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Monday, December 31, 2007

Home on the last day.

It's the last day of 2007 and I just got home today. What a heck of a trip to KL this time. Shopping, eating, shopping, eating, and a whole lot of fun.

Anyways, plenty of photos, and those would definitely take some time. A few cameras worth of photos to look through. And I guess I could get started on the photo-journal soon. Everything was really great, and I do look forward to travelling with everyone again, hopefully Australia next year.

But. I had to lose my wallet. Yes, I lost it on the last day, and I believe before I got on the bus back to Singapore. What a loser, what a waste. Thankfully I didn't lose too much money, but the cards inside are of some concern. Got to go settle alot of stuff once New Year's Day passes.

I hate that feeling. It totally sucks.

That aside, I need alot of rest. Been sick during the last few days of the trip. Off to shower and rest now.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

The trip so far.

It's been a heck of a trip so far. I had to start of with almost leaving my luggage behind. Heck.

Anyways, everything's good. Hotel's fine, food's definitely good and it's really fun. Well, thankfully they have an internet area over here as well.

Dinner tomorrow on the top of the KL tower, should be great. More photos.

Shall sign off now, nothing much to blog about here. Maybe some other time.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Love, Santa.

Merry X'mas to all you Earthlings. I hope that you have recieved more than enough presents. Sorry if some of them came late, because some of my reindeers went on strike after learning that they are not paid as much as taxi-drivers in Singapore.

Also, the recent rise in oil prices have led to a fall in number of people using electric heaters, so the chimneys have proven to be another tough hurdle to pass (especially considering I usually choke the chimneys given the size of my rear).

Whatever the case, I am glad that everyone has enjoyed their holidays, and I hope that all you Earthlings have a Happy New Year ahead. 2008 should be more exciting. I heard they are going to ban the lighting of fireplaces the next Christmas due to some changes in the Kyoto Protocol, forbidding the use of fuels that give off carbon, since it ends up staining my clothes, forcing me to use more detergent to clean my pants. Also, there are rumours the reindeer union will fight for higher wages to match with the recent rise in inflation. It is a shame that George Bush will carry on with his sooting practices, so I will be forced to not deliver his presents next year. Bad boy.

Sadly, you might not have your gift delivered by me next year, because the anti-trust people are angry that I'm they only one sending gifts and that I run a monopoly. Now now, what are these people thinking. They want competition. So I will have to cut some fats and be more efficient. So while I wait for my task again next year, I shall hit the threadmills and do what I ought to.

Shucks! My greeting has become a forum-style rant that resembles those written by disgruntled Earthlings on their local Newspapers! Cut the rubbish, and let's get back to the well wishes!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all!

Love,
Santa.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

I'm sorry.

I admit it was my fault. I thought it was okay to go a little faster and further ahead. And by the time I realised, it was a little late. Turning back didn't help much.

Gosh, I really feel bad about what happened. I guess I should not have let my guard down just like that. At least even if anything happened, I would be able to react, and not be oblivious to it till later.

Anyways, get well soon and I'll probably get to see you only after I return. In the meanwhile, take care and rest well.

Hectic hectic.

Merry Christmas to everyone. I got too lazy to write cards and send out smses, so yes. To those who happen to drop by, may you have a wonderful new year ahead, and I hope you have enjoyed your Christmas this year.

It has been a really hectic week or so. Touching down, driving up, driving back down, in and out, and getting on the bus again tomorrow. I have packed and unpacked my bag more times this week then I packed my room the entire year.

Didn't get to take photos this time round, but I guess this coming trip up would be better. I'll probably bring the camera.

I still have yet to catch up with quite a number of people. And I still have the entire season 1 of Heroes to watch.

I need a break from all these holidays! No, I'm not complaining.

Monday, December 24, 2007

Stocks or bonds?

Choose. A bond that perpetually pays 1%, or a stock that yields 12% and has the possibilty of capital appreciation.

Given no extra information about both, I guess it's almost impossible to decide. There really isn't much of a choice, just an investment made on gut feelings, or what I'd call a gamble.

A possibility of appreciation also means a possible crash in value and eventual liquidation. You gain sone, you lost more than you invest. And recovery is never easy.

Maybe it's true that you just should not put a future at stake just for a (statistically proven) short span of happiness. I need just a little bit more time to totally digest the fact that I cannot put a friendship on the line. Not this at least.

Afterall, if the market eventually goes well, the indefinite bonds can be sold to buy a sure-win stock.

Music: All Wrapped Up - Vocaluptuous

Album : All Wrapped Up
Group : Vocaluptuous

It's the Christmas season and there is no way you can miss out on this album by Vocaluptuous, a Singaporean a capella group. Familiar titles with not-so-familiar arrangements that is definitely worth some space in your playlist. 'Must Listen' songs include the brilliantly arranged 'Do You Hear What I Hear'; their rather reggae-ish 'Silent Night'; a heart-breaking 'Last Christmas'; not forgetting a slightly different all-time-favourite, 'O Holy Night'.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Hitler gets ODEXed.

It's been awhile since I posted a video here. Came across this while randomly reading some blogs. Great parody there.



"How dare they fine me 5000 Euros."

Something in the air.

I think there is something about the air in Singapore in late December. It's really like the smell of Christmas or something. I mean, even though I haven't been home for most of the month of Dec (I only slept in my bed twice this month), I get this very familiar feeling - something from the years before. Maybe it's just the cool weather.

Honestly, it's not as if this feeling's anything really good. It comes to me like a big mixture of emotions, but nothing cheery at all. I mean, it's the holiday season and everyone's out having fun, but somehow this weird cocktail of emotions brings no high to me or whatsoever. Instead, guilt, regret, I don't know what else, seems to be lingering in the air around me. It's a little suffocating actually. Not that I can actually figure out why I'm feeling so - especially the guilt and regret part. I just feel so. It's like, weird.

I want to sit around, feel free, let everything off my mind, and space out. I want to be able to talk to someone about everything I want to freely. No, I do not need a listening ear, it's more than that I need.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Kevlar

I hate my (lack of ) guts as much as I hate the kevlar around me that saves.

You can't die from cowardice and yet you can do nothing with it.

You're stuck, Adrian. Stuck in the same spot, like in a puzzle game, with no exit button, no reset button. The only way out is to solve it - find your guts.

Home.

It's been a long 3 weeks. I'm finally home.

Any wait, I'm leaving again tonight, this time for Malaysia till the 22nd. And yes, this IS a holiday. With my family of course. And I'll be back till the 26th before moving off to the same place, but with the group instead (somehow using b'gasm really sounds weird now.)

Anyways, I don't quite see a need to do any reflection on my last trip. Not here at least, but I'm sure I have done quite a substantial amount of thinking on my part, about myself, my life, and what is happening around me.

And thank you very much, for thoe words, for the effort put in, and I once again apologise to you for any distress or discomfort caused by my actions, or rather, the lack of it. At least things seem to be back to normal.

I did my share of reading, and yes, I finished my last two books in the last 6 days. Will share the books a little later, possibly after returning from my trip. Alot of unpacking-cum-packing to do now, and alot of catching-up to do too. And all I can see and keep telling myself now is "There isn't much time left."

I need to catch up with myself now. Not the inner one I managed to speak to during the entire 3 weeks, but the one I left in Singapore - the troublesome one with his group of friends and alot of issues to settle - like study, work, etc.

Time to go. I'll post again soon, hopefully. Please don't tell me they do not provide internet services in the hotel I'll be checking into somewhere tomorrow. I'll try to get photos.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

I'll be home for Christmas.

I'll be home for Christmas...

It actually seems just like yesterday since I came over here. Not that I relish the time spent here or anything, but it's true that time did fly - ironically despite my incessant whining about how shit boring it is over here.

These few days have been rather the same. Mostly spent in the 'internet cafe' here. Well, when you have nothing to do and quite some money left to spend, why not? So everyone here ended up playing DOTA/CS/C&C3, whatever. All that matters is time needs to fly when you're over here.

Tomorrow shall be my third Friday here - and thankfully, the last. Now now, Tuesday dosn't seem exactly very far away. Looking forward makes things seem so much easier and enjoyable. Next thing to look to, Christmas.

Suprise suprise!

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 more stary nights.

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas..

Only when I close my eyes. And oh, I can't wait. At least it seems I might have to spend my Christmas back in Singapore. The tours are all full as of now, so no family trip.

We'll see. I'll wait.

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 nights to a long-awaited good sleep.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Dream.

Do what you wish to do, expecially when you have the chance to.I'm sure it'll turn out well and you'll do fine.

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 winks to go.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

May the book save me.

It just went one more round, back to the same number, as I lay in bed staring at it's face. And my mind went one full round, back to the same thought - of home.

