Thursday, October 28, 2004

PARANOiA

Today was... nevermind.

I said the f-word for the 3rd time this year.
1st time among my friends.
Already I cannot remember what I said prior to that.
My friends were shocked.
"Wow, I'm so proud of you, Herrick."
"There's a first time for everything, Herrick."
Insensitive bastards.
I started thinking about what I'd become.
I can already picture them.
"Oh, it's nothing, Herrick."
"Everyone does it, Herrick."

I only realise on this day,
After fighting what I damn,
I learn now with much dismay,
Soon I'll be one of them.

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... I shouldn't be talking about such stuff.

Today I went with my family to a buffet.
$30+ a person. $150 or so total.
The food there was good.
Teppanyaki, Crocodile Soup.
Smoked Salmon, Sashimi.
Crabs along with Shark Fin Soup.
Oysters paired with Herbal Tea.

Other stuff too, but I've forgotten.
All that matters is what I've eaten.

Btw, Strike Rogue I.W.S.P (G.SEED Destiny) rocks!

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Mr. Daniel Tan didn't manage to fulfill his promise.

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I'm taking on 8-9 footers. I need to use two hands to manage certain songs. I still can't handle Max. (period) Light and plenty other Max songs on Standard. Oh well.

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Yay, JX, Teik Siang and Lou Ee have all started play aeRO.
Matthew Moh may try, but I don't think I'll party with him anyway.
Yet to find Teik Siang or JX, but at least I know their screennames.
Lou Ee I just plain dunno.
Gwinny is at 91. Mera (Argh, can't change names.) is at 75. Demel is also at 75.

Friday, October 22, 2004

Movie Reviews

Gee, I've watched a lot of movies during the post-exam status, so I figured I might as well review some of them.

Princess Mononoke: Ashitaka, the protagonist, is attacked by a Tatarigami Boar on the arm while trying to save the village from it. He then has to leave his village as the Tatarigami's curse has been passed onto him via the attack on his wound. He hears a tale of the Shishigami and decides to head that way. He ends up in Tataraba, a city which is trying to hunt down the Shishigami. He also meets the Mononoke Clan in the process, and ends up trying to defend it along with saving the Shishigami.

Graphics: Well done, but what'd you expect when it's by the creators of Spirited Away?

Story: Pretty nice, though quite sad at times, like Okkotonoburi's (sp?) death. ) :

Characters: I really like the development of San, and how she keeps thinking she's a Mountain Dog because of the way she was brought up.

Sound: Can't complain, from 1997 it's real good.

Replayability: What'm I doing? This isn't a game...

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The Day After Tomorrow: A hole is found in the troposphere and our main character trys to warn the President about this incoming threat. When talks fail and disaster strikes, he goes all out to save his own son who is stuck in a library trying to last out the storm.

Graphics: Hey, it's good, that's all I need to say.

Characters: No complaints.

Story: Quite alot of End-of-world Movies out there already, but at least this is more realistic than the others (Not by much, of course).

Sound: Nice...

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Neko no Ongaeshi: Haru is a normal schoolgirl who ends up saving Prince Rune of the Kingdom of Cats. The Cat King wishes to marry Haru to Prince Rune and bring Haru into the Kingdom of Cats. She goes to the Cat Post Office to seek help, and receives the assistance of Baron, Muta and Toto. Haru gets dragged into the Kingdom of Cats and after a long time, manages to exit.

Story: Everything's fine.

Characters: Haru is developed quite well, and her crush on Baron is well shown, like when her whiskers grew while she was in Baron's arms. Also, Muta provides good comic relief with the mural of him. However, given the 1-hour timespan, other characters like Yuki, Rune and Toto aren't very well developed.

Graphics: Refer to what I said for Mononoke Hime.

Sound: It's hard doing a tlak on the sound. I'm giving up.

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Minority Report: Precrime is a thriving concept in Washington DC with a murder rate of JERO! Everything seems fine for John Anderton, the chief of the Precrime Department, until he is chased for future murder of Leo Crow in 36 hours. He attempts to find out what is going on with help of Agatha, a Precon.

Graphics: Dude, the CGI is overwhelming.....

Characters: Agatha rocks! That's about it.

