outing

Ok so today we had a cooliozzzxxzxzxzx outing in which only the cooliozxxzxzx people were invited. Sherlock holmes was better than expected. After that, we walked into the toilet and luzhou slipped into a puddle of vomit, and had to wash his whole foot and slipper with water for 5 minutes. Congratulations.

The most exciting part came at ben and jerry's where we had a lot of exciting stuff to talk about. And look at. But since we were alone and without LAN we got down to talking about very serious stuff. Which was real nice if you ask me; I really like meeting in small groups so you can get to know people better and catch up.

Also, gerard said some realllll exciting stuff about what preferences he had about stuff in general (actually some were quite specific). As a result, lz made a couple of prank calls which were quite hilarious. Luzhou go post the sound clip lol.

And good job with the layout I'm trying to keep this thing alive. Please assist.

a new beginning

Hello everyone. Haha omg it has been eons since i last posted on this blog. I don't know how many of u still visit this blog, but I think it's high time for a revival, as observed by misc.

This all started when i realized the gmail acc i'm using is not a member of this blog (omg?). Did some tracking and discovered a super old gmail acc i totally forgot about. So i added my current acc to this blog, explored around abit, and one thing led to another. Poof. A new blog layout haha. If you are reading this from google reader or some other rss feed, u won't see the layout so come along to the blog! Make sure u have plenty of anti-spyware and ad blockers though.

This new layout is because google introduced some new Gadgets thingy, which our old layout isn't compatible with. I tried to retain most of our old stuff by keeping the picture and all, but if any of you suffer from intense nostalgia and want the old layout, I can always switch it back. Okay on your right (--->) is this thing called Follow. You can follow any number of blogger blogs, and subsequently view a consolidated update on your blogger dashboard, or you could link it to your google reader as well (i love how everything is connected nowadays).

Also, there's a photo slideshow of some of the pictures taken during our rjc days in all our fun moments. feel free to take a trip down memory lane and keep your tissue box at hand. i still haven't managed to figure out how to add a chatbox though, so for now the interim solution is to use post comments instead. comment on this post at the bottom to converse with each other. [edit: cbox added. forget comments. it's a lousy idea.]

Alright, now that introduction of the layout is over, on to updates on life.

The following event is exclusively extended only to selected people on a closed invitation basis (lol @ ellen). Those of you who are involved should already know about it. This is a reminder to assemble at Plaza Sing at 1020hrs on 281209. Regardless of whether you turn up or not, you owe luzhou $7.50.

I just returned from Beijing a week ago, and it is really super cold. Sub-zero temperatures of course, but the killer is the wind which constantly bites at your face, leaving your cheeks numb and your ears red, your nose running and your head a perma brain-freeze. Minimum 4 layers of clothing required.

Nothing much to comment about the sights there; usual monuments, architecture, scenery, shopping, etc. 2 comments though, about the lifestyle there. Firstly is the permeating sense of the struggle to be first. The adage 'survival of the fittest' can truly be tangibly observed over there. Be it getting onto the mrt or ordering food over the counter, there is always that rush to get it done first and to do it the best. There is a harshly unforgivable sense of impatience where you are quickly ousted from the game the moment you show a hint of hesitance. People queuing behind you have no qualms of cutting you if you haven't decided what to order, and the counter staff will gladly skip you too.

It is a herd mentality that forces everyone to play by the unwritten rules if one wishes to stay in the game. If you don't play this way, you don't keep up with everyone else, and you'll just be mercilessly swept aside. It's as simple as that.

Of course, more developed parts of Beijing or the more educated younger generation could perhaps be an exception to this. I can't speak for all Beijing but what i saw in my mere 8-day stay there. It does however, make it sound so much more epic when i make such sweeping statements :)

The second point is about the traffic conditions there, which is also linked to the prev point. The cars on the roads simply do not give way to pedestrians, even with a zebra crossing and a green man sign. It is the pedestrians' job to carefully maneuver oneself between the weaving lines of traffic when attempting to cross the road. Underpasses are thus greatly appreciated.

There isn't a rush hour, there's just a rush day and a rushier hour. There is always a traffic jam at all times of the day (while i am awake, anyway), and people sound their horns indiscriminately. You can literally form a melody from the cacophony of blaring horns that sound as you walk along the road.

Okay, i shall end off my Beijing recount with an anecdote. We signed up for one of the local day tours to the Great Wall when we were approached by one of their agents on the ground, since it seemed convenient and cheap. We got cheated btw; they said they would bring us to Ming Tombs after the great wall, but it turned out to be a drive-by

Anyway, (note: pls read the following paragraph in huge inverted commas) nearing the end of the tour, they brought us to some rest station while they re-fuel the coach. Coincidentally, the rest station was in this building that sells jade jewelery, and the tycoon of that jewelery store just became a father of 2 sons that morning. He was overjoyed as his previous 6 children were all girls, and he wanted to share his happiness and blessings with us by giving us all a free piece of jade. But that is not enough, he says. He sincerely wants to be friends with us all on this joyous occasion, and so he offers to teach us how to differentiate between real and fake jade. So he brings us to this exhibition room and proceeded to impart several of his tips. After that, he proclaimed that since this such a blessed day, he will let us buy anything in this room at cost price (read: 1/3 retail value). It was about an hour after we left the coach before we were finally released from that jewelery store.

Subsequently after returning to the hotel, i did an experiment and dropped the free piece of jade onto the floor. It promptly shattered into pieces. I don't know whether jade is supposed to do that, but it got me thinking. If people in Beijing are willing to go to such extent to make a few sales, to spin up such a fantastic story just to win our trust, what is the extent of such trickery and fraud in the supposedly less developed and educated provinces of China? These 8 days have given me a small insight into the kind of background that PRC workers in Singapore come from.

