The Proof of My Existence

Train is coming

2011-09-08T23:41:00.003+08:00

Some years back, everyone and their mothers used to stand right in front of the MRT trains, waiting to rush in. Today, you only see the occasional auntie doing that. It's a pretty amazing feat, considering that it's especially hard to push the older generations to change die-hard habits.

Too bad after the exiting crowd clears, everyone still rushes for the seats. Especially the old aunties: they'll fight tooth and nail and murder everyone who gets in their way just to make it to that empty seat. Ironic since there are reserved seats for elderly, but considering the number of heavy sleepers on said seats, they might just be justified in doing so.

What say you?

2011-09-04T00:42:00.004+08:00

Do you impose self-censorship on yourself? Do you worry about how other's might judge you because of the things you write or say? Do you worry about offending others? At what point does the line separating appropriate and inappropriate lie?

a

2011-08-27T13:54:00.000+08:00

I seem to have a really weak spot for cute personified objects.

Baa

2011-03-17T09:52:00.004+08:00

So I was bored and started randomly thinking about stuff. "Mary had a little lamb" came to mind. Thinking about it a bit raised some questions.

-----

- Why did Mary have a lamb? Was it a pet? Perhaps it was a trend long ago to have farm animals as pets?

- Why did the lamb follow Mary to school? Stalker lamb.. and how did Mary not notice some fluffy white thing following her? Was it a wolf in sheep's clothing? I think a pedobear disguise would work better though.

- Why was it against the rules for the lamb to follow Mary to school. Did the school have a rule that expressedly forbid lambs stalking their owners?

- Seeing the lamb at school made the children laugh and play. Implying that they weren't laughing and playing before the lamb came, implying that they were miserable school kids. After all, if seeing a lamb could make you laugh and play, you must have been leading a pretty sad life.

-----

I want to talk about Hay Diddle Diddle too, but that deserves a whole new post by itself.

Mr. Roboto

2011-03-13T22:22:00.005+08:00

At work, every product has its own code name. There's a certain product who's code contains a whole lot of N's, Y's, and A's. Every time I look at it, that particular bunch of letters look like they form 'NYAN', nyan being the sound a cat makes in Japanese. So, every time I see it, I think, "Oh.. its the cat product again".

There's also another product with "WABOEMENE" as part of its code. Guess what it reminds me of...?

crash and burn

2011-03-03T23:57:00.005+08:00

Every day I go to work(super boring, I'll probably leave it for another post), I take the MRT, followed by a 10-15 minute walk to the workplace. On the walk there, there's this long stretch of car repair shops. Naturally, there's a whole bunch of banged-up cars parked along the road as well. Most don't seem like your regular car accident victim. Some of the cars are covered in canvas to prevent rainwater from filling them up(initially I figured it was because the cars were too horribly disfigured). Perhaps a tree didn't like the car and decided to fall on it.. who knows. Anyway, every time I walk by that street, I'm reminded of this:

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams

...except with cars, of course.

Scientific Breakthrough!

2011-02-28T07:32:00.002+08:00

I just realised that ~~every single protagonist from Final Fantasy~~ pretty much every protagonist from any anime/manga/game has stick-thin eyebrows. Furthermore, they're not just any stick-thin eyebrows, they're 100% straight too. And always slanted downwards nearing the middle so they have the "angry" look.

...I think I just dicovered the secret to doing a good cosplay.

Mushy

2011-02-27T02:59:00.002+08:00

Been feeling too spread out these days. So many things to commit to, but not enough time. In order to fulfill one, I'd have to forgo another. After a while, I'd realise that I've been neglecting one for too long, then I'd focus on that instead. And the cycle repeats again and again. And there lies the problem with juggling: you're bound to drop something eventually, and the audience won't be amused.

Ohohohohoho

2011-02-17T02:43:00.002+08:00

Omg I don't know why but I'm feeling so high right now. Its so bad that I'm humming Justin Bieber's Baby to myself. Oh my gosh.. I'm going crazyyyyyyyyyyy......

z_z

2011-02-11T03:16:00.003+08:00

Life is feeling so mundane! Everyday I wake up, I take a look at the clock. 11am.. oh, ok. Breakfast is a ham sandwich and tea combo! Turn on the com, check facebook, dA, and the likes. Lunch is noodle-ly. Every now and then, I try to work on something. I always have a few things lined up to do, in case I get bored. Or at least, thats what I tell myself. Most of them are projects I set for myself, not for boredom's sake, but rather personal goals, pretty long term ones at that.

So everyday, I find myself jumping from task to task, working on each a bit. Usually somewhere in between, I get distracted by something else for a while. So, although I'm actually doing a whole lot of different activities everyday, to me, it all seems like a giant mashup! Kind of like how curry is made: chop up a whole lot of veggies, stir them all up, and the result is a brown, gooey mixture. Yucky.

Dream Catcher

2011-02-08T02:57:00.002+08:00

My dreams are weird... does that mean I'm weird too? Maybe I'm not being weird enough in daily life, so unconsciously, my dreams are telling me to be weirder. They've only started recently though, just around the time I arrived in Japan. Dreams before that were sporadic, and even then, insignificant. So why now?

One of them has me as a shinigami running around hunting stuff. I can't see the significance in this. Technically I've done that in real life(sort of..?), but thats besides the point. Bleh.

Another has me back in army. Faced with superiors, telling you to do this, do that, you don't have any other options but to follow the orders down to the word. Being stuck with that feeling of helplessness was distressing to say the least. Although this is a thing of the past, I have a feeling that this won't be the last I see of it.

And finally the last of which I can recall. I'm back in school, facing the crappy grades I always used to get. It had always left a sense of insecurity within me throughout the years. Like how my parents always preached to me, grades are the only things that can get you anywhere. Perhaps that feeling was what led me down a vicious cycle?

Also taking into account the countless dreams I've forgotten.. although the random dreams remain random, some of these dreams seem to be trying to convey something to me, and I can only shoot blind guesses back. Am I to embrace these feelings of insecurity, for they are what makes me human, or should I be striving never again to be in such a position?

I Dreamed A Dream

2011-02-06T12:31:00.002+08:00

I dreamt that I was holidaying in an alternate-reality Japan. A friend(no idea who, my dream made up a friend) managed to catch three figurines from UFO machines. He said he didn't want them so he gave them to me, but I couldn't manage to fit them into my bag. =(

For Keeping Happy

2011-02-02T00:19:00.001+08:00

23/24 Jan 2010, Japan Day 16/17

2011-01-28T00:49:00.002+08:00

23 was shopping spree day! Went to the Square Enix museum near Shinjuku for the morning. Its more of a gallery and shop than a museum though. They had quite some epic loot there: FF7 Fenrir scarves, Odin and Shiva t-shirts, huge FF7 posters, and proper jewellery(not the low-quality kinds that Comic Connection sells). Their prices easily rival those you'd find in jewellery stores. As much as I'd love a Griever necklace, budget doesn't allow for it. The two most epic items in the museum, I'd say it would be the Genesis costume, and the life-sized Sephiroth under-the-floor display. I was just browsing around, looking at the figurines on display, then I noticed something unusual on the place I was standing on. I look down... WOAH WTF, I'm standing on a glass panel with Sephiroth lying underneath. I bet *someone* would go absolutely nuts were they to see it. Bought a cute cactaur for 2000 yen.

Next stop Harajuku. It was a sunday, so as usual, the place was packed full of people. Scoured the whole area for clothing. I think I walked the full length of the street four times in total. Got a hat and a long sleeved t-shirt.

Third stop Shinjuku. Walked around the streets, didn't see many clothing stores. Keeps making me wonder why people recommend Shinjuku for clothes shopping.

Fourth stop Ikebukuro. The place didn't leave much of an impression on me the last time, and it didn't this time either. Nothing much to distinguish it from the other parts of Tokyo. I found a Uniqlo though. Got a brown pair of pants at a discount.

Final stop. Akihabara. Five stops in a day. Quite the insane, but since it was the last day, I thought I'd might as well go all out. Played a few games of Reflec Beat, then browsed the comic stores for any last things I might have missed out.

So ended the day. Reached the hostel/hotel at 10+ pm.

24 was the day we were headed back. Made our final stop at Shinjuku's Odakyu, basement level, aka sweet shopping. Bought a box of Tokyo Banana. Its yellow, its shaped like a banana, it looks like a banana, but its NOT A BANANA! I'm guessing its a cake thingy, but apparently its supposed to taste good. Oh well. Hendra spent 10000 yen purely on the stuff, along with strawberry-flavoured banana thingys. When in Japan, do like the Japanese. Do epic.

A wheel on my luggage bag broke on the way to the train station to the airport. Ended up dragging the thing all the way. At the airport, I discovered the whole thing weighed a whopping 22kg. Not too surprising, considering the amount of stuff I packed into it. This time, I managed to come back with only one bag worth of stuff. ^^

22 Jan 2010, Japan Day 15

2011-01-26T02:49:00.003+08:00

Last stretch of Japan, spent back in Tokyo. The first day's morning was spent travelling all the way from Kobe back to Tokyo. A close to 3 hour shinkansen ride if I'm not wrong, but I slept the whole way there, so I wouldn't know.

Afternoon was spent at Odaiba. They have a freaking Statue of Liberty there! What the heck. They thought that by renaming it the Goddess of Liberty, we wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Anyway, we took a walk along the coastal line of the island, which I hadn't been to during the last trip. I daresay its size might rival Sentosa. They even have high schools here.

We made our way to Palette Town to get our starter Pokémon. Unfortunately, they ran out. We took a look around the place instead. The arcade, which contained the seemingly endless row of gashapon machines a few years back, seemed to have been revamped. Gone are the machines, only to be replaced by the UFO machines and other typical arcade games. They had a ball lottery for all visitors. Prizes ranged from a free UFO machine play, a few free medals to use at the medal games, to a free bowling game! Furthermore, japanese people can't seem to recognise faces to save themselves. I'd imagine given enough time, we'd be able to amass enough free plays on the UFO machines to win a prize.

Dinner was at a certain ramen shop in Shibuya. Osaka's famous for their okonomiyaki and yakisoba, Tokyo's famous for their ramen. Or so I've heard. Thanks to the blocked nose I acquired some days ago, I couldn't really tell the taste. What a waste. Imagine if I ate Kobe beef: feeling the beef melt in my mouth, yet without a clue of its taste. That'd be really sinful. Walked around Shibuya for a while after that. Toured the area of Dogenzaka, the famous love hotel district. A 3-hour rest in that place would set us back further than a full night at our accomodation.

Finished off with an short hour-long walk at Shinjuku, where we accidentally wandered into the haven for many a salaryman after a long day's work. A perfectly decent-looking old gentleman came by and touted: "strip show, strip show".

Kinky`s Guide to UFO Machines in Japan

2011-01-21T19:54:00.002+08:00

I think I`ve gained enough expertise in this field to talk about it..

Much like vending machines, ramen, porn, and pachinko, UFO machines are just as ubiquitous in Japan. Some shops specialise specifically in UFO machines, others have pachinko and slots as well, while bigger ones have the whole range, arcade included. For those unfamiliar with the UFO machine, which may also be known as the UFO catcher, claw machine, crane machine, or crane catcher, its basically a (usually) large box shaped machine. Attached to the top is a giant claw, consisting of a round base and a few claws. Placed around the machine are prizes which you can catch, should you have the luck or skill to. Place coins into the machine for a try at getting a prize. That`s it for introductions!

Now that you know about it, surely you`d like a go at it? Not so fast! Jumping right into it is a sure way to pour your money down a bottomless pit. Trust me, it isn`t a good feeling. So how should you go about winning a prize then? Read on!

1. Find a UFO machine shop. Once you do, look around.. see any prizes you like? If so, great! Head on to the next step. If not, take the exit out and go look for another.

