Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Arcade Outing

*Warning zees post is not for the faint-hearted. Only the most dedicated of gamers get past this point. >_>*

Ok, this really isn't that gamer-intensive, but chances are that if you're not SZ, WH, Cleon or someone who knows quite a bit of GG + Bemani, then you won't get 9/10 of what I'm saying. The 1/10 is what's been said up to this point, in addition to all the generic statements I'll make here and there. >_>

Yesterday, I headed to Plaza Sing at 12pm. SZ said he was going at 12 something so I interpreted that as 12, and not the original 12.30-1pm meeting time. Well, that kinda meant I was there rather early. Me being me, I decided to head to Comics Connection first. Aeh, not much. The Kita He VCD is gone now. Why? Because I bought it <3. Then I head over to Star Factory first, since it's just one story up.

I enter. Whoa, the Maximum Tune machines are rather... vacant. Maybe it's because it's noon. Hey, Drummania V isn't switched on. o_O. Well, Drummania 11th Mix and Guitarfreaks 11th Mix (Is it 11th? I'm not sure =\) are on, so I guess there's something wrong with DMV. I go over to DDR Extreme. It's not on either o_O Ooook. I go over to the fighters. Aw, no one at all. This stinks. I head down many many escalators to Xzone.

I play a game of GGXX with Ky, And die just a stage before Sol. Wth. DEATH TO SLAYER?! Annoyed. I mean, damn. The computer's not supposed to do things like c.S c.S Dead on Time. =\ Geez. Oh well =
I look at the time. Wth? 12.45pm already? Oh dear. I head out of the arcade, and out of Dhoby Ghaut MRT. As I walk towards the PS Main entrance, I see an NPCC fella asking for donations. He asks me, and I think what the hey. I brought $26 in notes anyway, why not donate $2? So I donate two. I walk on, and I think "Hey, at least I won't have any other people asking me to donate."

How wrong I was. A person heads up to me and asks me to donate $10 dollars. Ouch, I think. But it's for homeless children, and I do it. So now I have donated almost 1/2 the money in my wallet to charity. While Kevin Wong's probably going to say that I'm some kind of nice person and all that, I've just learnt to donate, but not to the extent where you won't have cash in an emergency. Unfortunately I'm not kind, rather easily guilt-striken THANK YOU KEVIN WONG FOR INTRODUCING GUILT INTO MY SYSTEM DARN YOU. Now I'm left with $14.

So I continue on my way to the PS Main entrance. What perils next? Another Lv.5 NPCC "Plzdonate" Warrior (Subclass: Policeman), or a Lv.20 Warrior (Subclass: Guardian for homeless children) Pray tell I do not meet up with more dangerous warriors of the plzdonate class. What could be next?! A Lv.40 Thief (Subclass: Ripoff Salesman) ?! Oh dear, I've only $14 and I haven't even eaten lunch nor played arcade with SZ and Cleon yet!

Luckily the next part of my journey was safe. Hey, is that Bryan and Adwyn? I say hi to them. We talk a while, and Adwyn heads for Dhoby Ghaut MRT for home. Bryan decides to follow me around since Adwyn slept over the night before, and now he was headed home after lunch at PS. Bryan on the other hand still had time to spare so decided to wait for SZ and Cleon before heading to the arcade.

A Lv.15 Gamer (Subclass: DotA) has joined the party!

It's 12.45 and neither SZ nor Cleon have come yet, but I don't have Cleon's handphone number. So I decide to just call SZ.

..."Hello SZ? Where're you?"
...
..."Face it SZ, you're lost."
...
..."I don't think 162 comes to Plaza Sing, SZ."
...

Bryan laughs a bit, so do I. SZ has managed to get lost again. Well, who knows how he got here afterwards. o_O

We walk up towards Comics Connection, and discuss about what to get Wei Hua for his birthday present. Me being me, hath no money to buy Duel Masters Booster Packs because I hath donated 1/2 my wallet's money (In notes) to charity. Oh well. >_>

We walk down towards the main entrance, because that's where we were supposed to meet. Bryan talks about Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. Doesn't sound too bad, but according to Bry it's damn imbalanced, so. =\

We reach the entrance after talking about Marvel Nemesis and a bit about Baby Loony Tunes (It's one of teh features there at PS) and look, it's Sheu Zhi!

Lv.20 Gamer (Subclass: GG) has joined the party!

SZ and Bryan talk about Marvel Nemesis for a while, and talk about Wink, whom according to Bryan has the coolest finisher.

Bry: "Wink etc"
SZ: "Winx?"
Bry: "No, not Winx. Wink!"
SZ: "Winx?"
Bry: "Argh nevermind. Anyway, wink is like..."
SZ: "Winx?"
Me: "o_O"

SZ: "Winx? Winx? Winx? Winx? Winx?..."
Bry: "Arghhhh"
Me: "o_O"

Me: "Hey look I hear children from the back, let's go check it out"
Bry: "o_O"
SZ: "Ok"

So we go check it out. Oo look, it's Snow White >_>

SZ: "*Eyes burn*"
Bry: "Arghhhhh"
Me: "o_O"

So we move back to the main entrance. Hey, why not move upstairs? So I start going towards the escalator. They follow because Bry will die if he heard "Winx" one more time.

Up the escalator, and we see Snow White again. Oo, look, Snow White's dancing to Hit Me Baby One More Time. >_>

WAIT A MINUTE. That's not right. o_O.

So we walk towards Star Factory, and I call Cleon using SZ's phone book (IOW his diary. >_>) and tell him to meet at Star Factory instead of the main entrance.

So we head to Star Factory, and Sheu Zhi buys tokens to own at GG. Bry and I buy some tokens too.

I go first and play Ky. SZ comes over, and plays Ky too. Wth o_O Oh dear I'm gonna die.

So I get owned by SZ. I fight him with other characters and die accordingly as well. =
Bryan comes and tries and gets owned as well. Somehow both of us can get him to pixelhealth before we die, at least once per fight. My Ky could do that to him =) Mostly because of the j.H Ride the Lightning though. o_O

I head over to look at DM 11th, and look for a while. I head back to GGXX, and hey, that's Cleon.

A Lv.15 Gamer (Subclass: Otaku) has joined your party!

We get bored because SZ is taking so long on GG.

SZ finally finishes beating I-No, and we head towards LJS for lunch. Lesson of the day: LJS has really good fish and really sucky sandwiches. Meh. =
Then we head off for X-Zone. And all the fun begins.

Right off the bat we move to the GGXX machine. There's a Slayer Player there. SZ thinks he Dandy Steps too much already, so he heads for the counter to top up his Tapz Card. I see him fight one round. Wth? This guy uses the exact same comboes SZ does. Got standard one leh. I tell that to SZ, then he says he Dandy Steps too much, can kena whack one. >_>

SZ fights him a number of times, and each time he loses 1-2 to teh Slayerplayer.