It is now 1.15pm on a Sunday afternoon, and no one has propositioned me with a single Dota game this whole morning! Wth where are all you people and why aren't you at home online keeping me entertained. All you no-life creeps. Lol. Okay let's hope this blog continues to stay alive with more intermittent posts like this one.

lalala

ok while i know that hardly anyone reads this blog, i pray that, in my absence from singapore for this next week, some one will have read this post and replied to it in one way or another(in reference to the 1st n last point).

Firstly, is there anyone here who flies regularly to the US? Probably not, but i'm still gonna ask anyway. Which airline is best for a trip to chicago? ANA, UA? Please take into account the airfare prices. Please reply. Thanks.

Secondly, if there's gonna be another christmas gathering this year, i'll apologise in advance for missing it the third time in a row. No true fault on my part though. J2 i had mr shah's wedding, J3 i had deployment(ops vigilant lion), and this year i'm gonna be overseas. so yup.

Thirdly, if anybody wants anything from taiwan, sms me by tonight and i will reply you. Alternatively, sms me anytime over the period of next week and i'll consider your request but NOT reply you.

Lastly, anybody has any nice songs please tell me. wait let me phrase it better. Nice as in you personally feel it's your favorite song or 1 of your favorites(due to one reason or another). reply me the song name(and singer preferably) pls. kind of like i love the song "Whatever it takes" by lifehouse. yup cuz i'm no music expert and i know there're definitely alot of nice songs of different genres out there that i don't know of.

ok that's all. Thanks in advance to anyone who replies(email, blog post, tagboard, or whatever method you like).

Mirror Image?

With the release of DotA Allstars 6.63, a new load screen was introduced as well, artwork by Kunkka. For those who are as yet unaware, the tall, dark, intimidating dudes on horseback in the foreground (and in the background, too) are actually Chaos Knight and his images. Notice that one of them holds his weapon in his left hand, the other holds it in his right. Technical error or literally mirror images?

Image courtesy of Kunkka

To the island!!! and back

So right after Army Open House concluded, with me having gained the ability to smile continuously for 10 hours straight, i was shipped off to THE island.

Where i traded that ability for a new one that sustains me through movies for 10 hrs straight.

Welcome to tekong!!! Where a new(relatively) operation that we are undertaking to protect the island and its trainees is well under way. Shan't reveal much details here, for fear of getting my ass shipped off to db with only 1 month left to ORD.

All i can say is that tekong seems hotter than ever, and i've become a new museum exhibit named "The Human Lobster" after spending 3 hrs swimming in tekong pool.

My skin is bloody pain and itchy now. knn.

Oh well, till the next deployment then.

ys

this is good

Who wants to go watch?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/movies/22raimi.html?_r=1

What do you see?

NDP 2009 is just round the corner. As with every year, an integral part of NDP is the theme song. And this year's theme song is following in the footsteps of recent NDP theme songs. That is, heavily criticized. The tune is too moody, lyrics not good blah blah blah...

But pause. wait a while. and take a closer look. This year's theme song is a ROCK song, as opposed to previous years' pop songs. It may not appeal to the general masses as much as the cheery tunes of pop songs, but that does not mean it's a bad song. In fact, it's a good song. I must admit that when I heard electrico would be composing this year's theme song, I expected something better, but this is good enough. Come on, it's the first real rock song we have for NDP!

So how would i compare this song to past year's songs? If you asked me to rate it, i would give it an 8.5/10. Let's look at past year songs and see how they would compare.

1998 - home, kit chan - 9/10
1999 - together, evelyn and dreamz fm - 9/10
moments of magic, tanya, fann and elsa - 9/10
2000 - shine on me, mavis and jai wahab - 7.5/10
2001 - where i belong, tanya chua - 9/10
2002 - we will get there, stefanie - 9.5/10
2003 - one united people, stefanie - 9/10
a place in my heart, sean wong - 7/10
2004 - home, young voices - 9/10
2005 - reach out for the skies, taufik and rui en - 8/10
2006 - my island home, kaira gong - 8.5/10
2007 - there's no place i'd rather be, kit chan - 6.5/10
will you, various artists - 7.5/10
2008 - shine for singapore, hady mirza - 7.5/10

so yup, as you can tell i disliked 2007's songs. kinda sucked in my opinion. Anyway, there's actually a chinese version for this year's song as well. '就在这里' Bet you didn't know that! yup. it has a mrbrown version too! lol.

Anyway, happy birthday singapore!

Le kua simi?

Deathly hallows

K before i go on, let me remind lz and sc that there's still 2 unpublished drafts written long ago before this post. just finish them and post them ok? mai tu liao.

So i spent the whole of today doing nothing except reading up on HP's last book. which i have to admit that yiting is right. to really refresh yourself, you have to start from the first book. damn. but since i already have this last book, i shall just finish it first before i get the rest i suppose. oh well.

and i'm running out of money. too much treats and stupid nights outs. lol.

lalala

backkkk

so. I realised that you just have sign in to gmail to be able to blog. wow.

anyway. Organising a class outing isn't that hard what chinee. Given that most of the guys:
1. Are in army
2. Book out on fridays
3. Have nothing better to do,
all it takes is an sms and 4 hours later you'll see everyone at dhoby ghaut. except just make sure to key in all the numbers correctly if not some people will think they're not invited and get very sad. hor kelvin. and i couldnt get some of you guys sorry!

was great to meet up anyway and just sit down and talk. I think that's really fun, because then you can talk about very exciting things. like lz's preferred specialisation in the medical field.

ys: confinement always sucks. just suck it up man. i know how hard it is, and especially with ord coming soon you don't expect this kinda thing. anyway just wanted to clarify some stuff. contrary to what you might think, I do think about what I say (haha), and I meant it when I said you were difficult. Maybe you could spare a thought for the rest of the guys. First of all, we always would want to accommodate you since you're a part of the class, so I really hope you didn't mean it when you said you had better things to do and did not ask us to accommodate you anyway. After everything that everyone and especially xunyong did to work around your schedule, I don't think it's fair to them at all for you to say that. It was never going to have anything to do with me since I was going home anyway whether or not you guys were gonna catch transformers, so I can safely say I was very objective through the episode.