2. Is it a prize that you really want? Never go after a prize on impulse. Just because something is cute, isn`t adequate justification for UFO catching. There are a billion cute things in Japan. Going after every one is suicide. Is it something thats REALLY cute? Is it something that you would buy if it was being sold in a shop? For stuff like lighters, posters, bolsters and stuff, ask yourself, is it something that you would use? If its just going to be kept in a drawer and forgotten, then don`t bother. You`ll just be ending up with junk. Having said that, figurines are usually good to go after.

3. What kind of UFO machine is it? The UFO machines in Japan constantly change. Probably to retain enthusiasm and interest. But this also renders previous strategies obsolete. One machine, you have to push a block into an exactly-fitting hole to win a prize. Another, you have to make the prize fall through a gap between two metal bars. One more, the prize is placed on a hinged latch, with the other side of the latch supported by an attached piece of plastic lying on top of a rubber ball. To get the prize, you have to push the plastic off the rubber ball. There are too many types of methods to list. What you need to do when you encounter a new machine is to determine the difficulty of it. Here are some things to look at.

3a. Physics. Is it physically possible and feasible to win the prize? Sometimes, the prizes are placed in a way that looks easy to win, but in actual fact, due to physics, is actually very challenging, if not practically impossible, discounting luck. This is the most important point to consider. It`ll determine if you walk away without losing anything, or spend thousands of yen and end up leaving disappointed. Point out impossible machines, then avoid them at all costs. Even if you can win the prize by luck, you would have probably overspent already.

3b. Claw power. You can`t determine the claw`s gripping power just by looking at the machine. If you`re lucky, someone might be playing the machine and you`ll be able to tell. Otherwise, you`ll only know once you insert money and start playing. This point is especially important in machines with huge stuffed toys.

3c. Luck. Yes, even luck plays a part in UFO machine. Most UFO machines in Japan are skill based, but sometimes, luck is nevertheless required. The more luck a machine requires, the harder it is to get a prize. The more luck required, the less skill involved, thus making it harder to think up a strategy. These are usually the one-shot catch machines.

4. Is it worth it? Once you`ve considered the above points and more, estimate how many tries it`ll take to win the prize. Just a rough estimate will do even. Calculate the price of that many tries. Once you`ve done that, put a price on your prize. How much is it worth to you? 1000 yen? 2000? Finally, see if your estimated cost exceeds your prize`s worth. If it does, forget it. Find another machine if you can. If both are around the same, you can give it a go, but try not to, unless you really want it badly. Chances are you`ll be able to find the prize on sale somewhere, at a cheaper price. If the cost is fairly below the worth, calculate again just to be sure, then head to the next step.

5.　Plot your game plan. How should you go about winning the prize? Do you use the claw to push down on the prize? Do you slowly drag it to the winning chute? Do you flip it over? Make sure you are clear with your game plan before proceeding. Also, try to have a plan B in case the first one doesn`t work well.

6. Execute your game plan. So the theories all set. Here`s the practical. This is the place where things often go wrong. Things worked out in theory doesn`t always go as planned in the real world. Try your plan B if your initial plan isn`t working. Also, never forget that there`s the optiont to quit. Don`t keep on going just to save your prıde. Walking away is sometimes the best option. Cut your losses while they`re still small.. don`t wait till its too late. If you do manage to beat the odds, however..

7. Celebrate! You won a prize! Congrats! Two things to note here. First, remember the strategy you used to win. Keep it in mind, so that you can use it to win in similar machines next time. Second, never grow complacent. Just because you won a prize, doesn`t mean that that machine is `easy`. Once you underestimate the UFO machines, its over.

20/21 Jan 2011, Japan Day 13/14

2011-01-21T15:35:00.001+08:00

Whew, finally a break. Checked into the Kobe capsule hotel, took a nice bath in the public bath here, now cooling off in the relaxation room. The reason for us coming to Kobe was for the kobe beef, but thinking about it, spending $300 on a single meal is pretty outrageous. Not that my budget would afford it anyway.. thats all I have left for the remaining few days in Japan. I`ll be skipping this meal.. probably have something else instead.

Anyway, yesterday was day 2 in Osaka. It was a whole day in Shinsaibashi and Den Den Town, so.. shopping spree! Much of it was just window shopping though.. its hard to find stuff I like and stuff that`s cheap, even more so for stuff that I like and is cheap as well. Got a jacket, t-shirt and a shirt set, and a pair of shorts from Casual House (highly recommend this place!). Jacket was discounted from 4000 to 1000, shirt set from 3000 to 1000, and shorts from god-knows-what-price to 100(!) yen. Love overseas clothes shopping sprees. =)

19 Jan 2011, Japan Day 12

2011-01-19T21:24:00.003+08:00

Onward to Osaka! Temperature got warmer, or at least it seemed so. Warmer is nicer, so essentially, the temperature got nicer. =) Bleh.

The hostel, Hostel 64 Osaka, has quite a classy feel. Didn't feel like the regular ones we stayed in. Apparently it was designed by an architect. So there was a discussion about why an architect would go about designing a hostel. One idea is that tourists who stay at the place might like it, then decide to hire the architect themselves.

Two stops for today. First stop was Osaka castle. Not much to comment about the castle and interior. Pretty much the same as the previous ones, talking about the history of the castle and lords who lived during that age. The park surrounding the castle was remarkable though, both in terms of size and beauty. Nice layout, interesting tree shapes. There was fountain around the middle. Just nice, we were there when the sun was shining down. Don't get to see a rainbow very often. =)

Next and last stop was the Kaiyukan Aquarium. Its very much comparable to the Sydney Zoo. Both were really great. Saw Mantine, Remoraid and Sharpedo there.

Dinner was at an okonomiyaki shop about a 10 minute walk away from the hostel. Apparently Osaka is known for its okonomoyaki. It took 30 minutes to prepare, but good things take time. I couldn't really make out the flavour thanks to my blocked nose, but I could tell it was good, somehow. And for 680 yen, it was a really good deal.

18 Jan 2011, Japan Day 11

2011-01-18T22:21:00.002+08:00

Hate having to wake up everyday. xD Bed is so warm, everywhere else is so cold.

First stop Nijo castle. Got there and found out it was closed for the day. Okay, so much for the first stop.

Second was Ginkaku temple. Having a fully gold-plated pavilion is kinda oxymoronic, but meh, a good sight is a good sight. There was a golden bird on the top of the pavilion. Instantly reminded me of Ho-Oh from Pokemon.. you can see where the developers got their inspiration from.

Third, Matsunoo Grand Shrine. Apparently its the shrine for the god of sake-making. Makes you wonder about the line between religiousness and merry-making. One of the shrine staff was even smoking. I guess the best sight there were the four young shrine maidens. CUTE!!

Final stop, Fushimi Inari shrine, aka torii gate shrine. Another one of the epic sights in Japan. The mountain path toward the inner shrine is lined with literally thousands of torii gates. Sometimes there are so many that even the sunlight gets obscured. Walking the full path takes a good few hours. Every torii gate was donated, usually by businesses in hope for good business, since the shrine god Inari is the god of rice, and therefore success in business. The smallest torii gate would cost around 300,000 yen, while the largest would set you back by over a million yen. Counting the thousands of gates currently existing, one can only imagine the amount of donations the shrine gets every year.

17 Jan 2011, Japan Day 10

2011-01-17T21:35:00.002+08:00

2nd day in Kyoto! The snow from last night settled, and most of Kyoto was covered in snow. Bits and pieces here and there though, not as bad as Nagoya. That was literally hell frozen over.

First stop was Kiyomizu temple! One of the few epic sightseeing areas in Kyoto, imo. After seeing it in manga, being there in person is a whole new experience. Its the place with a 13m high stage, where if you jumped down and survived, your wish would be granted. Jumping is prohibited now though, for obvious reasons. The temple itself is also a complex of shrines. One of the shrines, the Jishu shrine, contains the famed love stones. If you manage to walk from one to the other with your eyes closed, its said your love life will soon be fulfilled. Not sure how well it works, but japanese girls are crazy over it.

Second stop was Ginkaku temple. Not much of the temple itself.. maybe the sand formations. The scenery there was good though. A tree dropped its snow over my head there. :(

Lunch was at some eatery nearby. The first crappy meal so far. Average tempura udon, relatively high prices. Bleh.

Next stop was meant to be the Kyoto Imperial Palace, but to enter, you had to have a reservation, and the place where you make reservations was closed today. So yeah, we didn't go in. The area was pretty close to a girls' school though, so we made a detour for a while. :D

Next, a handicraft centre. Sold a heck lot of stuff, especially swords. Pretty high quality stuff, but naturally, unaffordable. Left without getting anything.

The last stop was the Gion area. We took a guided walking tour of the area. Highly recommend it for those who want to tour the Gion. If you went by yourself, you probably wouldn't know where to go/what to look for. The place is amazing. Its as if you're in a whole different world once you enter. Before you know it, you got yourself immersed in the place. Almost like ancient Kyoto. Finding your way out may be a problem if you don't know the place well. Naturally, with Gion, there's the geishas as well. Managed to see a few while walking around. Must be a really tough life, but probably every girl's dream.

16 Jan 2011, Japan Day 9

2011-01-16T21:04:00.006+08:00

Its been snowing ever since I woke up this morning, and its already 10 pm now. Snowing all the way from Nagoya to Kyoto. A bit of snow is beautiful, but too much is just.. too much(>_<). They get under your feet, onto your clothes, and into your face. How the temperature dropped so much in a day, I have no idea. The max temperature was around 6 to 7 yesterday. Today, its 1.

The shinkansen ride was meant to take around 35 minutes. Thanks to the snow, it went really slowly though, so it probably took over an hour. Scenery there was all white. Go figure.

Went to see an archery competition at a certain shrine. Old guys shooting. One of them was drawing huge circles while his bow was drawn.. like some hidden techinique or something. Amazingly, he hit the target. Of course, the school boys and girls participated too. Quite the spectacle.

Not much after that, since it was already quite late. Visited a music box museum and had a chat with the staff there while browsing. Dinner at a curry place. Ate something non-curryish. Went to the arcade after that. Played some miku, popn, then went back to the hotel.

15 Jan 2011, Japan Day 8

2011-01-15T20:24:00.001+08:00

I just realised my previous posts have been labelled as "Jan 2010". Talk about living in the past. O_o Changed them now!

Day 2 in Nagoya, visited 3 places: Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya castle, and Inuyama castle. Basically all 3 places covered the feudal era. Shoguns, castles, swords.. did I mention I have a fetish for swords? That was some really good stuff over there. The craftsmanship during that period was simply amazing. Not just the swords, but also various other crafts. Even stuff like playing cards.. the quality was exceptional. Especially love the lacquered wood.

Nagoya castle was mainly an exhibition for stuff during those periods. In fact, it was pretty much a museum in a castle. Quite a bit overlapped with the Tokugawa museum.

The castle has these 2 fish like thingies at each side of the roof. Somewhere through the museum, I found out that they were meant to be female dolphins. Imagine as I may, I see absolutely no connection between the 2.

The shogun armour is cool shit. Each warlord has his own unique set of armour. I also learnt that its a pain in the ass to put it all on.

Outside the castle area, there was this poster for a group of actors playing prominent characters from the era: tokugawa, maeda, etc. 3 of their faces were cut out for people to stick their heads in them. One of them was left intact.. some seemingly hot actor. A group of girls came over. Much to my dismay, they did exactly what crazy fangirls would do. No, not stick their heads there and taking photos of themselves. They all swiped out their camera phones and snapped away at the hot-looking Maeda. Sigh.. fangirls across the whole never change, do they?

Some of the actors performed a skit nearby later on. Made me reaffirm my faith in japanese acting and voice acting.

