahsoh.blogspot?)

However, i (don't ask me why) suddenly thought if our technological advancement is one of the most rapid in the world, why is our porn industry (stop laughing!) so dormant?
I hope i don't laugh too much typing this.
Really, speaking from an entirely economical view (honest!) internet porn is a cash cow. Moreover, it's a good platform for mass sending viruses. Why has noone exploited this yet? I find it miraculous that a money-fixated and investment-hungry country like Singapore has not made a career out of this.

Considering all factors, it's probably our law that protects us honest citizens from such vices. There's probably some fine print somewhere that disallows the setting up of a local digital porn industry. Oh well, but still it's quite a strange thought. And honestly, i don't think it's too far-fetched.

But all in all, I kinda like Singapore the way it is.
The streets are neat and clean, the way of life is comfortable and our healthcare's really good provided we choose the charity organisation's CEO carefully.
Politics is erm... another story
But hey, the way i see it, since i was born and bred here and i turned out so fine, it can't be such a bad place.

I hope you're enjoying this

2005-08-05T21:49:00.000+08:00

Oh well, and so begins my first post on this blog.
i wonder if starting a my blog up on 7th Month is a good idea...

In any case, i shan't really talk too much about my day.
Like how me and junlong held a flawless defense at netball today
Or how frustrating it was going through 2 consecutive SPAs
And most importantly, i shan't harp on how a certain ungrateful Arsenal fan actually went back on his word! (typical of a highbury supporter)

I can't seem to get over this question i have:

After our recent Complex Numbers lecture i was wondering how in the world did mathematicians come up with an axis for imaginary numbers. Seriously, how? Well somehow people have managed to equate values and numbers with the imaginary. I used to think that was impossible. If it were true, that means creativity and imagination isn't as creative or imaginative as i thought it was! But it what irks me, is that this whole thing actually quite logical. Especially since the alternative axis to the imaginary is 'Real'. And that's basically what life is, isn't it? A mixture of illusion and material, fiction and fact, imaginary and real.

But honestly, i think these mathematicians have just used their super smart smart logic to basically suck up all the fun out of creativity. Teachers love to preach "Thinking out of the Box". But if there's somehow a way to measure the imaginary then there's no way i can think outside of the box. Basically even if i think of a special way to solve a problem or answer a question, i'm not being creative. I'm just using a different solution. And the worst thing is that, a teacher will expect me to use a "different" solution. And they can actually measure how "different" and "creative" i am on a freaking scale! On a freaking axis!

I think i've just rambled. Wonderful. My first post and i've already degraded to mindless ramblings which contain countless fallacies and contradictions. (Actually, reading what i just wrote, i feel like what my class would call HOT i.e Higher Order Thinking)

Well at least i can understand that not everything in life is well, ideal.
Stuff i've taken for granted for a long time can get challenged and torn down any time.
People can feel discriminated for no good reason.
And worst of all,
There still exists Arsenal fans who are an ungrateful lot! Honestly, is it so hard to support the better team? Sorry. I mean A better team since probably every other team is better than Arsenal! (i'm not targetting anyone. Any simlarity to any 4A scorer living or dead, is honestly, purely coincidental)

But hey, I did enjoy today.
Maybe starting a blog on the 7th month isn't such a bad idea after all. :)