I understand that you came only for the movie, but don't you think that everything would have worked out equally well had you not shown a black face right from the start of discussions about movie plans? Even then, isn't catching up with friends more important than catching a movie? I always show up for gatherings knowing full well they always degen into lan outings, but the hour or so of catching up is good enough for me. Do I get annoyed when all everyone else wants to do is lan even when it is such a time-consuming, life-wasting, geek-creating, bad-posture-and-health-causing activity? Of course I do, but do I make a big fuss out of it and insist you do it my way (i.e. walking around and looking at exciting stuff)? No, because I know you guys really get a kick out of it and that it constitutes the only fun and laughter that luzhou gets in his life, considering his luck in other stuff. Sure, the circumstances that day might have been slightly different, what with your upcoming confinement and all, but it was supposed to be a celebratory lunch for txy after all (and a chance for us to get our very first meal on him). Just think about it.

I don't mince my words and only say what I mean. So treat this objectively; it's not personal. Don't worry.

Anyway, congrats to txy again. From the moment he signed on I could see this coming because despite appearances he's quite smart and wouldn't have signed on otherwise (i think). And chinee's getting fat. Like luzhou. As in lz was always there, chinee's just catching up now.

Ok so since it's so easy to blog can everyone just do so. then if enough people show support for the idea we can pressure txy to treat lunch again. I think it's a great idea for our next class outing.

The calm before the storm

3 more weeks of shit begins in less than an hours time. so here i am writing this, hoping to clear things up, get things out before i disappear off the singapore mainland.

Firstly, sunday. I'd like to apologise to chin ee for using him as scapegoat when u guys kind of treated me badly. I regret the outburst, but i do not think i need to apologise for it. Let's see it from my point of view.

I'm about to be confined for a period so long off mainland none of you would have experienced before(it's longer than your BMT confinement). This means i'll have to wash my own clothes, survive on SFI rations, so on and so forth. That doesn't really figure in the picture, so i shan't elaborate. but the thing is, by the time i come out, i'm not sure transformers 2 would still be showing. and even if it is, i doubt i can find anybody who hasn't watched it yet. and i want to watch it, hopefully with somebody. Which is why I PANGSEH MY ODAC FRENS WHO WERE AT EAST COAST TO GO OUT WITH YOU GUYS. with that, i specifically told xun yong over the phone that i'm coming MAINLY for the movie. which is why if u guys dun wanna watch it, you could have told me earlier, i have better things to do. and there goes jameson saying i'm hard to accommodate. like hey, did i ask u guys to accommodate me? NO. you guys could have called me earlier to say if you guys dun wanna watch the movie. so THINK before u talk next time jameson. In the end, i was prepared to go watch the movie alone. which would have left a really bad taste in my mouth cuz i
1. could have watched a weekday movie myself at cheaper prices and better location
2. could have gone out with my odac frens
3. need not rush out of my house right after lunch.
Thankfully, chin ee helped clear things up. and shun cheng's eagerness to watch it helped too. Thanks guys.

Secondly, Damn the confinement cuz i'm going to miss liverpool's entire stay in sg. like wtf? my team comes down all the way to sg and i'm effing deployed. knn.

So thirdly, i went to get my 3 weeks worth of dota in the past few days. with amazing results! play 14, win 12 lose 2. wooh. and once was with chin ee's two noob frens who just started dota. the other loss coming from sc randoming spider then dun want so he took my th. lol. but then again, i had randomed th too many times le. haha. many thanks to tidehunter(x 3), tinker, lina, windrunner, ogre magi, pugna, morphling, earthshaker, lion, obsidian destroyer for making those games great. so till aug, see ya!

noobify†™
lalala
ys

H1N1 and deployment

*Long Post Warning* - Do not read when sleepy

The past week has been crappy, and it can only get worst. I think karma has finally arrived. so much for my slack posting.

Anyway, let's start from the very beginning of the crap and how things actually looked great then. And for analysis sake, let's use the happiness index always found in the New Paper. For those who dun know what it is, it's just a random number used in an attempt to measure happiness. Let's start with 50 on the morning of 20th june 2009.

200609 1100 hrs. My 'sis' just came back from chicago! So i went out with her the whole day. dim sum buffet, pool, window shopping, jap restaurant dinner. wooh. +30 = 80

210609 1500 hrs. My relatives all came my house to celebrate fathers' day. hell of a ruckus.but it's fun and at 3 o'clock they wanted to go swimming so i brought them there and manged to get a good swim myself too. yay. +15 = 95

220609 1100 hrs. It's a monday but i'm using one of my 21 days off in army so i dun hav to go back camp. Went out with my sis whole day again. kbox, esplanade, her hse. Met up with chun tsen, kang wei and kin wai who all went her hse. yay. Catch up with so many frens at one shot. wootz. +30 = 125

220609 2200 hrs. Received news from my bunk mate that 1 alpha coy personnel in maju camp(my camp) is h1n1 positive and that all of us may be confined. wtf. quickly called chinny to confirm with me prawning date b4 i go back to camp.. -10 = 115

230609 1000 hrs. I have a medical review for my knee so i'm still not back in camp yet. chinny confirmed prawning date, my med review told me that my knee cmi need more physio sessions. Called camp to inform them i hav physio appts so can't go back camp else i can't come out. Off was granted by PC. +10 = 125

240609 1700 hrs. Received ill news from camp. OC wants EVERYBODY back unless u're dying or smthing. sucks. sounds like an order to go back to camp to get infected. Left 4 Dead comes to mind. I have to go back and at the same time cancel my physio appt. knn. -25 = 100

240609 2230 hrs. Back in camp. The atmosphere was shitty. The air has this still dead feeling. places sealed off, signs hung up here and there. Many changes have been implemented. Learnt from an officer that total confirmed cases is now 8. Meeting chun tsen and kang wei again at clementi and learning that a tv has myseriously appeared in my bunk lessens the damage considerably though. -5 = 95

250609 1200 hrs. Our camp has made front page news. Only the headlines elude us. Republic Poly took it. Theorize that if our cases continue to surge we might just get it. -5 =90

270609 0800 hrs. It's a saturday! but i'm in camp. and i just learned that we now have 18 cases. And i'm gonna miss my prawning date. knn. -40 = 50

280609 1000 hrs. It's sunday, i'm in camp. only good thing abt this is that i wun get monday blues. lol. and kudos to camp personnel who have come up with various ways to liven up the time in there.

