Post 199...heck not even 200!

I heard from my friend that there's a store in Chatuchak in Bangkok that sells bags of all sorts and sizes for 199...baht! That's like around SGD8!! So cheap! Now, I need to be finding this store! Hahahahah!

On another note, I am going to Bangkok...again, tomorrow, and now I am writing this from home...YES! I'm not at work! Hahahah! Because it rained and I can't wake up early, can't get a cab early and definitely won't be on company premises on time, so I said, what the heck, half-day annual leave then! Hahhaa!

was playing X-Com Apocalypse just now to pass the time...actually more like to wake me up, and you know what? I got my arse handed to be by those alien scums! Damn aliens if they think they're gonna fuck up my beloved city, Mega Primus! Die ALIEN SCUM! Where's Predator when you need one?

さびしです

Sigh...so tired nowadays. Do anything, anywhere also get easily tired. Be it working or studying or even ogling girls, it's just so tiring. So, not much to update tonight. Besides, I am so tired now I forgot what I wanted to blog about this morning. See 'ya next blog.

At last...NOT!

Meet my girlfriend. She is an elf from the village of Elmsbury, in Midgard. She is a race of elves who called themselves Night Elves, and being so night-ly, she can see in the dark! I should remember to wear my cloths if I'm walking around buff in my house! LOL! But because of her liason with me, her father disowns her and banished her to Earth, to a little speck of land called Singapore. Her once awesome powers it seemed were also curtailed, severely. Once she could produce a blue fireball the size of bowling balls, now, only a whisper of her former glory remains when she can only conjure up a fireball the size of golf balls.

And with no further ado, meet Selena the Night Elf!

Recent photos from the Lantern Festival in Chinese Garden

Overall...there lacks creativity by the organizer, but visit wise...it was fun. Of course, it's not the place where you go, it's who you GO with.

Oink oink!
An oil painting done by myself...nice?My friend who thinks he's the ghost of the bamboo grove.Atlantis themed lantern display...seriously, they look so fake!

Another side of the Atlantis themed display.

Now, compare the lanterns from Chinese Garden with the one from Penang's International Lantern Festival.

Now you know why I say Chinese Garden's lanterns pales by comparison creatively wise?

まだあたまがいたい！

Well...after discussing with my good friends both here in Singapore and in Kuala Lumpur, I have to re-assess my interpretation of the signals given off by the world's most intriguing creature...women! Specifically one women, Jane Doe. All these while, I've read her signals wrong. Not only am I wrong, heck, I made my moves based on these wrong signals!! How wrong I was! Well, I didn't do anything overt, just that some of my moves are relatively obvious as compared to others...now...sigh...another failure. You'd think that after years of failures in this regard, I would be turned off by the whole experience...and yet, I found myself drawn; like moth to fire, in this game of chance. I keep going back for more, and keep getting myself hurt time and again, and come out smiling first, then morose, then suicidal, then laughing, then back to square one, trying to repeat the cycle all over again....honestly...why do I do that?!?

On another note, I thought up something while I was waiting for my Japanese class to start today. It concerns how we measures ourselves and our capability when confined into the expectations of others.

What I mean is this; people grade other people for various reasons. They grade them according to criteria set by certain people. How good or bad people fare depends on the criteria used, the method implemented and the perception of those graded towards the grading process. Generally speaking, there are two rather large type of grading methodology. Which one is better over the other is the point of my rambling now.

First method, I have no idea what it's called, but it starts by giving a range of figures to which the graded belong. For example, when grading exam papers, those who got a 'C' falls into the 50-70 points range. And those who got 'A' falls between 80-100 points, and so on... Now...with this grading 'system', I believe the perception of those graded are something like; "Damn! I only got a 'B'! So sad!"...and that is it. No more. No future initiative to get and 'A' because in their mind, a 'B' is a 'B' and an 'A' is not necessary better than a 'B', so, why should they work "harder" to get an 'A' which in their mind is equivalent? This grading "system" is also akin to some lot placement of students into various sporting house/colleges' banners. One house is not necessary better then the next. It's just a division of labour. Working "harder" does not entail you to move "up the ladder" because there is no ladder. That is why it's "hard". In short, there is no imperative to improve oneself.

