Circumspection

Pandora's Jar

2007-01-06T01:36:00.000+08:00

Some of you may have heard of Pandora before. It's basically a customizable internet radio station which can remember your music preferences, and recommend you new songs which are similar to the ones you already enjoy.

So basically Pandora is good for automatically finding nice new songs to listen to. What if... it could automatically download all these songs to your hard drive as well?

Presenting... Pandora's Jar!

This program is still in beta, has a number of bugs, is quite difficult to set up properly, doesn't work properly all the time, and of course what it does is of fairly questionable legitimacy.

But when it works it's AWESOME

* * *

Short recap of the new year celebrations

Eve's eve. Ian Soon (of all people) jioed me to go chionging. Went to St. James Powerstation, specifically the Powerhouse. Distinctly older crowd. Regretted not taking the chance to try out the other clubs in the Powerstation, especially the damn cool chill out place on the right side of the building.

New Year's Eve. Had a simple gathering with the usual gang at 94D Upper East Coast Road over pizza and KFC. Got the chance to meet Albert's gf (incidentally her name is Eve) in person for the first time. Quite pretty, but kind of quiet. After getting into the appropriate state of mind with the aid of Chivas and red wine, headed down to Expo with Selvia and Za for the Countdown. (thx za for the free tix!)

It was pretty meh at first, but got a lot better after midnight. Met Irene, Luther and their friends. Proceeded to take over a platform for our dancing use, and rocked to mambo and RnB to our heart's content.

2007. Met up with my batch people for dinner at Elaine's place. Jay was back on holidays from his medicine studies, and he is still his same old self. Siyu didn't turn up as usual. Elaine's mom ended up cleaning everyone out at the mahjong table, with Albert suffering the biggest losses. Man U drew with Newcastle! The chance to open up the gap further is lost.

Another year, another beginning. May this year be a better one...

Throttled

2006-12-30T15:42:00.000+08:00

The massive disruption of internet services in the region wrought by the huge earthquake off the coast of taiwan highlighted numerous vulnerabilities in our current system. Besides demonstrating how important the internet is to our high tech enonomy, and how fragile the current infrastructure is, it also revealed rather clearly the difference between the top two service providers in singapore.

Starhub's response to the disaster was immediate, working round the clock to ensure that their services were restored as soon as possible, whereas Singtel took its time to respond. By most accounts, Starhub users were able to enjoy slow but almost full connectivity to the world by the next morning, while Singtel users (like me) couldn't even check gmail until the day after. Accusations that Singtel was uncoorperative in repair efforts by a Korean telco further tarnishes Singtel's image.

Given that my contract with Singtel is over, and I have been considering upgrading my connection for some time already, it looks like I will changing my provider in the very near future.

In other throttling related news, Saddam was executed by hanging this morning. It is a rare day indeed that the world actually manages to get its act together to catch, try and finally get down to actually punishing a former tyrant/dictator. May all his victims rest in peace.

* * *

Blogger recently added several new features to its blogging service, so I took the oppotunity to change my template and layout while giving out the new features a try. So if the new layout looks a bit rough and messy, please bear with me, I am still in the process of trying out new things.

* * *

Remember Streetfighter: The Later Years?

Presenting Part 2 and Part 3! - "Why don't you just take off the fucking mask?"

Optical Illusions and Visual Phenomena - Huge collection of mind boggling optical illusions.

Unusual Clouds

Hilarious!

Jingle bells

2006-12-25T00:06:00.000+08:00

Another year, another quiet christmas.

My family has never been big on christmas, or any non chinese festival for that matter. Even for birthdays, they prefer to celebrate the lunar calendar date rather than normal calendar date, if they bother to celebrate it at all.

Hence I am not really bothered when no one notes my birthday, or when I have no one to spend christmas with. Looking back, I must have endured quite a great deal of loneliness when I was growing up, being an only child in a somewhat dysfunctional family and all, until I have grown numb to it. I certainly prefer to be around people when the occasion calls for it, but I can do without company just as easily.

It is really no big deal to spend such festivals alone. I would rather enjoy some quiet time to myself, and not waste time on trying to enjoy a festival which has no particular meaning to me. Which is not to say I think christmas has no meaning, but going out of your way to celebrate it, as though you are trying to prove a point, seems well, pointless.

In addition, the original meaning of Christmas is often lost among the rampant commercialisation and dare I say bastardisation of this by right holy and sacred date. Yes, its good for the economy and all, but the extent which this date is exploited is downright unsightly at times, even to someone who is not religious like me.

Ok perhaps I am just being cynical. Perhaps I should get out more and try harder to spend such occasions with people who celebrate them in meaningful ways.

The dulcet tones of church bells and hymns float from the church down the street from my house, reminding me that midnight has come. The joy in their voices is unmistakenable, and it warms my heart.

Merry Christmas everyone.

* * *

50 Greatest Cartoons - Mostly very old skool cartoons, but they can still put most modern cartoons to shame. Sit back and enjoy!

Those crazy japanese and their ridiculous game shows. Mildy NSFW

Awesome expanding table.

Recap

2006-12-18T22:02:00.000+08:00

Just a rambling entry about some notable events of the past few days. Mostly not worth reading unless you are very very bored.

Friday night. Went shopping for christmas presents. Met the oneiros static team, selvia and jackson, and omg Jiahua whom I have not seen in like 8 years. Turns out she just left AIA as she is going UK to study. Reminded again about how out of contact I am with my RJ friends. dammit.

Saturday lunch. Met Yvonne for lunch at Jurong point. Another new boyfriend? Got a nice gift from her for christmas. Thanks! Must remember to get her something for her birthday.

Saturday dinner. Gathering at Za's place with the irenicon people + friends! So much food. Kwara's apple crumble and Clara's roast chicken are the best. My terrible luck with gift exchange strikes again. Still, I believe that the thought behind it was sincere, and I really shouldn't complain so much.

Sunday night. Wedding dinner at the Shangri La. Damn posh. Absolutely no idea how I was related to the couple getting married, as I was dragged along without being given a choice by my mom (as usual). Over 700 people invited. They had a jazz band, a harp player, a flute player, and a singer to provide entertainment at various times. The bride was very tall, taller than the groom, and had a very strong handshake. Both were very good looking.

Monday morning. OMG man u lost to west ham. Too depressed to read the match report.

* * *

Been trying out a few new anime recently, especially since Naruto and Bleach continues to disappoint.

One Piece is not bad. But trying to convince people to watch a show whose main character is a boy made out of rubber is rather hard. If you've enjoyed bleach and naruto (before they started sucking) you will almost certainly like One Piece as well.

Black Lagoon. Awesome with a capital A. Psychotic Unstoppable Terminator Maid? Crazy Vampire Assassin Twins? Gun-toting, Violence Loving, Bubblegum Chewing Nun with a mysterious past? Its got them all, and more!

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I am unable to describe this show without spoiling anything. Very interesting storyline and exceptionally well animated.

That's all for now.

One Down

2006-12-16T01:13:00.000+08:00

And nine more in camps to go.

The aims are noble, but in practice the entire affair is rather farcical. Wayang, some call it. In an organisation where individuals are constantly under pressure to show results, where mistakes are desperately covered up, where the ends matter infinitely more than the means, things quickly lose their original meanings.

The overall picture is really quite depressing, so let's not go there.

Despite everything, there were some nice memories to be had. Watching endless waves of helicopters taking part in a massive Guardsmen exercise flying through the night sky, accompanied by the glow of fireflies and lit cigerettes of your fellow soldiers. Watching the sky make its slow transition from night to dawn, and to hear the forest come alive with the light. Sitting at the head of a 40 vehicle convey, waiting for orders to head out to the next deployment ground.

One redeeming point was that the people in my company are generally quite nice, responsible and cooperative. Of course you will inevitable have a couple of bad eggs, but as a whole these are a bunch of people I wouldn't really mind spending the remainder of my in camps with.

Solo

2006-12-04T22:40:00.000+08:00

"... and LTA Brian here will be the only PC around for this ICT, so please give him your fullest support..."

Guess I am going to have to wing this by myself.

Kranji Camp 2

2006-12-04T00:33:00.000+08:00

Not sure how long I will take to adjust to a rather different working/sleeping schedule. Hope that it wouldn't be too traumatic for me. No idea what to expect tomorrow, this being my first in camp training and all, what more in a completely unfamiliar posting.

Seriously hope that I don't get any problem kids in my platoon with me...

But at least I have managed to arrange for a couple of appointments in the coming weeks. Very much looking forward to catching up with friends which I have not seen for years!

* * *

Yet another crazy stop motion video - Tony vs Paul

Light hearted amatuer film examining why asian girls tend to go for foreign guys.

Along the way

2006-12-01T01:48:00.000+08:00

Looks like they didn't forget about me after all.

For the next two weeks I will be gone, serving my first ever ICT. The thing is, I have been posted as a Platoon Commander of a Transport Company... which I am completely unfamiliar with. I was mainly responsible for logistics during my NS time, having served as a DyS4, and now they are putting me in charge of the operations side.