290609 1500 hrs. CO wants to separate the deployment personnel(those who are going on ops) from those who are non-deployed ppl. A simple instruction, but some stupid BLACK PS from surveillance platoon took things in his own hands and ask everybody to pack ALL our things and move out so he can rearrange bunks, without doing the planning first. Result? 90% of the coy went back to their own bunks. Complete wastage of time and effort. btw, i'm not racist. It's just that that guy is asshole. -10 = 40

290609 1600 hrs. CO brings us bad news. He says deployment personnel will have to stay back after quarantine is lifted so we can go for ops. like wtf. 2 week ops plus after ops need quarantine. A quick calculation reveals that it'll mean 5 weeks consecutively in camp. holy shit. transformers 2 may even be out of cinemas by then. -40 = 0

290609 2200 hrs. Confusion has been cleared up. We are deploying as second batch of personnel so we get to come out for a week first, before going back in for a long long time that would mean it'll be august by the time i come out. +10 = 10

300609 0800 hrs. Official quarantine stand down timing is at 1400 hrs. which means we get to go out after that. but i'm the COS today so i wun be going out any time soon. -10 = 0

010709 1000 hrs. Finally completely handed over my COS duty. cuz my takeover is a first timer so i had to help him do almost everything. but it's ok, i'm finally out going out. first thing me gonna do is to have a nice long hot shower. wooh. then i'll login to facebook(wah rarity leh) and update my status for the FIRST time. yay. +10 =10

Fast forward to 060709 2200 hrs. I'll be back in camp again, and i'll only come out in aug. how sian is that? worse than recruit. that's y i say things can only get worse...

So anybody wanna watch transformers? else i go in come out sure gone le. lol.

lalala
ys

Upcoming meteor showers

ok random matters first before i proceed to the above-mentioned topic.

Firstly, i'm damn high and happy now that my 'sister' is back from chicago! One year since i last saw her le.

Secondly, i'm free for a week cuz i can't go back to my camp. it's quarantined off cuz of a confirmed h1n1 case inside. shan't say more cuz i dunno if this is classified or not.

Now back to my favorite topic - astronomy. Half the year has gone, and many meteor showers have gone by, from weak ones like delta velids to strong ones like quadrantids. but there're plenty more to come! Nobody will bother about weak ones, so here's a list of upcoming strong showers.

Perseids - With a zenithal hourly rate(zhr) of about 90, it's a great shower. except that this year, it could be even better! Astronomers predict that this year's activity could peak unusually at 116, like last year. This hasn't exactly been explained yet.
Peak date: 12 august

Orionids - Not a very strong shower normally, but it's nearing its 12 year cycle of unusual peaks and this year could be it! usual peak is 20 per hour, but it could go up to 30 this year.
Peak date: 21 october

Geminids - Probably the finest, and the most reliable meteor shower. With a consistent zhr of 120, it's a feast for the eyes. but i kinda watched this too many times le. The last time round with xy and jasper.
Peak date: 14 december

Quadrantids - Another 120 zhr meteor shower, this one's next year so i'm not sure when the peak date is.
Peak date: 1-5 january 2010

lalala i suddenly got urge to view meteor showers, which is why i'm posting this. lol

ys

Class Outing Poll!

okies!

i passed my exams so i'm damn happy! lets have a class outing! (: wohoo..

what are the dates that you all are free?

sc suggested that after nat day.. since most of you all are involved in nat day.. so yea. but i start school after nat day. so hmmm but i can arrange.. maybe i skip one day school? lol..


anyway, july which dates you all free? other than weekdays which i noe le (:

yupp!

you all prefer:



Early Afternoon Activity:
Cycling/rollerblade
K Box
Bowling/Pool/Lan
Sentosa
Senkang water sports complex
Escape theme park
Ice Skating (kallang)
Movie
Others - pls specify



Evening Activity:
Buffet
Pot luck
Chill in Chalet - Cater in
Buy food & Dine by the beach
Others -pls specify

SMS --->

[Early Morning Activity] , [ Evening Activity] , [Dates Free]

to 96260212 NOW!!!

Left 4 Dead 2!

November 17 2009

The zombie apocalypse just got extended.

"the title adds melee combat to enable deeper co-operative gameplay, with items such as a chainsaw, frying pan, axe, baseball bat, and more. "

let's wait for it.

lalala

Thailand

After 2.5 weeks spent in thailand, i'm finally back home. needless to say, it's good to be back. and a big thanks to all those who remembered my birthday!

Thailand wasn't so bad, except for the ingrown toenail and my viral infection in the other toe. Unfortunately, I can't say much else about my experiences with tarantulas and overgrown insects, beautiful night skies, daily CAT 1s, bogged down vehicles, and the bits and pieces of Thai which I learned...just this: the Thai canteen was great, and I frequented its computer shop whenever possible. Oh, and coconut ice cream is IMBA. mango sticky rice too.

Time passes so fast - it seems only a short while ago that I boarded the plane for thailand. It's going to be NDP prep now, and pretty soon, it's going to be ORD.

Girl review

Ok i meant to give an overall review on the visits, but since gerard asked for a review on the girls involved, why not do it? So i mashed the 2 reviews together, and here it is.