Inuyama castle didn't particularly stand out, aside from the fact that theres a castle town nearby. The view atop however was breathtaking, especially with the sunset.

Also realised that school girls, while hot as they are, can be pretty scary too. Ben took a shot from the ground, of a school girl standing at the highest level of the castle, looking into a camera. Looking at the shot, if you zoom in on her, it almost seems like a horror movie just waiting to happen.

We didn't get to see many school girls around Nagoya. The place itself seemed dodgy as it is. We can only wonder what they're up to. It was only until much later, that we realised that most of the life in Nagoya, its 'Orchard Rd', was located in the area called Sakae. Too late to go by then. Oh well. :(

13/14 Jan 2011, Japan Day 6/7

2011-01-14T21:48:00.002+08:00

Bleh, Hakone didn't have wifi/lan. Wht they did have though, was snow and onsens. 40 minute bus ride up the mountain, and around 15 minutes of wandering around in the cold before we found our accomodation. Traditional japanese ryokan: japanese style room, complete with futon, tatami flooring, kotatsu, and yukata! The onsen they had was a true onsen, not those hot water baths we've been going to. The water was milky white. The bloody taste indicated iron, amongst the other minerals inside. All at a pH of 2: acidic!

Went out on foot towards the lake and boiling valley. Apparently we were the only ones brave(or stupid) enough to walk all the way there in that weather. Didn't keep track of time, but I could pretty much tell we walked a heck a lot. Unfortunately by the time we reached the endpoint, it was too late to take the ropeway(cable car) up to see the boiling valley. The lake, on the other hand, was quite the spectacle. Its the kind you expect only to see on advertisements or posters, yet there it was right before me. Add in the setting sun, a bit of falling snow, and an olden styled cruise shop by the lake, it feels just like a fantasy world. (The snow got heavier as we took the bus back to the inn. A tiny bit of snow is good. A lot kinda ruins the mood. =<)

Didn't get to fully see Mt Fuji. The top was covered in clouds. Oh well. Saw it on the train later on.

Next day, took the bus back down the mountain, followed by a 2 hour(!) Shinkansen ride to Nagoya. Made our way to Hostel Ann, dropped off the bags, then went to one of the nearby shrines. Not too much to note. It was pretty much like the Meiji shrine, which was better. Came back for dinner:omu-rice, bought a copy of Ni-no-kuni from the local Animate, then retired back at the hostel.

12 Jan 2011, Japan Day 5

2011-01-12T20:59:00.003+08:00

Weather was at a good 11 degrees today! Didn`t really feel any different except for a few short whiles, but it was good to know. :) Too bad its going back to around 6 degrees tomorrow..

Breakfast was at McDonalds! A 100 yen McPork burger. Buta buta. That was some tasty pork too.

Went to some island-y place containing a theme park called Cosmoworld. Entrance is free, but all the rides cost money. A substantial amount, too. A 15 minute(thanks to my powderful calculating technique) ferris wheel costs 700 yen. So is a ride on the roller coaster. Wandered around the area for a bit before we found that there was really nothing much we could do without overpaying.

Back to Isezaki-cho for lunch. Had chinese soba and gyoza. My first taste of gyoza: didn`t really like the ingredients. Could be better. Did a bit of shopping at Casual House. Great place for clothes. I picked out quite a few from there on my last trip too.

Last stop, an onsen `theme park` called Manyo Club. It was something like Oedo Onsen, but I didn`t do as much this time. Not much to do anyway. Finally managed to enter the hot water bath this time! Coupled with the great relaxation feeling. Finished up with dinner at a food court outside: beef steak fried rice. Yummy.

My skin`s getting drier by the day! Really painful and sensitive, especially against wooly objects. 11 days to go too! Ouch ouch.. next stop is Hakone tomorrow!

11 Jan 2011, Japan Day 4

2011-01-11T20:30:00.003+08:00

Woke up at 8ish. Next stop Yokohama.

Went around random places. Isezaka-cho for a walk and lunch. Nothing too much to see there, but the lunch crowd was quite aggressive. All the eateries were maxed out. Random fact: french fries are called potato in Japan. Just nice, the place I was eating had a flavour of fries called potato too. So.. potato flavoured potatoes?

After lunch, made a big round around the area. Basha(horse+car)-place, then the bay area, Yamashita park, marine tower, then Chinatown. Froze my hands off somewhere around Yamashita park from taking too many photos. Hands: come out of pockets, snap photo, replace lens cap, pop back into pockets.

Chinatown was different from what I expected. Stuff don`t come cheap at all there. You`d be hard stretched to find a meal below 1000 yen. Second thing, just something interesting.. there was a shop selling korean goods. SNSD, Bigbang, and all that crap. Cups, calendars, posters, pillows, pens.. you name it, they got it. A korean shop, in chinatown, of Japan? Globalization much?

Went back to the hotel after dinner at Chinatown, then went out for an onsen bath. Apparently my skin went really sensitive, probably thanks to the weather. Not forgetting the abrasions from my thermal wear too. In the end, I could hardly touch warm water without hurting, let alone enter the hot water bath. What a waste.. onsen experiences are always good. Crappy weather`s making me miss out on all the fun.. :( To think I still have a little below 2 weeks of Japan to go..

10 Jan 2011, Japan Day 3

2011-01-10T20:07:00.004+08:00

Felt crappy from the moment I woke up. Not that I managed to sleep much anyway. The rest went ahead of me. Took some panadol, sore throat coughdrops, lots of water, and went back to sleep. Following the conclusion of my strange dreams, felt a lot better after my nap. Actually sweated a bit.

Headed out around 2. First stop Akiba. The merchandising of anime and manga is insane. You can find almost any good related to them.. especially the popular ones. The regular figurines, doujinshis. Then there are towels, clocks, mats, snacks, even product endorsements. Saw a Luffy poster in one of the department stores, endorsing glasses. Like what?

Next stop, Shibuya. Had a random walk around. Approached by an African guy. He probably spoke japanese, but if he spoke african, I'd be none the wiser. Finally had a look inside the fabled Shibuya 109. Surprisingly, it contained nothing but ladies' goods. Eventually I found its counterpart, Shibuya 109(2). No kidding, thats its name. Good stuff, but not so much the prices.

8/9 Jan 2011, Japan Day 1/2

2011-01-09T23:14:00.003+08:00

Day 1.. 3.30 am meeting time at the airport. Kyeo still asleep at home. Relatively epic convo on the phone. 5.30 was fly time. Watched Scott Pilgrim, had a neck-breaking nap. Reached japan around 1+. Queued for the JR passes. Took the train. About 4 when we reached the hostel: Khaosan Tokyo Ninja!! Went to Akiba for dinner and walkabout, then went back. Temperature was bad, especially at night.

Day 2, woke up with a headache. Freezing weather. You could do the smoky breath thing outside. First stop was Harajuku and Yoyogi park. Little did we know, the activities don't begin till around noon. First time seeing an empty Takeshita street. Went to Shibuya instead. Walked around quite a bit. Uite a few shops had massive discounts, some even beyond 80%. Always good to time your trip with the changing of seasons :). Went back to Harajuku after that. More lively this time. The street was jam packed like normal, and groups were doing their dances at Yoyogi park. A particular group dressed as the olden style yakuza, doing an equally old dance style. Is this the trend these days? I headed back to the hotel solo after that. Feeling really crappy, and my headache was killing me. Went out for dinner a few hours later: beef bowl, then stayed all the way in bed after that.

Liking Them Apples

2011-01-02T03:48:00.002+08:00

Had a great time through to the new year. The fireworks at Marina Bay were awesome. The taxi queue and waiting time right after that was even more awesome. I never saw it coming.. the day I'd wait 2 whole hours in a queue along with hundreds of other people.. just for a taxi. To think that I went out for a social event like the new year countdown, even though squeezing with thousands of other people can't really be called 'socializing'. Where has the old anti-social me gone to?

Hah, I jest. But, thinking back to the previous year and the years gone by, things have definitely changed a lot. For better or for worse, I think I'm liking it now.

Auld Lang Syne

2010-12-28T15:54:00.002+08:00

Christmas has come and gone so fast.. not that I really celebrate it, but still. =< Did have an enjoyable time though! And with that, the year is coming to an end. 2011 marks the first year out of army! Time to put the memories of those years behind and get along with life.

On that note, I've been considering applying for overseas universities. Managed to get a fair score on the SATs, and I don't want to just leave it and let it go to waste. Already have a place in NTU's ADM, but as we pretty much all know, the standard of arts and design in Singapore is way down there..

Orchard Road Charities

2010-12-22T16:20:00.002+08:00

They're everywhere, and always there. Salvation army, flag day(s), and the all-too-ubiquitous buskers. Not too much about the buskers though.. I think I wrote about a few of them quite some moons ago, haha.

Shops aren't the only ones taking advantage of the festivities here, thats for sure. The influx of volunteers and charity workers is stifling, to say the least. Yes, its the season for giving, but isn't this much too much? This is just a weekday, but the number of solicitors is comparable to that on a regular weekend. Imagine the crowd on Christmas day itself, with the roads being closed and whatnot. Pedestrian pandemonium.. donation dystopia..?

The worst part of it is having to pass by multiple solicitors, each of them looking for donations, and each one of them you have to politely reject, or act blur or busy to avoid their advances. Sooner or later, you start feeling guilty for not donating, especially with Christmas coming up. Is this a crafty scheme to get you digging into your pockets, or am I just thinking too much into it?

Zzzz?

2010-12-21T02:51:00.003+08:00

My sleep cycle never actually went back to normal, even after NS..

It all started in primary school. The latest I'd sleep then was around midnight, and that was considered awfully late already. I still remember how my auntie would talk about my cousin, few years older than me, who had to(?) stay up late past midnight doing homework or revising. The thought of that shocked me then.

Then came secondary school. Time in school increased. Homework piled up, games piled up. Inevitably I end up staying up past midnight. 1, on the rare occasion, 2. Same for the IB period, since staying up any later left me in a zombified state for the next day in school. The only time I stayed up real late was when I had to rush for an art exam the next day. Slept at 4, woke up around 5-ish.

NS period, I didn't want to waste precious weekend time sleeping the day(or night, if you'd like) away, so the regular KO timing got pushed even further back to 4. Now that NS is over, this lifestyle unfortunately hasn't changed. Something inside tells me to revert, but my body doesn't seem to think so. Usually just end up lying awake in bed if I turn in early.

So there.. unknowingly or otherwise, I just complained about myself procrastinating. =(

(Time of posting is 3.38am. Go figure.)

Where did they go?

2010-12-20T03:04:00.003+08:00

Yeah, this blog was active once upon a time. Nice and active, till a certain period of my life known as NS came. From then on, it was bye bye bloggy. Lack of time? Lack of inspiration? Nah, none of that. In fact, during that period of time, I probably had more on my mind than ever. Hmmm... so where did all of them go....?

My blog got de-digitalised! All you NS boys out there might have remembered getting an A6-ish sized, black covered, ringed book? The ones that you've probably dumped in a corner and forgot all about? Well, not this NS boy! I used it diligently, from the first day of enlistment right through to ORD. Heck, I even 'bound' my BMT section with a nice yellow cover. An entry every single day, except for weekends and outfields of course.

The entries grew sparser after entering the dreaded 5SIR. They gradually became a once-a-week thing toward the end, but nevertheless, I managed to fill the whole book, even spilling into a second book which I found lying around (told you no one cares about them). Counted every day too, all the day from day 1 to day 666 (ironically, the happiest day of my life).

Now I have a nice keepsake to remind me of the good(less of this) and bad times. When times are tough, keep a diary! Write about it, get it off your mind! Really helped for me.

So, its been over a month since I ORDed. Its about time I got this blog restarted up, huh?