And I am likely to be doing this for the remainder of my reservist years.

Looks like I have a lot to learn during this coming in camp.

* * *

Saw an article in the papers talking about how most weddings nowadays hold little meaning, due to how commercialised and generic they have become. It's really true, at least for the most recent wedding which I had attending.

I mean it was really nice, it had all the bells and whistles of a grand wedding. The couple obviously spent a lot of money in booking a ballroom at a nice hotel, the food was fantastic etc, etc. But it was all something which we have seen before. The obligatory cold dish, the sharks fin soup, the fish, the abalone, the duck, the pig, the friend rice and the dessert. The beautiful multi tier cake made out of styrofoam with a slit for the couple to cut. The champagne pouring over the pyramid of wine glasses. you get the idea.

In the end it seems that the couple was more concerned about doing things right, rather than having something which could have been much more meaningful for themselves and for their friends and loved ones.

It brings to mind the weddings you often see at sentosa, those small affairs held at those beachside pubs. They may not be very grand, and they may not be something that most singaporeans would be proud to invite their parents and relatives to, but sometimes they turn out to be the most sincere and joyous weddings of them all.

Go away

2006-11-21T01:33:00.000+08:00

Chronic headaches suck. The pain is one thing, but its really affecting my ability to think clearly whenever it strikes. And this is such a vague ailment that I can't really justify going to see a doctor over. Pay consultation fees just to get a prescription for panadol? I'll pass. But I can't just keep trying to ignore it either...

* * *

More interesting ad concepts

Oil of Olay

Architecture Business Card (just add water!)

Videos!

First, a time lapse video (slow to fast)

High speed camera (fast to slow)

And some l33t editing skillz

Crazy optical illusion - Warning! May cause Dizzyness

Special Effort

2006-11-19T01:42:00.000+08:00

How Ronaldo managed to miss an open goal from inside 6 yards TWICE in one game is baffling. Especially considering his incredible ball control skills when he dribbles and dances around defenders.

In the end man u had to stretch themselves all the way, needless exertion before very tough matches against Celtic and Chelsea in the coming week.

Anyway

The wonderful spell of rainy weather have become a memory, with the return of the depressing heat and humidity. But at the very least the haze is gone, for now at least, and I am able to run at the track again. I took a long break from running due to the haze / work, and my fitness and energy levels suffered as a result.

Neverending

2006-11-12T23:56:00.000+08:00

Been getting constant headaches recently. Not really sure what is the problem, and nothing seems to help. It's not very painful, but omg why doesn't it go away...

Attended a wedding dinner last night. Normally I really don't like to go wedding dinners, as 1) I wouldn't know anyone there 2) chinese wedding dinners usually start and end late, which means 3) I'll end up being ridiculously bored.

Last night was slightly better as it was a wedding of an actual relative and not some distant friend of my mom's. This meant that I got to sit with my cousins and their kids, so I had people to talk to and kids to play with when I got bored.

But the drawback of hanging out with relatives is that everyone will keep asking you when it is your turn to get married. A bit hard for me to give an answer to now, since I don't even have a girlfriend at this point in time.

Yes yes I know my blog has become very boring. Shall make more effort to try to put more photos and interesting stuff in lieu of my boring life next time k.

Time for more panadol. Laters.

Death by hanging

2006-11-08T20:01:00.000+08:00

Some thoughts on Saddam's death sentence.

Quite a fair bit of controversy over the legitimacy of his trial. Granted, there were many obstacles in the way of justice (death threats were sent to the judges and their families, if I am not wrong some of them were actually assassinated), but still.

Now instead of being remembered as a ruthless tyrant who will not hesitate to kill his own people, he will end up as a martyr for those who resent and oppose the extremely messy invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq by the US. Well done!

The timing of the sentence is also quite blatant, being so close to the US mid term elections, especially since the Republican party are falling being the Democrats in the polls.

Saddam had requested that if he were to be sentenced to death, he wants to face a firing squad and die like a soldier, rather than hang like a common criminal. Seems like he is not going to get his last wish.

Well at least he should be grateful that he is going to hang by the relatively painless method used by the US, where they drop the hangee suddenly so that the force breaks his neck, instead of like in Iran where they slowly lift the noose using a crane, so the hangee dies a slow and miserable death from suffocation.

15th

2006-11-05T14:28:00.000+08:00

Met up with the guys from the 15th today over dinner and drinks at brewerks. Basically spent the whole night making fun of mike's lack of interest and aptitude with girls. Highlight of the night was us writing mike's name and number on a napkin, then asking a waiter to send a martini over to a cute girl at the next table.

The girl didn't even touch the drink. Poor mike!

Was great to be able to meet and do some serious catching up with these people. The usual sharing of gossip was done - "do you know X and Y are attached?", "do you know that Z is pregnant?", " do you know that W is with a girl 6 years older than him?"

Most definately need to do this more often!

Day by Day

2006-11-01T23:52:00.000+08:00

Went for a course since monday. It was pretty tough and demanding, but I guess it was worth it in the end as it manages to squeeze a great deal of content in these few days. The people there were all very friendly, and I got to know a lot of new people.

In general, the trainers who were teaching us were generally excellent, save for one. We had the misfortune to get this middle age guy who is kinda gay, and very naggy and draggy. Not only that, he doesn't seem to know his stuff well, and often ends up confusing the class when he tries to explain something. But other than him, the Education and Training department at AIA is outstanding.

Finally, finally found the time and energy to clear up my room and table. All my stuff was in chaos, and made me feel even more stressed and distracted whenever I tried to get some work done. Going to have to be much more organized and in control if I am to get anything done. I have managed to get by all along without the need to be very organized, but there is no doubt that this job will not be so forgiving.

But that's out of the way for now. Time to have an early night, for its another long day tomorrow.

Press On

2006-10-26T23:59:00.000+08:00

"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."

- Calvin Coolige

I was feeling kind of down after a long day, as well as unprepared for what I need to do tomorrow. The deep end of the pool is really not a pleasant place to be. Went to borrow some books from the library in hope that I may find some useful info, and came across this quote. The sense of hope it aroused in me made me feel much better.

Too brain dead to think so much also, haha. Wish me luck for tomorrow!

Exhibitionists

2006-10-23T02:27:00.000+08:00

Spotted on serendipitouschat.com

2-0

2006-10-22T23:59:00.000+08:00

Went to catch the game at Holland V over dinner with Hann. That brilliant bastard has managed to get a chance to join this incredible post grad exchange programe / project thingie in UCLA, and will be away for a while, so it was good to catch up with him before he leaves.

Man U won convincingly, and it was amusing how the table of Liverpool supporters started a rousing round of "You'll Never Walk Alone" as the game went into extra time. Man U's form is simply fantastic at the moment, both at the player and team level. Hopefully they can maintain this throughout the remainder of the campaign, and stop Chelsea from winning a third title in a row.

Busy are my days and nights, having tons of stuff to read up and do. I still feel somewhat unprepared for what I need to do, especially when I see how knowledgeable and savvy my boss and my colleagues are. But they have been a most supportive and helpful bunch, and I am really happy and grateful this.

* * *

Two videos Hann sent me

The 6 stages of Giraffe Death

NTU Student Survey

Ms Dewey - The Future of Search

One Step Closer

2006-10-17T23:16:00.000+08:00

Passed my class 2A today!

The actual test itself took at most 15 minutes?

But omg the ridiculous amount of waiting we were all put through. Waiting for the practice to start, waiting to register, waiting for the briefing, waiting for the testers to come, waiting for the test to start, waiting for my turn to come, waiting for the results, waiting for my license card to be updated.

Total I think I spent around 7 hours waiting(7am to 2pm). Ridiculous sia!

Looking forward to start on my class 2 license next year, and hopefully will have my class 3 by then!

Other thoughts

The class 2 license is taught on the CB750, which is I think around 230kg. Part of the test involves having to push the bike in a figure of 8 pattern, being able to put the bike onto its main stand as well as being able to lift the bike upright from a lying down position.

Which is a significant step up from the class 2A license where you can get by without being all that strong, as you are not required to be able to lift the bike, and normal riding doesn't require any significant exertion.

Not a big deal for me as I am fairly tall (weight matters more when you have to tiptoe to touch the ground when sitting on the bike) and strong, but a fairly big challenge for the shorter/smaller guys and girls out there who aspire to be able to ride big bikes one day.

* * *

Serendipitous Chat - For the massively voyeuristic or attention deprived. Just keep clicking next!

I had a pretty cool physics teacher last time in secondary school. But this guy is way cooler!

Hazy Days

2006-10-16T21:32:00.000+08:00

Hazy days are back again, unfortunately. The smell in the air, the taste in your mouth, the dryness in your throat, the irritation of your nose... yes, the haze is back with a vengence.