SZ: f.HS
Slayer: Dash behind throw
SZ: Quadslash Mappa Hunch RC s.HS Pilebunker
Slayer: FDs the Pilebunker
SZ: WTH o_O
Slayer: s.HS Crosswise Heel j.k j.p j.k jc j.k Direct Hit Dandy j.k j.p j.k jc j.k j.d Footloose Journey (IOW Bat-thing)
SZ: o_O
Me: Damn, that's alot of 1/2 life comboes going on around.

Eventually the guy decides to Destroy SZ when SZ's Slayer got Dizzied, and left to play something else. So I took over his Slayer, and fight against Cleon/Bryan (Both played on one side)'s Slayer. Whoa, I can actually do Crosswise Heel j.k j.p j.k jc j.k j.d o_O It's like darn easy on the arcade machine compared to my #R at home. =\ Maybe stick is better than keyboard for that o_O

The guy comes back and sees my Slayer play. Then he decides to challenge me. SZ asks me whether the guy was the same person, and I tell him yes, and let him take my place in teh Slayer v Slayer match.

Cleon meanwhile heads over to DMV to play some.

SZ loses 1-2 again, and realizes something is wrong. He watches him for one or two matches, and understands.

He picks Potemkin. And owns Slayer 2-0. I convey the news to Cleon, and he goes o_O.

I go back to the GGXX machine and see SZ fighting against Slayer, with Potemkin in the advantage.

Potemkin: j.D
Slayer: Dash back
Potemkin: POTEMKIN BUSTAAAAA! Whack (Not sure which it is) Heat Knuckle Extend! Whoa 1/2life combo
Slayer: Crosswise Heel!
Potemkin: COUNTER Gigantor GIGANTIC BILD! GG ownage o_O
Potemkin: POTEMKIN BUSTAAAA! POTEMKIN BUSTAAA! POTEMKIN BUSTAAAAAAAAA! GG ownage literally o_O

I go back to Cleon, and see him pass Timephase II and The Least 100 Seconds Basic Autobass. Damn, how DOES he do that =\ He finishes his game, and we head back to SZ.

SZ talks with the guy who beat him. His nick is Salad o_O. He said that SZ Potemkin Buster'd too much, and that's not going to work in GGXX Slash.

SZ: o_O!!!! Are you a Bugis Player?!
Salad: Yeah
SZ: *OMG I BEAT A BUGIS PRO YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!*

And SZ's fricking happy now. But wah, Salad's Slayer is like wth lar. It's even more pro than SZ's. I mean, HE CAN FD PILEBUNKER WTH o_O My bro better not learn that trick or my Slayer will kena >_> Then again I only do c.S c.S Mappa Hunch *Quadslash timing a bit teh dey leh so.*

We proceed to play some GG. And own. Quite a bit. The only person I lost to apart from SZ (Or SZ + Cleon in Isuka) was some Sol player. And my Slayer could take him on decently. Wth, Slayer's not even my best. >_> SZ GGowned him with Sol. Damn funny.

Sol: Dash in
SZ: Volcanic Viper!!! Dash towards guy while down
Sol: Tries to attack
SZ: VOLCANIC VIPER!!! Dash towards guy while down
Sol: Tries to attack
SZ: VOLCANIC VIPER!!! Dash towards guy while down
Sol: Tries to attack
SZ: VOLCANIC VIPER!!! Dash towards guy while down

Ok, maybe it's less repetitive than that. But wth Volcanic Viper is broken o_O And what's with that guy? Grand Viper RC is like worthless, especially for j.S j.HS Volcanic Viper o_O At least Gunflame Grand Viper RC j.S j.D Volcanic Viper wad, at least liddat can go around 150 or so. =\

Den we own some other people. SZ owned some Isuka Ky player and a Baiken player in addition to the Sol player, I owned a Chipp and a Dizzy player. Whee I can own people now not bad sia.

The guy runs away after being owned >_> And SZ continues and beats I-No again. SZ, Cleon and I take a look at some guy playing DDR. Not too good leh, playing Afronova Light and Paranoia Light. Summore got face problem one. =
Den got girls play as well. Wth play light only GO HOME LAR. jk but dun play barefeet leh, unbecoming. =
Den I play with SZ. Wah, I showoff with things like Paranoia Standard, Afronova Standard, Dynamite Rave Standard. Actually no lah, not that showoff. See that Ray person the last time. OMG teh prozorz lah, Barhug Extra Stage Maxx Unlimited A o_O

Then the DDR player playing teh Paranoia Light asks if he can team up with me coz he's not too used to some songs, so I say ok lor. >_>

Afronova Standard, Candy * Standard, Dynamite Rave Standard, Ever Snow Light (Kena too tired lol >_>), then Kakumei Heavy LAWL >_> (The guy also go wah o_O)

Den we watch some Drummania playing (Wah got pro leh can play 90s o_O) den Cleon comes to play once (after waiting a long time XD). Den o_O It's 6pm already, and we head back.

Damn, I felt quite happy after that. I bet SZ was damn shiok can beat Bugis player. Dude, cream of the crop yo. =)

Well, not much to say now. DDR made me quite tired and sneezy >_> So I skipped teh badminton outing on Wed, along with church choir. =
Oh well, 'twas well worth it =)

Sunday, November 27, 2005

School Conspiracy

Today has got to be a pretty darn weird day in my life, yet a rather thoughtful one. Oh wait, that's no different from every other day. But anyway.

When I headed over to Burger King this morning at 9.30 or so at Plaza Sing, I suddenly needed excuse myself, so I headed over to the toilet. On my way, I see Dominic from ACPS, one of teh pro chess players. He's P6 this year I believe. Then I go o_O, what a coincidence. Oh yeah, he's a prefect councellor too for ACPS right? Hmm. Oh well.

I leave the toilet and look at the side at the escalators. Wait, who's that going down the escalator? Mr. Jason Chan. What the hell? This some kind of conspiracy to keep an eye out on every single ACS(I) student out there in Singapore? Dude, not good. NOT GOOD. Everyone, keep a lookout when you're out.

So I headed over to church early because it was combined choir and we were singing. Not that I like the song that much, but what the hey. It was a decent job kinda, but then I think I screwed up one of the tenor parts (The teenager choir boys stay in a quantum whirl of uncertainty between Tenor and Bass, kinda a Schroedinger's Cat for choir. Imagine the horror of a choir let loose. >_>

Then I head back for Sunday School, and we end early, and I go down to the cafeteria (sp?) hoping to drink some tea or something. But nah, it's not ready yet. So I spend some time walking around randomly, feeling the wind's breezes and seeing the leaves scatter slowly. It's quite a nice sight really, and will go into the next post. Then I head back, and hey, tea's ready. So I drink two cups and continue walking around, then choir practise starts.

Then practise goes as normal, and I head down after it ends. Mom and I decide to go back first because my bro has a choir meeting (For teh people who're like the Treasurers or the President, etc (Treasurer's my bro =)) and as I walk over, I see a bus. Wait a minute, is that Timothy Chee's face on the bus ad? Oh no, they've got the transport media too!

Oh wait, that's just me. And I continue walking to the bus stop.