Damn, time isn't exactly passing as I wish it would. Okay, maybe I should stop whining about how sick I'm feeling about this trip.

I started on another book today and immediately wiped out 2 out of 6 of it's chapters. I had to remind myself of the possible book-drought I'd have to suffer if I were to wipe out my book-supply today. Joseph Stiglitz was dry enough to last me a week and a half, Malcom Gladwell does not seem to last me more than 2 days, and Robert Kiyosaki will probably last me only 4 days. I just hope that my friend managed to help me get another book from the Bangkok bookstore. Richard Robinson to the rescue!

In the meanwhile, MSN shall keep me sane. So can someone please come online and chat with poor Adrian from far-far-away?

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 more to my bolster!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Creeping by.

Another day creeps by. It's a Saturday - and I reckon that is the reason why I cannot seem to find a chat partner on msn. I seriously need to find something productive to do. Well, at least I finished one book. Starting on the next tonight, and probably for the next three or four days. Doubt that book would last long. Then there's the last book to last me till the flight home. Not bad, book rationing.

It's really quiet here tonight. No yelling, no smoking. Those people are out somewhere in the jungles, probably shivering in the cold. Poor things. Being bored here's just a happy problem I guess - nothing beats having nothing to do sometimes.

And oh, I managed to play a game of Starcraft earlier. Yes, it's the late 90's all-time classic. I kind of miss the days where there was a game waiting for me when I got home everyday. Nowadays, I barely play games anymore. Some say it's just a growing-up process, but I'm not quite sure about that. No one decided that there is an age limit for computer or console gaming, maybe's it's just that I have lost a little bit of interest in gaming. It's one of those "there is more to life than a computer screen" things.

Talking about more to life, may I once again remind myself that distractions are disasters in the making. Much like a trap, it needs a victim. Admiring a sports car on the freeway might be a nice thing to do, but just watch out for what's ahead - you don't want to die without knowing what hit you you hit.

Having said that, I still am very much excited. Its a totally fuzzy feeling inside now. Can't wait.

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 more nights! Wait. I overshot. Make that 10. No please.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Exciting exciting.

It's getting out of hand, the feeling inside. The excitement's killing me. Well, not just that, the uncertainty as well I suppose. Being unsure whether or not it'll be on time and whether the outcome's going to be as expected. But anyways, it should be fun. I'm looking forward to it. In any case, I can only wait and see. And in the meanwhile, bear with the itching lips.

Today was a rather long day. Especially with everything going on in my mind - it only makes time move slower. But then again, no complaints. At least I wasn't bored to tears like the past few days.

No plans for tomorrow, the day after, the one after that, and blah blah blah. I have no idea how I am going to spend the next 11 days. Although 3 books does seem enough to keep me busy, I'm about to finish the one I'm currently on, so that leaves two. I should have packed an extra.

Okay, I shall sign off here. To those back home, enjoy yourselves, and do so on my behalf, please. I will be back really soon. Really soon. Really really soon.

I want my cheesecake!

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 more days on a half-rotten sponge of a bed.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

All wrapped up and ready to go.

I went over to see the doctor here this afternoon regarding the ache in my wrist. It seems like we can expect a small crack at some bone in the base of my thumb. Apparently a common bone to fracture when falling on your wrist with the arm out-stretched. Might need some X-ray next week. He wanted to cast my entire wrist area. Thankfully he decided to only bandage it. But I guess he got a little too enthusiastic about wrapping it up though, it's really suffocating.

The days here are really long and draggy. It's been a week here, and I still have more than a week to go. Time's crawling really slowly.

I hope it isn't a severe crack. Even then, like the doctor said, it's been two weeks and it'll probably be healing by now. So I'll probably bear with the tight bandage for a couple of days. Or maybe I should just remove it myself tomorrow.

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 more blinks. Well, really long ones.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Time to think.

This trip has given me plenty of time. More than I asked for. And my mind's been running in circles. Trying to find some form of progress, but I guess all I have found was something left in the past. Something I overlooked.

Distractions can be really scary. They throw you really far off, and by the time you find out you've been off, you're probably too far off. At least in this case I believe I can backtrack, but it's going to be something I need to really think about before turning back. Not that the other path's bound to work, but it might be something I want.

To live life without regrets. Tough job.

In search for the inner.

The hands move, around the singular point. Slowly, as if dragging the past along. Perhaps he did - on him a load so heavy. And as they move, the weight increases. And the wrench tightens. On the heart, on the mind, on the soul. A pain he can only appreciate in silence. Appreciate, yes. The hideout no longer one, filled with his fear in the heart. And he stands out in the cold, nowhere to hide away. What next. As the load grows heavier and the hands tick by, slowly. To let it all go and face it as it is? Or to cower away in fear, in search for yet another hideout. More to house then just the body. Along with it the pain, the anguish. It won't last - it just turns into regret one day. And regret, that one thing, will stay forever.

And ever.

Music: Rhythms Del Mundo: Cuba - Various Artists

Album : Rhythms Del Mundo: Cuba
Group : Various Artists

I thought it was a coincidence that I heard some latin percussion overlapping Maroon 5's 'She Will Be Loved'. When I found out it wasn't a coincidence, I fell straight in love with it. Lifting the CD to see the tracklist, I just knew I had to buy it. If I had to recommend any songs, it'll simply be all. This album's definitely going to last long on my playlist. Go for 'I Still Haven't Found...' and 'Clocks' for something refreshing. Wait, just listen to all of them. No regrets, I promise.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Laggy computer.

There is alot more I want to do here other than do write-ups and chat. But the slow internet and slightly cranky keyboard's getting in my way.

Maybe tomorrow then. I'll be uploading another playlist. At least, I hope I can do so with the speed.

Other than that, everything's fine.

22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 days away from my bed!

Where is Nuffnang headed towards?

Nuffnang has come quite a long way, and the inevitable question has come - what's next? It would be interesting to know what everyone has in mind regarding where Nuffnang is headed towards, as well as what they might have in mind as improvements for Nuffnang itself as a whole.

Nuffnang started back in (let's leave history to historians, alright?) off as a simple third-party sort of website to help link advertisers to bloggers via their own system. And till now, they have positioned themselves not only as a portal of sorts, but slowly as a growing community of bloggers, mainly from Singapore and Malaysia, and the community itself has been very active of late, particularly with the launch of Innit. Recently, Nuffnang has even headed a charity programme with Nike to help raise funds for the Make A Wish Foundation.

The launch of Innit has, indeed, helped drive traffic to bloggers who list their posts for others to view and comment. Of course, improvements can be made to the current system, as I blogged about previously. And in addition to that, I guess it would be good to have a profile page of sorts for Nuffnang bloggers. These pages could perhaps show some information about the bloggers themselves, as well as show their participation, if any, at Innit or any other of Nuffnang's events. This would help improve Nuffnang by positioning itself as a community in the blogosphere, not just another third-party website.

With the featured blogger segment on Nuffnang, bloggers are given a chance to share more about themselves with the rest of the Nuffnang community. Perhaps this segment could be repearted, but for Innit, by featuring a Innit post every month/week. Selection could be done by any of the Nuffnang staff, not purely by NangIt votes. This would also encourage more bloggers to actively participate, and to do so with a higher standard of posts - yet another step forward for the community as a whole.

A profile page and a featured post segment would definitely be a huge boon to Nuffnang and it's participating bloggers. Hopefully we would see similar programs implemented if possible, and that Nuffnangers would give their full support to help launch Nuffnang into the regional scene as one of the highly respected blogging communities - one thing I would definitely be proud of. Till then, carry on giving your fullest support!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Is the digital divide actually widening?

The reins on technology has been cut loose; the constant introduction of 'lastest' technology only serves to widen the digital gap we see in the modern times. As we race towards an even more technologically advanced future, it is inevitable that certain groups or communities would be left behind to trod along the trails of our blazing pursuit. However, this should not serve as a means to judge on the correctness of society or whether or not technology does good or bad to mankind. This should purely be an observation that may at most, warrant an improvement in the diffusion of technology from areas of a 'high-tech' status to those we see as 'backward'.

Since the time of the Industrial Revolution, there has been an immeasurable change in the field of science and technology, culminating in a supposedly unfair distribution of 'high-tech' goods and services all over the world. As we carry on in our quest for more illusive forms of technology (nanotechnology, bioinformatics, nuclear technology, etc. just to name a few) we must constantly remind ourselves that the faster we run towards our goals, the faster people at the back of the group fall off, and more people would end up left behind.

The digital divide is just a small part of the entire technological rift that is constantly widening, with a stronger focus on computerized technology. It is evident that developed nations are very much interconnected with the introduction of the Internet in recent times, and that less developed nations, like those in the African states or Latin America, are facing a problem in getting hooked onto this virtual network.