The haze made the night cycling trip pretty miserable. In the first place it was somewhat chaotic and disorganised, which resulted in confusion and lots of waiting and rushing for the participants. The route was also short and uninteresting. But what stuck in my mind the most was the sudden unhappiness between two of the people I went with, over someone really very minor. It pains my heart so...

Going to have my class 2A test tomorrow morning, at the unearthly hour of 7.15am. Wish me luck!

* * *

Campaign for Real Beauty - Are the standards of beauty being promoted in advertisements today realistic?

Hopelessly in love

2006-10-11T00:33:00.000+08:00

I was just browsing through the Harley Davidson website the other day after Honghui was telling me about how affordable some of the lower end Harleys are. I think Harley bikes are pretty cool, but I am not exactly a big fan of them.

Until I saw the VRSCDX Night Rod Special 2007

Sweet mother of god this is like the most badass motorcycle I have seen in a long time. Big, black, and surely very noisy. I like.

Some guy tries to infect the new Internet Explorer 7 with as many toolbars as possible, to see how robust the program is. Check out the end product with 90% of the screen filled by toolbars.

Verdict: The security is improved, but there are still some kinks to work out. The restore function was extremely effective though. This is good news, for as much as I love FireFox there are still more websites out there which are optimised for IE rather than FF.

Ok very tired, one last video link. Takes forever to load, but confirm worth it! NSFW tho - Sexual Consent Forms.

Back to the books!

Sentosa!

2006-10-10T23:38:00.001+08:00

Irony is when the PSI drops 120 points AFTER you leave sentosa.

The haze was a real downer, making staying outdoors for too long unpleasant and unhealthy. We basically took one long walk along the beach till where the Luge is, then decided to take a bus back.

The haze didn't deter others from enjoying themselves though. Bikini babes and boardshort hunks occupied all the beach vball courts, providing some eye candy as we trekked along. Others were enjoying this open air jazz concert just outside the hotel.

After a very filling sushi dinner we made our way back to the hotel. Honghui brought this light and tasty chardonnay which we happily shared while fooling around with our lanterns on the hotel balcony. The inevitable burning lantern was more dramatic than normal, as we accidentally dropped it to the balcony below us.

Thank heavens there wasn't anyone there.

After that it was time for England vs Macedonia, enjoyed with cold beers and mooncakes. A disappointing 0-0 draw and a tough away match to Croatia, with so many of his first squad out with injuries, means that the England manager has his work cut out for him this time.

Spent the next morning exploring the just opened Vivocity. Pretty big, and pretty nice, but quite disappointing as so many shops were still not open. Even the foodcourt was not ready for business. The security guards in yellow overalls riding around in segways were pretty cool though. And they had some people dressed up as traffic policemen, doing some kind of dance on small platforms scattered throughout the mall, I think supposedly emulating those dancing traffic policemen in bangkok as they direct traffic. Quite interesting also la, and adds a certain carnival atmosphere to the whole place.

* * *

Took my last exam (for the time being) on monday and managed to pass it. So thats out of the way for the time being. Have to attend this week long course starting this thursday, and in the meantime I have to go office everyday to meet my boss. She told me to keep my next 10 saturdays free, as she will have things for me to do. Meanwhile, the pile of books which I need to read and become familiar with just keeps growing.

As expected, this job is demanding indeed, and fortunately it is something which I am interested in. I wouldn't go so far as to say I have a passion for it yet, but we shall see.

Orange

2006-10-07T03:17:00.000+08:00

More bitching about the haze!

The PSI reached 80 today, and my throat and nose concurs. The mid-autumn festival is normally a time when people will come out at night to celebrate and enjoy the full moon, but the haze has made the experience an unhealthy and unpleasant one. Was too lazy to take a picture, but the moon was turned a distinct shade of orange by the haze.

The town council took the touble of setting up a traditional chinese opera in the plaza next to my house for the residents to enjoy. But making so many elderly people sit outside in this haze is surely a bad idea.

* * *

One Legged Man Kicking Ass in DDR

Cyril Takayama takes a smoke

Sexual Consent Forms!

Long exposure photo of a plane taking off. The dots are the lights of the plane blinking as it takes off. The plane itself cannot be seen. Eerie, yet cool.

Two Down

2006-10-06T02:58:00.000+08:00

And one more to go.

Last paper (for this round anyway will be on monday. Hopefully all goes well and I can tell my boss the good news when she returns from her incentive trip the same day.

The haze seems quite bad today, even though the PSI rating is supposely only 54. Sucks man, this is going to spoil the sentosa gathering if it doesn't let up. Been looking forward to this for so long already; its been quite a while since we all last met up. And our gatherings are virtually garunteed to be extremely entertaining as long as elaine shows up and starts telling us about what she has been doing.

Ok, still got another 200 pages left to read! Was going to post more stuff but omg no mood after seeing how much I still need to study.

Laters!

Hazy

2006-10-04T04:03:00.000+08:00

The haze is back again. Its a depressing reminder that Singapore is very much affected by what goes on in other countries. Beginning to get a dry throat and a running nose already. Hope I don't fall sick man, still got so much stuff to study.

Looking forward to this weekend, as I will be staying over at Rasa Sentosa with my C4 gang! Serene demands that we all bring lanterns and mooncakes along so that we can celebrate mid autumn festival like little kids. So much fun! But having an exam on the monday after is a major downer.

Can't wait for the exam on monday, then I have mambo and night cycling to look forward to. Still got more courses and exams to take after that, but let's just take one step at a time.

* * *

Suzuki B-King 2007 - So chio!

Awesome rollerblade stunt.

Street Fighter: The Later Years - This is DAMN funny. And pretty well acted too.

"Every once in a while I pull out the old NES and beat the shit out of myself. It makes me feel better somehow."

Back to my books!

One down

2006-10-03T02:18:00.000+08:00

My exam today was at the singapore college of insurance in suntec city. Looks pretty classy from the outside, but you end up taking the exam on these ancient lookng computers running software which would have looked outdated 10 years ago. But oh well, it gets the job done and more importantly, it passed me for my first exam. That's one down, two more to go.

I have been using Gmail and of course Google for some time now, and recently I have started using the customizable Google homepage as well. Its convenient, fast and I can set it up to let me view my Gmail inbox everytime I start my FireFox. I finally got around to adding Google Reader as well as Google Calendar to my Google Homepage as well yesterday (seems like I get a lot of other things done when I am supposed to be studying).

Its working out great! The Reader saves me the trouble of having to click through about 20 websites to check for updates, while having the Calendar display my schedule everytime I load my homepage helps to remind me of the things I need to do that day.

* * *

- RED - Adaptation of missile command. Quite fun!

At first I thought this was an ad for Katamari Damacy. It's a bit out of point, but the idea itself is well executed.

Hotel Marqués De Riscal - Another masterpiece by Frank Gehry. Done in his signature style, this is one hotel you that will surely leave an impression on its guests. Will Singapore ever have such a distinctive looking building?

Faith Repaid

2006-10-02T01:20:00.000+08:00

Its always great to see an old favorite score.

Multitasking

2006-10-01T01:32:00.000+08:00

The number of windows I can have open at the same time is pretty crazy sometimes. When I am in the mood to listen to songs, I will have my iTunes running, as well as EvilLyrics to fetch the lyrics instantly on the fly. Sometimes I will have Pandora's Box open as well to find nice new songs for me, after which I will use LimeWire to fetch them.

FireFox is usually always open, usually with 5-6 windows running at the same time. Various MSN windows if I am chatting with people. Windows Live Writer if I am blogging. uTorrent will be running in the background, slowly but surely adding to my anime collection.

Fortunately most of these applications are fairly light on system resources, so I can run all of them at the same time without any significant slowdown. But hmmm it sure would be nice if I could get a second 19" LCD screen so I have more space to work with...

I used to like running a lot, ever since my JC days when I had the chance to join the school track and field team. It was something I was pretty good at, and the training served me well when I went army.

But during my uni days age sort of caught up with me. My heart and my legs were not as strong as before, and strain from training took longer and longer to recover from. Discouraged, and faced with other issues, I stopped running entirely and my body fell into terrible shape. At its worse, I could barely finish two rounds round the track at a jogging pace.

The path to recovery was a slow and painful one, but one which I can finally see the light at the end of. Strength has returned to my body, and for the first time I am actually enjoying my runs once again. Running makes you sweaty and tired, but it also makes you feel alive.

May I never hang up my running shoes ever again.

* * *

There's Something About Miriam - A chance to win $10,000 and a luxury cruise with a sizzling hot model. Too good to be true?

Crazy Finnish Guy straps two jet turbines to his feet and jumps off a plane.

AE86 vs Skyline - 'nuff said

Poppin'

2006-09-29T17:07:00.000+08:00

Not sure what is wrong, but I have been suffering from this headache since monday. At least panadol works, to some extent, but I can't just keep popping them. The unfortunate thing is that this is hampering my efforts to study for my test.