We sit down, Mom gets a call from Godwin. Apparently the meeting's cancelled, so we headeth back together on the bus. 174 comes, and we decide to sit down.

I stare blankly out the window, thinking about some stuff and my bro falls asleep. Meanwhile, The conversation going on behind my back literally begins to get a bit louder, and I decide to listen. Apparently that guy is talking about most of his friends staying ACSian (Oh no, is he one of my S4 SJAB Seniors? Nah, can't be. Too much of a conspiracy for that. XD), and also about him keeping touch with the other friends from other schools. The other voice seems unfamiliar, but the first voice sounds very familiar. Maybe it's because I've heard his voice plenty in ACSI. Just a guess.

Oh look, my stop's coming. I wake Godwin up, and Mom presses the bell. We stand up, and are about to get off. I hear a sound behind; the two people behind me are getting up too. Well, now I know who they are. As I walk off my seat towards the bus exit, I look behind and see who the two people are. I was correct on one; he wasn't someone I know.

Then I saw the other guy. HEAD PREFECT JOHN LOH.

Wth? This is getting WAAAAAAAAAY too scary. I get off the bus, give one last glance at him before we parted ways (He headed left in the direction of KAP, but who knows where he was headed. o_O ACSI? We headed right towards home.)

I swear. I've had 3 people spying on me, in various disguises and unrecognizable traits. I mean, a normal red T-Shirt instead of a Prefect Councellor's badge, prefect tie and school uniform? Damn that Dominic was sneaky. Good thing my l33t skillz could make out the similarity in the face, physique and especially the spectacles. The spectacles gave it away.

But that was just one. Who knows how many they are? There could've been ten more, each wearing a disguise I couldn't see through! This is not good, fellow bloggers! TAKE HEED! They're out to get you!

And remember. Ms. Yvonne Lim is somewhere out there with a big computer screen in front of her, sipping coffee and going, "I know about you bloggers and your evil ways. Hahahahahahahahahaha..."

And soon she's going to capture us and place us in that very room!!!

Imagine that scene. All of us captured, and most unconscious. All of us remember an explosion of sleep gas before falling unconscious, and we slowly wake up.

"What happened?" one asks.

"Somebody set up us the bomb..." one mutters, vaguely remembering the scene before capture.

Suddenly the main screen flickers a bit, and the bloggers look towards the computer.

"We get signal", one comments, looking grimly at the situation. It is impossible to escape from these ropes.

The screen reads -Main Screen Turn On- and Ms. Yvonne Lim's face appears, looking smug and with an evil smirk.

"It's you!!!" a few exclaim, looking angrily at her. She doesn't seem to notice and continues with her smile.

"How are you, gentlemen," she asks, and looks at them, smirking again. "All your base are belong to us."

"You are on the way to destruction," she adds. A small fizzling sound is heard behind the captured bloggers.

"What you say?!" another exclaims. Some pray, some hope desparately for something to let them free, some look hopelessly around the area. All cannot do anything against the great Yvonne Lim.

"You have no chance to survive make your time," she says, and laughs maniacally. Her face fades slowly into static, but the sound of her "Ha ha ha ha..." rang continuously in the ears of the bloggers. The explosions begin.

Game Over.

And remember kids, that's why you always report to the police when you see suspicious articles. Don't risk it, call 999. =)

Friday, November 25, 2005

The Absence of Trust

An article from www.yawningbread.org that seriously reflects the current status of our society. Please just read and comment.

----------------------------------------

The Absence of Trust

A number of dispiriting things have happened recently. We are burning away international goodwill because of mandatory capital punishment. Australian Nguyen Tuong Van is due to be executed on 2 December 2005 despite pleas from the Australian government, and mass demonstrations in Melbourne.

We lost a university because their academics were not convinced that there was true academic freedom in Singapore. Our government pooh-poohed those concerns, but then a few days ago a well-regarded local academic told he how he had just been penalised -– and heavily -- for speaking and "mixing with the wrong company". I won't name him yet, because the matter may still be in flux, but I heard it from him first-hand, so believe me, it's true.

We have the Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong dismissing the low ranking given to Singapore by Reporters Sans Frontieres in their Press Freedom Index. Goh, in his defence of press control in Singapore, suggested that a free press would necessarily be an irresponsible press, leading to racial and religious riots. In doing so, he insulted all thinking Singaporeans.

In so many areas, there are controls and controls in Singapore. The common denominator is the total absence of trust in our own citizens to do the right thing, freely.

The government doesn't trust journalists and editors to exercise due care, so press controls.

The government doesn't trust webmasters and bloggers to write responsibly, so they have enacted sweeping powers (the Broadcasting Act and the Internet Code of Practice) to licence and rein in political comment on the web.

They don't trust film-makers: the Film Act empowers officials to seize and destroy films, and cameras even.

They don't trust workers, so no independent unions are allowed. The National Trades Union Congress must have hegemony, and a cabinet minister heads it.

They don't trust politically aware citizens to focus on the "right" issues, so all parades and street marches are disallowed unless government-organised.

But of course we know they don't trust citizens, politically aware or not. Thus the array of elections laws and regulations that make it impossible for the Peoples' Action Party (PAP) to lose.

And not forgetting how they can't let citizens nominate themselves for the presidency either.

They didn't trust juries, so jury trials were abolished.

In fact, they don't even trust judges to use their discretion, so capital punishment is mandatory for certain offences regardless of circumstances.

They trust nobody to do the right thing independently.

* * * * *

And then we had Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the APEC summit in Busan, Korea, telling the world's press,

"The overall tenor of society must be geared towards openness …The social milieu must encourage risk-taking and embrace diversity...In some cases, it may mean radical changes to the status quo. Such tensions will have to be managed carefully."

How is this statement about openness and risk-taking compatible with the paranoid controls we see in place? Our government won't even take the risk of trusting its own people, even after it has spent 40 years trying to give everybody a good education.

* * * * *

If you carefully go through the text of our laws, you'd be astounded at how sweeping the executive's powers are. Furthermore, there is a tendency to use broad language in legislation. Here are two examples:

"The Licensing Officer may, in his discretion, suspend or cancel a licence, as the case may be, if he is satisfied that the licensee is not a fit and proper person to hold such licence."

-- Public Entertainments and Meetings Act, Section 14(2)

"The Registrar shall refuse to register a specified society if he is satisfied that... it would be contrary to the national interest for the specified society to be registered"

-- Societies Act, Section 4(2)(d)

In the above, who is a "fit and proper person"? What is the "national interest"?

Such vague phrases leave wide discretion to civil servants to act, even in an arbitrary fashion. In response, the government says they are honourable men, not about to abuse their powers. Trust us, they say, we need these sweeping powers just in case of an emergency, but otherwise, they will exercise a "light touch".

We are being called upon to trust the cabal, when they have not an ounce of trust in the private citizen.

* * * * *



In the absence of trust, there are zillions of laws and regulations to ensure that things are the way the PAP wants them. Laws and regulations are, naturally, punitive in nature, and when a society is habituated to such an environment, the ability to function in a more open environment is compromised.