Story: Seems complicated at first, but everything sorts itself out later. The concept's quite simple in reality. Just remember, Minority Reports are made, not born. =P

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Rurouni Kenshin - Reminisence/ Trust and Betrayal: The OVA Prequel of Rurouni Kenshin the Anime Series. Compared to the anime, this is far more gory (Then again, that's because he actually kills here.). Kenshin and the Choshu Clan are trying to overthrow the Tokugawa Government. That's the main thing they're doing.

Story: The story is just so sad... ;_; I nearly wanted to cry at one point.

Many symbols are used in the OVA, like the Iris and Sakura used to symbolize Tomoe and her fiance, the Brandished Blade and its Sheath to symbolize Kenshin and Tomoe, Sake as a symbol of the mood, the Iris' thriving in the rain of blood, the dragonflies and fireflies, Kenshin's top, Tomoe's dagger, and even more in place. The story's really nicely written, and the theme of protection comes up many times. The story has shown its irony very effectively, showing how Sakura, Akane, Kasumi and Hiko protecting Kenshin from death, to Hiko teaching Kenshin Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu to avoid entering such a situation again, to the end of the story where he needs to be protected from death again. It's just stunningly beautiful.

Characters: Tomoe is very well developed in the OVA, from her sadness of her fiance's death, to hatred for Kenshin, to love for Kenshin, to her death. Kenshin is placed in an entirely different light from the righteous-virtuous Kenshin one sees in the Anime series. It very nicely shows his emotions and his love for Tomoe.

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Yay, I'm officially a Lance Corporal in SJAB now. John Ang took the Best S1 Cadet for 2k4, and I'm happy for him. Surprisingly, Swaminathan actually thought I would be the Best S1 Cadet. Whee, I'm better than I thought.

"Hey Herrick, what's your results average?"
"Damn bad lah, 69 only."
"Don't worry, you can do better next time."

Wow, the first time Alexius actually said something nice to me, I guess he isn't THAT bad after all. Yay, a happy is me.

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Chi Karaoke Competition today. Surprisingly, Nicholas, my library leader, went inside, and actually got a commendation award (IOW Top 5 out of 8). Yay to Nick, we're gonna tease him next Fri.

*To the tune of We Are Singapore*
"Wo Shi Wang De Jin, Wo Shi Wang De Jin, Yi Men Dou Yao Juan Gei Wo De Yao Yao Ba
(I am Ong Teck Chin, I am Ong Teck Chin, you all must donate to 118.)

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*Nazeda? Nazeda Otsu wo Kairimasenka?!* Kenshin, Rurouni Kenshin: Betrayal.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Exam results

Exam results are as follows:

Jap: Dunno, but I most likely got A1. Should be same with Zhang, so I'm gonna see who got higher.

Eng: Meh, B3...

Lsc: A1 o_O

Math: A2.

Psc: B3...

Hist: B4 ;_;

Chi: B4 ;_;

Art: Dunno, hopefully A2...

Geog: B3...

Lit: B3...

Yay, working on my very first stepmania file ever. The song's Believe, the 3rd OP of Gundam SEED (Which most likely won't be shown here because everyone loves the 1st OP so much they tossed the 2nd.)

Stepmania progress: Yay, I can handle 6-7 footers now. Can manage Sakura on Standard and almost dying. ;_; Hope I get better.

RO progress: Yay, aeRO's improving... :)

Life progress: Eh... =P

Saturday, October 16, 2004

Nothing...

"Life is funny.

You start out with limitless potential, but time is always shaving away the possibilities. Every choice you make is the choice not to do a thousand other things. What's important, when all is said and done, is that you make a difference. Your choices, and everything undone, have to mean something. Otherwise, what's the point? I'm lucky that way. My path was already there. I only had to walk it. I often thought even if no one knew of the good I had done with my life, it didn't matter. That is was done is all that counts in the end.

But then I died, and I hadn't gotten to do any of it yet." Black Belt, 8-Bit Theater, Episode 471: First Attack.

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Ever Snow

Ever Snow, byYoma Komatsu (Btw, this is pretty old)

konna ni suki na kimochi ga afureru...

kanashii hodo soba ni itakute demo
kimi no senaka kasunde yuku yo doko he mukau no?

kuchibiru ni itoshisa o kanjiru tabi ni
shinjiteta kimi ga iru koto...

hakanaku maichiru yuki o miteita
saigo no keshiki ha shiroku setsunakute...

koueta yubisaki nido to kimi ha todokeba
futari no ashi ato nokorazu kieteku...