Ok the visits and girls i'm talking about have been mentioned before(if you dunno, just scroll down to the blog entry titled 'visits'). They are the visits to our camp by the entire CJC j1 cohort, as well as 600 trainee teachers from NIE.


Before i start, i would like to thank CJC(esp the girls) and NIE for their attendance. I earned 4 days off because of you guys. A big THANK YOU! ok before u guys think i'm a perv or something i thank the cj girls esp because of all the screams and noises they made in reaction to our mock intrusion display. That convinced our OC that we had put up a very good performance and helped us with the 4 days. Which means i have 18 days off now. yeah.

So to those who think that the 4 days came easy, allow me to say that it was hard work ok. Waking up early in the morning to set things up by 7 am is no joke. Machine guns, assault rifles and grenade launchers had to be drawn for the shooting gallery, equipment weighing 80kg had to be brought up the stairs for the static display segment. But all in all, it was great seeing the delighted faces of our visitors, who came in 2 waves, 1 in the morning, 1 in the afternoon, for both days.

Which brings me to something i observed. Wave 2(afternnon waves) always has prettier and cuter girls. serious. For CJC, i was wondering how a school known for high pregnancy rates can have an assortment of girls who are only about average looking after seeing the first group. That is, until the 2nd wave came. That group had some pretty ones, alot of cute ones, some average ones and a few crap ones. Holy shit. How often do you ever get such percentages?

As for NIE, the percentages of pretty ones among girls were roughly the same for both waves. However, wave 2 consisted of like 95% females. Don't ask me why, i don't know why either. So small percentage still churned out quite a number of them =)

So looks wise, how would i rate the girls from both institutions? CJC 7.5/10 NIE 1.5/10

yup. but if all you care about are looks, you are one shallow freak. so let's look at other characteristics. CJC first. CJC girls are really cute and bubbly. kinda reminds me of trish. Some are really daring(oh machine gun! let me try it!), while alot of them are rather shy(hey you fired the gun yet? no? wanna try? come on, it's a once in a lifetime experience for you. Come? hey just come lah, it won't hurt, i promise. come on...). Most of them are very short(a girl named elizabeth looked shorter than 1.5m, while another, debra, looks 1.55). They scream and shriek alot, and love to spam camo cream on their friends(reminds me of what gen and gang did to me at gerard's house).

As for NIE, i would say they're alot more mature. Most are more sporting, and willingly try things out. They ask more questions and listen to you more attentively when you explain things to them. More professional, i would put it. And they are pretty tall. I didn't ask for their names(unlike CJ, lol), so i can't give examples. yup.

Ok with that, i leave you with a few interesting things and quotes i got from the visits.

1. Machine guns give off a one-time-only invisible shockwave on JC ppl. The first time the machine gun fired off, all the CJC ppl took a few steps back in recoil. yes, ALL of them.

2. Dogs perform much better to cheers. CJ ppl didn't realise(during our mock intrusion display) that our canine had been unleashed and was charging at the intruder, so the dog ran really really slowly, like taking a stroll in the park like that, as if waiting for a response. NIE, who were cheering the dog even before it was unleashed, saw the dog sprint at a speed i never saw before in all the rehearsals.

now the quotes.

1."Wah, this is even better than CJ food." random cjc guy, refering to the combat rations. wow.

2."Why don't you look up your own skirt?" a cjc girl's response to her friend, who was holding a portable camera system used to search cars, after she told her she could see her face on the screen.

3."Did i hit the target?" a very excited cjc girl, asking after she had fired the SAR21 with M203 attachment. We were firing BLANKS, btw.

4. To those who are wondering how the conversation went on for 2 and 3, here it is. For 2, which happened in front of me(i was the one who passed them the camera system), there was damn awkward silence right after that cuz i blanked out and dunno what to say. I ended the silence in the end by asking if they're done with it.

For 3, which happened to my friend beside me, it went
"Did i hit the target?" silence for a while, clearly stunned by the question.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Ok! Thanks!" Turning to her group of friends, "Hey, i hit the target leh... ..."
I'm seriously wondering who's gonna burst her bubble, seeing that she's so happy and excited. well done lah, my friend.

CR0WND

CR0WND
Kill a Witch with a single headshot.

Yup i got it before with extreme tyconess, when my friend startled the witch accidentally and just ran like crazy. I rushed to his aid and fired a single shot, bringing down the witch. achievement gotten through pure tyconess, so i set out today to achieve it without fluke.

ta-da


Maybe it's tyco again? Let's do it one more time then.

woot lack of fluke confirmed.

The witch doesn't scare me anymore.

Some more!!!

Ok i did it. akimbo assasin and unbreakable. woot! something which didn't sound possible has been done! yep.

.

101 CREMATIONS

Set 101 Infected on fire.

UNBREAKABLE

Finish a campaign without ever using a first aid kit on yourself.

AKIMBO ASSASSIN

Survive an entire campaign using only pistols.

.

the other minor ones are

.

DO NOT DISTURB

Sneak past all Witches in a campaign without disturbing one.

STAND TALL

Survive a campaign without being incapacitated.

MERCY KILLER

Survive the No Mercy campaign.

The Konami Code

Well well, it seems cheat codes don't just limit themselves to video games huh?

If you dunno what i'm talking about, one day you'll know.

If you know, good for you! Qte pointless anyway. lol

lalala
ys

another achievement finally!

yay spinal tap! and if you are wondering wat's wrong with the name, it's my bro's i couldn't be bothered to change it, that's why. simply played under my bro's name. yup.

And blogger refuse to upload my other screenshot. which was a more cool and harder to get achievement. dead giveaway! anway, if you were wondering what they are about, here it is.

DEAD GIVEAWAY

Heal a fellow Survivor when your own health is below 10.

SPINAL TAP

Kill an Infected with a single blow from behind.