Primarily, the reason cited for such problems usually include a lack of infrastructure, which also is brought about by a lack of government fundings to built up a decent network size of computers. The next issue we should also focus our attention on is the lack of proper formal education in these regions. The Internet is built upon a community of people who speak mostly English (not forgetting that other languages like French, Spanish, Chinese, etc. do have their own websites), and that people in the lesser developed regions may face problems in understanding these languages if there is a lack of formal education. This again, can be credited to the lack of funding in education. In short, as long as these nations do not make an effort to catch up with those who are working hard to hasten their speed, the divide will only widen in the future.

Let us now look at some information of broadband prices in the world. We shall compare the price per mega bit boardband speed, since it gives us a rough gauge on how digitally advanced a country is by being able to connect to the digital world. South Korea scores highest, with a cost of only USD$0.34. Other countries in the top rankings include Sweden, Japan, France, Italy. Countries like Pakistan, however, do not fare that well, with a cost of $80.43, and Myanmar's score of USD$261.75 serves as more proof of the digital divide. Last of all, Indonesia's score of $2,453.87 only serves to show the extent of the rift in the digital divide - 7217% times that cost.

Following the 'the rich gets richer' principal, the same applies for the digital divide. Those who have access to better technology are always in a better position to more advanced inventions and innovations, and this is why the gap will only widen further.

Fortunately, progress has been made in an attempt to help the lesser developed nations catch up in the digital divide. Second-hand or used computers have been collected in many parts of the world by various charity organizations to be distributed to nations that require them for educational purposes. This would aid in the diffusion of technology to such countries to educate it's people, and hopefully to encourage the governments in providing more funding for research and development, so that these nations, even if left behind before, can start to progress and move forward.

As we start to work towards more advanced technology, the cost of technology would be lower, and this would eventually trickle back down to those who cannot afford current costs of technology. As such, we should not try to impede the development of the digital world in the name of helping the poor, but rather, find alternative sources to help these people.

In summary, the digital divide is one that we can hardly aviod due to financial constraints and due to many other circumstances. However, this does not mean that those in front need to stop to wait. Also, this does not mean we cannot put in effort to help those in need. I believe that with a common goal in mind, and by constantly looking back to see how we can help those who are left behind, even with a digital divide, mankind can make significant progress in the technological fields of tomorrow.

---
Special thanks to "http://www.muniwireless.com/article/articleview/619 5/1/2" for it's publication on broadband prices per megabit around the world.
---

(This is an exact copy of an article I wrote in October for another website.)

Friday, November 30, 2007

The same thing.

It seemed as if the day flew past rather quickly. Maybe I just found something to do. And yes, at the end of the day, I'm back here again, making use of whatever form of an 'internet connection' they have to make myself feel a wee bit more at home - it seems to bring some relief.

Although I still lament the fact that I am brought here with no real purpose, I am thankful for the freedom I have here. Same for the little break from work back in Singapore, as well as a taste of life out of my sunny island for awhile.

Self-consolation there.

I wanted to blog about other stuff, but judging from today's connection speed, it'll be almost impossible for me to do what I planned to do. Maybe tomorrow then.

It's a Friday night, a night I usually spend out in the streets of Singapore or in some coffee-joint of some sort, and here I am in an 'internet cafe' - how's that for an enjoyable weekend to come. I need something local, and no, I am not talking about the copy of 'The Straits Times' I have kept in my bag since my flight over here.

I can only wish for time to pass faster.

22 21 20 19 18 more chilly nights.

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Unbelievable? No, just thankful.

Just when I thought I had to abandon my blog for a whole three weeks, I found out they have internet service here. Even if I had to pay a hundred baht an hour, I would, but thankfully no.

Weather's good, not too cold not too hot. Except for the wee hours in the morning when even stepping out to the toilet requires more than an emergency.

I will not bother giving a day-to-day account of everything, but basically everything here is good. Definitely coping well at least. Food and accomodation are fine too. Just one problem - boredom. I swear I will never want to sleep again when I get back. I know, some people just LOVE to sleep, but try that for the ENTIRE day. (I know there are still people who do not mind parking their asses in bed the entire day, but I am just not one of them.)

And oh, basically, I still have no idea what I am doing here exactly. I have nothing to do at all. But it's ok, I guess I could take some time to do some reading.

Anyways, I will be back here in the cafe again sometime soon. So off to other stuff now.

I miss home. Even if it's just the third day.

22, 21, 20 19 more days to sleep through!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The 'Nang It!' problem.

Nuffnang has recently launched a new blog-sharing function, Innit. Innit's basically a place for you to list your blogpost for others to read and 'nang it!' if they like it. It's really just like a popularity contest for blogposts.

Now now, don't get me wrong, I am quite optimistic about this new feature, and I have already written a post for that. But let's face it, there are some problems with such a feature, some that might require some attention before innit becomes one of those messy marketplaces with blogposts strewn all over the floor, leaving both good and bad ones to rot away in the blogosphere without the attention and praise they deserve.

You realise that hardly anyone sifts through a mountain-worth of trash in search of a gem. They just ignore the trash.

Innit is definitely a good way to drive extra traffic to blogs who get listed, but that itself is it's inherent flaw. It is like setting a noticeboard in public for people to post their own advertisments to sell/rent apartments, look for dogs, etc. And when left alone, people start to paste notices all over the place, overlapping previous notices. Similarly, without a guideline or a filter system on innit, blogposts are constantly added on, and sooner or later, you find yourself sieving through hundreds of meaningless blogposts hoping to drive a single reader or two to their own blogs. Not that my innit post was anything near a success-story, but I believe that posts on innit should at least hold some decent content.

Like how people like to blog with 'laxxxxx' and 'lozzzz' or 'hewoozzzzz', the blogs on innit are gettin a tad disturbing to my eyes and mind. Telling us how emo you got over the weekend does not help us in any way. Nor should it interest us.

One more thing, innit isn't a porn website. Stop selling sex. Moderators should stop bloggers who list their blogs on innit with titles like 'Sexy Pictures of Myself. Come view and Nang it!' or 'Hottest blah blah blah'. From my own experiece, people who try to fit themselves in the definition of 'hot' usually don't, and 'hot' is just one of those words that people term 'subjective' for a reason - usually in self-defence of their own taste.

Like in all groups and societies, there are bound to be a few who should not belong. I guess it's the same here in the blogosphere - people who simply hope to boost site traffic with sex. The blogosphere is still growing and there are already alot of debates over whether or not our children will benefit from it. The last thing I would like to hear from such blog-related discussions is that our children will benefit by learning about puberty at the age of 7.

Oh, did I mention that some shameless people actually have the audacity to ask others to 'Nang' their posts just so that they can score a few more points? It is understandable that 'Nang'-ing the post would give it a higher score and thus giving it a chance to be on the most-popular list, but that should be for people whose posts are well recieved by readers based on blog content, not on such requests.

Need I say more?

My friends, please, do something right. And as for innit, keep it going, but perhaps set a minimum standard for blogs to get listed. Let's not make innit users sift through hundreds of meaningless and five-liner posts that just happen to have slightly catchy titles. Till then, I guess I'll have to put innit on a lower-priority status.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Blogging without photos = BORING?

Everywhere I go in the blogosphere, I cannot help but stop and look at the images bloggers post and share. And I always wondered why I cannot seem to post enough (or even any for that matter) photos on my blog.

Till I remembered that I do not even have a camera to start with.

Many people have asked me why I do not post photos on my blog. And all I can do is to shrug, not knowing how to reply - 'not having a camera' isn't exactly a decent explanation. Afterall, I could, in fact, borrow it from my sister.

Perhaps then, it is the process of editing, hosting and linking that seems too much of a hassle for an internet-nut like Adrian to handle. For all you know, he might simply end up deleting his Adobe Photoshop while trying to crop a photo into a decent size, or uninstalling Windows while trying to rasturize a bakcground layer. Admittedly, I have tried to self-learn photoshop-ing photos and as you can see from the lack of photos, I have failed - rather terribly in fact.

Blogging without photos is indeed a tough thing to do. Simply trying to grab attention with plain text is bad enough, and holding it, let's just not think about it. Hardly anyone would survive a page worth of text in a monotonous shade of grey, with the occasional blue to show a link, on a plain black background, with boring content like 'Are blogs without photos boring?'

Oh my, that sounded terribly familiar.

But then again, all is not lost. Especially so if I have one or two of you reading up till this point. (Please raise your hands or give yourself a pat on the back for not being bored to tears after reading up till this point.) I still firmly believe that no matter how plain or simple a blog looks, with the right contect, you can still get some form of readership - it simply depends on the different group of readers you want to target.

No, I am not targeting geeks or anything, mind you. In fact, I have no target, not even an audience to start with. Just a couple of kind-hearted souls who offer to waste spend some time over here reading some of the stuff I post.