Revive!

2010-12-20T02:04:00.001+08:00

Long time no post! Should I restart this blog?

The Day The Music Died

2010-11-07T02:41:00.004+08:00

the end.

Korea Day 6, Sun Aug 15 2010

2010-08-16T20:00:00.003+08:00

The last day didn't consist of much. Went to Gangnam to buy one more album for someone. Then took the train to Dongdaemun. As I said the day before, I was going to finish walking the length of Cheonggyecheon. Seems like I was in for more than I could take.

Wiki said the stream was about 6km long. What it didn't say was that the 6km consisted only of two 'official' walking courses. After those two courses... there's still more! Approximately 4.3km more, before the stream merges with another to form a bigger stream. I walked... walked... walked... it didn't seem to end at all. I think I was walking for around 3 hours or so.. reached the stream at around 11am (I'm guessing from the sunlight at the time), and ended at 2pm. I didn't even reach the end. Gave up eventually because the path just seemed to go on and on. Broke off from the path, and headed to the nearest train station, which was Majang. And somehow, that station was only 5 or so stops away from my hotel. Well, lucky at least, don't have to travel so long to get back.

Had a late lunch at a building next to my hotel. JK's Kitchen, the same place where I ate dinner the first night. The last time, I tried the sweet shrimp pizza, white style. Aka the usual kind. Yeah, they have a black kind of pizza too, and I don't think its the burnt kind. Anyway, since that was the last day, I decided to try it. Tasted even better than the white kind. It seemed to enrich the taste of the pizza. Always good to try different things, you could end up with something unusual. :)

After lunch, time to head to the airport. Mum and I took the airport bus, reached the airport in 45min. After waiting a few hours for the flight time, it was back to Singapore. Departed at 1945 Seoul time, arrived 0050 Singapore time.

Will post up the pictures when I get the time. Next week hopefully! Lots of interesting stuff.

Korea Day 5, Sat Aug 14 2010

2010-08-14T23:16:00.002+08:00

Ah, the trip's coming to a close. Its been tiring but fulfilling.

Woke up at 10am+ today. Breakfast at the hotel ends at 10am. Oh well. Went right ahead, taking the train to Yongsan. I read from an online review that it was the place for electronics. Instead, the place was a huge megamall. Not that I'm complaining, of course.

Had breakfast+lunch there at a Japanese food restaurant. I'm practically in Japan, eating Japanese food most of the time. Can't be helped though, Korean food is equivalent to spicy hell.

I didn't buy any electronics from the mall, since you can get those back in Singapore. Got more clothes. Honestly, this was really the best time to come here. Summer's ending and fall is coming, so shops are having a seasonal clearence to quickly move their summer stocks. And Singapore is summer all year round, so... ???... profit!

They had an e-sports stadium on one of the higher levels. I did say e-sports was big in Korea, right? Much to my luck, they were having a playoff right at that time. With all the cameras around, I'm guessing its being broadcasted on TV as well. And the game of choice is............. dare you to guess it wrong. You could see from the matches that the players have trained really well. If there was a sport I'd follow, this would be it.

Back to Gangnam next. Though there were a few shopping districts around, I didn't see anything really of interest. Plus most of the buildings were business area.

Final stop was City Hall station. The starting point for Cheonggyecheon, a 6km stream flowing through downtown Seoul. The stream underwent a restoration somewhere in mid-2003. Now its a public recreation space with an eco-friendly urban design. From both times I went there (2nd day, as well as today), the stream attracted a heck lot of people, locals and tourists alike. All this in the middle of the city. How I wish Singapore was like that too. Some jungle in our urban jungle would be greatly appreciated.

Anyway, it was decided that I'd walk the whole 6km length of the stream. Not sure how or why, but it was just decided. Just like how the sky is blue. Starting from the beginning, I walked all the way to the half point. 3km isn't much per se, but if you think about how much I walked over the past few days, it was a hell of a distance to cover. I stopped around Dongdaemun to fully cover the area before heading back. I'll walk the remainder of the length tomorrow. :)

Dinner at a food court in Migliore. 6,000 won for a good serving of fried rice, japanese style, complete with tiny prawns and an egg. Comes with miso soup and various side dishes. Yes.. its japanese style again.

After dinner, went back to covering the remaining shops I missed. I discovered that all of the malls there use the same format. Large number of tenants covering various floors. The tenants just display their goods all around, without any shopfront or interior decorations to speak of. The walls and ceilings are all white. Prices aren't fixed either. That's why I didn't end up buying anything. Seeing as you're a tourist, they'll most likely jack up the price. The fact that they openly tout for your attention is evidence of that. Just like fishermen laying bait... once you're caught, gg!

And yes, the pricing is even higher than the ones in the malls. That's saying something. I wouldn't recommend going here to shop.

That's all for today. I'll be completing the rest of Cheonggyecheon tomorrow, and try to squeeze in a bit of look-see time before checking out of the hotel at 4pm. Not sure when the flight is, but I'll be reaching Singapore around 1am. Until then.. see ya!

Korea Day 4, Fri Aug 13 2010

2010-08-13T22:29:00.001+08:00

Exhausting day it was. Straight after breakfast, I took the hotel shuttle bus to COEX mall. It's the Korean equivalent of Singapore's Suntec City, with the added bonus of Asia's largest underground mall. I saw a group of.. maybe 15 year old?.. kids heading toward a certain direction. Being the busybody I was, I followed them. After all, for something to attract a kid's attention, it'd had to be something big. I started seeing more and more people going the same way. Eventually it ended at a huge and long queue.. the kind you only get to see at anime or cosplay expos, or Hello Kitty giveaways. What was the queue for, you ask? E-stars Seoul 2010. For those nto up to date, that's e-sports. This would be their equivalent of soccer. I'm not kidding.. they even televise the game matches on national TV.. I've seen it for myself. The top players are practically celebrities. I do have to admit though, watching the match with the commentary was quite exciting. I can understand why the Koreans are so crazy over it.

But anyway, the main objective of going to COEX was arcade hunting. I was following a 5-year old lead that a 'Game Champ' establishment was located there. Sure enough, it wasn't there anymore. Too bad.

Next stio was Gangnam station. Following more recent info, an arcade was located next to one of the station exits. Found it after a bit of effort. The condition of the arcade was miserable to say the least. Disappointed, the next stop was Sinchon, all the way on the other side of the train's green circle line.

Two arcades there, as listed by an online forumer. I eventually found them both. Eventually, with a capitcal E. I don't really want to go on about how much time and effort I spent finding them amongst the thousands of shops around. I know arcades usually stand out among other places, but apparently Seoul doesn't work that way.

Did a bit of shopping since I was already there. Shopping without the buying part. I did see something I liked, but when I wanted to take a look, the salesman started hovering around me. I tried to shake him off, but he couldn't take the hint. They think that they're helping, but all they're doing is being irritating. Heck, he doesn't even speak english.. not like he could help me in the first place. Didn't get to buy it... such a waste.

Lunch was at one of the malls there. They have food courts in Seoul too, but their's is more high tech. You take your pick, then make your order and pay at a general cashier. The cashier gives you a receipt for your food, as well as your food queue number and table number. You go to your table, wait for your queue number to be flashed, then you go collect your food from the respective stall. Cool huh? Except the part where you make your order. I had to memorize the squiggly words on the stall for the food I was ordering, then use the crazy hand movements to point out my order to the cashier. Then I had to figure out what the three receipts the cashier handed me was for.

I couldn't really tell what I was ordering. From the picture, all I saw was some sort of rice. The stall was selling Teppanyaki, so I assumed it was some sort of fried rice. Luckily it came out something like I expected.

Next stop, Insadong again, for arcade hunting and a bit more shopping. Got two souvenir-like tshirts, one for my brother. 12,000 (S$14) won each, discounted to 11,000 (S$11) each. Not much, but hey, a dollar saved is a dollar to be spent on something else! The arcade was slightly down an alley next to a Mac's. As I expected: another sad place.

Walked straight from there to Myeong-dong, for some hardcore shopping. Quite some distance, but walkable nonetheless. Got two shirts and one t-shirt from a factory outlet at 14,000 won (S$17) each, more than half the original price. Also, a vest-jacket piece of clothing from the Lotte Young department store for 29,000 won (S$35). Looked like a really good deal. After I bought it, I found out that the original price was 59,000 won (S$70). Lucky!

Somewhere in between then, bought a pack of fried (or cooked? They used the machine that squashes it between two hot panels.) cuttlefish from a vendor in the middle of the walkway. A bit expensive.. 5,000 won (S$6) for one pack. But really delicious, and the pack was quite big. Lasted for a long while.

The final stop was Konkuk University station. Last stop in my arcade hunting trip. The arcade was located on level 3 of Star City, some large mall. As it turned out, the arcade didn't disappoint my expectations, in that it was disappointing. It looks like PC gaming has totally taken over Korea. Arcades are slowly degrading, becoming outdate, and fading from existence. Wonder where all the pro players play though?

Had a lighter dinner of Dunkin' Donuts. Waffle with apple sauce, Strawberry-covered donut, and a cookies-and-cream choco. Yummy!

Nothing else after that. Headed back to the hotel to rest my aching legs. :'(

Korea Day 3, Thurs Aug 12 2010

2010-08-12T22:29:00.004+08:00

Out on a trip! The tour group contained a total of 11 people, a whole lot more than I expected. First stop was the Jogyesa Buddhist temple. Pretty standard for a Buddhist temple. The architecture was that of traditional Korean.. kept simple. None of the wood was carved. Rather, it was painted on directly. The end result was a largely intricate look from afar, but doesn't look as good close-up. I wouldn't consider their work as slipshort, but instead, maybe the Koreans are a practical bunch?

Next stop was the Gyeongbok palace, one of the five palaces around Seoul. The tour guide says it's the most important palace of the five. The place was big alright. One of the more interesting notes.. a building has a number of gargoyles placed on the roof, the number of them corresponding to the importance of the building. The more important it was, the more gargoyles there were. The king's lodgings had 6 or 7. The party hall had 10. Hmm...

Next up was the National Folklore Museum. Just learning history. Seems like Korea was pretty high class, even in the olden days. Afterward was the Ginseng Center. No one bought anything, seeing as the price of a box of three bottles cost US$238. One of the promoters looked like Mark Lee. I swear, except for a bit of minor difference, he was the splitting image. Even the actions and mannerisms. Oh well, at least it wasn't a wasted stop.

Lunch was at a Korean restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Not really 'nowhere', but you get the idea. Lunch was beef, Korean style. They cook it in front of you using the bunsen burner.. and tada its ready! Even though it was a 'nowhere' restaurant, the beef was delicious. Tasted closest to the type of beef Yoshinoya serves in it's beef bowls.

After lunch, the tour group split into three. Although the morning itinerary was the same, we took varying packages so everyone was heading somewhere else after lunch. I left my tour guide Wendy and joined another group. This group had roughly the same number of people too.

The afternoon tour kicked off with... another palace! They look exactly the same -.- . The concept was essentially the same, but at least this one had a few extra, such as the palace's "secret garden" which we didn't get to enter, as well as the king and queen's chamber which amused me somewhat. Wait for the pics.

Following the palace stop was the amethyst factory. Price were high as expected, so its needless to say that a purchase was out of the question. The factory was just opposite the Insadong market, the next stop on the itinerary, so off we went!

This is a long stretch of shops, mostly selling traditional goods such as masks, fans and mini statues. Great for souvenirs. I didn't buy any of those though.. I don't seem to have an interest for Korean culture and history. What I did get was a pair of stone-carved white owls. To keep me company though the nights :) .