Quite different skills and assets, beyond obedience, are required in a freer space. One is knowledge and education, in order for each person to make judgments for himself. Another is self-awareness and consideration for others, so that he is able to regulate himself and sustain civil relationships.

In many ways, the rudeness and inconsiderateness we encounter every day, and the puerile outbursts we see in many online political forums, are a reflection of a society that has become too dependent on external control, and has lost individual, internal discipline.

Yet, in the long run, this is not tenable. Singapore has to compete with the rest of the world, and a rigid top-down structure is a losing proposition. Change is inevitable, and the more rigid the structure, the less able it is to respond to changing needs and times. Instead of flexing and shifting gradually, a rigid system tends to absorb the contrary forces, which far from disappearing, keep building up as latent tension in the system, until it can't absorb anymore. At that point, the thing snaps.

Squeeze plasticene and it yields. Squeeze a ceramic bowl, and at first it doesn't, but at some point, it just breaks irreparably.

This being Singapore, perhaps a better example would be from the realm of economics. Take fixed exchange rates and floating ones.

Prior to July 1997, Thailand had a fixed exchange rate, at Baht 25 to US$1. For a few years, lulled by the apparent stability of the exchange rate (now we know it was just an illusion that came out of policy rigidity), plenty of Thai businesses borrowed from abroad. Their loans were mostly denominated in US Dollars and were of relatively short term too. They borrowed for all kinds of industrial and property development projects that would only yield a return over the long term.

But many of these projects were grossly underutilised as businesses were over-investing. Furthermore, the terms of trade were steadily moving against Thailand with the opening of China.

Smart financial outfits saw the adverse trend and started to pull their funds out of Thailand. They started to sell their unwanted Thai Bahts for hard currencies, such as the US Dollar. Since the policy was to maintain a fixed exchange rate, the bank of Thailand (BOT), the country's central bank, had to redeem all these Bahts -– at 25 to a Dollar -- and pay out in foreign currencies.

As the outflow increased, it became a virtual stampede. And still the BOT had to live up to its obligation to buy the Baht. Eventually, the bank ran out of money and the government had to agree, on 2 July 1997, to let the exchange rate float.

The BOT spent a total of US$32 – 33 billion between January and August 1997, in an attempt to hold the fixed value of the Baht and later, to moderate its fall. The country's foreign reserves were emptied. The amount spent was about 18% of the entire country's entire GDP of US$185 billion for the preceding year, 1996. That is to say, 18% of each and every Thai resident's work and effort in 1996 was spent fruitlessly in defending national pride.

The Baht fell from 25 per US$ (the old fixed rate) to 58 per US$ in January 1998, its lowest point. It crashed to less than half its old value.

When the system could no longer hold and the Baht crashed, thousands of businesses were caught with foreign currency loans that, in local Baht terms, suddenly doubled in value, with repayment due soon. As a result, many businesses went bankrupt. Other firms, dependent on imported raw or semi-finished materials, could no longer afford to import them, and went belly-up too.

The Thai economy of 1998 shrank 10.5% from 1997, and millions lost their jobs.

Singapore through this period had a floating exchange rate. Our central bank didn't have to defend any particular rate for the Singapore Dollar. We had a flexible system that could adjust with the circumstances, and while our economy also suffered because we had trade and investment links with our neighbours, the pain we felt was nowhere near that of the Thais.

Most important of all, we didn't spend billions defending national pride.

* * * * *

The amazing thing is how, for a country that is so adept at coping with change in economics, we are so blindly rigid in other areas, such as the social and the political.

It may be more difficult to quantify the price we pay for rigidity, but pay we do. Brands have value, and accountants call that line item "goodwill" in a company's accounts.

Do foreigners think less of us? Do our diplomats have less influence because others are less keen to be associated with us? Do we lose investments, especially in the soft industries that need freedom from censorship, e.g. film-making? For instance, are we dishing out higher subsidies to attract those film-makers who are willing to shoot their movies here, to make up for those who shun us?

Do our companies, such as Singtel and Singapore Airlines, have a harder time winning acquisitions or traffic rights abroad? Do they have to over-pay to get their way?

With the stink attached to our name, is there a loss in efficiency in every dollar we spend trying to recruit foreign talent? That is to say, if we spent $10 million on a campaign that managed to woo 50 professionals, might we have needed to spend only $5 million to woo the same number, if Singapore didn't have such bad press?

Do we lose our own talent? Consider this: there is a steady outflow of Singaporeans migrating to other countries. Has anyone quantified it? How much have we spent educating them, only to lose their brains and skills to another country?

The amount of goodwill we burn to salve the PAP's pride and paranoia, is enormous. And eventually, change will overtake it anyway -– it's an inevitability of history. But when that happens, will our political landscape look like Thailand's economy in 1998? Will our political institutions, and societal stability, collapse into ruins, because the PAP has bullheadedly tried to sustain a rigid policy for too long?

© Yawning Bread

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Christmas

Look at Junction 8. Look at West Mall. Look at Takashimaya. What do all have in common? A big fat christmas tree taller than 2 stories. >_> What does that mean? It's time for consumerism and guilt to kick in. Just imagine a poster showing an NTUC Fairprice Cashier pointing at you and going "We want YOU to buy Christmas Presents from NTUC." a la Uncle Sam. Damn, I can just picture random Agent Bengs walking around in Takashimaya and injecting full syringes of Guilt Syrup making people feel bad about not buying enough gifts for their loved ones, not-so-loved ones, and despised ones. ph34r w1ff gr8 ph34r!

CHR157M4571M3 33Z H33R!!!!!!!!!!!! *DUN DUN DUN*

Ok, I'm kinda bored. >_>

And somewhat depressed too, since I don't actually have anyone to give Christmas gifts to, save you readers, and my classmates. Sure, that's quite a bit, but I don't actually give Christmas gifts to anyone save Gid (A few years back. Yu Min too.)

What makes this year worse than the past?

Neither Gwin, nor Matt, nor Mel will be here. DUN DUN DUN ph34r | w331 4n657z0rz d15 y33r >_>

But really, it's quite a depressing thing. >_>

But that's not the point, right.

Christmas marks the coming of another year. Ok, technically New Year's Eve does that, but Christmas foreshadows it.

Looking back, I've had an absolutely great class. But will I have such a good class next year? Probably not. Right now I'm not sure whether it was the right choice to go 3.9 instead of 3.10. But if my predictions are right, 3.10 will be THE Sec 3 GE class next year, just as 2.12 was this year. Not 3.9 and not 3.8. =\ Oh well.

In fact, I think I've more close friends in 3.10 than 3.9. Lemme count. >_>

3.9: Jarr, Kevins, Shaun, ZQ.
3.10: Gid, Mike, JY, SZ, WH.

o_O Ok, it's equal. But then there's another prob. I kinda tend to hang out with the more zany gang, and most of them are headed for 3.10 instead. Look JY, SZ, WH, Hen, Josh, etc. Says something, doesn't it? I probably can't live 3.9 through as I did 2.12. >_> AND I'm classchair too. Argh, I actually HAVE TO SET AN EXAMPLE >_<

But THAT'S not the point.