Then again, I really must thank websites like Yahoo! Video and YouTube for all the video sharing that help make blogging alot alot easier. At least I'm feeling assured that my all-text blog has some form of action now and then.

So yes, blogging without photos may be really boring for some readers who want to literally see events happening. But hey, don't be too quick to condemn all blogs without photos - some do offer good stuff. (I'm not trying to hint at anything, but if you feel that certain way, please, make me happy and let me know!)

Okay, just for the fun of it, and for those who really need it. Here you go. What you might already have in mind for my blog.

Well, at least it's something?


I will get a camera okay?

Doughnut.

It's simply heavenly. The soft inside, crispy skin, smooth texture, thinly coated icing. It's all that you can ask for from a doughnut. From a Krispy Kreme doughnut to be exact. Nothing else comes close.

How satisfying a breakfast. Just one.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Bitter or sweet? Inside or outside?

It is always a search for something in life, a purpose that seemingly drives everyone forward. Is it reall the case, or is the search itself the driving force. Somehow or rather, I find myself stuck in the oh-so-familiar situation of being 'lost' and 'without a purpose/goal'. It's a process I have gone through countless times, only to find myself motivated to looking for something that drives me through, to another situation where I realise it's something else I want. It's not vicious, it's plain retarded.

Maybe love is. That's what they all say - to find someone you can spend your life with, feeling contented. And love feeds you, emotionally of course. It satisfies the hunger in you for something you might have been deprived of, or that might have been forcefully seized from you.

But how insulting and demeaning it would be to catagorize love as a purpose in life. It should be born of nothingless and supported throughout by that; not built upon the emotional greed, companionship and satisfaction we might crave, and in some cases, thrive on.

Love is not the foundation, it is the icing.

Stop acting deep by denenouncing the superficiality in savouring the icing when you do not truly appreciate things as they are on the inside. Don't claim to appreciate and love what you do not. You hardly even know what is on the inside - and you love that that you do not see or understand? If you have no eyes to see what is within, keep it to yourself.

Just lick the icing and enjoy its sweetness. Don't bring unwanted bitterness upon the people around you who are waiting to have a taste of it.

Exhausted.

I collapsed in bed after getting home from dinner on Friday at Vil'age.

Woke up early on Saturday to meet Ben and Gabriel. Ben and I got some our blades before heading back to VJ to visit take a look at the Tea-party. The area outside LT5 in VJ's quite fun to blade around. Like a little rink to play around - slopes, steps, smooth ground.

I hate slopes, especially in under-passes and on overhead-bridges. I swear I'd rather fall to my death then to blade down one of those again.

Also, thanks to Ben for the wonderful dinner treat! Congrats once again for being one of the few selected films. Great job!

Here's your film Ben. This is just the start of your great career. You have all of our support! All the best!!

Music: Everything Aint't Everything - Stouxingers

Album : Everything Aint't Everything
Group :Stouxingers

Here's the other CD by Stouxingers I bought. I personally prefer the previous CD I put here, but this one isn't bad either. Nicer songs include the well-known 'Fever', as well as their rendition of the catchy 1956 hit single, 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love'. For those who prefer something slower, try 'Sometimes It Snows In April' for its dreamy feel. Want something different? Check out 'Du Bon Son', one of their better percussive songs.

Music: ... Nothing Is Real - Stouxingers

Album : ... Nothing Is Real
Group :
Stouxingers

I chanced upon this German group while passing by Raffles City and decided to stop by to listen. I decided just after one song to buy both their CDs on sale, and here's one of them. I love the arrangements and the rather nice blending of layers. Reminds me of Rockapella sometimes, except that the female voices add alot more colour. Decent mix of songs ranging from the 70's (Yes We Can Can) to 90's (Waterfalls) to the real abstract (Humanizoo). Try it! Too bad that their CD isn't for sale. I got 2 autographed CDs though.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Pacman and ChocoPots.

I could not get to sleep and so I decided to hang around Youtube. Found Pacman by accident, and thanks to Jovan for the Chocopots video. Now I'm really hungry.

Pacman.


ChocoPots.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

One more day.

One more day of rest, and for me to go pack. I ended up sleeping on the sofa yesterday after blogging. Really quite tired after blading and stuff.

Heading out for dinner today, hopefully I can think of something decent to eat. I still have no idea where we should go for dinner.

I'm starting to be a little bit more optimistic about the trip, and knowing that I just have to bear with three weeks really comforts me. Just that the thought of my currently-unpacked luggage haunts me every 5 mintues - a torture far worse than bladder incontinence. It should go off once I finally get down to packing. I doubt I am lacking any items, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

Shall go wash my blades a little. The sand build-up is getting a little unsightly. And yes, I do hope the group can meet up this weekend.

Did I mention that Gabriel wants to name the group "b-gasm"?

It's like o-gasm with a stroke.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Feels like a Sunday.

I just realised that today's a Wednesday. It really feels like a Sunday - and yes, with work tomorrow.

I'm starting to get scared of East Coast Park. Been there at least 3 days out of the last 7. Today was another blading day, with Ben and Gabriel. And when we drove past the Lagoon eating area after picking my dad up at the airport, the feeling came. Like, 4 times in 7 days.

Anyways, I'll be off in less than a week - Tuesday night. I can only wish I didn't have to be absent from fun for a full three weeks. At least it's lesser than the original one month.

Off to pack.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

The day out.

Finally back after a whole day out.

I was never a fan of doughnuts. In fact, I used to wonder hard (still do, actually)why people bother to queue for hours for pieces of fried dough with an emptied centre. But when the queue's really short and you are free with nothing to do, why not. So the three of us decided to give it a shot and wait 10mins for 12 doughnuts from The Doughnut Factory at Raffles City's Marketplace. Alright, nice texture, but I still believe Krispy Kreme beats them flat. And yes, I will park my butt in one of their stores next year when I go over.

Went over to Funan for a little bit to get stuff, sat at The Coffee Connoisseur for quite awhile while Ben went for driving, and met again for dinner. Wandered around abit, headed to the roof terrace at Esplanade again, then to the library. MPH for abit after that, and back home.

What a boring day post. Blading tomorrow. That's something to look forward to.

I need to cut back on my spending.

Noisy people.

I thought I was going to have my little break. I was so darn wrong.

You see, my block's currently undergoing renovations, and some bugger decided to re-tile most of the floors in the corridors and the lift landings. This simply means that I had to wake up to the sound of pneumatic drills and incessant hammering at 9.30am this morning, distrupting my wonderful dream - and I do not like being woken up while I'm enjoying my dream.

Ridiculous. If I knew this would happen, I'd rather go to work then ask for a day off.

Off to lunch with Ben and Gabriel now. Back in the afternoon.

Wait. The drilling just stopped - after at least two hours and only when I am about to leave home. Really ridiculous. Someone must be trying to prank me.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Kirby meets Snoop Dog

Well, for those who wonder what you get when you mix a old-school video-game cartoon character with a rapper, here's your long-awaited result. Now, I wonder if Snoop Dog's inspiration came from the game's song. What a match.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

The maiden voyage - well, almost.

After a long 7/8 years, I finally put on another pair of blades. Yes, it's the pair I got recently, and it's the first time I officially used them. Unforgettable.

Let's just say I fell again. Okay, just once, but I swear it isn't fun. Well, it didn't seem to me like it would be anything serious (actually, I still think it's just a slight injury, but my hand seems to tell me otherwise), but problem is, I tore my pair of Mambo's I bought from Aussie. Fishcakes and cheese-pie.

And guess what, I lost my carrying strap too. Must have dropped it or left it where we were changing into blades. Anyhows, it shouldn't be worth alot, just a little troublesome to go get another all over again.

Here's what happened. Met Jovan for a rather light but satisfying lunch at Siglap at about 3, then we headed down to East Coast Park to start blading. Decided to do so because Ben was going to be a little late. Bladed for almost two hours, then Sue and Marcus came, so Jovan went home, and I bladed with them while they cycled. And Ben finally got to the east at about 6 plus, and we decided to meet at Aston's for dinner. Poor Ben had to wait in the queue for us. (Ha, that's for being late.)

Blading was really fun, although a little tiring. Had to get used to it all over again. The fall really didn't seem serious till evening came - my wrist went totally stiff and I can hardly move my wrist. Dinner at Astons was great, but it was quite funny having to eat with one hand. (Thanks to Sue for cutting the chicken up for me.) We then went over to Parkway after dinner to hang at Coffee Bean and played Munchkins, and I got home before 12.

That pretty sums it up. I think anyone would find it freaking hilarious watching me type this blogpost, or simply trying to use my mouse. I can't really type fast and my left hand's doing most of the typing. And oh, bathing, washing face, brushing teeth, pouring water - all with a left hand only - isn't fun at all.