Shall see a doctor tomorrow if it still doesn't let up. The next two weeks are going to be rather hectic for me, and I can't afford to be liad low by sickness.

I can foresee having to spend more of my time socialising and networking with people, as such activities complement my line of work. It's not exactly something which I am entirely good at or even comfortable with at the moment, but I guess such a skill is very useful irregardless of the line I am in.

* * *

Length of a woman's ring finger determines her sporting abilty - Scientists have found a link between the length of a woman's ring finger and how fast they can run. This is apparently a side effect of the amount of testosterone the woman is exposed to when she is still in the womb. Another interesting find is that the length of the index finger can be linked to traits such as intelligence.

Giant Earwing Invades Germany - Actually its just a bug which got stuck when they were scanning in the photos for the database.

The Ugly Truth

2006-09-28T01:33:00.000+08:00

Some things do not really need to be said. It has always been there, but rarely has it been presented in such a stark manner.

May I have the courage to meet this head on, and the determination to overcome all the challenges and obstacles I will undoubtedly face.

I will never know, until I do this on my own

Live Writer

2006-09-27T13:12:00.000+08:00

Blogger is fairly easy to use and has a lot of features, but the interface to actually type in your posts, as well as any pictures or any html code is horrendous. Posting a video from YouTube, for example, is super hit and miss. Sometimes when you hit the post button, everything goes well, other times your fonts gets screwed, your video gets screwed, all your formatting gets screwed.

Right now I am trying this new program from Microsoft (of all people) called Windows Live Writer. It seems pretty cool so far. It is able to detect the formatting settings from my blog, which I can see what the post will look like exactly as I am typing it out. No more having to guess how long my paragraphs will be any more!

Ok shall try to post a few pics.

Intriguing and creative use of corners by BBC World.

From Adverbox

Cool, it works. A pity that the blogger server is still so slow and unstable though.

Masterclass

2006-09-24T00:04:00.000+08:00

Went out with my boss today to see what this line is about. Realized that there are many things to learn and skills to master if I were to be successful in this line. But I am glad that I have someone good to learn it from.

I have been trying to hit the track and the gym, which is conveniently near my place, on a semi regular basis in an attempt to pass my physical fitness test before the end of the year. That $400 bonus is very attractive indeed. The gym is a bit small and can get pretty crowded during the peak hours, but it is otherwise more than sufficient for my needs.

The thing which pisses me off whenever I go there are those people who hog the machines for no good reason. They just rest on the machines between their workouts, even though other people are waiting to use them. Sometimes they will just sit there and play with their handphones or chat with their friends.

Well I am no expert myself, but the way some people train is simply ludicrous. What is it with guys who like to stand at a prominent point in the gym and do bicep curls with a massive dumbbell that they can barely lift? Don’t they realize how ridiculous they look? And those which like to grunt at every opportunity? And those who spent 95% of their time talking incessantly while sitting on the machines and not working out.

And what is it with girls and the pectoral fly machine? That one exercise probably accounts for 75% of all exercise done on all weights machines for girls.

* * *

More engrish hilarity. From somethingawful.com

Indian ad. Quite funny the first time you see it, but the way they portray the workers is rather derogatory. I wonder how socially acceptable this is in India

Dance off between two breakdance experts!

That’s all folks.

Do it right

2006-09-21T02:54:00.000+08:00

Presumably the army went through the trouble of staging a coup so that they can replace Thaksin with someone better and make him answer for his supposedly numerous wrong doings. Then why on earth did they do so when the guy is not even in the country?

Now they are not going to be able to ever catch and punish him or whatever. Furthurmore, he could represent a very significant to the incoming government if he so chooses. Guess Thailand is going to be in some for rough times for the next few weeks at least...

Just do it

2006-09-20T02:10:00.000+08:00

Months of indecision, indifference, uncertainty and rejection were cast aside as I just decided to do it. I may not have much choice left in the end, but at the very least I could choose which boss I would be working under. Got a bunch of textbooks to study, a slew of lessons to attend, a couple of exams to take in the coming weeks, for starters. Time to buckle down and mug!

* * *

First penis transplant patient hated it – Some guy gets a 4 inch willy from a dead guy grafted onto him after he loses his own after losing his own in a car accident (ouch). After experiencing “severe psychological trauma”, he requests for it to be cut off (omg double ouch). This is just so wrong and sad on so many levels.

Want to look thinner instantly? Get yourself a HP camera, with their new slimming photo feature!

Korean Archery – Legolas, Robin Hood, William Tell can eat their collective hearts out. The final stunt is unbelievable.

Sandstorm in Iraq. Singapore weather doesn’t seem so bad now.

SSDC

2006-09-19T00:39:00.000+08:00

Been going to the driving center a lot recently, and will be seeing the place a lot more in the coming weeks. On Friday I took and passed my final theory test, on Saturday I went for my class 2A circuit revision lesson, on Sunday I took and passed my final assessment for class 2A, and on Monday I went for my first class 3 lesson.

Driving a car is almost the complete opposite of riding a motorbike.

Throttle: Bike - Right hand, Car – Right foot.

Brake: Bike – Right hand, Car – Right foot.

Clutch: Bike – Left Hand, Car – Left Foot.

Gearshift: Bike – Left Foot, Car – Left Hand.

So as can be imagined, I was a bit lost the first time I was given the chance to drive. Managed to get the hang of moving off, braking and basic cornering after a couple of tries, and spent the rest of the lesson practicing. Rather looking forward to my next lesson.

As I got home I found the entrance to the bike lots near my flat semi obstructed by this stupid bike again. The owner of the bike insists on parking his bike at the outside most lot, presumably because it is the easiest to park in and move out off. However, as his bike is very long, it ends up obstructing ALL the other bikes inside.

My bike is rather long too, and would obstruct the way if I park it in the normal way, so I will make the effort to park my bike in reverse so the rear of my bike overhangs the pavement behind instead of jutting out in the exit lane.

The next time I see his bike parked like this, I will personally park it OUTSIDE the lot, so that he will get a summon for improper parking. The parking attendants in my area are especially vigilant, and will no doubt be thankful for a chance to meet their targets.

* * *

NZ finds Black Cocks Hard to Swallow – Actual headline

Male restroom etiquette

Legend of Zelda Ad in Japan

Banned Ikea Ad – Balls!

And omg Ironman movie!

And these are the rejected proposals for his armor. Wonder what the actual ones will look like?

Out of the Loop

2006-09-17T00:27:00.000+08:00

I just hate it when that happens. Cannot think properly now, so shall not think so much.

* * *

Line dancing seems to be pretty popular in my neighborhood. Once in a while they will blockade off this large open area near my block, and then over a hundred of these line dancers will gather and start to do their thing.

It looks kind of fun, and it’s probably good exercise too! But it’s somewhat hazardous to the eyesight of the bystanders. How so? Cos you will unfortunately get a lot of aunties who dress in tight jeans and halters or spaghetti straps in an attempt to look like a girl half their age. Oh man…

* * *

The Manipulator - This woman is a professional photographer who has gained quite a bit of notoriety for this set of photos.

She apparently asked the parents or guardians of these kids to give them lollipops, then suddenly take them away to make them cry. All this so she can take pictures of kids crying. The Manipulator indeed!

Her other photo galleries simply gorgeous. Where can I learn to take photos like this?

A couple of examples of beautifully designed furniture. Just don't look at the prices.

Japanese style bookself. Simple yet elegant.

Coffee table. Objects placed on to appear to float in the air.

And more refreshing pics from Factum

Like my new hat?

Wonder what the kids will look like?

Nope, you're not going to fit through that any more

Holy Shit!

Final Theory

2006-09-16T02:30:00.000+08:00

Finally went for my Final Theory Test. Some of the questions were so ambiguous, as all three options offered could be correct, depending on the situation. It seems more like a common sense / IQ test rather than a driving theory test at times. But whatever, a pass is a pass, and I am glad to have gotten that out of the way.

I added a whole bunch of links on the right hand side, for those who love to surf the net for boh liao stuff like me. Enjoy!

Taken for granted?

2006-09-15T01:42:00.000+08:00

Not entirely unexpected, not exactly unhappy, just a realization of what has been nagging me for a while now. Some things cannot be helped when you decide to close your eyes and listen to your heart.

Decided to pass up on mambo, and somewhat regretted it. I heard that it was pretty good, plus there was some Hennessy event at Velvet Underground with free flow brandy to boot. Dammit! Tried to make up for it by downloading a whole bunch of mambo songs and creating a new playlist to blast music with. The result was well worth the effort, as my cravings for retro music was more than satisfied.

dj madcat is in da house

* * *

The Nintendo Wii is slated to be release in the US on 19th Nov. The what? The wee? The doubleyou aye aye? The doubleyou two? Yes the name is ridiculous, but the concept looks ingenious. It looks so bloody fun la. Check out the video man.

In first person shooters, it is often possible to aim an explosive weapon at your feet in order to take advantage of the explosive effect to jump higher. It is a crude but effective tactic, present ever since the first game with a rocket launcher.