I've started to get addicted to RO and Stepmania (:
Stepmania is fun; but I can't get beyond Light Mode, to be exact Light Mode Sakura, a 5 Footer. But I can't beat Paranoia Survivor Max light mode either, and it's also a 5 Footer. Oh well, I'll continue training to be better at Stepmania *Then I get my dance pad to work on legs after my hands XD* Stepmania is a DDR Com. Simulator btw.

RO... I'm a lv.70 Assassin! (: My bro's a lv.67 Swordie who's stuck in a wall in Payon. Oh well, I'll have to look for the aeRO GM. ): I've Gwinny, my bro's Swordie, Mera, my Assassin (Mera's a girl's name! argh, what a bad choice of names.), Demel, my mage-to-be (Hey, the class changer wasn't around then, so...) and Roan-Chan, my sacrificial pet who is also stuck in that wall in Payon. I'm deleting Roan-Chan soon, btw.

Playing aeRO, anyone plays that too? Rates 30/30/30, so it's not too overpowered compared to *COUGHCOUGHTANJUNYISSERVERCOUGHCOUGHCOUGH* with rates of *COUGHCOUGHCOUGH700/700/750COUGHCOUGHCOUGH*.

Whee, school's over! I hope I can enjoy my time with Mera. Oh well, 2 out of 52 weeks of happiness, (:

Lit: Not gonna do well. Hopefully B4, realistically C5.
Eng: B3, I guess
Chi: Hopefully B4 or so.
Hist: Not doing well, but my assignments from term 3 should bring me up a bit. B3 or so.
Geog: I think I can do well. But are you sure it's Kalahari? A2 or so.
CS: Not tested yet. Besides, not counted in final exams.
Jap: I just hope I beat ZQ to take first place, and beat Michael for fun. A1 at worst.
Lsc: Meh, I no gonna do well. B4 desu.
Psc: Maybe better. B3 desuka?
Art: Whoope, I think I can get B3 at least. (:
Math: I think I can do well, B3-A2?

Averagely B3? I hope I get averagely A2. (: or not):

Sunday, October 10, 2004

Melissa

Whee, exams are finally over. I think I did well generally for the exams, except for Hist and Lit. For Hist, of course, there are 5 assignments which all got around 40/50 during term 3 to bring my score up. Lit, however... *sigh* and it's an important aspect for IB too. Oh wellz. Now I have to worry about Melissa, Michael, Gideon, Sheryl, Jarrel, Samuel Ng, and a WHOLE lotta other people.

...life seems so boring without a cause now. Up to now, letting Melissa have a cousin to be proud of was my main motivation. After all, she's the first girl I'd want to see happy. Then there's maybe Ke Xin, and Yvonne, but I haven't seen Ke Xin since June (that, and I only manage to see her about 5-6 times a year), and I haven't seen Yvonne since Chinese New Year during P5. Then maybe Sheryl, but I don't know her well enough. *sigh* I don't think I'll be seeing Yvonne ever again, I see Ke Xin so rarely (and I don't even speak much to her), and Melissa only comes around for 2 weeks in the year.

Oh well. Godwin got aeRO working (I'm thankful that I've a bro who has common sense and humour sense.) so both of us are on it! Yay, he's got a 52/39 Swordie and I've a 56/41 Thief (Called Mera, ooh the irony XD), and soon I'm gonna make a wizard called Demel. Should've called my thief Reizz instead of Mera, since Mera would prefer to be a priestess.

ISO's coming along fine, and Jarrel showed my Lee Hao Yi's com programs. Turmites and Tanks were really cool (: Lee Hao Yi's a com genius for a Sec 3.

Yesterday, headed to Grandparent's. When coming down, I was alone in the elevator with some maid with a dog. It was so funny that the dog ran away the moment the door was open XD Am I THAT scary? I hope not. The maid was wondering why the dog went so fast. XD

Oh well, 2 more months to personal time with my cousins, the only time I truly cherish. And after that, it'll be school again! And another year before meeting Mel. *sigh* If only I could see her more often.