I really wonder about this year. Have I been a good vice-chair? Some say yes, I doubt their sanity. Have I been a good brother? Hmm >_> Have I been a good friend? Hmm >_> Have I been a good student to Ms. Lim Chiou Yan? Wu3 Ye4 Jing1 Ling2 >_> A good student in general? HMMM I WONDER >_>

Have I changed much this year? Definitely. In Desaru, when I beat Bryan and Sidhant so easily on my 1st try at the hotel miniarcade, I thought I was going to be the best among them. THEN SZ CAME. It was an eye-opener. >_> My pride has fallen BUT MY SPIRIT FOR FIGHTER GAMES HAS BEEN REKINDLED! Seriously. >_>

I have been opened to the sights of actual DDR that's not just Stepmania.
I've managed to ascend yet another level of Stepmania on the path to l33t Stepmania skillz >_>
I've been opened to the awesomeness that as Guilty Gear.
I've had the great experience of OM and widened my horizons to beyond Singapore. And I remember how much fun pin-trading was.
I've made many freindships and have understood that language barriers can be overcome, as has been proven in the International Youth Exchange in Hokkaido ~Yume Mintara~. Damn, that's one of the best things I've ever gone through, and IMO I preferred it to OM.
I've learnt this year that friendship > fun, and for myself I prefer serenity to hip stuff.
I've learnt that life loves to make fun of my NAPHA grades. >_>
I've learnt this year to be serious when I play games >_>
I've learnt that being a chairman isn't easy, and neither's being a prefect >_>
I've learnt that responsibility must actually be treated as responsibility >_>

And coming this Christmas, will come another year. I remember last year, when I was staring at the screen just a few days before 2005 started, I was writing "OWARANAI NO ASHITA HE!" I remember last year I still saw Melissa as Mera. Times sure have changed, haven't they? Just one year...

And every single year, such big changes take place. Why? Because each and every year is three hundred and sixty five days, give but not take one. And each of the 365 days is carefully spent with family, friends, self, and many other aspects of life. And each hour, each minute, each second, people change. And each year, people change. And eternally, people change. Indeed, change has so far been the only constant, and will be for far longer than any can estimate.

Quite sad, isn't it? Most of us would wish to stay as we are, forever. We're all afraid of change. I don't want to see my brother leave for NS. I don't want to change my class, nor my teacher. Selfish, but that's human nature! Yet as people vainly fight against change, some begin to understand and accept it, and that's what all of us kinda eventually do.

Haiz, yet here we all are, bound to the present with memories of the past and worries of the future. And that's not going to change much. Indeed, there's one thing to say to this.

Owaranai No Ashita He. =)

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=\ My posts have become rather incoherent lately and even more fragmentated than it used to. Guess the holidays do some stuff to your head, huh. =\

Monday, November 21, 2005

Meme

Wow, I'm doing a meme. If you know me, that's pretty darn rare, ain't it >_> Oh well, every currently-blogging fella here has done it, save me I guess >_>

1. Name: Herrick, yo.

2. Single or Taken: Single.

3. Sex: Male.

4. Birthday: Aug 1, 1991

5. Siblings: Godwin, teh awesomez, and Cindy, also teh awesomez. >_>

6. Hair Colour: Black.

7. Eye Colour: Black.

8. Shoe Size: USA 8.5 - 9

9. Height: 171cm or so I believe. >_>

10. Any tattoos or piercings?: Nope.

S p e c i f i c s

1. Do you do drugs?: Chocolate a drug? Else no. >_>

2. What kind of shampoo do you use?: Any brand, I'm kinda wishy-washy. >_>

3. What are you most scared of?: Uhh. Rejection, and loneliness I guess. I dislike what most others are scared of, but I'm not exactly scared of it myself. >_>

4. Who is the last person that called you?: Yu Min.

5. Where do you want to get married?: Hmm. Anywhere, really. >_>

6. How many buddies are online right now?: 16, 11 of which are ACSians.

7. What would you change about yourself?: Lawl. Face and hair I suppose. That's not much about me I dislike >_> Oh yeah, now I know one. My addictions >_>

F a v o r i t e (s)

1. Colour Any shade of: Blue/Black/Green. >_>

2. Food: Anything really >_> Unless you mean anything edible, then chocolate/burgers. You can't go wrong with those >_>

3. Boys’ names: My own, and my nicknames >_>

4. Girls’ names: Uhh, any, really.

5. Subjects in school?: In the future probably philosophy. Currently? No preference >_>

6. Animals: Squirrels / Rabbits. Cats are meh >_>

7. Sports: Basketball/Badminton. Do non-physical sports count too? If so then Pool. >_>

H a v e y o u e v e r ?

1. Given anyone a bath?: Uhh, nearly did that to Kitty, else no >_>

2. Smoked?: Nope.

3. Bungee jumped?: Nope, sounds fun though.

4. Made yourself throw up?: Once or twice.

5. Skinny dipped?: Whatever that is o_O

6. Ever been in love?: >_> who hasn't?

7. Made yourself cry to get out of trouble?: I did get out of trouble by crying once, but that wasn't deliberate. >_>

8. Eaten a lemon in its entirety?: Save the skin. =
9. Run away from home?: Twice. LAWL >_> Thinking about it now those attempts were demn farnee >_> None lasted more than 1/2 an hour >_>

10. Cried when someone died?: Nope. >_>

11. Lied?: Who hasn't >_>

12. Fallen for your best friend?: All guys and I'm not Darren Wee sorry. >_>

13. Been rejected?: Never even got to a state like that >_>

14. Rejected someone?: Never got the chance to XD

15. Used someone?: Uh, with his permission. >_>

16. Done something you regret?: Who hasn't >_>

C u r r e n t

Clothes: Dark blue singlet >_>

Music: Anime >_>

Make-up: I'm not a girl >_>

Annoyance: Gwin leaving for NS.

Smell: Myself. >_>

Favourite Group: Uhh, none? Nami Tamaki ain't a group >_>

Desktop Picture: A picture of Flonne with the words "Life is good" on it. =)

Book you're reading: C.L.Ten's Was Mill a Liberal? (Mill's a philosopher >_>) (C.L.Ten is teh HoD for the Department of Philosophy at NUS. >_<)

Colour of Toenails: Normal. I don't use nail polish.

L a s t p e r s o n

You touched: Myself >_>

Hugged: Uhh not sure. Haven't done that in some time. The group hug during the last day of school I guess.

You instant messaged: SZ

You yelled at: KW

You kissed: Uhh, too long ago to remember.

A r e y o u ?

Open-minded: Quite.

Arrogant: Subconsciously I suppose. I don't think I'm arrogant, but my bro says I'm fricking egoistic, so. =
Insecure: Somewhat.

Random: Uhh, not as bad as Zhang.

Hungry: Usually. >_>

Moody: Lawl. Very misunderstood here >_> Usually no >_>

Organized: LAWL no.