These guys have turned this maneuver into an art form. Check out how they are able to fire off 4 to 5 rockets while hurtling through the air and get them all to land at the same spot where they themselves will land. Bonus points for the extremely cool editing and music.

Yet another beautifully done machinima film. Imagine a huge flock of birds flying in unison across the sky, except replace the birds with 1000 virtual cars running around a small town. Set to Moby, no less.

Freefall

2006-09-14T03:41:00.000+08:00

Went back last night for the rag supper. The first viewing of the presentation always seems the worst; I couldn’t bear to watch the Irenicon video when it was shown for the first time, convinced that it was a far cry from high standards set by my predecessors.

But the Speros video was truly heartbreaking. When you are caught up with something, when you see something everyday, you often lose touch of how good or how bad it is. I did not expect much, but just how bad it turned out to be really pains my heart.

* * *

Managed to get to the front of the line, if only momentarily. It may be another long wait before my next chance.

* * *

City of Sound – Another architecture themed blog. The article which really caught my eye was one discussing a digital representation of the Kaufman House, perhaps better known as Fallingwater.

I probably will never get a chance to visit the real house in person, and would never able to fully appreciate why this house is so special. But through the effort of an admirer of his work, who combined the power of the map editor for Half Life 2 with the world wide leverage of the phenomenon known as YouTube, the privilege of experiencing a true masterpiece of architecture, even if it is merely a virtual representation, is now available to everyone.

New Apple products – Looks like they have updated their entire line of ipods,

Ipod Shuffle – Smallest mp3 player in the world.

Ipod nano – The Mini, reborn? The black one is so cool.

Ipod Video – Now with more games!

Check out the really cool Ipod nano ad.

More cool advertisements from Adverbox

Hot Wheels!

Retro beachwear!

Angel

2006-08-31T00:51:00.000+08:00

I have 7 nieces, and their names are Kylie, Lauren, Eleanor, Sarah, April, Heather and Melanie.

So many!

Among them, Eleanor is special. Death can be a hard concept to comprehend when you are just a little 9 year old girl, but she has shown a maturity beyond her years.

When she was told of her grandmother’s death, she went up to her grandfather and said she regretted not having spent more time with her before she died. And promised him that she will spend more time with him from now on.

When the whole family was filing past the coffin to take one last look before it was sealed, she was the first to cry. But when she saw her cousins crying as well, she would go over to comfort them.

Her actions are so small, but so touching. Among the sadness, she was indeed a shining light.

Ashes to ashes

2006-08-30T03:06:00.000+08:00

Me? I'm still waiting in line.

Spent the past two days attending my aunt's wake. The family seems to be taking it well. The final procession and cremation will be held tomorrow. May she rest in peace.

Oh my, another advertisement blog.

Van Goh Museum

Risk

Window Cleaner

via adverbox.com

Does your dog like to drink from toilet bowls? Get him this

And the most kua zhang swiss army knife ever, with 85 (!) different tools.

Some random stuff

2006-08-28T16:21:00.000+08:00

The design of the humble bicycle is one that has withstood the test of time, as well as countless attempts at reinvention. Few however, can claim to look as good as this.

HumanCar - From two wheels to four. This is like a combination between rowing a canoe, riding a tandem bike and driving a car at the same time! Looks like fun sia. Be sure to watch the movie.

Top 100 wikipedia searchs - Seriously. List of sexual positions at n0.8? What kind of person goes to Wikipedia to search for sexual positions? And wtf? List of gay porn stars at no. 6?

To a better place

2006-08-28T16:06:00.000+08:00

My aunt passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday night, after a long struggle with cancer. Sad as death always is, in a way it was a merciful release from the prolonged suffering. I can't say I am very close to her, or that I feel very sad about her passing on, but memories of her kindness endures. And I guess that is what really counts in the end?

in the end,
only kindness matters
- hands, jewel

Worse Bash Ever?

2006-08-25T04:12:00.000+08:00

This is what you get when you allow someone to be paid before they have produced the goods. The publicity is terrible, the venue is meh (cheap drinks tho) and don't get me started on the live band they brought in. Things got better after the band was done, and there were loud cheers when the DJ finally returned to his console.

4am now but I can't help but post this. A genuine oversight? Or a sad example of "sex sells"? What on earth was Zoe Tay thinking when she agreed to appear in this ad?

"My secret to beautiful skin? I swallow."

China Bride

2006-08-24T14:23:00.000+08:00

Apparently my cousin has gotten himself a bride from China!

Ok I am somewhat out of touch with the affairs of my extended family in general, as I am not very close to them due to a number of factors. Language, background, age difference etc. So I was very much caught off guard when this lady was introduced to me as my cousin's wife to be.

Initial impressions - Quite a pretty lady, early thirties I guess, which is cool considering my cousin is in his mid forties already. Said that I was very tall and handsome (omg bonus cookie points). Seems nice and friendly enough. Represents the last hope on my mom's side for a male descendant with the family name! (my other male cousin has like 4 daughters and no sons).

This if course begs the question of whether singaporean women's demands are too high, as this has been a growing trend in recent times, or is it just that singaporean guys in general just cannot make it. What does this bode for the country's future?

Out of touch

2006-08-23T07:30:00.000+08:00

Went for a bike lesson yesterday after a 6 week haitus. Found myself terribly rusty, having to struggle to clear some of the trickier obstacles. Thankfully it was just a self revision lesson, with no instructor to witness my ineptitude.

Different bikes handle differently, and the Honda Super 4 is certainly very different from my bike. Around twice the weight with a much more powerful engine, it is actually fairly forgiving to ride due to its very low center of gravity. But it does take a while to get accustomed to its twitchy engine and the heavy hydraulic clutch.

Going to get a new helmet tomorrow. I have one full face helmet (which I am not allowed to wear for lessons and the actual test) and a 3/4 shell helmet (which is a bit small for me), both of which are not practical for the bike lessons, while the ones they provide at the center are very uncomfortable and smelly. Figured I might as well just bite the bullet and get a nice comfy 3/4 shell which I can use for the current series of lessons as well as the class 2 license which I will take one day.

The shanghai opportunity is on the backburner now, unfortunately. So its back to job searching again, which is proving increasingly frustrating. It would be nice if they could just send a short reply telling you briefly why they did not choose me for the job, for example lack of experience, lack of qualifications or my qualifications/experience being a bad fit for the job, instead of leaving me hanging. But I have no choice but to keep trying, keep trying keep trying.

FACTUM - some blog which is updated semi regularly with unusual and funny pictures

Nice to meet you

Swan lake?

Kuah Simi!

Smile :-)

With a tin foil hat

2006-08-21T01:02:00.000+08:00

Ok a while ago AOL inadvertently leaked a whole bunch of search queries submitted by its users, along with the user id of those who made the searches. This represents not just a massive compromise of user privacy by AOL, it also shows that much of what one does onlines does leave a permanent trail.

Think about it for a second. Every single thing you have done online, has been logged somewhere by a private company. Even if the company itself is scrupulous, they may be forced by the government to turn over their records under special circumstances, or they may fall prey to malicious hackers or plain human error. Google, for example, have recently came under a great deal of criticisim for submitting to the government's requests to block and censure the search results of queries from within the country, limiting the free flow of information. Whatever has happened to your much vaunted "Do No Evil" credo, Google?

An analogy would be like instead of the phone company merely having records of all the numbers you called and which called you, they are able to record down every single conversation you make. Would you be willing to accept the risk that all your conversations could be revealed to the whole world as a result of this monitoring?

SomethingAwful has taken the liberty of analysing some of the leaked search logs, sorted out by user ids, and showcasing the more hilarious/depraved search histories.

In the meantime, there are steps one can take to protect their personal privacy, at least for their searches done on google.com. Its a very roundabout method, but hey its a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Yeah I know not everyone is as paranoid as I am. Just in case!

Bird's eye view

2006-08-20T19:57:00.000+08:00

What is this? A robotic maid?

A space invader?

A man diving into a pool?

A bird feeding its chicks?

All these and more are done by an artist named Heman Chong as part of a project he calls Real Estate - 100 Aerial Drawings. By tracing satellite photos of various buildings in Singapore, then colouring them red against a white background, he has reduced them to mere shapes. Architecture from a very unique point of view!

From BLDGBLOG

joy on two wheels

2006-08-20T03:01:00.000+08:00

Its amazing how much more fun it is to travel when you are on two wheels.

There is a sort of nirvana hidden deep within deserted roads, the sort which beckons you to test the limits of your machine and your spirit. As you joyously rise up to its challenge, it rewards your courage with an incomparable sense of freedom. The mind becomes one with the machine, working together to devour the road which lies ahead.

So looking forward to the day I am able to get a bigger bike.

as far from god, as heaven is wide
as far from god, as angels can fly

Excuse me

2006-08-18T20:25:00.000+08:00

I've been waiting in line
And I'd like to buy
Some of your time
I've been saving up my life,
What's your price?