One really interesting building for me was the 'Ssamziegil' building. Practically an artist/designer heaven. Most of the shops sold unique accessories and clothing. A group of two artists was doing on-the-spot caricatures. They had quite an audience going. The way they're able to spontaneously draw out something and have it look good still amazes me. I pity one of them though. He had a request from a group of 5. The other girl artist was laughing at him.

Another of the shops inside was selling miniatures. Mini-cafe? Mini-food? Mini-3D-scene-in-a-picture-frame? They've got it all. The quality of the craftwork was simply amazing. I would have gotten one of the larger pieces if not for the price.. around the S$200 range for one. The price is more than reasonable for the effort and quality. Too bad its out of my budget.

What I did get, was a hand painted t-shirt. Even got to customize the words on it. For 25,000 won (S$30), I was more than happy to get it. Check out their website if you will: http://www.bongs.kr/ .

The last stop was Namdaemun market. Essentially a huge market for food. All kinds, every kind. Not really a place for shopping, but used a lot by the locals to restock their fridges. Walked around for a bit, and that was the end of the tour. The tour guide was really great. Unfortunately I never got her name :( . I opted to stay around instead of heading back to the hotel. Went back to Insadong to collect my t-shirt (it took time to paint and dry), then went off to Myeong-Dong.

That was where the crowd was. No wonder Gasan was deserted. This place, you could say that it had the weekday crowd of Harajuku (The Harajuku weekend crowd meant that I couldn't even squeeze my way through. If I can't squeeze through, I don't think you could either.) and the maze layout comparable to Shinjuku or Taipei's Ximending. So much stuff I couldn't really decide what to buy. I'll probably come back again, maybe tomorrow or the day after.

Dinner was at Burger King. The only one I've seen since I came to Korea. The number of food outlets was intimidating. Too many to choose from, so I just settled with something I was familiar with. Shocking.. my order was ready within 10 seconds. No kidding.

Too tired to walk anymore after that. Tired legs, painful shoulder thanks to my freaking heavy slingbag (remember the stone owls I bought?). Went back to the hotel.

Tried out the sauna at the hotel. The style is much like the onsen in Japan. The onsen still wins hands down though. Can't beat the experience.

And that's it for today! Quite a lot of stuff. Next day will be shopping on my own. And hopefully... Jubeat Knit!

(Wtf that was 1000 words long..)

Korea Day 2, Wed Aug 11 2010

2010-08-11T22:56:00.002+08:00

Woke up at 7+, sleepy of course. Taking the 1 hour time difference into consideration, thats 6 in the morning. Breakfast was in the hotel, western style. The omelette chef knows how to make a good omelette without spamming oil, unlike some others in Shanghai.

Remember yesterday when I wished that it wouldn't rain? I wish I hadn't wished for it. When the weather is hotter than Singapore, thats saying something.

Went walking around with mum. Took the hotel shuttle bus to the COEX area. We didn't see anything significant there, so we decided to head off to Dongdaemun. (I only found out later, aka now, that there's a huuuge COEX mall, the biggest in Asia. Why I didn't notice it? The whole mall is underground. -_-)

We took the train there. The subway system is more or less like Japan's. One complaint I do have is the fact that half of the time, the train track is in the middle, separating the two platforms. If you went the wrong direction, you'd have to walk up, cross over, then walk down. The problem comes when you have to pass through the fare gate to get to the other side. Once you tap your ticket out, thats it! You'll have to get a new one. I encountered this problem a few times. When you need help but don't speak the language, what do you do? Wave your hands and gesture like a madman, of course. So I did the wild hand movement to the station staff but surprising they immediately understood what I was trying to say. They opened the side gate and let me through to the other side. Apparently I was just one of the many tourists who'd done the same thing.

Dongdaemun was relatively dissatisfying. You read all the reviews online.. they say theres a large number of shopping complexes there. Unfortunately as I came to realise, the bulk of them are wholesale complexes. The proper shopping malls were generic, though there was a certain "Hello aPM" mall. You could consider it 7 levels worth of Bugis Street. Got 2 pieces of clothing, the only stuff I got today.

Had lunch in the same aPM mall, japanese food. Normally people would try out the local food, yeah? I would have too, if not for every single piece of korean cuisine containing spicy shit. What the hell.. spicy for breakfast, spicy for lunch, spicy for dinner? They even poured some chilli powder in my prawn udon. Why oh why?

After wandering around a bit more, we took the train back. Too hot is too hot. But you can't spend a holiday just sitting in the hotel room doing nothing. I took a bath and an hour later, I went back out the Gasan Digital Complex area. From what I read, its more of a shopping area rather than a digital complex. I got there.. took a look. To my surprise, other than the main road, most of the other areas were either very lowly travelled, or practically deserted. Isn't Seoul supposed to be capital? And this Gasan Digital Complex supposed to be a populated district? Where's everyone? Its awfully eerie to be walking in a ghost town.

Anyway, there were a number of shopping malls, but they're all of the generic departmental store kind. The malls contained significantly more people than the roads, but that's not saying much either. Perhaps its because I'm comparing them to Singapore's malls, but from what I remember, even Japan's streets and malls contained a lot more traffic. Perhaps I'm in the wrong area. I didn't buy anything in the end. A few things caught my eye, but I had a feeling I'd get better deals elsewhere.

Heading off for a full day trip tomorrow! Looking forward to it. At least I get to see stuff, unlike today's zombie walk.

Korea Day 1, Tues Aug 10 2010

2010-08-10T22:06:00.003+08:00

Greetings from Korea! Unlike Japan, this time I understand.. nothing. I can't make out what anyone says, and all the words look roughly the same to me. Sure, its not squigglys, but its like Undead trying to make sense of Common. Gotta understand the method to the madness first.

Luckily the country has three main languages in use, in descending order of ubiquity: Korean, Japanese, English. Even without the presence of English, sometimes the signs appear in Japanese. Learning Japanese doesn't just pay off in Japan! But, the occurence of English speakers here is way more common than in Japan. The waitress was able to tell me a certain pizza contained Gorgonzola cheese (that's radioactive blue for you MouseHunters). The only thing the train station manager in Japan could say when I asked if he spoke English was: "Nnn... nnnnoo...".

First day and its all rainy already. Heard there was a typhoon hanging around somewhere in Korea. Uh oh.. but the storm has calmed at the moment. Lets hope it won't screw up the next few days.

Staying at the Hotel Riviera. The room size is huge compared to the Ginza hotel in Japan. You could have practically considered that a luxury capsule hotel. The toilet bowl comes the exact same bidet they have in Japan. Perhaps its standard everywhere in this region.

Unfortunately, the hotel's positioning sucks. Took a walk around the hotel vicinity. Its night, so most of the shops are closed, of which most are the high-end ones anyway (Prada, LV, Chanel?!), so it didn't really matter. Of the remaining shops around, 50% of them were food outlets, 45% of them were bars, and 5% of them came under "Others". Its the central business district, and that's basically all it is. A place for business, businessmen, and nothing else. Yes, shopping and entertainment doesn't come under business. And yeah, I don't consider high-end shopping to be under the shopping bracket.
To make things worse, the hotel's quite the distance away from downtown Korea. Sure I could take the train, but there doesn't seem to be any convenient route from the hotel to the station. Guess I'll try figuring that out tomorrow.

Life Feels Like Suck

2010-02-20T19:06:00.002+08:00

Feel horrible again. I feel sian at home, and even more sian while in camp. Like I'm not doing anything productive. Its practically Jubeat all the way, and even with that, I still can't meet my standards. And it sucks knowing so many other people around you are better than yourself. What thing of significance am I currently doing with my life now? It just seems to be bits and pieces here and there, nothing substantial. Still 9 more months to ORD.

Gah... need more willpower and motivation. Less burnout.

I Beat

2010-01-09T14:34:00.003+08:00

You know something's up when
- Your tapping the table gets people staring
- You understand what project 329 and project 805 means
- You start mugging
- You realise the word 'mon' holds a lot more meaning than it used to
- You discuss how button feel is a factor of success to EXC
- Your life starts revolving around 16 squares

What happened to rights and freedom?

2009-08-30T19:56:00.002+08:00

Its been a long time since I've posted anything substantial here. Mostly because book-out time is quite precious, and I'd rather write when there's free time in camp instead.. but lately I can't seem to find the will to do that in camp. Maybe its exhaustion from writing a page a day.. it gets kind of a chore. It started from writing everyday in BMT, then bit by bit, I miss a day or two, then I write weekly. I'm afraid that if I don't do it anymore, I'll probably won't. So while I've found some will to now, I will. =)

Since the thing I've mostly been writing about is army life, a change should be in order. Writing about civilian life, lifestyle and happenings.. mmm, sounds good.

So I realised that being all this while in the army has made me disconnected from whats going on outside camp. After all, the only thing that connects us to the outside world is a newspaper. Places are changing rapidly, especially Orchard. Ion... Orchard Central.. and a whole lot more places being overhauled. And I can't see anything negative about it at all. After all, in the past, as far as I remember, those were either just empty plots of land, or places so insignificant that I can only remember them as such.

I can't say much about Orchard Central. Just took a brief walk around 2 of the floors. My impression is that it doesn't stand out significantly. Sure, it has the glass and reflecty metallic modern look, but in terms of design, it feels standard. Its not too bad, just that I feel it could have been a better job. Still, some parts of it is still under construction, so we'll have to wait for it to the fully completed before we can comment..

Ion though, it really stands out. Vivocity was one of the better places I've seen, but this stands out even more. Not even sure where I should start. I guess.. if I could describe Ion, it would be innovative, dynamic, and an immersive space. Running out of time, so I'll just summarise in a few points.

=====
Innovation
---
-Running advertisements in front of the urinals. How come no one has ever thought of that?
-Interactive shop directory. Scroll through, touch a shop name and it'll give you a full description.

Dynamic
---
-Every floor is unique. Just because the escalator is there on one floor doesn't mean it be at the same place on another. Gives a constantly changing scenery as you work your way around the area. The first few times, you'll get quite lost because of this, but at the same time, it'll be fun. Like what they mean when they say to "totally lose yourself"...?
-Really curvy. Very little sharp edges and corners. It works because if you only walk in a straight line past shops, you lose interest easily. But having to work your way around the curves keeps you alert of your surroundings, retail spaces included.

Immersive
---
-The entrances into the building are quite prominent. But once you're inside, you'll have a hard time finding the exit, literally. Really really sneaky, but effective. Out of sight.. out of mind, after all. There's very few indications of the street from inside the building. You'll find yourself immersed in the going-ons inside.
=====

Well yeah. Ion is a really nice place. If I had more time, I'd write a whole lot more. All in all, if there's one place to go over the weekend, it'd be Ion.

papercraft!

2009-06-07T19:37:00.001+08:00

Downfall of Music

2009-02-01T00:06:00.002+08:00

Turn on your radio and fill your head with all sorts of shit music. Now, I'm not saying that all music is crap.. just 90% of it. Its either endless repetitions of the same phrase which gets on my nerves after some time, or the lyrics that a 5 year old could write, or that the song just doesn't have any tune to it. Perhaps these days, the music industry is way too saturated, and artists just make a song from whatever pops up in their heads, and hope it sells well. It reminds me of homework.. where when you keep getting more and more and can't keep up with the flow, in order to get it over and done with, you do a just-on-par job and submit it to the teacher. Of course, we don't have much interest in homework. But for music, artists became artists because of their love for music, right? So why the poor quality of work? If you love what you're doing, you should at least take some pride in doing it. Making bad music is one thing. Marketing it to the public and have them listen to it is another.

<3 <3

2009-01-23T13:22:00.000+08:00

Yay, I love the life back here.