I swear I took decades to type this short post. Maybe I do need a doctor afterall.

Dinner@Astons

Situated somewhere along East Coast Road (near Katong Village/Katong Mall) is a little restaurant that serves great western food. Starting off as a simple stall in a coffee shop (the one just beside the current restaurant), Astons has grown from a one-unit eatery to a two-unit-plus-one-branch restaurant.

Reviews speak well of their steak and burgers, but due to my 'unfortunate accident', I decided to settle for chicken instead. They serve their chicken fillets in a few flavous, costing about $5.80 each, but you could do a double-up, ie. have two flavous, for just $9.90 and it comes with two side dishes. You could choose from all the potato stuff (mashed, baked, salad, fries), coleslaw, corn, pasta salad, etc. A rather decent variety to choose from, along with a rather wide range of prices. Yes, steak-lovers, they do serve Grade 9 Wagyu Ribeye, but at a rather hefty but reasonable price of $89.90 (250g).

The decor was quite decent, nothing shabby at all, and the place was rather clean. But they do seem over-staffed at times, with 3 or 4 waiters moving up and down the slightly squeezy area. At least the service was decent, and I liked the idea of having your order taken before you get your seat - no more waiting for hours for the food. The prices are definitely reasonable too, like my chicken that costs onlt $9.90. And good news, they do not impose any service charge, just the usual 7% GST.

Just a little precaution here. If you think of heading down to Astons for a meal, please go down early. The lunch-time and dinner-time crowds are a real killer. Be prepared to wait for your seats while standing on the pavement along Katong area.

Thinking of last night's dinner already makes me hungry. If you want to find out more, check out their website at "http://astonsspecialties.blogspot.com".

Saturday, November 17, 2007

A third into the white.

He tries once again, to step out of the cabin. Into the cold, into a world he shunned from. The first, he suffered frostbite. The second, a painful lesson that kept him home. Now, he sees different - light. And he is awed by the beauty of snow, the white and gentle, floating, fleeting. Winter's ending, along with it's beauty and harshness. And so he hurries back in, to fetch a glass bottle. Transparent, albeit fragile, to contain the beauty he sees. And he scoops up the white into a clear, gently removing any impurities. Then, back into the home, on the table by the fireplace.

It simply melted. Not that his chiller would help, except to bring artificiality to it's beauty and to the perception of it.

A sudden epiphany - yes. He learns of his selfishness. The existence of the beauty he witnessed lasts only because of its environment - beauty in its untouched state. Cold and harsh. His stupidity and selfishness only brought wetness.

Perhaps Spring would bring a differnce. A different land, a different environment.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Laughter - the best medicine?

If laughter really were the best medicine, this group of nurses totally nailed it.

Break at last.

I finally got my break after a really long week. Even if it's just a half-day, I'm satisfied. Wait, maybe relieved, because I certainly expect more than just a couple of hours off. Then again, what position am I in to comment on such issues.

I find myself sinking into a really uncomfortable mood once again. I feel like I'm floating somewhere between the boundaries of emotional comfort. I know I certainly am feeling uneasy over some issues, but I'm not sure if there is a solution that would bring satisfaction. Perhaps I'm only lying to myself of a possible solution to a problem that exists only because I persist. Maybe persistance is my only problem now.

My blog sentences are starting with alot of 'I's lately and it does sound rather irritating. It is as if I talk to myself about myself only - how pathetic.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Burnt out.

I need a break from work. It really feels as if the workload never depletes itself.

I hope we are still meeting on Saturday. Off to rest, too tired to really blog today.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

A Frap a week. Maybe two?

It's been a long time ago, but I quite clearly remember how I got myself interested in coffee. I happened to hear someone order a Cappucino at some cafe, and having seen the foam and powder sprinkled on top, I knew I had to have a taste of it one day.

I'm not one of those who can have my coffee served black or without sugar. I still cannot appreciate the acidity of such coffee - a little too sour sometimes. Maybe I'm not one of those connoisseurs who can wax lyrical about the difference between Javanese, Brazilian or African beans. I belong more to the condemned bunch of 'new-generation coffee-lovers' who prefer their coffees served with extra flavours or chilled. Call me a 'Starbucks/Coffee Bean/Pacific Coffee Company/The Coffee Connoisseur Freak' or anything you want, but my preference for a Frappacino/Ice Blended/Chillino/Frappé/anything cold never dies.

I decided to drop by at Starbucks before heading off for dinner with my family and aunt after work at Waraku restaurant. Ordered my all-time Java Chip Frap, sat down with a Tiramisu, and happily started on my book. I swear I could have sat there the whole day, reading my book, sipping my Frap, enjoying my Tiramisu, all in the comfort of the comfy arm-chair while watching the world outside move by. No doubt $12 is indeed quite a hefty sum to pay for a coffee and a dessert, but I guess it is still quite reasonable to indulge once in awhile? (Okay, I admit, more than that for me.)

I want to sit down and watch the world go by, with my Frap in my hand, with the music playing gently, and with my mind at ease, free. (Maybe tea would do fine too?

Monday, November 12, 2007

Everything - Not so Bubbly.



I try not to comment on people's singing. Sometimes, I make comments rather irresistibly, as like how some can irresistibly keep their notes off the melody.

"And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times
It's you, it's you, you make me sing sick.
You're Your every line, you're your every word, you're your everything."

So anyways, here's the real Michael Bublé, with a cover version of Maroon 5's 'This Love'



"I don't know any of the words to this damn song, so I'll probably them mostly wrong... bahbabababaaa" Totally hilarious.

No time to lose.

Everytime I think about how much time I have left here, I can't help but start to worry. Worry because of the lack of time left. Worry because I do not know what to expect next. Worry because I might be really selfish in what I'm doing.

Sigh.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Movie: Stardust

I must admit that I'm not a great fan of fantasy films. Cut the witches and unicorns thing, spare me the Peter-Pan fight scenes that hardly gives me any andrenaline - it bores me.

But wait, Stardust isn't one of those let's-walk-out-before-the-witch-turns-him-into-a-frog show. It's captivating. It really is, even if the plot was nothing to boast of. Wait, there is. The show's absolutely great, even the plot, one of a quest for love, of something so special, and an added bonus to that.

The story tells of a ficitonal land of Stormhold - which lies beyond a wall of the village of Wall (Okay, maybe they could use a better name), and Tristan's (Charlie Cox) quest through the land to find a fallan star to win the heart of Victoria (Sienna Miller). It is there that he learns that the fallen star has turned into a beautiful girl by the name of Yvaine (Claire Danes), and soon realises that he isn't the only one in search for the star. And through a short time with Pirate Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro), Tristan 'grows into a man' and finally finds his true love.

The opening immediately brought M. Night Shyamalan's 'The Village' to mind, but quickly moves into a mystical world and tells of Tristan's story. The plot development was good, quite an adequate explanation on the story without leaving too many points to ponder on. Robert De Niro never fails to entertain with his hidden secrets.

Great trip into the world of fantasy, and definitely worth the watch.

Action Against AIDS, by whimsicaljmin.

Check this out.



To find out more about his films, check out his profile. Find me in one of his films as an extra too!

Blades for the boy.

And yes, finally I got my pair of blades. Jovan's brother sent us down yesterday to the shop to get the blades, and thanks to my aunt, I got myself a decent discount. So yes, anyone who wishes to get skateboards/blades/shoes can ask me.

I'm itching to go test them out.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Stayover@Sue's

I've been away for the past few days. Hope that expains why there hasn't been any new posts since Tuesday.

Anyways, the gang (Ben/Sue/Gab/Marcus/Me) - we ought to get a name soon my dear friends, the website needs a name) headed to the jetty along East Coast Park for night fishing. Stocked up on drinks and snacks after dinner and headed off to cast our lines. Not bad for a first fishing trip - 25 fishes. Decided to give them away because we didn't think we'd like to have them for our BBQ the next day. Supper at Simpang after fishing, and headed back to Sue's place for some soccer before sleeping.

Thursday was mainly preperations for the BBQ in the evening. The BBQ was okay, did not over-cater for food, and yes Ben, the rice was okay. We cleared up rather early, but decided to head back to the porch area for drinks. Played games and drank till everyone got red.

Yesterday was rest day. Had some last minute business to finish at work before going down to Cathay to catch Stardust. Went for a drink at Starbucks after the movie and stayed out to play card games till about 3 before heading home.

And yes, so here I am today, recovering from my lack of sleep.

I shall be back later.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

I do not wish to die. Seriously.

My friend just showed me a video. Go watch it if you dare.

And yes, please do not watch it right before/after meals or drink while watching. Trust me on that.

All I can say is, 'please be gentle'. Now I really don't wish to die.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Lunch after a hang-over.