Time is, of course, impossible to save and buy. Thus the desire is ultimately a futile one.

Anyway, here’s some interesting stuff which I came across recently.

How Advertising Spoiled Me – A guy’s blog with a huge collection of very creative and interesting ads. It really does seem like advertising is where you can find the greatest concentration of innovation and creativity.

Sleeping Pills

TabascoSauce

Plastic Surgery

Ad for a really, really, wide screen TV

What would happen if you take a picture of yourself every single day, and fast forward through three years of photos? This girl has done it.

Windmills

2006-08-14T15:31:00.000+08:00

BLDGBLOG

I’ve had the privilege of knowing a number of architectural students during my time in TH as a result of my involvement in rag. During the course of working with them to come up with designs for the floats, I have developed a better appreciation for design in general and in particular a fascination for architecture.

I can’t claim to be very knowledgeable about the field of architecture at all, especially when compared to how talented and erudite of these students. Hence I can’t say I am able to appreciate good design as well as well as they can, but this doesn’t stop me from being able to appreciate it nonetheless.

Recovery period

2006-08-13T01:02:00.000+08:00

Awoke from my deep slumber with the sudden realisation that I forgot to take pictures with some people on rag day, especially the ex raggers like meizheng, kristy and mandy. Such a waste! Damn sad now.

Recalled how I was intentionally mean, very mean indeed to a certain person, and could only think of how I should have been meaner. Well if someone doesn't give me any basic respect, do not expect any back from me. Nearly four years of friendship has degenerated to this; so be it then.

Well at least my wings worked in the end. Having several very experienced raggers from TH and other halls alike come up to me and say how impressed they are by the mechanism was extremely satisfying to me.

Much credit for this goes to Stephane, the very sporting and tough frenchman who operated it beautifully despite the withering heat and the gusty winds. Earlier on he had bourne the wings for nearly an hour waiting for the static presentation to start, till there were deep marks on his shoulders and the skin on his arms started to turn blue, yet not once did he complain or try to shrug off the responsibility. You are the man Stephane!!

The bar has been raised very high indeed this year. The workmanship, the creativity in the use of materials, the jaw dropping level of engineering required to build the KR float was staggering. The spirit of rag is very much alive, and has reached fantastic new heights today, with brilliant entries from almost all halls. I eagerly await the chance to see the actual videos of the performance of all the other halls, as well as our own.

Many tears were shed today, by those who still care. I see the crying and I do not know how to comfort and assauge the pain. I hope that they are from the pain of loss, and not of regret. Be proud, for all of you guys are heros in your own right, for the courage to take on the challenge to enter this insane competition, for making it all the way till the end. Cry, but know that that you have all done very well indeed, but have been cruelly denied by a supreme effort, beyond anyone's expectations.

Enough for now. Photos coming soon.

Just one

2006-07-20T05:24:00.000+08:00

Oh god I need one so badly now. Just one.

The last three weeks looms over the horizon. Progress has been made, but there is still much left to be done. May they have the courage and the desire to pull themselves through.

Worth fighting for?

2006-07-15T22:45:00.000+08:00

It is sad, but I have been feeling more and more unwilling to go back and help out with something which is very close to my heart. I have always justified hanging on for so long by telling myself that it is definately worth it, as long as I can see the desire to win in them.

Perhaps their spirits have been sapped by the rigors of this gruelling journey. Perhaps they are too caught up with their own problems. Perhaps the kind of attitude which I wish to see has become irrelevant, a relic from a different era. Or perhaps I am merely out of touch, with how they are intending to win this fight.

In the past we had always fallen back upon our 'winning formula' when we were lost and needed direction. This formula, covering both organisational concepts and design philosophy, served us well for many years indeed. The formula's aura of invincibility was shattered, finally and dramatically, last year, and in a sense it was inevitable. Times are changing, and those who desire to remain at the top, must adapt and adapt quickly. The old formula simply would not cut it today; a new one has to be found.

But I do not see the foundations being laid for a promising new tradition. I only see the foundations of the old being eroded away furthur and furthur, beaten down and worn away by the merciless challenges of the everchanging times.

I feel powerless to stem this tide. I do not know wat I can do, or how I can make myself more relevant, or whether I even should be doing this anymore. With three titles to my name, I have nothing left to prove. I would let go, if not for the the fact that there are a few who still dream, who still fight.

I took a walk around the world to ease my troubled mind

Inconvertible Evidence

2006-07-13T14:31:00.000+08:00

Guy goes around asking girls to sign a petition to end woman's "sufferage", with hilarious results. The school featured is an american all girls catholic school.

With an Iron Fist

2006-07-10T22:54:00.000+08:00

There was this time when I was in secondary school taking a history test.

"Why did Qing Shi Huang rule China with an iron fist?"

I wrote down the first thing that came to my mind (after I realised I had no idea at all what the correct answer should be).

"Because his hand got cut off"

It seemed so brilliant and funny when I wrote it down. The reprisal by my history and form teacher for being so cheeky was not so fun tho. As a result of my rebellious, anti establishment streak, it was most definately not the last time i got into trouble, one way or another.

My distaste for authority is strong, but I have tended to be ambivalent about the manner which the Singapore government goes about its business. On one hand the government can be said to be borderline repressive on several issues, and it prefers to err on the side of heavy-handedness when making decisions. On the other hand, it is relatively competent and efficient, and can claim much of the credit for how well singapore has done since its inception.

However, several recent events have significantly worsened my impression of the government. During the elections, significant controversy arose when one opposition candidate claimed that he was being barred from running, when in fact it was later shown that he failed to submit the necessary paperwork. The integrity of the opposition candidate as well as his opposition party was seriously compromised as a result. Not satisfied by this, the ruling PAP party went to sue the opposition candidate for defamation, as well as taking steps such as preventing him from leaving the country and taking him into police custody for questioning.

More recently, Mr Brown, a prominent local blogger, commented about the high costs of living in response to announcements of raises in taxi fares. He was reprimanded by the government (well actually the press secretary to a minister) for providing feedback without giving solutions, as this was deemed to be a form of "partisan politics". He also lost his job as a columnist for Today as a result.

The old chinese saying goes, you have to kill one monkey to bring the other monkeys in line. Or something along those lines. Sometimes you have to make an example out of one person, to demonstrate how that one monkey is causing problems for the rest. But when you take it too far, even monkeys will start to wonder. Does the problem lie with the monkeys? Or does the problem lie with the monkey keeper instead?

A most entertaining ( as well as extremly NSFW ) post from the always entertaining Rockson Takumi Tan sums up the sentiment of the man-on-the-street well.

Moving on,

Touchscreen + Warcraft III = Teh Win I have always wanted something like this since I was 10 years old playing Dune 2 for the first time. Other spectacular examples of upcoming technology include this Sony Data Tiles concept and this multi input touch screen prototype. Truly impressive implementations of technology for a more intuitive user interface.

I know who I want, to take me home

We have a winner

2006-06-21T04:17:00.000+08:00

For the funniest video I have seen in a long while.

Like father like son

2006-06-18T22:10:00.000+08:00

My dad fell ill recently and had to be hospitalised for a while, and during this period, I was reminded of my own fate. I am after all his son, and hence am destined to be prone to suffer the same ailments which have plagued him endlessly. My hair is already beginning to thin, a tragic fate for a man in his mid twenties, I already have my first bout with stomach ulcers, and I take rather long to recover from illnesses. I can look forward to getting aquainted with oesteroperosis and rheumatism during my old age.

I was blissfully unaware of all this when I was younger, being hyper fit and having a body which could stand up impressive amounts of abuse. Sometime during my university years, age and stress caught up with me and it became increasing obvious that I am not going to stay young forever.

As I sit here, drowsy from the medicine I have to take for relief from this terrible cough I have caught, good health seems like such a fleeting and precious thing. The realisation dawns that we will never appreciate something till it is gone, naively assuming that things will never change. What is Light without knowing what is Dark? Miserable as I am now, I look forward to the day I recover, for the more I suffer when I am sick, the more I will appreciate the days when I am well.

Dae Han Min Guk!

2006-06-13T23:38:00.000+08:00

Go Korea!

Ok to be honest it was a pretty weak performance from the Korean side, a far cry from the fantastic team of 2002. Bu hey, a win's a win right? By virtue of the fact that they are one of the only two asian teams (no iran and saudi arabia do no count) playing in the world cup, they automatically have my support.

Ahhh what would I give to be there, soaking up the fabulous atmosphere, among tens of thousands of fans chanting in unison, willing their team on towards victory. It's a pity that the small size of Singapore, and the limited opportunities for professional sportsmen to make a living, means that it is highly unlikely that it will ever produce a top class soccer team.

Cute Altoids Ad

Spanish Castle - Damn cool optical illusion!

Aerobics + English lessons? Only in Japan! Seriously wierd stuff

Have two left feet? Why not let your fingers do the kicking?