Civil Military Relations

It's the first time I felt something remotely positive when doing duty. I helped somebody and it felt good, which did absolutely nothing in relieving the pain of having to spend 34hrs of my weekend in camp.

I was the Gd Cmd on Saturday, around 0230, some civilians approached the gate. They said that when playing soccer on a field just outside the camp, the ball got kicked over the fence into my camp. Initially I sent 2 guards to look for it but they were unsuccessful, I told the guy we could not find it and asked him to leave his contact. I could see his disappointment and he must have thought 't0k c0ck 1, even if they found it surely they'll k0pe it for themselves'. I told my Gd2 to stand in for me and I went to search for the ball personally. I realized that it's in a restricted area which required me to draw the gate key from the Ops room. I retrieved the ball eventually and returned it to the grateful owner on Sunday morning at the end of my shift.

I feel that this is an examplary textbook display of good CMR, I should be promoted to LG and awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, then maybe I can abolish NS and become a hero of the people(read males >16.5y/o)

Visits

A whole load of propaganda. But it's good propaganda! that's what they say. Our camp is hosting 2 visits and paying another organisation a visit to showcase and display stuff. Static display, like what i've always done since coming to maju camp. I should like be given 2 years work experience in marketing in my resume lor.

Going to civil service college soon, then back to back visits by CJC(yes CJC!!! dun get pregnant in our camp pls, it's not cool) and NIE(y wld trainee teachers visit our camp?).

But it's ok! i'm kinda looking forward to CJ and NIE visits. Ought to be interesting!


P.S ok chinny and rard and sc, will cook for u ppl if i hav the chance and the time! but then again, chances and time are hard to come by this days. esp chances.


Next post: 10 may 09

Happy Birthday again!

Yup happy birthday again! This time to my mum!

Ok her birthday was definitely going to be more than just a few warcraft pics so those now famous pics of mine are not around. Instead I cooked her a special meal! Some Spanish(I think) thingy called quiche and some salmon with Italian herbs. Sounds cool? Sadly, it didn’t really turn out as cool as it sounded.

But it was still good! Though there were many minor hiccups along the way of my foray back into cooking after a break of more than 1 year. The last time I can remember cooking was at paul cheong’s house I think… I havn’t cooked since entering army.

So started off with the simple task of cooking the veg. Everything had been cut washed and prepared nicely when I realize that my mum had changed the place we put our cooking oil since a yr ago. And I can’t find it. holy shit. Worse still, after I found it, I realized that I hadn’t chop the garlic. Up there lah, I’m pretty sure that 2 years ago I would never have forgotten these things.

Anyway, after veg and mushrooms are done and transferred into a nice pot for the next stage of cooking, it looks like this

From UBERCOOLKIAs! :)

Now the eggs and milk, I must say my egg beating skills just rock. My house DOESN”T HAVE AN EGG BEATER, so I beat it with a spoon. To perfection =) ok fine, near perfection. End product looks like this

From UBERCOOLKIAs! :)

Add it to the bowl of veg and mushies, add parmesan and cheddar cheese and bake, and the quiche is done! And it’s good!!! Only bad thing is that there’s way too much.

From UBERCOOLKIAs! :)

A bowl this size is >>> 3 ppl. Way too much for 3 ppl. But still qte happy wif it.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the salmon, so I shan’t really say much abt it. It’s good tasting, but not as good as I tot it would be. Below expectation. Yup. Anyway, the final thing looks like this

From UBERCOOLKIAs! :)

Yup yup happy birthday!

Next estimated post date: 1-3 may 09

Happy Birthdays!

ok i'm at it again.

AND

ok i know gerard's one abit cram despite using short form. And chinny's one have to use initials else too long. but nonetheless i hope they're ok! enjoy ur birthdays! chinny past 1 day while gerard's one will be spent in taiwan. lol

Next estimated post date: 26 april 09

yet another article

lol i wanted to post about something else one, but this article caought my eye. So this post first, the something else another time. Here it is.

Bad mood, better recall, researchers find


SYDNEY (AFP) - - People grumbling their way through the grimness of winter have better recall than those enjoying a carefree, sunny day, Australian researchers have found.

The University of New South Wales team used a Sydney news agency to test whether people's moods had an impact on their ability to remember small details.

Researchers placed 10 small items on the shop counter, including a toy cannon, red bus and a piggy bank, and quizzed shoppers about what they remembered seeing upon their exit.

Lead researcher Joseph Forgas said subjects were able to remember three times as many items on cold, windy, rainy days when there was sombre classical music playing as they were when conditions were sunny and bright.

Rainy-day shoppers were also less likely to have false memories of objects that weren't there, said Forgas.

"We predicted and found that weather-induced negative mood improved memory accuracy," he wrote in the study, which was published in the latest edition of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

"Shoppers in a negative mood showed better memory and higher discrimination ability."

Forgas said a worse mood helped to focus people's attention on their surroundings and led to a more thorough and careful thinking style, while happiness tended to reduce focus and increase both confidence and forgetfulness.

"This finding suggests that some allowance for such mood effects could be incorporated in applied domains such as legal, forensic, counselling and clinical practice," he said.


ok point of article? study when u're in a bad mood when it's raining outside =)

Next estimated post date: 19-21 april 09

how to improve your eyesight

I chanced upon this article a few days ago.


PARIS (AFP) - - Slaying hordes of bad guys -- the more the better -- in fast-paced video games improves vision, a study published Sunday showed for the first time.

Far from being harmful to eyesight, as some had feared, action games such as Counter-Strike, Call of Duty, or Left 4 Dead provide excellent training for what eye doctors call contrast sensitivity, the study found.

Contrast sensitivity is the ability to notice tiny changes in shades of grey against a uniform background, and is critical to everyday activities such as night driving and reading. It often degrades with age.

The findings, published in Nature Neuroscience, reveal a previously unsuspected adaptability in the brain, and could open the way to new therapies, the researchers said.