Drinking and not sleeping isn't exactly an advisable combination. Not quite a hang-over (come on, I wasn't exactly drunk), just a really lousy feeling - you know like you wake up as if you didn't sleep and you feel as if the time dimension seems really distorted.

All those aside, I managed to recover by the time I crossed the causeway. Headed out for lunch with the entire family to celebrate my Grandma's birthday. The food was really good - definitely above expectations of a small restaurant in Johor. The seafood was really fresh - you know that when Adrian decides to put an oyster with a shell the size of his palm down his throat when he usually squirms at the mere smell (read: stench) of it. The presentation was great, although I highly doubt the older generation really appreciate the large proportion of empty space on the plate, or when you mix a cheesey sauce with bean sprouts, or that you have banana, water chestnust and other stuff mixed with seafood.

Once again, I shall lament the fact that I still do not have a camera. At least I am on my way to getting my skates.

Shucks, I realised that my blog's been rather diary-ish lately. Not that it's anything bad.

Soccer night.

Just got back from watching soccer. If only I wasn't too lazy to walk downstairs to place some bets. 100% for tonight's predictions.

Watched two games at CHIJMES. Luckily they booked a table. Came at quite a price though. Total of three cocktails tonight - Sex on the beach, Mango daiquiri and a Toblerone. I think this is one of the nights I really drink quite abit.

Heading off to Malaysia tomorrow for a lunch, then back for dinner with the gang again. Off to rest now.

Goodnight world, hello hangover.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Movie: Game Plan

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays Joe Kingman, a quarterback for the 'Boston Rebels' in a top football league, along with Madison Pettis as Peyton James, a daughter he never knew he had, in this 2-hour comedy.

Joe, who happens to be at his prime in his sport and lives in a lavishly furnished apartment (and a really sleek SLK to add to that), finds himself in shock when a 8 year-old girl turns up at his doorstep, proclaiming to be his daughter. His new found daughter becomes one of the greatest challenges in his life, as he struggles to learn to be a loving father. The alpha-male soon finds himself accompanying his daughter to ballet class, becoming eye-candy for all other mothers present, and he eventually learns to be unselfish, all thanks to his daughter and her ballet teacher Roselyn Sanchez (Monique Vasquez).

One of those movies that remind you of shows like "The Pacifier" or "Daddy Day Care", "Game Plan" does at least dish out some substance. Not that the plot was anything spectacular, but at did seem to hold the audiences' attention, albeit being a little long-winded. Funny scenes of the daughter messing up the home seem rather cliche, but the great acting by Madison Pettis (with her oh-so-innocent-looking eyes) never fail to bring laughter to all. Dwayne's acting was also remarkable, and rather suited for the role I must say. His ability to bring out both the chauvinistic and fatherly sides of Joe really stood out in this film, and his acting is definitely better than in previous movies like "The Scorpion King". Perhaps it is also his face, or more specifically, those eyebrows.

Thursday, November 1, 2007

A trail I left.

Everytime I look back, I see a trail. One of myself, one that I unknowingly left behind. But I seem perfectly fine, nothing of me lost to the trail behind. Where then does it come from?

I feel something funny, something lost, a part of me in fact. And when I look deeper within, I see a void. Not that anything fell out. But the very self I had lost left a gaping hole for an emptiness to fill.

As I peer into the distance ahead, I wonder if trudging forward would culminate in my dissolution from within, ending up as nothing more than a mere face walking the land, with only a skin-deep existance. One so fragile. So fragile.

As I step forward again, I glance backwards, hoping to see an end to a trail.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

A bottomless pit to fill.

Suprisingly, I do not seem to hear alot of discussion about the recent slide of the Greenback. Everyone seems to take it rather easily - resembling, perhaps, the ease at which it slid to it's current state. Of course, who am I to judge on whether or not this decline is of any significance in the global financial market. Too young, too misinformed.

Countless scenarios - some with a strong dose of pessimism - of a weaked dollar predict how the world might react to the dollar's lost status in the forex market. The complex interactions between economics, politics, and an ever-suprising element of luck/misfortune bring about a financial world that often over-reacts; like a pendulum, markets swing back and forth in a seamingly consistant pattern, hoping to find the mid-point that reflects the true value we see in these markets.

Perhaps the loss of trading power of the Greenback would do the world some good. It's high time the world stopped building it's wealth upon a currency that holds no true value. Not one that allows for unprincipled and uninhibited reproduction at least. Not one that owes it's existence to the blindfolds governments around the world use to cut themselves off from the truth just so their products are sold in foreign lands, even with the awareness of where suchs funds come from.

"And if 2007 worsens as much as 2006 did our deficit will top $1trln per year in 2007. How much is one trillion? Well suppose you were to try to ‘sing the deficit down to zero’ and did so singing the tune ‘100 bottles of beer on the wall’, using the lyric ‘1trln dollars of deficit today,1trln dollars today, take one down what have you got? 999,999,999,999 dollars of deficit today’. Now assume you can sing that in 10 seconds –each verse. That’s 10 trillion seconds of singing. It would take you more than 300 years to get the current account into balance. If George Washington had started singing that song, and were he blessed with extraordinary long life, he would still being singing today...and going strong with his work still cut out for him." -- http://www.haver.com

I must apologise if today's post seems a little incoherent. There is just too many ideas flashing through my mind, but none of which I dare put to words for my lack in understanding of the financial markets. Perhaps I might be wrong over this entire issue. But if that were the case, I'd gladly be proven wrong.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Dinner@Geylang

The gang went out again yesterday night for dinner along Geylang. We headed off to somewhere near Lorong 19 for the Claypot rice first. I'm not a huge fan of claypot rice, but I quite enjoyed the one we had, except for the seafood tofu (which I did not like at all) that cost us a bomb. We then headed towards Lorong 17 for Dim Sum, which I found to be just decent. Cheap, but nothing fantastic. Just a decent place it sit down and snack while chatting. I told them my idea of the food-blog, and I guess we might need some time to work that out.

Here's the best of the night:

Marcus: Let's go midnight fishing.
Ben: Huh? Still got fish meh?

Blasted! Where'd they go!


Alright Ben! High-Five!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

KevJumba

This is totally hilarious. Go watch all his videos.


Too bad you can't find such people in Singapore. None's nearly half as entertaining as this. Isn't he adorable! Okay, I didn't just say that.

Troubled, coupled with a faulty faucet of a nose.

I have not been reading alot lately; still stuck on the same book. Probably because I have been really tired and I never really got in the mood it sit down with my book to read. Not that the book is boring or anything.

I have yet to settle alot of administrative stuff regarding my not-so-far-away university studies, not to mention getting myself mentally prepared. All I have done so far is ignore all those thoughts. And it's a matter of time before they start to resurface again, not only in my mind, but possibly reflected in my actions once more. What a torture.

I hope I can mean it one day when I say it. I hate lying, especially to myself.

And I need another pack of Panadol Cold. *Sniff*

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Struggling.

I have been struggling. With reason, with myself, with alot more. And everything's in such a mess that I cannot seem to think straight. So blur, so distorted.

I need a one-week break from life.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Waking up.

I want to wake up. To a day where I do not have to worry if I'm late for work. To a day where work does not cross my mind the first thing in the morning. To a day I can feel totally satisfied with the amount of sleep I had. To freedom.

I want to wake up. To a day where I do not have to worry. To a day where troubles do not cross my mind. To a day I feel satisfied. Where to?

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Blogging.

Sometimes I ask myself what I blog for. And I usually end up with the same answer - simply to pen down my thoughts somewhere. Having someone to read and understand what I am thinking, that's simple a bonus. And having regular readers, that's a bonus too. I guess it's pretty nice to be able to look back one day at all my past thoughts. My experiences and everything, be it happy or sad. And this is the only place where my laughter and tears are kept, always fresh and real, even years later.

Perhaps the satisfaction I derive from blogging is not something I can put a finger to. I guess it's just alot of different factors that make me enjoy blogging.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Chocolate Buffet @ Fullerton Hotel Singapore

Choco Choco!


After talking about the chocolate buffet, Jovan, Lionel and I got down to Fullerton Hotel on Friday night at about 830pm to satisfy our chocolate cravings. Unfortunately, the camera was giving me alot of problems. I eventually gave up taking photos that night. What a waste, but anyways, I managed to salvage a couple of photos. I think I should go get a camera for myself.

The red coloured thing is actually grape soup. One of the better tasting ones of the entire buffet. Not too sweet. And there's the Crème Brûlée (chocolate and vanilla flavoured) to the right. The little glass cup's some sort of a chocolate shooter. So-so, nothing fantastic.

There's quite a limited variety to the chocolate they serve at the buffet, but it was definitely more than enough for us to satisfy us curiosity. Mostly cakes and stuff. I loved the bread pudding, the grape soup, the melted-on-the-spot chocolate drink, the chocolate shortbread, everything!