Basic Theory

2006-06-02T22:38:00.000+08:00

Went for my basic theory test today. I was supposed to answer 50 multiple choice questions, and some of the options given were damn hilarious.

Q. What does this sign represent?

1. Watch out for fences by the side of the road

2. Watch out for a gated railway crossing ahead

3. Watch out for Army rocket launchers ahead

You've got to be kidding me.

Q. You are making a left turn and there are pedestrians crossing the road. Do you

1. Stop and let them cross?

3. Speed up before they obstruct your way?

3. Horn at them to make them cross faster?

Q. You see a motorcyclist flashing his right turn signal and turning his head to the right.

1. He is turning his head so as to balance better when turning right

2. He is checking whether his signal light is working

3. He is checking his blind spot.

Whoever set the test sure has a sense of humour.

24

2006-05-27T23:46:00.000+08:00

Been given 24 hours
to tie up loose ends
to make amends
His eyes said it all
I started to fall
and the silence deafened
Head spinning round
no time to sit down
just wanted to
run and run and run
Be careful they say
don't wish life away,
now I've one day
I can't believe
How I've been wasting my time

In 24 hours they'll be
laying flowers
on my life, it's over tonight
I'm not messing no I
need your blessing
and your promise to live free
please do it for me

Is there a heaven a hell
and will I come back
who can tell
Now I can see
what matters to me
it's as clear as crystal
The places I've been
the people I've seen
plans that I made
start to fade
The sun's setting gold
thought I would grow old,
it wasn't to be

I can't believe
How I've been wasting my time

In 18 hours they'll be
laying flowers
on my life, it's over tonight
I'm not messing no I
need your blessing
and your promise to live free
please do it for me

13 hours they'll be
laying flowers
on my life, it's over tonight
I'm not messing no I
need your blessing
and your promise to live free
Please do it for me

I'm not alone, I sense it, I sense it
All that I said, I meant it, I meant it

I can't believe
How much I've wasted my time

In just 8 hours they'll be
laying flowers
on my life, it's over tonight
I'm not messing no I
need your blessing
and your promise to live free
please do it for me

In just 1 hour they'll be
laying flowers
on my life, it's over tonight
I'm not messing no I
need your blessing
and your promise to live free
please do it for me

Four Points

2006-03-15T01:58:00.000+08:00

Last week I got a ticket for changing lanes over a double white line.

I realised that I am in the wrong, yet remain deeply unhappy. My intentions were not reckless; the actual action itself did not remotely create any risk or danger to myself or other road users. Of all the motorists who break one rule or another on a daily basis, why must the traffic cop pick on me?

The rules are there to impose a sort of order on the public roads, and the traffic cops are there to impose those rules. The rules were undoubtedly concieved with a great emphasis on safety, but often at the cost of flexibility and efficiency. Speed limits of 90 km/h on major expressways are in place, irregardless of whether it is during rush hour traffic, or when I am the only soul trying to get home in the wee hours of the morning.

However, the limitations of the cops means that they are only able to catch and punish a fraction of the infractions which occur. Therefore there is quite a lot of room for the average road user to exercise discretion in his own behavior, and needless to say many of them do take generous liberties with the law. The classic example is the sight of the insane taxi driver weaving his way through traffic in order to pick up a fare.

In particular, it is generally safer for one to follow the speed of the flow of traffic around you, even when it is above the speed limit. Going at 90 km/h when everyone else is going at 100 km/h will only invite people to tailgate and overtake you, especially if you are a riding a small motorbike like I am. Following the law will actually increase your own personal risk in this scenario.

In the early days of getting my license I was indeed quite crazy and prone to throwing caution to the wind when riding my beloved bike. As luck would have it, I was never caught for any of my indiscretions, neither was I punished with any serious accidents. The few relatively minor accidents I had, as well as a number of potentially life threatening close shaves I had escaped with, made me a more restrained and cautious rider. This does not always equate to me going slower on average, but I do believe that my technique is reasonably safe.

In the end, it boils down to this. The world we live in is an imperfect place, and thus life is never fair. I can be the most reckless driver ever, and may never get into an accident. Likewise I can be the safest driver in the world, and still run the risk of getting killed in some freak accident. In the end, we have to decide which driver we want to be, and be willing to bear whatever risks it entails.

Positive cash flow

2006-02-23T22:58:00.000+08:00

As a result of a recent part time assignment (thx m for the contact), my cash flow is suddenly relatively healthy once again. The 13 hour days are pretty gruelling, but the money definately helps to ease the pain. Another bonus is that I've discovered possibly the best Subway joint in Singapore. Tastes damn fresh and juicy, and the bread is toasted to a wonderful crispyness. Incidentally quite a number of my co workers are indians ( i can hear all the bangla jokes incoming already) and they are one heck of a funny bunch.

Over the years I have made friends with as well as lost contact with numerous people. And it seems that no matter how many times it happens, no matter how inevitable it is sometimes, losing contact with someone whom you could call a good friend is always sad. The sense of loss is implacable, and leads one to contemplate on what had and what could have been.

Alright, need to stop. Another long day tmr.

Non negotiable

2006-02-21T00:18:00.000+08:00

It is beyond frustrating when an argument is simply not going anywhere and yet the other person still persists, insists, on pressing the point. You say I am not being pressured to meet up to expectations, you say you will let me do whatever I want to.

BULLSHIT

I had never asked to be smart, only to have expectation relentlessly snap at my heels. Why must my life be measured by someone else's yardstick? Does it matter that I am not happy, just as long as you are?

It just doesn't make sense. It's simply not fair. And in the end, it's just a fight which everyone loses.

Boos and Cheers

2006-02-19T00:22:00.000+08:00

Just watched the much anticipated FA Cup match between longstanding rivals Liverpool and Manchester United. Liverpool won 1-0 through a Peter Crouch header (omg), and deservedly so against a Man U side which is sorely lacking in the midfield. Another point of note was the exceptionally warm welcome Gary Neville, the Man U captain, got from the Anfield crowd.

Every single time he touched the ball, his ears will ring with the deafening sound of 40,000 booing fans. At one point you can see him picking up a half eaten burger, presumably aimed at him, and tossing it off the pitch. The commentator duely noted that perhaps he wasn't feeling hungry after all. (wtf)

Tragically, Alan Smith sustained a broken leg AND a dislocated ankle in the dying minutes of the game as he dove to block a Riise free kick. It was so gruesome that Van Nistelrooy, who was the among first to reach him, had to turn away as he was unable to stomach the sight. Even Ferguson, who has been in the business for nearly 40 years said it was one of the worse injuries he had ever witnessed. At least the Anfield crowd has the decency to put aside the animousity (for Smith is hardly a popular with them either, having scored against them in his debut) and gave him a standing ovation as he was stretchered off the pitch. Lets hope he makes a speedy and full recovery.

Anyway

Unusual Buildings from around the world

The Dancing House in Prague
The architect must have been on drugs when he designed this

Bank of Asia
Autobots, Transform and Move out!

Ai-yai-yai, you're my little butterfly. Butterfly knife that is

Kids, DO NOT try this at home. I have a butterfly knife and I know a couple of tricks, but this girl completely blows me out of the water. The one where she twirls it around her fingers is exceptionally dangerous to practise. Did I mention I once stabbed myself in my hand once accidentally and bled till i fainted? Thank god I managed to get my first aid kit and bandaged my hand before I passed out.

An anti smoking ad with an interesting twist.

What costs about $60,000 and goes 0-100km/h in 2.8 seconds?

The Ariel Atom does.

Rated by Top Gear magazine as only below the Ferrari Enzo in performance, this monster is built by a firm with only seven people. Bear in mind that there is a USD$1.5 million dollar price difference and less than a tenth of a second of lap time difference between them. A truly remarkable piece of engineering.

Bouncy and Fun

2006-02-18T02:56:00.000+08:00

me : check out this attention grabbing ad
her : her boobs weren't bouncing!!!
her : fake one!
me : yah la, yours more bouncy right?
me : wahahaha
her : DUH!!
her : lol
me : LOL
me : ok you win

Bondage, Lesbians and Paedophiles

2006-02-17T00:39:00.000+08:00

And all from just one episode of Bleach!

Claude has his way with Inoue
Soifon declares her true feelings for Yoruichi
Ukitake has an obsession with small boys
OMFG! Rukiaaaaaaa!!

Ravenous

2006-02-16T21:56:00.000+08:00

One indirect effect of the antibiotics I am taking, besides making my pee smell like chalk, is that my monstrous and insatiable appetite has returned. While a good appetite is generally considered a good thing, trust me it is a pain when you are hungry despite having 5 meals a day.

Oh well.

I got the bad news two days ago from SH. Ms Goh has given her final warning, and Muffin's days in TH are numbered. The future seems bleak indeed.

How like that....

There is no way I can kept Muffin unfortunately. My mom similarly has put her foot down about her fear of cats, and I don't have the heart to defy her on this issue. She is already considering moving back to China to live with her relatives, it would be a very bad idea to give her another reason to go.