The second method, I have no name for it as well, some other smart soul might know it, but I don't. But I can describe it's nature pretty well. Here goes...this "system" starts by placing limits to a certain criterion. For example, again the exam papers. The grading system are graded thus; "If you understands the concept of this question, and are able to complete a certain number of questions in increasingly difficulty, then you are qualified to be ranked as a 'C'." and "If at level 'C' you are able to differentiate so and so matter with their intended purpose so on and so forth, then you are qualified to be graded 'B'."

This goes on and the complexity and difficulty rises. Another fine example would be martial arts exponents earning levels of belts. The level of the belt is not a measure of how many points you score in a routine, it is a measure of your ability to master certain skills relevant to that level. Should you be able to master a level higher, then a belt of a higher level will be accorded. In this way, there is a clear "ladder of improvement" that can be ascended. In short, the imperative to improve is built in.

In conclusion, Method 1 sucks and bringing out the best in people for the purpose of improvement but is an excellent device to segregate people based of non-critical/non-natural issues. Method 2 excels at bring out the best in people by the chance of constant improvement inherent in such a system, thus ensuring "evolution". However, there will be deep seated bias against someone of a different level. It is segregation based along natural lines.

One last thing...does your head hurts now?

Proud?

I was watching a YouTube video posted sometime back about the Chinese New Year Celebration in China broad casted by CCTV during Chinese New Year 2007. I missed the live show on TV as I was busy at the time, but I got a chance to check out the show just now...and I am impressed!

Really impressed by the performances. All world class performances witch other people will find hard to emulate. I mean, where else would you find kids as young as 5 do mind-bending acrobatics, women with bones made from tofu contortionist, balancing acrobatics with style and precision, speed talking with the world's hardest language, or a bevy of girls so beautiful you could drool right in front of your TV...and they're all real with no plastic surgery!

I remember a saying I'd heard in Beijing when I was there last; "Tai shan san feng jung, tai shia san nian kung." (Practice for 3 years to stay on stage for 3 minutes.) They really did practice for long and hard and harder just for the sake of that three minutes performance...and I am amazed by the results! Six billion thumbs up for them!

Makes me proud to belong to the Chinese ethnic. Sure, we are as disunited as heck, but there's an article in The Straits Times yesterday about how if all the Chinese in the world united like how the Japanese unites, Chinese will rule the world!

I'm sure we can!

Nauseous

I was reading in the library. I was working on my homework. I had a small dinner, just a tuna sandwich. Suddenly, my head starts to spin. I thought, "Damn, I'm so hungry my head's spinning!". The time was 7:20pm.

Then, all of a sudden, my teacher came out of her room, looking flustered. I can see fear in her eyes. She asked: "Is it an earthquake?". Only then did I realize that the glass cabinet behind me was rattling. The rattling and shaking, now very pronounced, gets stronger. My teacher starts to really worry. She made a decision to evacuate the building. Two classes worth of students evacuated with her. I wanted to come along as well...but I sensed the shake getting weaker, so I did not evacuate. After ten minutes, they came up. The time was 7:30pm.

That was my first earthquake tremor experience. Read in the news it struck somewhere off Bengkulu in Indonesia. And it can be felt as far away as Thailand. So far, there are few casualties, and tsunami warning was issued then lifted. There are need for more news to be communicated before sketchy details are filled in.

Friends worst than enemies

There are people whom we consider friends just based off our first meeting, and there are people who remain strangers even though we've known each other for years.

There are friends who would go to the end of the world with you based on trust alone, and there are friends whom if you have, you don't need an enemy.

I have one such friend, the enemy kinda friend. With him as my friend, who needs enemies?! It's pretty normal that when you ask for help from a friend, they would help you. And it is also normal that when you ask for help from a friend, they will say "No.". This is all understandable.

What is not understandable is why would a friend says "No" to imply that I'm using him to complete my agenda? That somehow by helping me, I am ruining him? Am I that bad? No, I don't think I am. There are ways of saying No, and then there are ways of saying No. His "No" is not a good No. His No means he will suffer bad consequences for my benefit. His No means he's not thinking what I'm asking. His No means he is too selfish to even consider what I'm asking him.

And what did I ask of him? To help me book a hotel room using his credit card. I even offered to pay all the expenses incurred from him using his card, but "No!" was his answer.

With friends like him, who needs enemies?

Pessimist and their Optimist Views

Pessimist generally do have optimistic views you know. If not, how else are they so sure they are correct?