Oh wait, the chocolate fondue too! Large fountain with bowls of strawberries, melons, marshmellows, and alot of nice crunchy biscuits. Free flow.

But I got to admit, $30++ is a little pricey considering you need to grab a bite before heading down for the buffet. Also, you won't end up eating alot of chocolate because those they serve is simply so rich that you'll feel sick eating too much of it. But the it's worth the experience and everything else. Nice ambience.


That's all. There's still a chance I'd go back again. Anyone for chocolate?

Blind me with colours of the mind.

The beauty of the human mind lies in it's incompetencies - the inability of human logic to assume control over emotions. Incompetent only because we percieve logic to be the only absolute truth, and that emotion is nothing more than a deception that does no good in the perspective of human reasoning. But it is emotions that brings colour to the canvas of life.

Would life be better withouut colours? Perhaps less blinding and confusing. But blatantly boring.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Gagged into silence.

If you compared the elephants in Africa to those found in Thailand and made conclusions about them, would that be a form of discrimination? Would listing out distinct differences between two groups of animals of the same species be a form of discrimination? No, because you rationalize and give reasons for differences - the survival needs of animals in different environments vary accordingly.

Why then does comparing different groups of humans seem as a form of discrimination? Are we being overly sensitive in the issues of race? Is it because we are too shameful to admit that all of us are competitive by nature and because of that we tend to make comparisons? We compare physical differences, we compare intelligence, we compare everything - knowingly or not, intentionally or not. And when someone makes a statement proposing that a certain of group of people may evolve to have more powerful brains, we accuse the person of being racist. Note that perhaps if the person had concluded instead that the majority seems to have evolved slower, we might not have such a huge reaction towards his propositions. Discrimination only applies against the minority? How absurd. So what do they call it when it applies to the majority. Acceptance? Enlightenment?

Sometimes, the quest for equality and political correctness ends up gagging us into a falsified silence - one that exists only because of the fear of a backfire or a loss of reputation. I think that it is high time we all realised that we cannot repress the inherent propensity to compare our own traits against that of others. Afterall, we just want to know where we stand in the world and whether or not we would survive. We shound learn to identify what we are questioning - the intention of the research or the research findings. It is alright to question in a scientific manner if the reports or findings are accurate, but we should not let our emotions get in the way and jump into conclusions that such reports only serve to fuel discrimination. Afterall, what if the reports were indeed true? Maybe some groups of people do indeed need to use their brains more. Don't expect a person living in the mountains to have the same need for mental capacity as one who makes a living as a stock broker.

William Tell Overture - Mum's Ed.

For all of you out there.



They should broadcast this on Mothers' Day.

Friday, October 19, 2007

Prelude No. 2 in C Minor / Prelude No. 3 in C# Minor - J.S. Bach

Please watch these.

Prelude No.2 in C Minor


Prelude No.3 in C# Major


I should just smash my guitar and quit learning.

Finally.

I cannot wait. After months and months of waiting and craving, I can finally satisfy my tastebuds. And I'm bringing my (sister's) camera along. The taste, the texture, the everything.

I shall return with my camera soon. That is if I don't end up stuck there.

Ciao.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Obscure revisited.

As I stare, once again, that those numbers. They bear no meaning. Not to the naked eye nor to me. What crafting is there to speak of when one does it without a purpose? Bullshit they say. And I concur. That with no purpose, nothing matters - same for life?

Those numbers. A puzzle? For me now I suppose. To find what should lie on the other side of the equal sign. For it never did exist. Not in the fullest form at least.

And obscure it shall remain. Like my vision. Darkness ahead - not bleak, just dark.

I realise that I blog alot easier when I let my mind flow. Where my thoughts are penned down as soon as they surface in my mind - even if I constructed them as such to be vague. And it's best after a shot of vodka in a semi-awake and almost unconscious mood. Let it all out. Save the emotions.

Goodnight world.

Be Right Back

I will be back. In awhile.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Standing against reason.

The ability to reason is perhaps God's greatest gift to mankind. A steel blade, unrivalled, that slices apart everything deceitful to us, unless the source of misguidance lies in us, or something more compelling stands in it's way.

We have an irrepressible propensity to rationalize; an innate and subliminal thought process. We call it 'finding reasons'. It is a simple cause-effect function instilled in us. Nothing wrong, perfectly fine and constructive at that.

Problem arises when we try to rationalize the irrational. You try to rationalize love. You try so damn hard to give yourself reasons why you love someone, or why you like someone. And you live your love life as if you are bound by some doctrine handed down by your ancestors. How dogmatic. And how idiotic. Finding a reason to love or not love someone, I call that 'finding excuses'.

Some things are meant to be. Irrational. Not within the domains of your cause-effect function. You might still find an answer when you attempt working it out. Irrational answers. Because you know that deep inside, past your sphere of human reasoning, you think and feel differently; that thing inside is immune to the onslaught of human reason. Because you are living it. Compelling, tougher than your reasons. And you become it.

Unless you give up. On yourself.

Some term it as 'waking up'. I can't find a word for it. I was never asleep.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Out of my wits.

Through the frame - an opening shared willingly - to the mind. I thank you. The ears and eyes open but mine shut. Closed gently, tranquil. And it swelled, into wetness, as I lived the seconds. Not living, but perhaps sympathy - an understanding. At least, what I thought as first. And when I stepped back into my bed with eyes open, I saw. Something inside that stirred.

I'm afraid.

It might not have been sympathy.

I'm really damn scared. Out of my wits. And I lay there, blank. Staring back into my closed eyes, wondering what hit me. Whatever it is, it hit hard. My guts out. And back to the Economic Hit Man till I fell asleep. And the split second before I did, my mind played a nasty trick. E.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Book: Sophie's World

Title: Sophie's World
Author: Jostein Gaarder

"He who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth." -- Goethe
With about three thousand years of thoughts and ideas crammed into a small 400-odd-paged book, Sophie's World is a definite 'Must-Read'. Jostein Gaarder, Norwegian novelist and philosophy teacher, has carefully crafted out an entire world of his own in this book. A story within a story, with much of his own thoughts and ideas left all over the book alongside those of great minds of the past. Gaarder carefully balances fact and fiction, cautious not to make the book seem too dry for readers, yet preserving all details that can satisfy the philosophical cravings of some.

The book brings you through time, into the minds of the Greeks, through the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque periods, into Romanticism, and plenty more to come. Great insight into the thoughts of Descartes, Locke, Kant, Marx, Darwin and many many more. A great philosophical course embedded in the story of a little girl growing up in her world, with a rather warming ending. Overall, a surely superb book, only that you might need some time and energy to go through it. Not for those who are sated with living from hand to mouth.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Teach yourself.

I don't teach. I don't educate. I don't. I don't do any of those - not my intentions nor within my capabilities.

I want you to teach. I want you to educate. I want you to think. For yourself, by yourself.

And if that is what you seek, good for you. Remember, you cannot get an answer to a question you don't ask.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Noise contained.

As I sit, quiet. In silence. And I speak, incessantly. Within.

The silence only serves to amplify my words from within. Resonating and reverberating relentlessly, tearing apart everything but my flesh. Only thoughts killing each other, building upon the death of the previous, towards an unknown mess that I cannot comprehend - expected of the imperfect human mind; a tinge of nihilism coursing through.

I crave for silence. I yell at myself to shut up. How ironic. Lead me out into quietness.

Hush.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Living within myself, drowned in Burgundy.

I had two years of contentment with you. Until now. I'm getting sick.
Pass me my wine. And make my day.
Soon.

Thank you.

Groupie workout and mahjong.

As expected, everything started late. We went to the gym at like 2 plus. Supposed to meet at 1. Worked out a little then went for a soak in the pool. I still believe it's a pond. It's hardly deep enough. Anyways, not bad. Can consider exploiting the gym and pool a little more frequently.

Mahjong got postponed, and we ended up playing at my place instead, while watching soccer. And everyone just left awhile ago. It's been quite awhile since we had a mahjong game together. And yes, at least the rest of them got to see my house.

Outing again next week I hope. This is getting fun. Heck camp tomorrow.

Oh wait. Let me whine again. 2 贡,砰砰胡,清一色,3 花. And I was one 花 away from eternal euphoria. It just slips away all the time. Curses.

Good night!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Dinner@Harry's

Horrible experience. Food was hardly nice, considering the price, and service was plain horrible. I mean, why would you want to switch all your television channels to the same channel and deny others the chance to watch soccer just because one bunch of rowdy Aussies want to watch rugby. No offense to rugby lovers, but I believe the staff at Harry's could at least leave one channel on for us. We went there to eat and watch the game over drinks.