Setting yourself up to fail

2009-01-06T14:33:00.003+08:00

	Expected	Actual
Chinese	7	7
Art	5 - 6	4
English	5 - 6	5
Maths	5 - 6	6
Chem	5 - 6	5
B&M	7	5
Raw Score	34 - 38	32

EE	B	C
TOK	B	C
Bonus Points	2	1

Total Score	36 - 40	33

Well, the results speak for themselves. On my standards, its not horribly bad or anything, but not good either. With emphasis on the 'not good'. I calculated the expected scores on a very much realistic scale. I was very much expecting to hit within that range, unless some freak accident came by and swept me off. Seems like it did. Art very much so, and B&M even more so. I remember giving up on Art many times throughout the past 2 years. Even though I pushed myself to the limit, took it as the biggest feat I've ever achieved, I kinda.. just gave up. That 4 wasn't outrageous or anything, but definitely still disappointing. B&M though, thats an outrage. I understand that prelims and all, those lousy 4s were due to negligent marking, but now.. what the fuck! Honestly. I have nothing else to say. I'll see if I can do something to get it remarked, but for now.. what the fuck! And EE TOK.. whatever man. Though I'm at least happy for my Maths and Chem. 5 and 6. Marks I was expecting, but didn't really feel like I would be getting. Its weird, like knowing you should be getting those grades, but getting them would be opposing the laws of nature or something. But either way, ^_^ for those.

Just seeing my expected and actual marks alone makes me feel slightly to moderately disappointed. But knowing that >60% of the cohort got 40 and above, my score's just sad, no? Perhaps I'm just not cut out for rigourous mugging and tests. Perhaps the many consecutive years of bad teaching piled up on me, eventually pulling me down. Or.. perhaps like I said before, I'm just ill-fated. Ever since entering ACS(I), everything just seemed like it was going down the drain, with the exception of the short-lived 2 years of Computer Studies. I took a gamble and switched it to Art, which in the end didn't pay off at all. But whatever.. I quote Crixalis 'Whats done is done'.

These 6 long years in ACS(I), though the friends and relationships were good, I wouldn't entirely say the same for the education. Leaving the school would be an end to one chapter, and the beginning of another. One that I believe would be better yet. The storm is over. Let's see a rainbow, shall we?

Wahhhh...

2009-01-06T03:00:00.001+08:00

You're a lion cub!

What's cuter than a regular baby animal? A baby animal that's sound asleep, curled up in a ball. Baby lions love to sleep, and we get the feeling you do, too. Lion cubs don't sleep all the time -- every once in a while, they get up for a quick burst of activity, and then follow that up with a nap. Lions sometimes fall asleep in weird positions, so you might be the kind of person who falls asleep at school, at work, or at the movies. Sometimes lions are called "the king of the jungle," but since you're just a sleepy little cub, it seems more appropriate to call you "the king of cuddling" or maybe "the queen of cuteness." Now that you have your result, you can go back to sleep if you want. Sweet dreams, snuggle-face!

IB results *wahh..*
NS *wah...*

Oh no..

2009-01-02T02:14:00.000+08:00

The thing I'm really dreading about NS, is dsb..

Taking back memories

2008-12-26T18:14:00.000+08:00

Pictorial

2008-12-20T18:28:00.002+08:00

Product differentiation: Have nice, healthy skin and get a cute little purple bear too!

The result of bored minds and itchy fingers

============
I absolutely hate people who stare. Taking a short glance is fine, but keeping a fixed gaze on someone all the way until he is out of sight is just plain rude. The best way to deal with these people is to stare straight back at them.

Fremennik Achievement Diary

2008-12-13T12:09:00.001+08:00

Well, basically, they released an update, which allowed high-enough-levelled players to make items which result in a small profit from an otherwise money-sinking skill. Adding it up, players could make an insane amount of money in a short period of time. Players however, have to invest a large portion of cash to make this item. Jagex realised this 'mistake' eventually, but only 3 days after the release. They made a HIDDEN UPDATE which reduced the slight profit per item to a 90% loss. So all in all, the poor guys lost a lot of cash thanks to a hidden update.

So players complained the hell out on the forums. Eventually(again), Jagex posted this:

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Hi everyone,

The following post is from the Content Development team and concerns the recent construction update.

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

The rewards for the Fremennik Achievement Diary included the ability to sell flatpacks as an investment in the coffers of Miscellania Island. The difference between the cost of materials for making a Magical cape rack and the value of the item itself on the Grand Exchange meant that there was a more substantial profit than originally intended available to players who have high construction levels. We apologise for this not being sound on release.

Today we made a change, lowering the Miscellania value of that cape rack to fix the problem. In addition, we are making similar changes to the other flat-pack values to ensure that they can not be in a similar situation if their price on the Grand Exchange changes in the future.

We believe this will leave the ability being more what we had in mind- somewhere you can sell the flatpacks you make where there is a constant demand to absorb them. The values for the items will not be high, as the large supply of flatpacks produced means these items have low value in the game. However, this ensures a constantly available return of some of money invested in the skill, should you choose this strategy.

We would encourage players to be cautious about any new content which appears particularly good in terms of experience or financial benefit. It is safer to report a possible problem using the bug report form than to expose yourself to possible financial loss as some players have claimed they experienced today, or to possible penalties for bug abuse. The number of reports we have received demonstrates the maturity of the community who have recognised something inconsistent with their knowledge of the game, and been responsible and helpful in reporting it. Many thanks for your help.

Our priorities today were to fix the problem and avoid it being abused further. To this end we had a fix live as soon as possible after investigating the reports, and avoided alerting players to content we were not happy with and felt could be abused. You may be reassured that currently we have no intention to take any action in the game against players who might have used this content.

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

Thank you.

RuneScape Player Support
]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Note these parts:

"more substantial profit than originally intended"
Yet they reduced the 25k profit to a ~1million loss.

"We would encourage players to be cautious about any new content which appears particularly good in terms of experience or financial benefit."
This basically says.. 'Be wary of our updates. We aren't too confident about the quality, so if something looks too good to be true, its a bug!', which obviously goes against the natural instinct of a player, which is to take advantage of new content.

"It is safer to report a possible problem using the bug report form than to expose yourself to possible financial loss as some players have claimed they experienced today, or to possible penalties for bug abuse."
Jagex pushes blame onto players. First of all, it wasn't a bug. Its was a programming oversight. Players played according to the rules that Jagex made, and as such, 'bug abuse' is the last thing that should be called. Second, the 'financial loss' wasn't caused by the 'bug'. It was caused by the hidden update which went unannounced. Again Jagex's fault, but they blame the loss on the players becaused they 'abused a bug'.

"The number of reports we have received demonstrates the maturity of the community who have recognised something inconsistent with their knowledge of the game, and been responsible and helpful in reporting it. Many thanks for your help."
As seen on the forums, most of the people who reported this 'bug' were players who were jealous of others making a large profit. Yeah yeah.. maturity..

"You may be reassured that currently we have no intention to take any action in the game against players who might have used this content."
Players get banned for bug abuse, but clearly this isn't present here, but rather the company's own fault. Talking about banning players for wanting to make a profit legitimately is just too much.

(You probably wouldn't understand the full situation unless you've played through the thing, so meh, just my rant)

=====================
Seemed that a bunch of lower-ranked(AKA noob) staff handled the update and situation. The situation eventually escalated to the higher ups who at this moment, are putting a proper fix to the problem:

[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[

Paul

Jagex Mod

17-Dec-2008 12:08:37
Last edited on 17-Dec-2008 12:16:13 by Paul

For people who’ve completed the Fremennik achievement diary, we’ve now made a change which will be in place for one week only. This is to help out people who have ended up with lots of hard to sell items due to gameplay changes we have made.

Our apologies to the people who ended up in that situation, mostly due to some poor communication on our part.

The following flatpack items will be able to be exchanged for money in your Miscellanian coffers with Advisor Grimm, for most (but not all) of the grand exchange cost of their components.

Gilded magic wardrobe
Marble magic wardrobe
Gilded cape rack
Marble cape rack
Magic cape rack

Also please note that for this one week period, the xp gained for making these flatpack items has been temporarily reduced. (but not for ones made in place in your house)
We would NOT recommend these as a good choice of items for levelling your construction.

]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Hope this will mark the turnaround of the company back to its former glory.. miss those days..

Java Failing Experts

2008-12-13T02:04:00.004+08:00

As much as I hate it, I'm really starting to see Runescape heading straight for downfall, all due to pure company incompetence. Having more than half of the recent updates being classified as 'fail', you can see where this is going. But worst of all is the company's lack of concern for the players themselves.

Stealing Creation:
A mini-game where two teams gather resources and fight for control. The mini-game was introduced with horrifically vague explanations. No, the objective here is to explain the game as clearly as possible, not write a mystery novel! We're looking for hard numbers, proper explanations.. not to be left in wonder of what we're supposed to do!

Secondly, as with most mini-games on RS, players usually play it for the reward. The rewards were just as vague. They say the rewards will help gain more experience while training. By how much, they do not say. 10%? 20%? 1000%? Might be 0.0001%. And so players were left on their own to determine the figures for themselves. And the best thing here was....... the rewards don't work! Every single one of them was bugged to oblivion. Makes us wonder how the heck this update managed to pass quality control. You wouldn't even need a brain to realise that something was wrong if the item didn't work at all.
However, this won't be the last you'll see of quality issues. Oh no, its just getting started. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

(Note that it has been more than a month since the update was released. Although Jagex[the company] says a fix will be coming soon, I still don't see it anywhere..)

While Guthix Sleeps:
The first ever 'grandmaster'-level quest to be released. Players gain a piece of the Dragon Platebody,the most anticipated release for years, upon completion of the quest. Along with that, players can also kill new high-levelled monsters called Tormented Demons in order to gain these pieces as well.

And honestly, the Dragon Plate has been the biggest letdown of all. Weak stats for something so highly anticipated, can be worn by practically anybody, and worst of all.. ugly looks. In fact, I'll let you judge: link. Does it in any way scream epic? Fashionable even? Can you say.. spaghetti arms? As you can see, quality control isn't been the only division that requires a major overhaul. I mean, what did the design department do to create the supposedly most epic armour? Take an ordinary platemail and add a few spikes to the shoulders? Since I can obviously do a better job than that without even trying, should I be having their job instead?

Jagex 'set' the market price of the plate at 30M. Just days later, the prices plummeted, all the way to less than half of the original price. link What happened, they wondered? Was it because it had stats that was weaker than a piece of armour that costed 50 times less? Was it because it made players look like walking tomatoes? NO! They decided that prices were dropping so much because supply was too high. So they implemented a HIDDEN update which made killing Tormented Demons insanely hard, with drastically reduced drop rates. Of course, the poor players who were farming them had no idea of the update.. oops.

Fremennik Achievement Diary:
The true breaking point is here. The point where I knew that the company who once cared so much for their players is dead. Who once took the welfare of their players as the utmost importance. Somewhere in between, the company took an unfortunate turn, changing their business model from customer satisifaction to pure profits. So what if thousands of high-levelled players lose millions of gold from our mistake? They're just a miniscule fraction of our total player base, no big deal. Easily replaceable.

Getting late, so I'll leave the ending for tomorrow or so. I'll just end with this. Read and understand my frustration.

Keep falling on my head

2008-12-11T22:39:00.001+08:00

Gah. Stupid. Keeps. Raining. Normally I'd prefer the rain, but not now. Not when I wanna go out and actually use the outdoors. And so my projects get delayed once again..

ACS(P)

2008-12-01T02:45:00.007+08:00

]]]EDIT: Started writing this about a week and a half ago, before Sydney. I was planning to do a few entries, but I guess there isn't much motivation for this anymore. No, it isn't about recalling horrible pasts, just that it gets... boring(?) narrating your own life story after having replayed it that many times in your own head. I'm not writing further, but its a real waste deleting it, so there.[[[[

12 years of education. Nothing could change you more.