"This is not a skill that people were supposed to get better at by training," said Daphne Bavelier, a professor at the University of Rochester in New York state and the study's lead researcher.

"It was something that we corrected for at the level of the optics of the eye -- to get better contrast detection you get glasses or laser surgery."

"What we found is that even without this correction you can help your brain make better use of whatever information is received from your retina," she said in a phone interview.

For the study, Bavelier and three colleagues conducted two sets of experiments.

In the first, they compared the contrast sensitivity of hard-core action game players with video game aficionados of the same age who preferred less rapid-fire fare.

In action games, players typically target and shoot figures that pop up suddenly on a computer screen.

The researchers found that the action buffs were 50 percent more efficient at detecting contrast.

But there remained a chicken-or-egg question: had their vision been improved by playing, or did they become action game players because they had better than average contrast sensitivity to start with?

To find out, Bavelier asked two groups of non-action video game players to undergo 50 hours of training. One played a popular point-and-shoot game called Call of Duty, and the other played a game that offered a rich visual experience, but one bereft of action.

"We found that the people in the first group improved by 43 percent, and the other group not at all," she said.

As important, the study also found that the improvement was not transitory. "The positive effect remained months, even years after training, indicating long-lasting gains," she added.

Is there some limit beyond which playing action games loses its positive effect or becomes detrimental? Can you, in other words, have too much of a "good thing"?

"For your visual system, probably not. For your social life, perhaps," said Bavelier.

yup end of article.

wah this could actually be used as an excuse to play left 4 dead huh. though i havn't played that for more than a month cuz nobody plays wif me =(

and that, along wif the fact that my warcraft 3 is not patched up, means i havn't played comp games wif anyone for more than a month le. oh yeah!

Next estimated post date: 12 or 18-19 april 09

lalala

Ok it's been more than a month since i made that random emo post that turned out to be the last post on this blog for a long long time. That fact changes today. NOW.

And since calls for the rest of the ppl involved in this blog to do something abt reviving the blog has gone rather unanswered, i shall treat this like it's my own little blog(wooh no need to go through trouble of creating own blog!!!) and post random stuff. which chances are will not concern much abt the rest of this class. which won't really matter cuz i bet 70% of the class will not read this anyway. think it'll just be me, rard, sc, lz and occasionally jameson. hmm. 5 ppl. looks like the 70% is an underestimation then.

ok to keep this blogging going, i'll post the expected date of the next post at the end of every post. That gives me no reason to slack off, and give readers an estimated date of coming back to the blog instead of checking repeatedly to find it not updated which puts ppl off.

The revival/transformation starts now.
Next estimated post date: 9-10 april 09

random thoughts

Something never fails to bewilder me. How can anything go wrong in a short time? It would logically seem that something that takes a thousand years to build would require at least hundreds of years to take down, but things just don't seem to work that way. Empires that take hundreds of years to build can be crushed in a few days. A castle that takes years to build can be defeated in hours. A piece of work painstakingly done over a few days can be gone in mins. And friendships built over 4 years can be gone in a week.

Now that we do not have an answer as to why things can go wrong in such a short time, we think about what could have caused it to go wrong. but usually the answer will evade the seeker for a long time. It takes long studies by generations down the road to finally figure out how an empire collapsed in a few days. It takes structural engineers and warfare historians months to figure out how a castle did not withstand an attack. It takes weeks, months, even years before you figure out why someone would destroy a piece of work you spent so much time on. but sadly, lost friendships are seldom figured out.

Why? Why is it that while it takes a long time to figure out some things, some things are never figured out? If you bring it with regards to friendship, the answer is surprisingly simple. EGO.

A mutual trust that disappears between people may leave the people involved stunned as to why it can happen. But if they are looking for an answer, they need not look any further than at themselves. This is when ego comes in. It steps in, shields the people from the answer, and leave red herrings everywhere, usually at other people. Few people realise that when friendships are lost, usually BOTH OR ALL the parties involved are at fault. It is seldom the fault of anyone solely. Yet ego tends to block this from being seen, from being realised.

Anyway, moving on to another thought, ever since something happened a few years back, i'm been pretty obsessed with this number 30 000. especially if this number is linked to finances. How much difference can $30 000 do to a person? to his family? A lot, it seems, at this point in time. Sleepless nights, quarrels, brainstorming, changes in attitude, bonds forged, bonds broken. You name it, you probably have it. Both fortunately and unfortunately, this changes take place internally, and is seldom detected by anyone not involved, unless they are esp observant and close to the people involved. Fortunate because it keeps out unwanted nosying by unwanted people, unfortunate because some close friends or potentially close friends do not understand the change, do not understand the circumstances, do not understand the gravity of the circumstances. People who have not been involved with this number, 30 000, do not fully understand the actions, mentality, and attitude of people who are involved. This makes it tough for people involved to fit in with the rest. Life has always been a juggling act, and this juggling act just got tougher.

Anyway, i always believed in the saying that no one is irreplaceable. but yet, i'm being forced to eat my own words. and in dire circumstances as well. It brings to mind something mentioned in "the day the earth stood still", that only in dire circumstances do people change. Why? Wouldn't it be better off if people changed before encountering those circumstances?

It's ok. I've learned many lessons. And i'll remember them. every single one of them.

.. ..-. .- --. .. .-. .-.. - .... .-. --- .-- ... .- - .- -. - .-. ..- -- --..-- -.. --- -. --- - .... .- -. --. ..- .--.

left 4 dead achievements

I recently realised that there's an achievements thingy in left 4 dead. These achievements are given to you when you do something special, sort of like a quest like that. There are 50 of them, and i've managed to achieve 30 of them(most qte easy one). The other 20 are not easy, and need the team to be well co-ordinated. It's hard to explain without seeing it, so let's just see what they are.

Some of the easy ones which i've done and i'm sure all of you can do:

DRAG AND DROP
Rescue a Survivor from a Smoker's tongue before he takes damage.