Difficult: Quite.

Attractive: LAWL No. The thought itself makrs me wanna laugh. XD

R A N D O M

In the morning I am: Depends on whether I wake up before my dad wakes me up, or after. Alert for the former, groggy for the latter. >_>

Love is: Overrated. Seriously, you guys all make it seem like Love is teh No.1 Solution to every single thing on Earth. Come on, love screws people up REAL bad too, y'know. I know at least one friend who suffered from that. Come on, you all are making love sound too perfect, when it ain't.

I dream about: I rarely dream. And usually it's quite random stuff.

O p p o s i t e s e x

What do you notice first: Their words, and personality. Looks 3rd.

Makes you laugh the most: Life and its inhabitants. >_>

Makes you smile: Things that are actually sweet (IOW kawaii/cute things don't count)

D o y o u e v e r

Sit on the internet all night waiting for that someone special to IM you?: Do I HAVE that special someone in the first place? >_>

Wish you were a member of the opposite sex?: At times. It'd be pretty interesting seeing life from a different PoW.

Wish you were younger: Hahaha. No, but I wish my age would stay this way. >_>

Cried because someone said something to you?: Well, this is weird. It implies that he said something mean to me, but I haven't cried because of that. I've cried when someone talked to me before, but that's not out of meanness.

N u m b e r

Of times I have had my heart broken: LAWL. Once? Hmm.

Of hearts I have broken: LAWL. You think someone would let ME break their heart?

Of guys I've kissed: Uhh none that I can remember.

Of girls I've kissed: Not sure of the exact number, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't exceed 3. Or 2 for that matter >_>

Of continents I have lived in: 1.

Of CDs I own: Lawl. 0 >_>

F i n a l Q u e s t i o n s

1. Do you like filling these out?: Depends. Some actually make you think. This one obviously doesn't. >_>

2. Gold or silver?: Silver.

3. What was the last movie you watched?: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

4. Favourite cartoon/anime?: Kita He, Last Exile, RK Reminiscence, a few more, but I can't remember.

5. What did you have for breakfast this morning?: Fried noodles along with yesterday's leftovers.

6. Who would you love being locked in a room with?: Uh, the usual I guess. Friends/Family/Possible significant partner XD

7. Could you live without your computer?: Hmm. Depends on who I'm with. Otherwise no.

8. Would you colour your hair?: Dark brown at most.

9. Could you ever get off the computer?: Not permanently.

10. Habla espanol?: Whatever that means, >_> Probably no.

11. How many people are on your buddy list?: 87.

12. Drink Alcohol?: A glass of wine, a sip of Tiger, a bunch of Jolly Shandy.

13. Your name spelled backwards?: Kcirreh. I would pronounce it Ki-rei or See-reh. >_>

14. Where were your parents born?: Malaysia.

15. Have you ever moved?: Nope.

16. What's your favourite place to go?: None really.

17. Is your bed is a Single, Double, Queen or King?: King-size airbed. After tossing the 10+ yr old Queen-sized mattress my parents used before giving to me. >_> Haveta pump it up every one or two days.

18. What's your favourite sport to play?: Basketball/Badminton/Pool.

19. How many kids do you want?: Who knows.

20. Type of music you dislike most?: Rap and Heavy Metal. I can take most other music otherwise.

21. Colour of your school bag?: Blue. It's so old I'll probably have to toss it though.

22. Do you have cable?: Yep.

23. Favourite 80's song?: Jailhouse Rock yo.

24. Ever prank called anybody?: Nope.

25. Ever get a parking ticket?: Don't drive yet.

26. Would you go bungee jumping or sky diving?: Bungee Jumping. You get to see better stuff. Skydiving's surrounded by nothing save blue and white.

27. Furthest place you have ever been?: America and Japan.

28. Ever bowl a 300?: LAWL no.

29. What's your favourite comic strip?: Dilbert, Garfield and Peanuts.

30. Do you really know all the words to your national anthem?: Yes. Meaning is a different matter >_>

31. Bath or Shower?: Bath.

32. Best movie you've seen in the past month?: Uhh, I've no choice but to say HP4 because I haven't seen a really good movie this month. Neither Sky High nor HP4 were as good as I hoped they would be =
33. Favourite pizza topping?: Anything. Just gimme a good pizza. >_>

34. Beer or ale?: Wine.

35. Have you ever smoked peanut shells?: However would you do that o_O

36. Do you eat skin on chicken?: Yep. And I like it too. HAHAHA ZHANG >_>

37. Apple or orange juice?: Apple. Just don't like orange juice that much.

38. Favourite type of chocolate bar?: Any. As long as it's chocolate.

39. Your favourite fruit?: Pear, Watermelon, and Strawberries.

40. Your favourite vegetable?: No preference, but there's quite a number I dislike.

41. Have you ever won a trophy?: Scrabble MUAHAHAHAHAHA

42. Are you a good cook?: LAWL You ask Gid and Gwin. >_>

43. Do you know how to pump your own gas?: Nope.

44. Bought something from an infomercial?: Nope.

45. Is Oprah annoying or great?: I dunno, but Aristotle would've liked Oprah, so I guess she's great.

46. Ever flex in front of a mirror?: Nope.

47. Ever throw up in public?: Uhh, once or twice.

48. Would you prefer being a millionaire or find true love?: It's harder to find true love than earn a million, yo. >_>

49. Do you believe in love at first sight?: Replace love with infatuation and I'll go with it.

50. Ever call a 1-900 number?: NKF. Now I regret it >_>

51. Ever been stood up for a date?: Never dated.

52. Biggest turn off of the opposite sex?: Masculinity/Bimbotic tendencies >_>

53. Ever been cheated on?: Never dated. >_>

54. What are the names of all your pets dead and/or alive?: Einstein, Marie, two unnamed rabbits, two unnamed hamsters, two unnamed turtles, Matthew, Kitty, and Neko.

55. Can ex's be friends?: Why not?

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Jap Listings for 2006

Japanese Listings for 2006:

J3H:
Teacher: Ms. Kimiko Endo
Days: Tuesday + Thursday, 4.300

ACSians:
Herrick Ong Zhi Ping
Michael Wee Hong Shen
Gan Zhang Quan
Samuel Teo Thian Hui
Justin Ng Cho Yang

(Whoa, that's all 5 of us in the same one class. =)

F3I:
Teacher: Evelyne Harry-Villain (o_O)
Days: Tuesday + Thursday, 4.30

ACSians:
Joshua Rene Jeyaraj

Yo, anyone else? Guess not. >_>

Friday, November 18, 2005

Class Party

Whee some stuff has been happening these days BUT people hath bloggeth about it alreadeh so I wondeh if I shoudh doeth teh sameth.

Hmm, ok. >_>

Class party was pretty fun. What with all the pool games between me, SZ, Darrell and Darren, the hype about pushing Zhang into the pool, Bridge and Hearts, and the barbeque, and the adventure park, and murderer, and the truth game right at the end when most people had left.