===
The first two years of primary school was probably the worst of it all. Ever wondered what it was like to be the target of organized bullying? I bet I could tell you.

Classes ranged from A to E. I got into D. So-so. The letter seemed nice and all. Had a form teacher who looked like an auntie in retirement. Had a class who was about a quarter or half retarded. That group was made up of almost all malay guys. (No, I'm not being racist. Its all true..) One of them ended up looking for me just to ask a basic arithmetic question, four or five years later. Other than that, the class was pretty much average, with kids ranging from sugar-rush to stone cold. I guess I was around the middle, leaning a bit to the stone cold side.

The teachers? I can't even remember, other than old woman. Maybe there was this other guy though, can't remember what he taught. He looked a bit too buff to be teaching in a primary school. He probably didn't teach english though, since he 'confiscated' one of my Enid Blyton books (the 'in' book that era) which I think was just sitting on my desk at that time. He returned it one or two days later saying it was a good book, which made me lol a bit.

I don't think there was a 'specific time' when the bullying started. It probably just happened as it did. As far as I knew, the people concerned were a few individuals in my own class, as well as a whole other class. Why they picked me? I have no idea. Maybe I had a pick-on-me aura. Maybe I looked as if I was good picking-on fodder? Maybe a few kids influenced a gang mentality on the rest of them, though its still a question of why me in the first place.

Orchard Rd

2008-11-29T00:59:00.000+08:00

Ran into 2 'charity' people while walking along Orchard road today. One was okay. The other one was just a faggot. Malay? Maybe Indian.. he was dark enough. I walk along, minding my own business, when the faggot starts walking towards me in intersect path, saying some random crap, out of which I only managed to hear 'brudder'. Then I notice that stupid clear folder containing a stupid white piece of 'authenticated charity' paper he was holding. I made it clear I didn't want to have anything to do with him. He ends up following me a few steps, as with all of them. Alright.. fine. But then, just before he gives up, he says 'Fuck your mudder, brudder!'. Honestly, what the hell is wrong with him. And to think he is doing this for a 'charity'. Bet he signed on just to look for someone to beat the shit outta him, not counting the 'commision'. Its these kinda people that disgrace the minority races of Singapore. Should you ever hear people making racist statements the next time, you'll know why.

Soap and Water

2008-11-26T23:35:00.003+08:00

Class chalet brought about some interesting thoughts I'd probably have never come across from staying at home. Indeed, even with all the technology and games at your disposal, nothing beats going out there and just having fun to the fullest. Free(mostly) from all that society demands from you, just enjoying life. Thats why Singapore has always ranked low in term of overall happiness. Anyway, chalet does reveal some stuff you never knew about your classmates.. or even yourself. =S

And on non-related stuff.. anyone else find this amusing?
Link

so lonely..

2008-11-20T00:02:00.002+08:00

Maybe its just me.. but once in a while, it kinda feels like theres one giant conspiracy against you or something. Like maybe.. everyone acts all nice when you're around, but in reality they can't stand you. After all, you can never truly know what the other party is thinking. Especially over the internet, considering theres the lack of face-to-face contact, you never know. Someone may be typing 'Hey, hows it going?', when in actual fact they're just saying 'Ugh, you again. What do you want this time?'.

"A penny for your thoughts?"
"Just my two cents."

Thoughts are underrated.

On a different note, seasons are passing with yet another commercialised Christmas and the annual poring migration to the bus-stop.

Random things that happen everyday that make you say WTF

2008-11-15T20:58:00.002+08:00

A mysterious message I received from whom I originally thought was Alyssha Yeo Zi Ning..

orly

2008-11-13T23:45:00.002+08:00

God never said you had to get 45 points to win in life.

ITS OVERRRRRR

2008-11-13T15:08:00.002+08:00

Oh YeAh! Oh YeAh! Oh YeAh! Oh YeAh! Oh YeAh! Oh YeAh!

Did you know that my exams are finally over?

What makes us special

2008-11-13T15:00:00.000+08:00

What more appropriate poem could have came out? Although I don't have photographic memory, here goes..

In the Rear View Mirror
===
Thinking back when you saw them last..
...
Nameless people on a postcard..
...
Exits and exits passed but not taken..
...
Makes thinking back when you saw them lasting..
===

As this portion of our lives come to a close, we say our goodbyes to one another. But as we do so, do not remember one's friends just by their farewells. Never forget the precious moments spent together, good or bad, since that is what defines a friendship. Those memories will forever remain in your heart.

Care Mystery

2008-11-11T18:10:00.003+08:00

The paper was awfully, surprisingly easy. Kinda like '..omg, I think I know how to do this!'. Managed to spot the trick questions in the MCQ too. Paper 2 was harder than paper 1, but still nowhere close to the difficulty I imagined. 1 or 2 of my answers didn't seem to agree with the 'right answers' from the 'general majority', but I guess I'll believe in my own. =) Well, thats 1 more day down, 2 days to go! I can do this!

blubblub

2008-11-10T16:39:00.002+08:00

Colds come on rainy days with air cons set low.

Spending 5 hours in the library but only getting 1 hours worth of studying done may be because the other 4 hours were spent getting distracted.

Good night bunny

2008-11-10T01:57:00.002+08:00

Good night and good luck for the rest of the exams, everyone!

Burger Bar

2008-11-07T22:20:00.002+08:00

Didn't manage to sleep at all the last night/morning. That would be 5ish hours of lying in bed, most of the time aware that I'm not able to get myself to fall asleep. I think I've mostly traced the problem, that being thinking too much while I'm lying in bed. Well, not that I can help it.. my mind doesn't like being idle for some reason. And everytime I tell myself to shut up, I eventually manage to wander onto some other topic anyway. The mind is a hard thing to train, especially during sleep hours. =(

It seems the less sleepy I look in the morning, the more tired I am in reality. The opposite usually holds true as well. Although if I'm clearly asleep on the table or something, it shouldn't be assumed that my energy bar is anywhere near hyper level.

So anyway, I 'wake up', fully expecting myself to flunk the two papers horribly. Go to school.. go to SAC.. drink can of coffee #1. Sit for B&M paper. Go to library. Last minute maths revision and fun chats. Go to SAC.. drink can of coffee #2. Talk with B&M HL peeps, including Jeanette, who had much to say about cosplay.. god knows why ;). Go back to library for more revision and Matthew antics. Go back to SAC with Berber. Drink can of coffee #3 while Jin struggles with maths question. Go back to library to get bag. Sit for maths paper. Bball fun.

Ended up doing much better than I expected myself to. Either the cans of coffee worked awfully well, or my quick random prayer for alertness throughout the test was answered. Although I still could have done better, I'm satisfied with my performance in the test.

Organicks

2008-11-06T15:22:00.002+08:00

Yeahh! First paper is overrrrrr!

The paper was overall okay, I guess. A few questions were kinda.. strange. Its like you read the question.. [huh??], then blank out a bit. Then I just told myself to start writing, and that the points will come as I write. In the end the answers were a bit more random than I expected, but it was okay. Particularly happy with my last answer, where all the points just popped into my head. So its like scribble scribble wheeeeeee SCRIBBLE SCRIBBLE wahahaa! Passive answer derivation of sorts, where the answer comes without needing you to actively think about it. Hope it activates in the next few papers as well. =)

I'll try to keep neutral on my opinion on the paper.. since by experience, being optimistic has always let me down (Maths.. BM..), while being pessimistic won't help when I'm doing the other papers. As long as I don't get the same sort of marker as the prelims (band 1 answer got marked as band 3.. D=), I guess it should be okay.

Napfa

2008-11-06T00:25:00.001+08:00

I remember, some time ago.. we were wondering what use would standing broad jump ever have in real life situations. Now I know. Parkour.

You think so?

2008-11-05T15:49:00.002+08:00

+wishlist

Based on the latest developments in neuro-technology, Emotiv has developed a new personal interface for human computer interaction.

The Emotiv EPOC uses a set of sensors to tune into electric signals naturally produced by the brain to detect player thoughts, feelings and expression and connects wirelessly to most PCs.

The Emotiv neuroheadset now makes it possible for games to be controlled and influenced by the player's mind.

F&N Groovy

2008-11-02T15:59:00.002+08:00

To hear something through the grapevine is to learn of something informally and unofficially by means of gossip and rumor.

...rumors flourish in an organization because of three elements...

It is not controlled by formal management.
Most employees perceive it to be more believable and reliable than formal communication issued by top management.
It is largely used for the self-interests of the people within the organization.

Evidence:
- The sheer number of year 6s turning up for the Chinese karaoke teachers' concert.
- I start the thing about the 'male librarian'. A year later, it somehow manages to return back to me.
- Gabriel Fee(Phee? Fii?)

No jaywalking

2008-10-31T18:48:00.002+08:00

Going for a practical just to get graded, even though you know you're gonna fail horribly anyway.. and four what reason? =_________=

Waited in line for an hour just to get a haircut. Girls spend forever on their haircut. In the end they look the same anyway.

fail

2008-10-28T23:47:00.002+08:00

Male professional librarians are the worst thing that happened to libraries. Free disciplinary record with every drop of plain water drunk. Get yours today, while stock lasts.

Good Advertising

2008-10-27T00:52:00.001+08:00

Parallels ||

2008-10-20T01:31:00.003+08:00

Taking exams can be more or less compared to anything. Like playing bball, or dota, or [insert mmo here]. Being able to understand the content is one thing. Actually knowing HOW to do it is another thing. For example, you know that balls travel in a parabolic trajectory. Being able to apply that knowledge and throwing ball into the basket is something else. Or lets say in dota.. you know a hero's skills and all, but if thats all, you won't be able to fully utilise the skills without trying them out first in combat. And so.. for taking exams, you might know what the cosine rule or sine rule is, but applying them in an actual exam question is totally different. Thats when experience comes in. ;D In the form of practice papers.

Therefore, I've gotten the theory part. Nows just to work on the experience part and I'm set. =) Haven't been exactly revising a lot. Not a little even, in fact. But starting this week, all out rush!!

Stripper Fail

2008-10-17T22:25:00.000+08:00

"Thats what I call a wardrobe malfunction. lmao"

Wad...the heck...

2008-10-17T19:26:00.002+08:00

Looks like my account on freewebs disappeared. Which contained my blog layout. sobsob..

Portal is win

2008-10-16T01:04:00.003+08:00

Still Alive - Extended Version
=====================

This was a triumph.
I'm making a note here:
HUGE SUCCESS.
It's hard to overstate
my satisfaction.
Aperture Science
We do what we must
because we can.
For the good of all of us.
Except the ones who are dead.
But there's no sense crying
over every mistake.
You just keep on trying
till you run out of cake.
And the Science gets done.
And you make a neat gun.
For the people who are
still alive.

Oh, in that last chamber,
That fiery burning pit of doom,
Some delicious cake
was waiting for you.
But did you believe me?
I'm just a machine,
I never lie.
Now the party cannot start.
My cake has gone down the drain.
And so now you're running
through the sewers and pipe.
Whats the point escaping?
You just aren't my type.
I will kill you till you die.
It is time to say goodbye.
To the people who are
still alive.

I'm not even angry.
I'm being so sincere right now.
Even though you broke my heart.
And killed me.
And tore me to pieces.
And threw every piece into a fire.
As they burned it hurt because
I was so happy for you!
Now these points of data
make a beautiful line.
And we're out of beta.
We're releasing on time.
So I'm GLaD. I got burned.
Think of all the things we learned.
For the people who are
still alive.

Go ahead and leave me.
I think I prefer to stay inside.
Maybe you'll find someone else
to help you.
Maybe Black Mesa...
THAT WAS A JOKE, HA HA, FAT CHANCE.
Anyway, this cake is great.
It's so delicious and moist.
look at me still talking
when theres science to do.
when I look out there,
it makes me GLaD I'm not you.
I've experiments to run.
There is research to be done.
On the people who are
still alive.