We ended up leaving for Glutton Square for a quick bite. We had to make it a quick one because it started to rain. And off we went in search of a new place to hang out, and we ended up at Gelare at CityLink Mall.

The Banana Chocolate Frappe was disappointing. About the worst ice-blended drink I have ever tasted in my life (not to mention, the weird Bubble-tea store I once patronised long ago when each cup still cost $3.) Anyways, hung out with the group for quite awhile at Gelare.

Never really expected to have such discussions with the few of them. It's really nice to be able to find something we can all talk about and debate about. I guess that's just philosophy. It's something that links everyone together - no matter who you are and whether or not you have a great interest in it - unlike topics like politics or music. We did have a short discussion on music though.

And I cannot wait for exercise at Ben's tomorrow, and Mahjong at Gabriel's. It's been a really long time.

Off to bed now.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

100th

With this, the milestone of a first hundred.

I've recieved much comments from readers of my blog, and I would like to thank you all for all your feedback and comments. Thank you for dropping by once in awhile to see what's going on. I always find it nice to take a break from your own life to see what's happening in another.

Anyways, I have just completed some personality test. Rather interesting and detailed, but I have not have the time to read up on the results to see if they are accurate. But scanning through the results, they seem quite coherent. So, here you go. Oh yes, I forgot. There is a moouse-over function that gives a detailed breakdown. Go try.

Friday, October 5, 2007

Cat in a bin.

Found this little clip white surfing other blogs. Cute.



But I'll never want my own pet. Can't afford to lose it I guess.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Dry.

I realised I need to quickly blog about something now because Google's Adsense is putting up weird advertisments on my blog. It seems like they have noticed my post on Chuck and Larry.

Unfortunately, I do not have anything in mind to blog about. So I shall return tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

For the lips.

If only they weren't meant for the ground but for my lips.
Slick. Sick. Sweet.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Words of a lost mind.

Language is nothing but an imperfect tool thought up by man for the expression of human thoughts and emotions that they themselves cannot fully understand.

What is there to say then of emotions and of thoughts. For what I say is less then imperfect, and what you see, less still.

To understand, perhaps, is more than just about words read. It should be the (accurate) re-formulation of words from the source into a thought you comprehend and it's underlying emotion you feel.

Movie: I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

Try visualizing Adam Sandlers in Brokeback Mountain. Ok, not quite the same.

I Pronounce (No need to type out the entire title right) is a movie about two firefighters, Chuck and Larry (Duh.) Two buddies - considered the best partners in the fire department - find themselves in a faux gay marriage as an arrangement to help Larry out with his insurance payout problems. It looked good on paper (no, really) and it was supposed to be simple. However, the government, in a bid to prevent abuse of the system, sends someone to watch them to see if they were really a same-sex couple. A simple procedure on paper ends up in both Chuck and Larry dragged (unintended) deeper into the gay community.

Plenty of focus on sexist issues and discrimination. Perhaps the mildly obscene and repulsive scenes serve as a reminder of the inner discrimination and homophobia, not just in individuals, but in the rest of society. Great use of humour in the plot development to slowly introduce the audience to gay rights issues without being too blatant and sleazy. Culture shock to some, but it gets better as long as you keep your filters off.

A 150-minute comedy with an oh-so-expected politically-correct ending that serves to entertain and educate (still, a far cry from assimilation). A little bit of a drag (unintended) at times, but not overly peachy. Definitely brave of everyone in the production team, and good job with the ending, even if it was so expected. I guess you can't make everyone gay. Happy.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Victim of choice.

I'd rather be a victim of love and lose all rationality then be one of loneliness and lose all sanity.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Curry cravings.

You know the feeling you get when you have your serving of spicy food? You just can't seem to have enough of it even when you're out of iced water.

It's not just the about kick. It's more than just the kick.

Sometimes, I wish I didn't start with the first mouthful.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

One lie covers another.

I was once approached to attend a talk. It was supposed to be some form of 'educational talk' covering topics on wealth management and other related issues. I was not too keen on attending, but I agreed anyway, thinking I could pull out anytime. And everytime the organiser called, I had to cook up some lame-ass excuse to miss the talk. They had talks twice weekly, and I ended up having to come up with a total of 8 excuses. One entire month. What a liar.

It took me one entire month to decide to say 'Sorry, I am not interested because blah blah blah.' And the preson kindly replied 'Oh, it's ok then, thank you.'

And I realised how stupid I had been. All I had to do was say 'no' from the start and I could aviod having to answer so many calls, lie so many times, and think about when the next call would come.

Lesson learnt. Just do what you have to do. Say 'no' if you have to. Spare everyone the trouble and save everyone's time.

It's quite funny everytime I think of people declaring that looks don't matter at all when dating anyone. I cannot help but laugh when I think of how these people never seem to remain true to themselves.

Liars. To themselves and people around. They believe that is better to lie to appear less superficial then to be truthful.

Why can't you just say what you have to say in a slightly diplomatic tone. And by the way, diplomatic does not mean you attempt to author a '101-excuses' book. Just kindly say 'no' if you have to and spare everyone the awkwardness. (If you really have problems finding the correct words, you are most probably a meanie who ought to be mean anyway, so just do it.) Do not go on about how your fish is pregnant and how you have to spend hours watching it in case the eggs crack resulting in a lack of time to spare on other things in your life. Be fair to everyone, including your fishes, please.

Maybe we should re-educate people on how we ought to be honest to ourselves and people around us, rather then just potraying the 'perfect' image of being 'un-superficial'. Or let's try another approach - Being superficial shall be the in thing this season.

You can't cover a hole with another.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Swim.

Found sometime to make a trip to the club today for a dip. Great escape from the scorching weather.

At least I was able to drag my lazy butt out of my seat. But I'm now back at my MMORPG.

Monday, September 24, 2007

One-way.

I have finally settled my fees. So I just have to wait for their final letter. I guess this means I can't turn back anymore.

Maybe it was a shock. But I hardly think so. Anyways, I guess it's better afterall.

Let me sit out of this rain and watch the kids run and play. At least I have the eyes to watch. And at least I'm safe. Even if it means being in my quiet room.
All alone.

Blogstipation.

I am starting to realise how difficult it is for professional bloggers to keep their blogs active. Not that I'm anywhere near those standards, or that I even want to be a professional blogger, but at the rate I'm going, I find it harder to churn out daily posts without sounding like I'm posting for the sake of doing so. I guess blogging everyday requires alot of effort and determination. But for the general bloggers like us, not posting daily shouln't be much of an issue, unless of course, we are aiming for more site traffic. Then again, it's just a blog.

I have been delaying payment for my Uni fees. I shall drag myself down today to get it all settled. I just realised there is a clause in the acceptence letter that states 'offer is kept open only provided that there are spaces available in the course offered'. So yes, if I carry on rooting myself in front of this screen, I'll stay here for good.

I'm still stuck on my MMORPG. Shall share it with you guys a little later. Still 'play-testing'. Not too bad. I find myself back in the secondary school days, ass stuck to the chair a few hours a day, clicking and typing away while everyone else at home and around me wonder what on Earth I'm up to hacking away at slimes and mushrooms (this sounds awfully close to MapleStory, but it isn't.)

Ok, got to go. Packing all my documents now. Settle my payments and probably hang out in town today.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Book: Can Cows Walk Down Stairs?


Book: Can Cows Walk Down Stairs?
Author: Paul Heiney

Have you ever wondered if fishes vomitted? Or what causes you to scratch yourself? Or perhaps you need an answer to your chocolate cravings. If you have ever thought of any weird questions to which you cannot seem to find an anwer, fret not. Can Cows Walk Down Stairs? has answers to hundreds of questions posed by hundreds of curious people from all walks of life. Uncommon questions by common people.

This book is a compilation of questions from a project by the government of Britain. In an effort to help raise awareness of the scientific spheres, the government set up a free telephone and internet service whereby anyone with a burning question could submit their questions for scientists to answer. Only condition was that their questions must be scientific, even if it might sound somewhat stupid, like "How easy is it to fall off a log?"

Unfortunately, the programme, ran by young enthusiastic scientists from various fields of studies (biology, chemistry, psychology, etc.), had to be shut down eventually due to lack of funding by the government. Fortunately, all questions and answers were kept save in records, and Paul Heiney kindly took the effort to sieve through thousands and thousands of questions, searching for 'special' questions to be compiled. Questions in the book were selected with a high level of interest in mind, not to bore its readers.

Paul selects questions with certain themes in mind, bringing us through the formation of the universe, to plants and animals, our human body, mathematics, and some other random questions we might have heard of or asked at one point in our lives.

This book isn't quite much of a 'Must Read', but just something to keep yourself entertained. Great book for the young teenager who might be asking alot of questions you cannot seem to answer yourself. Those who enjoy watching television shows like Mythbusters should enjoy this book too.