I guess I'm a lot better at minature pool than actual pool, lawl >_> I never gauge the strength right for real pool =
The truth game at night was good. I actually managed to be pretty honest. At least my social stigma paranoia is less. Zhang's right; Looks are deceiving, huh. =) Thanks anyway. I feel better.

-----------------------------------------------------

Got one new pretty interesting idea for CAP, but I've realized something about this.

Most people write to get a point across. This point may be on a moral value, a description, or maybe even a warning. Some write to chronicle (which word form do I use o_O Is there a word called chroniclize?) their thoughts and sights, like me.

I realized while looking around at Singapore nightlife, there's just too many things that I want to write about yet cannot find the words to describe. That's the state of me right now, and I'm really having a 'Picture-says-a-1000-words' thing right now. I just can't seem to be able to write what I see or think. It just doesn't come out right.

Oh well. I wonder if I'll get into CAP. >_>

--------------------------------------------------------

Ever since seeing Cleon play Drummania's Least 100 Seconds on Basic, I feel inclined to start Drummania now. Stepmania has helped me quite a bit on DDR (Alot, actually. I can read DDR 450 BPM because of Stepmania. Who knows; maybe even 500+. =) Stepmania's not going to help me much with Drummania save rhythm, but I think I should be able to start out decently. =)

But wah, Cleon = teh pro. Respect, yo. >_>

THAT, and SZ + PPP = TEH PRO, YO!

----------------------------------------------------------

Many say that the Singaporean night sky is starless, AND I DISAGREE >_>

That's something I learnt while lying on a seat by the pool at Boey's condo at night. Sometimes, people just have to look a bit harder, and suddenly they realize that even at the darkest of nights, there's still those sparkles of light in the middle of the sky. Less bright, but by no means nonexistent.

You just have to look harder in life to notice small sparkles, and once you notice one, it's easier to notice the rest. =)

People should go stargazing more often; it's quite a relaxing thing to do.

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Hop Step Jump

Yes I'm doing nothing but blogging lyrics. Sue me for hypocrisy Jun Yi =D

But here's a twist: IT'S NOT ANGSTY o_O WHOA PLOT TWIST!~ I should be a mystery writer. >_>

*And yes, a KID blogging NON-ANGSTY song lyrics is rare. >_> Bewy duh ware =)*

Kita He ~Diamond Dust Drops~: Hop Step Jump (Jap lyrics turned from romanji into kanji by me, so there may be mistakes around. >_> Darn animelyrics doesn't have kanji lyrics NOR translations. =\)

ラララホップ!そしてステップ!
北へジャンプ! &ジャンプ! &ジャンプ ジャンプ!う~!

心飛ばす北の空に
花と希望と恋を抱しめて
一期一会出会いの春
眩い出来事君がそこにいる

青い空~広い空~どこまでも続く!

悲しい時は北へ、きれいな空気吸おう
美味しい物を食べよう、笑顔になるよ!

ラララホップ!そしてステップ!
北へジャンプ! &ジャンプ! &ジャンプ ジャンプ!う~!

思い募る、北の大地
雪とNeonと恋を抱しめて
異国情緒―夢見る冬
凍てつく街には君が待っている

白い道~二人道~いつまでも歩く

切ない時は北へ、暖め様よ心
片寄せ会って歩こう優しくなれる!

ラララホップ!そしてステップ!
北へジャンプ! &ジャンプ! &ジャンプ ジャンプ!う~!

青い空~広い空~どこまでも続く!

悲しい時は北へ、きれいな空気吸おう
美味しい物を食べよう、笑顔になるよ!

ラララホップ!そしてステップ!
北へジャンプ! &ジャンプ! &ジャンプ ジャンプ!う~!

-----------------------------------------------------------

And the Herr-written translation because animelyrics lacks a translation for this =

*Chorus* Lalala Hop, and Step, and to the North! Jump! & Jump! & Jump Jump! Woo! (Uhh don't question the stupidity of the chorus. >_> It's not supposed to make sense in translations, since after all each phrase was a sentence in itself kinda. =\ Confusing. >_>)

My heart flies towards the northern sky
Embracing flowers and hope and love!
A once-in-a-lifetime encounter; the spring of encounters,
You are there at that dazzling moment. =)

The blue sky~ the spacious sky~ it continues on forever~

When you are sad, head north, breathe the fresh air!
Eat something tasty, and you will smile!

*Chorus*

*???*, The land of the north,
Embracing snow, Neons and love,
An exotic atmosphere: Seeing winter in your dreams,
And in the freezing streets, you are waiting.

A white path~ a path for us~ and we walk on forever~

When you are hurt, head north, it warms your heart!
Put aside your worries and go, and you will become kinder! (Uhh that didn't come out right. >_>)

*Chorus*

The blue sky~ the spacious sky~ it continues on forever~

When you are sad, head north, breathe the fresh air!
Eat something tasty, and you will smile!

*Chorus*

--------------------------------------------------------

As much as it is a blatant advertisment of Hokkaido (Along with the anime. But hey, I don't care, Kita He is like the sweetest romance anime I've seen, including Chobits >_> But technically they're in two different kinda categories. Oh well. >_>)

The song just inspires so much happiness and optimism >_> That, and seeing Atsuko, Karin, Kyoko, Suomi, Shouko, and Akari jump = Teh awesome >_>

The newest character on my favourites list: Suomi! <3

"Cream Puffs make people happy! =)"

None can come close to the sweetness of her weird ways. I mean, has anyone been weirdly sweet before? She's cool >_>

Cream Puffs! They make you happy =)

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Hol Life

>_> I rather not bore you with things like the sleepover at Mike's house and Sky High and losing to Wei Hua's Jam with Millia

Wei Hua --> (~>_>)~/GGXX Machine\~(>_<~) rarr! <-- Me

So I'd rather entertain you with MYSELF. MUAHAHAHAHAHA >_>

Note: This post will be very random in content, tone, and possibly way of writing. >_>

I have done it again! Not only can I screw up making an egg edible, not only can I screw up making instant noodles edible, I HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! I HAVE MADE BREAD INEDIBLE!

Ok. y'know those kinda bread with filling inside them? Yeah. My mom gave me 3 small squarish buns yesterday and told me to do something about it then eat it for breakfast. Those buns btw were filled with char sew. =) Me, being the fool that I was, decided to use the universal solution to making food edible: TEH MICROWAVE!

Yes, I actually mistook "Take the bread out and eat it" for "Microwave the bread and eat it."

So this morning, I took the bread, put it on a plate, and placed it in the microwave. But then I thought, maybe I won't be able to eat all three, so I take one piece off and place the other two in the microwave. But how hot should it be? UNIVERSAL SOLUTION! Ignore and use the setting it's at. So I leave it at High. >_> Then how long should I heat it? UNIVERSAL SOLUTION! 2 Minutes.