And believe me I am still alive.
I'm doing science and I'm still alive.
I feel FANTASTIC and I'm still alive
While your dying ill be still alive.
And when you're dead i will be still alive.
Still alive.
Still alive.

Noobs

2008-10-15T20:47:00.002+08:00

A world without retards would be a much better place.

Portastic

2008-10-12T23:13:00.000+08:00

Owww... prolonged playing of Portal gives me a headache. Oww...

Thanks for the Memories

2008-10-10T21:40:00.003+08:00

Though I don't think I'll be missing the EE/TOK/IA/IOC/Common Test/Prelims, I do have a feeling I'll miss the awesome company I've had over the past 2 years. I didn't think the day would come when I'd be saying this, but.. I'll miss school life.

And of course, some things are best kept short. So... THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES, GUYS!! I'LL MISS YOU ALL!!

Extra Words

2008-10-09T16:28:00.002+08:00

Moral of my art story: There is a limit to procrastination.

There is a storm brewing...

Happy birthday moriji-man!

4 subjects to go

2008-10-08T01:12:00.002+08:00

Art has been the biggest hurdle in my life ever. These few weeks have been pretty hellish. Worse than any IAs or parfolios that I've stayed up all the way for. But now its completed. All that I had planned to do, even though it was nearly an impossible feat, I completed it. Having only done 2 pieces in 1.5 years, who could have imagined I could complete 15 more pieces in the remaining 4 months. Thats a 3375% increase in output. Was that ownage, or was that ownage? xD

Although art wasn't exactly as I imagined when I first chose to take it in year 5, I did manage to take back some good stuff. The one first and foremost.. most important, to me, would be awareness of pencil drawing skills. Now I can go work as a hentai manga artist, whahahaaa!! Nah, just joking. But seriously. After all these years(thats quite a number of years too) of aspiring to draw well yet failing to miserably most of the time, knowing that at least I have the potential gives me some hope. Whether I choose to work more on it, maybe do it as a hobby.. thats another story. =)

The other stuff would be.. just.. thinking on stuff. Since the school's art program requires you to work your art around a central theme, you normally end up contemplating quite a bit on it. Mine being 'generation gap', most of the time I was thinking on like.. what brought us together and what splits us apart. Not just inter-generationally, but also intra, even in communities such as our year 6 student body. Basically, it was just good pondering over the various issues around us.

Finally, the conveying of ideas into reality. Sure, it might seem all good up in your head, but when you try to take it to real life, things don't always turn out like they were meant to be. Looking back at my first ever piece, the presentation was outright crap. Even the stuff after that was crap as well. It was only after some time that the ideas started to take form nicely, to the extent that I could say I am proud of my later pieces. In fact, I could compare this to some architectural workshop I went for a year before. I would say that theres a high chance for application of this later on in life. Sort of like.. turning your dreams into reality?

(If none of that made sense the first time, it probably won't. For you reader, that is. Reflections are always good to be written down to make sure it leaves the proper impression on yourself.)

s p a c e o u t

2008-10-07T00:25:00.003+08:00

Today could qualify as my most spaced-out day ever. Final/last-minute preparations for the final art interview was done over the last few weeks. Very notable choingings happened all in the space of last week.

Preparing the Candidate Research Booklet (CRB) all in 1 day [plus studio work].. was in school from around 8am - 10pm, but somehow in the end I got it completed.
//
Preparation for the exhibition on friday wasn't as rushed, but it was still really draining. Even after setting everything up from the morning, we had stay through the whole exhibition, which ran till 8. Went out for supper, reached home at around 10+. I wanted to start work on another piece straight away, but Mr. Sleepy got the better of me. (Note that me being sleepy is quite a serious thing, considering the times I sleep at..)
//
So, that left saturday and sunday to complete whatever I had left to do. Saturday saw me waking up in the afternoon as usual, stoning around a heck lot, then getting to work on the pieces straight after dinner. Worked all the way to 4.30am, completing 2 pieces of work. Pencil drawings. Theoretically that would equate to around 4 hours a piece, but I had a feeling I was stoning around a bit here and there(again), so it might be around 2.5-3 hours each. Either way, they turned out really well. Proud of them. =) That left me 3 pieces left to do.
//
Woke up on Sunday at 1.30pm. Stoned around. Left the house at 3.30pm to get some supplies for my piece. Ended up walking around a bit, because the hardware store that was meant to be there WASN'T there. Luckily/Coincidentally, the shop relocated across the street, and it was pure luck/fate that noticed the shop's name on the signboard, or else I'd have wasted another hour looking for another shop.
Went home after that, got my stuff, headed out the house again to school. I was planning to complete 2 pieces on that day, while either leaving the last piece out or rushing it out the next day(though it felt near impossible). Somehow, one of my pieces ended up triplifying, so instead of 1 cardboard man, I now had to make 3. (They not as easy to make as it sounds) Time whizzed on.. 6pm.. 7pm.. 8pm.. 9pm. Went up to the gallery from the art room to continue working. (The school is freaking dark without the lights on)
I had originally planned on getting the work done by 10pm. 11pm at latest. But at that rate, it couldn't be done. At 11pm I was kind of panicking. All that was on my mind was just going home. Sounds illogical, but that was my state of mind at that time. Twisted from all that stress. After finishing the paintjob on my cardboard army, I had to find a way of getting them to stand. That took more time off the clock. And I had to repair one of my pieces that was literally falling apart. Everything was FINALLY done at 1am. No more, no less. Getting that cab and heading home was really a relieving moment for me. Thinking back, I can still remember it. But thats probably because it was just 1 day ago. But I digress.
Ok, so not EVERYTHING was done. Note that the 1 more piece I had wanted to do still wasn't complete yet. DOOMDOOOMDOOM. So I got home at around 1.30am, with my parents worrying as heck(sorry guys!). My dad was nice enough to go buy me some dinner. I went on to complete that piece-that-I-wanted-to-complete-by-today-but-didn't-get-to-do-so, finishing at around 4am. Although I'm not entirely sure, I had a feeling that the reason my dad stayed all the way up till 3am 'watching tv' was to keep me company. Warm feeling ftw.
//
Art interview day
------------------
I shall ~~do this up tomorrow~~just leave it as it is~~, but this is just a summary~~:
Woke up at normal school-day time
Took all my art stuff with me to school
Set up stuff till 8
Went home, reached home at 8.30
Slept from 8.30-10.30
Completed final piece from 10.30 to 12.10
Took cab to school
Printed out final piece
Waited outside the art gallery for impending doom
Time came, had interview, was really awesome, opposite of above said doom
Hanged around in school for a bit to clean up art room space
Went home satisfied

Still Alive

2008-10-04T23:49:00.001+08:00

...And theres no sense crying over every mistake
You just keep on trying till you run out of cake..

GoodbyeWorld.exe

2008-10-04T21:59:00.003+08:00

--------------Expected----Attained
English----------5------------5
Chem----------4 or 5---------3
Maths---------5 or 6---------4
BnM-------------6-----------4
Art--------------5------------4
Chinese----------7------------7

Total----------32 to 34-------27

And there goes the world..

Victim

2008-10-03T22:37:00.003+08:00

What the shitty marks for prelims. Theres nothing worse that could happen after studying like hell than getting shitty marks. Expecting at the least a 5+ for maths, and what do I get.. a JUST PASS 4?? Chem with a shitty fail.. I couldn't even be bothered looking at the paper anymore after seeing the big fat bunch of fucking zeros here and there. And BnM. I just can't say anything more.

Is this the work of someone who just hates me, or that a higher power has some form of vendetta against me?

One Step Closer

2008-09-30T19:35:00.002+08:00

Physically and mentally exhausted. With the art deadline looming ever so near, I have to get another CAS form signed, and redo my BM IA yet again. If only they would all just.. go away for a while..

Guess I should have worked on art more. But it can't really be helped, since I was totally new to the concept of art at year 5, and it took me a way long time to get going ahead. Too bad now that I've gotten the hang of it, its pretty much over. Oh the thrills of rushing art pieces and sketchbooks.. I'll never forget them.

Return of the Retard

2008-09-29T21:26:00.004+08:00

"Guess what I clicked"... was what I wanted to say, but unfortunately I closed the tab and lost her. =(

(I have no idea what those 2 boxes below are)

Closer than you think

2008-09-28T01:06:00.003+08:00

Chained
Drowning
Reaching out
Light fading
Just one true hand
Closing in
Despair
Closing in
Hope
Closing in
Less
Fading away
Dark
Closing in
Ness
Closing in
Darkness
Darkness
Closing in
Dark
Dark
Dark
Dar
Da
D
...

The Thought of Inexistence Scares Me

2008-09-27T22:12:00.002+08:00

Lets say that when you die, you go to heaven. What do people do there for entertainment? Would they be literally.. bored to death? Doing things for extended periods of time.. people eventually get bored of it, don't they? Between the time you die, and when the world is remade, that's an awfully long period, wouldn't you say?

Alternatively, lets say that when you die, you just disappear. You cease to exist.. poof. Sort of like sleeping through without any dreams. Except this would be an everlasting sleep. Perhaps just like the same way you were before you were born. Existing (or lack thereof) in total darkness.. physically, mentally.

If I were to choose, I'd go for the former. But then again, logic shouldn't be the basis on what to believe in. Trust your heart, trust your soul?

Rock Band Rolling Out Across SE Asia

2008-09-26T22:22:00.002+08:00

Rock Band 1, US release: November 20, 2007
Rock Band 2, US release: September 14, 2008
Rock Band 1, SG release: September 25, 2008

Anyone see the problem here? Two words: Electronic. Arts. Those retarded pieces of shit. Should I have known better, I'd have thought Stephen Sing was running that company.

Crossroads

2008-09-24T02:39:00.002+08:00

What irony.. I created this blog as an outlet for my thoughts and emotions, but post content gradually grew towards popular culture and whatnot. The actual, actual, intended posts end up being encoded..

I envy girls, being able to have friends to trust and confide their emotions in. Guys have to suppress their emotions, since stupid society has to stereotype everyone and everything.

Aim for the corner

2008-09-23T22:56:00.001+08:00

Do not feed kinky oatmeal.

Online Retards

2008-09-18T23:19:00.001+08:00

Makes you wonder why she bothered in the first place..

Pwnage in Singapore

2008-09-18T00:00:00.001+08:00

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/viewContent.jsp?id=34695

Happy birthday...

2008-09-16T17:03:00.003+08:00

to ME!!!

Yay for birthday wishes! Makes people like me happy :) Its kinda nice to feel special once in a while. September 16 still isn't over yet, so...... ;)

(Exactly 2000 views today! Coincidence?)

Objection

2008-09-11T22:26:00.001+08:00

You have a bullet in your shoulder.
No I don't.
Yes you do.
Prove it.
*whips out metal detector*
Ouuuuuuaaaaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!

Oh hell

2008-09-07T14:44:00.000+08:00

The following is an actual question given on a University of Washington chemistry mid-term. The answer by one student was so "profound" that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well.

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant. One student, however, wrote the following:

"First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.

As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell.

With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added. This gives two possibilities:

1) If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2) If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year, "...that it will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you", and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in having an affair with her, then #2 above cannot be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and will not freeze over."

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED THE ONLY "A".

http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/HellFreeze.htm

Lifez

2008-09-06T22:30:00.000+08:00

Thank God Im A Country Boy - John Denver

Are you happy with your life?

Cosplaying

2008-08-31T03:48:00.003+08:00

People.. make sure you at least have the right size and looks before cosplaying. Its now just about the costume. Do us a favour and not kill our eyes anymore than they have already died from watching too much anime.