Friday, October 08, 2004

Great interpretions to not-so-great poems.

Great interpretions to not-so-great poems.

Poem:
1,2, Buckle my shoes.
3,4, Knock on the door.
5,6, Pick up sticks.
7,8, Lay 'em straight.
9,10, A big fat hen.

Watashi: What is the poem about?
Jarrel Seah: This poem alludes to the military as it goes 1,2,3,4, which is the army beat and is very steady. Let me explain each line.
"Buckle my shoes" is referring to getting ready for war,
"Knock on the door" is formal, just like a declaration of war,
"Pick up sticks" refers to arming oneself for battle,
"Lay 'em straight" means to lay the corpses straight for casualty counts.
"A big fat hen" is a metaphor for the rewards of war.

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Poem:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Could not put Humpty Dumpty together again.

Watashi: What is the poem talking about?
Jarrel: In this poem, Humpty Dumpty is an extended metaphor to one's opportunities. If a person leaves his opportunities on the wall, an extended metaphor to one's efforts and works, it will fall and disappear. By then, no one, not even the best and highest, can get you that opportunity ever again.

o_O ^--- Stuff from Jarrel O_o


"So... we finally meet. Now, where does the real you exist?" chaos, Xenosaga.

Friday, October 01, 2004

Meteor

触れてても 冷たい指先
凍り付いた 月に照らされて

ひび割れた心が
燃え尽きる夜を抱くけど

一瞬の彼方で 煌めいた想いが
愛なら 幻にしてみせて

放つ光 空に堕ちる
望むだけの 熱を捧げて

死に逝く星の 生んだ炎が
最期の夢に 灼かれているよ

降り積もる 罪は優しさに
刺は微笑に 変えてゆけるなら

散る間際の花の
届かない叫びにも似た

祈りの儚さが 求める切なさが
二人の 出逢った時代を揺らす

嘆き 光 波にのまれ
痛みの中 君は目醒めて

傷つけながら 出来る絆が
孤独を今 描き始める

注ぐ生命 刻む羽根で
君よどうか 僕を包んで

光はまた 空に堕ちる
望むだけの 熱を捧げて

崩れ落ちゆく 過ちの果て
最期の夢を 見続けてるよ...
They touch, although with icy fingertips
Illuminated by the frozen moon

My flawed heart still embraces the night, even as it burns out
That feeling that glittered off in the distance for a split-second - If it's love, I'll try for that vision

The light is freed and falls through the sky, sacrificing its warmth only for hope
The flame that's born of dying starts burns on in this, my final dream

If the sin that falls and covers everything turns to kindness, and if a thorn could become a smile

Like the unheard scream of a flower before it falls
The pain that searches for the fragility of a prayer stirs the period when the two of us met

The grief and the light are swallowed up by the waves, and in the midst of all this pain, you awaken
This bond that could be created because we were hurt is beginning to paint over the loneliness

Pouring my life into this; with whatever wings you have left - I'm begging you, please wrap me up in them
The light again falls though the sky, sacrificing its warmth only for hope
This mistake caves in and comes to an end, and my final dream continues on..

Meteor, T.M. Revolution, Insert Song of Gundam SEED.

Honour's Day

Honour's day was so boring. Geog and Lit first two lessons, and we got back our unseen poem/prose test. I got less than 10, geez. I guess I've got to learn to answer the question. After that, Joshua came back after leaving for being an Honour's Day award recepient. Seems that Mr. Shepard messed up by accident so his approval form for Joshua wasn't accepted. Oh well, poor Josh.

After that, recess and presentation. 1.12, 1.14 and 1.11 went to the Auditorium because there weren't enough seats filled up and we've already done our checkup. Meh, wanted to stay at the CPA. Anyway, Dr. Lee Li Eng and another guest of honour (Who looks strangely like Mr. Daniel Tan) came along. An invited guest is Ronald Susilo (I've played too much KoL...). After that, a whole lot of rewards and me hissing at every prefect I recognized, the thing ended. Justin, Lester and Mattheaus (or Andrew) were standing up because they were goofing around. Released from Audi, told Mr. Daniel Tan about my problem and he went to get a permanent marker for me. Then I rushed to the Boarding School Dining Hall where the receptions were being held and I managed to get my racket signed by Ronald Susilo! A happy teen is me.