So I put the bread in the microwave, and heat it at High for 2 minutes. Whee. You can see where this is headed. >_>

The microwave finishes its job, and the 'Ding!' is heard. I move from my seat in front of the computer over to the microwave again. I try to take the plate out with my bare hands. It's like touching a hot potato. I let go quickly, and get it over to the space beside the computer with help of cloth. Or whatever the cloth thingammo used to help people like me carry hot stuff to tables is called. >_>

I try to touch the bread. It's sticking to the plate. 1st sign of o_O. I pull it out. It's really firm, almost like holding a stick. 2nd sign of o_O. The underside is black. 3rd sign of o_O.

Oh, damn, I screwed up again, I think, and proceed to try and eat it anyway.

The bread is crispy. 4th sign of o_O. The black parts are VERY crispy. Just a note, not a sign. The char sew is crispy. 5th sign of o_O. I eat a bit more, and look inside. Omg, the char sew is black too. 6th sign of o_O.

I continue talking with SZ while wondering how the heck I do such wonderous stuff.

If I had a million dollars for every major screw up in cooking I had, I'd have 3 million dollars. =)

But it's a seven clock world when the oven blows,
No one wants a piece o' my bread!
And there's a seven clock me inside my clothes,
Thinking that my life's still fine, yeah.

----------------------------------------------------

Kita he: Diamond Dust Drops is ending next week. Aw, why does it have to be so short =\ It was such a nice show too.

I'm only just past 1/2way through the series (7 was yesterday, 12 total =\), and seen 4 of the 6 characters. And so far, I like all of them. >_> I guess I've somewhat a soft spot for sweet stuff eh >_>

That's a new thought. >_>

---------------------------------------------------

After rereading Chobits once, I still think it's such a sweet story.

After beating Lavos again with Magus, Frog and Crono, I still think Chrono Trigger rocks. It's one of the best games made by Square. Ah~ =)

After beating the Archdemon and completing Seiken Densetsu 3 with the No Items + Single Class Change Challenge, I still think SD3 rocks too. Another gem by Squaresoft. <3 Riesz and Hawk.

Rave has finally ended. Like Gwin said, there's a sudden emptiness. But a great story nonetheless. If only he didn't end it so early. The ending fights could've been longer, especially Haru vs. Lucia. Everything just ended in Book 35. Tad fast wasn't it =\ Oh well, I'll look forward to FMP: Second Raid.

Heh, some things just tend to stick to you, don't they. All sweet stories, all nice games and manga. =)

---------------------------------------------------

On Kita He: Diamond Dust Drops

SZ: WHY IS IT SO SHORT O_O WHY O_O
Herr: >_> because it's from a romance game. >_>
SZ: o_O OMG WTF ROMANCE GAME O_O
Herr: >_> it's not a H-game.
SZ: WTF OMG? WTF? HUH?
SZ: H?
Herr: Oh nevermind >_> It's le bishoujo game.
SZ: ...?
Herr: http://www.kita-he.com/index_top.shtml
SZ: o_O how to play romance game =o
SZ: *mash button A to catch up with depressed boy and to give him a cream puff*
SZ: *Spin analog stick in circular motion to spin more and win the ice skating contest*
SZ: ...? lol
Herr: UHHHH NO.
SZ: o_O lol. then what o_O
Herr: Conversationals.
SZ: ...wtf?
Herr: http://www.kita-he.com/index_top.shtml
Herr: you, like, select choices of what to say to the character? >_>
SZ: o_O is there a gameover...?
Herr: Uhh. No, there IS no game over >_>
SZ: o_O
Herr: Well, you haven't played these kinda games before have ya >_>

>_> Sometimes, conversations with SZ really can turn out to be quite a gem. >_>

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Friendship Separation

Yes, I know these days I've not managed to come up with a cohesive and decent blogpost. >_> Sorry about that. Just that everything's been in somewhat of a rush these days.

Y'know some people tell you to treasure your friends because they'll leave someday? Well yeah, it's been escaping my mind these days. And now that I think about it... >_>

Quite a number of my friends are leaving, and I'm not talking about to 3.10. So no, I'm not talking about 'zac, JY, SZ, WH, Gid, Hen, or anyone I missed out in that 5-second burst of memory >_>

Gwin's leaving for NS on December 8th. Wow, can't even celebrate Christmas with him, Mel and Matt. Amusing isn't it, 4 people to 1 person. 'hate to be that one person, but oh well, that's me. Wonder what this Christmas will be like. Hmm?

Cleon's leaving the GEP and going into mainstream. I dunno. Should I be glad he managed to stay in the school, or be annoyed that he ain't going to 3.8? Hmm. I haven't got the chance to talk to him as much as say, some of my friends. But hey, he's a nice fella. And I'm sure he'll make it.

Andy's leavin' ACS for NJC. Can't say I did talk to him much, but I'm sure his leaving will affect certain classmates. Well, I suppose I can't say his leaving will affect me that much.

Yu Min's leaving Toh Yi for Serangoon. Wow, and I've known him for 7 years. And now he's leaving. Looking back at our last day together, I guess the 3 of us really have grown alot, haven't we. Heh.

Makes one wonder about how long your friends last, don't they. When Cleon was at Drong's office, the teachers were talking about friends being "Not that important", "Not for life", and that going into the mainstream would get him "More friends". Seemed like BS to me back then, but well, as much as I hate admitting it, they could actually have a point. Well, that's for time to decide, not me.

Saturday, November 05, 2005

Men are hard to please

I got this in an email from one of the Thai delegates for IYE (Read up August if you forgot. >_>) Yes, he still keeps in touch with the entire Singaporean team. XD Quite amusing IMO, and it's not too farfetched either. =P

Men Are Hard To Please

The problems with GUYS:

If you TREAT him nicely, he says you are IN LOVE with him;

If you don't, he says you are PROUD.

If you DRESS nicely, he says you are trying to LURE him;

If you don't, he says you are from KAMPUNG.

If you ARGUE with him, he says you are STUBBORN;

If you keep QUIET, he says you have no BRAINS.

If you are SMARTER than him, he'll lose FACE;

If he's Smarter than you, he is GREAT.

If you don't Love him, he tries to POSSESS you;

If you Love him, he will try to LEAVE you.(very true huh?)

If you don't make love with him, he says you don't Love him;

If you do!! He says you are CHEAP.

If you tell him your PROBLEM, he says you are TROBLESOME;

If you don't, he says that you don't TRUST him.

If you SCOLD him, you are like a NANNY to him;

If he SCOLDS you, it is because he CARES for you.

If you BREAK your PROMISE, you Cannot be TRUSTED;

If he BREAKS his, he is FORCED to do so.

If you SMOKE, you are BAD girl;

If he SMOKES, he is GENTLEMANLY.

If you do WELL in your exams, he says it's LUCK;

If he does WELL, it's BRAINS.

If you HURT him, you are CRUEL;

If he HURTS you, you are too SENSITIVE!!

SO HARD TO PLEASE!!!!!

If you send this to guys, they will swear that it's not true...

But if you don't, they say you are selfish...

Send this to guys out there anyway...

Send it to girls too; give them some laughter...

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Well, what can I say? XD It's pretty darn true. >_> 'save for a few, but hey.