Hahahah! It's funny...I read what my friends said, I've heard what my church going buddies said, heck, I've even participated in some "peace" conference personally, and all I see, and all I find that is common in all of them is this: the world is sick, we need to save ourself, we will go to 'heaven' by devoting ourselves to 'this or that divine thingy'...blah blah blah...it goes on for quite an earful.

But here's what I say...humans are destructive by nature. Sure they are generally good by birth, all that innocence stuff, but by their very survivalist instinct, humans are undeniably destructive. Like Agent Smith of The Matrix said; "Humans are like a virus, they feed on the host until the host died, killing them in the process in their quest for survival...how ironic." Well... an apt analogy.

It is indeed an irony, we humans living in a fantasy world which we constructed ourselves. We believe we are above nature, that we control nature, and somehow if nature lashes back, it is the sins of all the non-religious heretics that's caused them; and that the world can only be saved by constantly praying for divine intervention, which is of course non-existent; living in our little rock floating helplessly in space, drifting through space and time never striving to break out and achieve greater things than staying here on this infested pebble...this problematic world which we call Earth, which we are destroying one molecule at a time with our very egoistic existence, never willing to accept the fact that our lives are more than profits or margins or economics or even love. Our lives are all about survival.

To survive, we need to spread out our 'eggs' so to speak. Not put them all in one fragile wicket basket. Spread among the stars...create live instead of preserving death. This is what we must do. This is what we're not doing right.

Games Convention Asia 2007 Pt2

There, my new wallpaper...nice isn't it?
Mr PS3!
No idea what she is...
My tour of duty as the Ghost Recon. I could tell you my callsign, but I'll have to kill you.
Ahh, yes, my egoistic ride.

Games Convention Asia 2007

The creator of Ragnarok Online from Korea!!

たいへんですね！

きょうのにほんごのべんきょうはとてもたいへんですね！いまおれはあたまがとてもいたいたいです。さいきんはほんとうにほんごではなしていいます。それでは、おれのにほんごはじょうじゅなります。

Really...really hard to work and study at the same time, and not just study Japanese language, but the current Singapore's Air Navigation Order and aircraft system as well! On top of that, I must squeeze in time to ask Jane Doe out for dinner lest she grew colder towards me. And on top of all that bullshit, I need to find time to exercise and play a little to release stress. Now I know why so many people turn to smoking to reduce stress...It's so hard to maintain a sane day everyday!!!

Not only that, I not only need to sharpen my English speaking skill for the all crucial interview with the government, I also need to be able to converse well in Japanese for my upcoming Japanese Language Proficiency Test in December! Now, how am I able to speak two languages full time at the same time? I'm telling you, if I survive this test, and my interview and not fuck up bad at work, I would be taking a long vacation to Hong Kong first thing!

It's long...

Let's see now:
I woke up at 7 am. Out of the house by 715 am. and starts work at 8 am until 530 pm. then, I travel 7 MRT stations away for night classes which ends at 930 pm and I'd reach home around 1030 pm. All in all, that's something like 12 hours plus 3 hours and 15 minutes making a total of 15 hours and 15 minutes I am out of my house on Monday till Thursday.

That's...alot!! I don't know how I ever cope with that! Oh I know; I sleep walk most of the time away! That explains the panda eyes on my face! And here I thought "Since when did I start rearing a panda?!"

Add in the hours of working overtime on Friday and Sunday...I just realized how little time I had to socialize and get a girlfriend! Now, knowing this...I must work harder at wooing the lady in my life...Jane Doe!

ただいま！

I'm back!

It was a hectic week. All the praying, and the kneeling and the kow-tow-ing finally takes a toll on my week knee...and now, I'm hungry as heck after just got back from my house up North.

I took some photos of the proceedings, but I doubt that anyone wants to see some funeral processions, and well...I don't think anyone would like too. :D But I can tell you this, the morning when we were supposed to start the procession, it was raining...hard. And I was one of the descendants chosen...well, not actually chosen as volunteered to lead the procession. Damn it was cold! We walked for about a mile, then we got on the hearse and travel the rest of the way to the cemetery...several villages away. In the hearse, staying so close to my late grandmother...my tears came tumbling down. It came intermittently, and I guess then that I really do miss her.

I don't know how other people dealt with their grief, but I just try to cry it away then laugh with my family. She would've wanted us to continue our life filled with laughter. Life after all...must go on.

Goodbye Grandmother. Grandfather won't be so lonely now. :)