What I don't understand is just why people are so scared of cats.

Seriously, cats are almost harmless. It's true that stray cats are a nuisance, especially when they are horny and caterwaul, or when they stubbornly pester you for food at hawker centers. But they are unaggressive by nature, and don't have the size to present any serious danger to anything larger than a child.

Dogs however, are territorial and aggressive, and many are big enough to cause serious hurt to a normal person. Police dogs, for example, have jaws which can crush the bones in your forearm like a chicken wing. Clearly there is a lot more to be scared about for dogs rather than cats, but the number of feline-phobics outnumber canine-phobics considerably.

My mom? Oh my mom is just perculiar. When she was young, she was attacked by two dogs, one of which took a chunk out of her thigh. The mark remains till this day. Yet she loves dogs, but has an unnatural fear for all cats.

wtf?

Anyway, the question remains. How sia? I would be damn sad la, if have to send Muffin to SPCA.

Moving on to my daily nonsense.

Presenting The Tattooed Banana

Fear the Ninjanana!

The Frankenana... its aliveeeee!!

Kamikaze Banana

Yes this is a whole blog about people scratching out tattoos on the humble banana.

The Breathe Palette
31 flavors of toothpaste, ranging from Tropical Pineapple to Green Tea to Pumpkin Pudding. One for every day of the month! Not sure if I will be looking forward to Indian Curry day though.

Cool modular interlocking lamps from Slide Design

Strangely reminescent of one of Daniel Libeskind's designs. To me at least.

Lost in translation

2006-02-15T17:28:00.000+08:00

From Jon Rahoi's blog

"Click here to read movie review"
- Anton Bital, Movie Gazette

Y-I-C-K-E-M, E-O-U-S-M!

Man Attempts Suicide by cruxification

"When he realized that he was unable to nail his other hand to the board, he called 911," Boucher said.

It was unclear whether the man was seeking assistance for his injury or help in nailing down his other hand."

Behold the Human Blowtorch

"Hrrrrrnnnnggghhhhhh"

What on earth did this guy have for dinner before this? A mountain of beans? Another thing, I would hate to live with this guy.

Israeli Anti-Semitic Cartoon Contest

“We’ll show the world we can do the best, sharpest, most offensive Jew hating cartoons ever published! No Iranian will beat us on our home turf!”

Props to these guys for their courage and sense of humour in today's all too serious world.

Anyway hows the new header? Took me forever to figure out to make it animated.

Completely baffled.

2006-02-14T20:52:00.000+08:00

(translated loosly from chinese)

Mom: Son ah, what is this letter about?

Me: Oh looks like the government is planning to upgrade our hdb block.

Mom: Oh! Issit? Maybe we will get to move to the nice new blocks they are building across the road.

Me: Mom, they are just going to do an upgrading. Maybe they are going to add in a balcony or something. They are not going to give us a new flat!

Mom: They are going to tear down the whole flat and rebuild it right? Its going to be such a hassle to move.

Me: Mom, its just an upgrading! We are not going to have to move out!

Mom: Really ah?

I'm still not quite convinced she believes or understands what I was trying to explain to her. I can hear her muttering to my dad outside about where are we going to move to. And no my chinese is not that bad. I mean, considering that numerous blocks in my area have already undergone upgrading in one form or another, plus the fact that my blocks lifts have recently been upgraded to stop at every floor, where on earth did she get the idea that upgrading = getting new flats or completely rebuilding our existing block?

Oh, and General Elections are coming!

The secret cause of flame wars - It is way too easy to misunderstand someone when the message is being sent over msn, email or when posted on an online forum. The study quoted in the article showed that the chance of the recipient correctly discern the sender's correct tone is a mere 50%.

The cause of this is, not surprisingly, egocentrism. This would explain my countless epic arguments with this silly mauritian, and the constant (and often very entertaining) flamewars on many online forums.

Moral of the story? Be careful of how and what you write via electronic means. It may lead to pointless arguments, expensive litigation, or even worse, lost friends.

From Ctrl Alt Del. (Click to see the full version)

Ethan's such a sweet bastard. Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Here without you

2006-02-13T23:59:00.000+08:00

A hundred days had made me older
since the last time that I've saw your pretty face

A thousand lights had made me colder
and I don’t think I can look at this the same

But all the miles had separate
They disappear now when I’m dreaming of your face

I’m here without you baby
but your still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
and I dream about you all the time
I’m here without you baby
but your still with me in my dreams
And tonight it’s only you and me

The miles just keep rollin
as the people either way to say hello
I've heard this life is overrated
but I hope that it gets better as we go

I’m here without you baby
but your still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
and I dream about you all the time
I’m here without you baby
but your still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl it’s only you and me

Everything I know,
and anywhere I go
it gets hard but it won’t take away my love
And when the last one falls,
when it’s all said and done
it get hard but it won’t take away my love

I’m here without you baby
but your still on my lonely mind
I think about you baby
and I dream about you all the time
I’m here without you baby
but your still with me in my dreams
And tonight girl it’s only you and me

From PostSecret

From Bounce Back to Life
On a lighter note.
(click for larger version)

Are you kidding me?

2006-02-13T02:52:00.000+08:00

I was walking towards the lift lobby to wait for a lift and saw this malay fella who was already there. He seemed to be in a hurry, as he kept fidgeting and looking at the lift floor display. When the lift arrived, he rushed in and... pressed the button for the second floor. The mind boggles.

Paris Hilton in Indian director's 'Mother Teresa'? This is wrong on so many levels

In other news, Apple is supposedly releasing the Real Video Ipod in April.

3.5 inch touchscreen goodness. This is just a hypothetical mockup, but you get the idea. One shudders at the thought of how much its going to cost though.

How to take a Caffeine Nap - The words "caffeine" and "nap" usually do not belong together. But surprisingly taking a 15 minute nap AFTER drinking coffee is apparently the best way to stay awake. Any raggers/aki students/art students rushing papers care to try this out and tell me whether this works?

Alessi "Fruitscape" Fruit Holder - Functional as well as beautiful fruit holder by a guy named Stephano Giovannoni.

Via YankoDesign

AD HUNT - Lots of unique and eye catching advertisements from around the world

Funeral Services
Underwear Ad
Gourmet Food

Giving you the Evil Eye

2006-02-12T14:24:00.000+08:00

A new brand of contacts called MaxiSight from Nike claims to offer improved performance over standard contacts in outdoor daylight conditions. Marketed mainly at sportsmen such as tennis and baseball players who need to keep their eyes on fast moving objects against a bright background, I'm sure many would wear it just for how intimidating it looks.

via Wired News

Star Wars Valentines

2006-02-12T00:00:00.000+08:00

Fucking hilarious. See the rest at Something Aweful

With a camera down my throat

2006-02-11T16:54:00.000+08:00

I had an endoscopy done today.

This was to check for the existence of any stomach ulcers, which would account for the unending pain which I had to suffer for the past 1 year.

Still a bit woozy from the anaesthesia which they had to adminster as part of the procedure. Whatever they had given me, it was pretty strong stuff, as I was completely gone without even realising my descent into unconsciousness.

Anyway, I have one large duodernal ulcer, and a $400 photograph to prove it. Have to take this massive amount of antibiotics over the next two weeks to deal with the bacteria responsible for the ulcer.

Health is important guys. Don't wait till you lose it before you treasure it.

From the net

2006-02-10T23:15:00.000+08:00

The Pippocampus - Advant garde rocking horse, designed to match the modern home.

Catholics Apologetics International offers to pay USD$1000 to whoever can prove that the earth revolves around the sun. Seriously, what is wrong with these people?

40 Metre Profanity Spotted From Space - Sure beats crop circles for entertainment value.

Domino Rally, Half Life 2 Style - Like the Honda Cog ad, but with explosives!

- edit I found two more examples!

via Digg

Unexpected

2006-02-10T01:39:00.000+08:00

Just had a conversation with a friend whom I had not spoken to in nearly two years. Just like two years ago, I verified that indeed the fat cat outside her door was Muffin, but unlike two years ago, we were in agreement that her taste in guys was terrible. Two years... has it really been that long?

Pushing the limits of creativity

2006-02-09T20:34:00.000+08:00

Table with Two Positions - Table which can be arranged as a dinner table or a coffee table. Very Elegant.

Body Shaped Sleeping Bag - Damn cute. But seems kinda bulky.

T-Shirt Folding Machine - Made from cardboard and tape. Seeing is believing

Real Transformer - I want one of these for my birthday!

With high hopes

2006-02-09T12:12:00.000+08:00

A blog is a form of expression, and as such
Provides a means of release for the soul.
However, it is not a perfect one
Due to the constraints of an imperfect world.
There is a need to show both restraint and respect.
In short, there is a need to be circumspect.
Hence "Circumspection", in remembrance of this goal.

First Post

2006-02-08T23:59:00.000+08:00

So blogger it shall be.