PYROTECHNICIAN
Blow up 20 Infected in a single explosion.

TOWERING INFERNO
Light a Tank with a Molotov.

and the list goes on. let's look at the harder ones which i've done(qte proud of some of them).

CLEAN KILL
Shove a Boomer and then kill him without him splashing on anyone.

TANKBUSTERS
Kill a Tank without it dealing any damage to a Survivor.

WITCH HUNTER
Kill a Witch without any Survivor taking damage from her.

BACK 2 HELP
Leave a safe room to save an incapped teammate and bring them back safely.

All 4 Dead
Kill all four Survivors on one life as a Tank.

CR0WND
Kill a Witch with a single headshot.
(This one was damn tyco, did it once and then nvr managed it again)

MAN VS TANK
Single-handedly kill a Tank.
(WOOT)


So if i've already gotten all these y do i still want to play? Why do i want all of you to play and get more pro? cuz 1. it's fun and 2. my friend challenged me to get some of the achievements he has gotten(which i havn't), and i can't do them without a good team. like these...

JUMP SHOT
Headshot a Hunter while he's leaping.
(ok this one not so much abt the team, just need to be abit more tyco. like the one i did to the witch)

AKIMBO ASSASSIN
Survive an entire campaign using only pistols.
(this is what i mean by need a good team)

UNBREAKABLE
Finish a campaign without ever using a first aid kit on yourself.

STOMACH UPSET
All Survivors complete a campaign without being vomited on.

SAFETY FIRST
Play an entire campaign with no Survivors taking friendly fire damage.


And hopefully i can complete some which he hasn't completed yet. like these...

ZOMBICIDAL MANIAC
Survive any campaign on Expert.

UNTOUCHABLES
No Survivors take damage after contacting the rescue vehicle.

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO PROVE?
Survive all campaigns on Expert.

NOTHING SPECIAL
Survive a campaign with no Survivors taking damage from Special Infected.

Whee. so wanna play when we have the time? When i come back from prowling arnd the airport. which is some time arnd may. lol sad.

MORE games!

Haha our blog came alive! but it's like transforming into a game blog.

btw wif regards to a previous post, i made a mistake (the mistake has been rectified). l4d can rival diablo II and WoW in awards, not starcraft. When starcraft came out, it swept all the game of the year awards. how imba is that. l4d only had a clean sweep in multiplayer awards. Game of the year 2008 is quite shared between left 4 dead, MGS 4, GTA 4, and fallout 3.

So there'll be very high expectations for starcraft 2. i dun think it'll do as well as its predecessor, but it'll still be good. It's ok sc, when it comes out we'll play it. and d3 too, since u lost ur d2. very sian to fight on in hell difficulty alone, so i stopped playing it. Luckily, left 4 dead came out. As wing, rard, occ and lz found out on sat, l4d seriously rocks.

Anw, it's time for me to start walking arnd changi airport looking impt. Just finish some police course that qualifies me to do that. Anyone going changi airport tell me pls. then you can help me buy food and stuff since i'm not supposed to do it in that green uniform of mine. Thanks. lol.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today's valentine's day! in case you haven't realised. So, happy valentine's day!

I'd like to gush about how great starcraft II is, and how everyone should play it when it comes out, but I've got dota to play. Anyhow, I prefer d3 to sc2.

Happy Valentines' Day!

Tmr's valentines' day! in case you havn't realise.

So, happy valentines' day in advance!

I LOVE YOU!!!! LET ME GIVE YOU A HUG!!!

-

pic from left 4 dead. lol

-

lalala

2008's best game

Ok enough of warcraft III. and dota. They weren't particularly great games, just games with great fanbases. So, it's time for some publicity for a game whose awards can rival that of Diablo II and world of warcraft(still lose to starcraft duh).

Presenting the BEST game of 2008 ----

LEFT 4 DEAD!!!!

-

Ok mayb fallout 3 deserves the title as well. Or 'metal gear solid 4'(never heard of it, just seems that people are infatuated with it). But that's besides my point. Left 4 Dead is a compelling game that elevates the idea of teamwork to whole new levels. Teamwork has rarely been so desperately necessary, or as tense and exciting, as it is in Left 4 Dead. Many games can emphasize teamwork, but none compels you to exercise it to an extent equivalent to this.

-

You need teamwork to play dota well, but a hero can still stand alone in the midst of a massive gang from the enemy and still survive and win. Counter-Strike emphasizes teamwork, but you can stand alone and still take out the whole opponent team. The same goes for unreal tournament and many other FPS and RTS games.

-

Not left 4 dead. Survival when stranded alone drops to an absolute zero. You need your team, your team needs you. Fight together... or die alone. This game bests all other fps, including the famed CS and Gears of War, and is definitely worth playing.

-

It's time to drop your dependence on dota to satisfy your gaming needs guys. Left 4 dead is available at both lan shops and garena. Time to change to a more fun and exciting game =)

-

-

noobify†™

lalala

yong sheng

AYAR?

For those of you who are not-so-proficient at AYAR, here is a sneak preview of what the end looks like:

Well, maybe not exactly the end. Cuz you got to go through a few more obstacles.

THIS is the end....or so I think.

Happy Chinese New Year

I was at home on CNY eve, after returning from reunion dinner, and having nothing better to do, decided to talk with Jameson on MSN (because he's very sad no one else talks with him =( ) And, at the same time, I noticed that this blog has been devoid of any real posts not just recently, but for a long time. Not that this is a real post, mind you. Whenever I'm free, or for that matter, whenever we're free, either we're out enjoying ourselves, watching TV, or playing dota on garena rm 16. Except for Jameson who's very free being CBRD staff officer, but has no time to blog, nor the inclination to dota....It appears that he forgot his username and password and cannot blog as a result.

So bottom line is:

We should blog more. Or have class outings sometime! and strive towards A Happy And Prosperous Chinese New Year.

PS To Chinny: Jameson says that your mind is messed up.