Sonic Dreams

Exams and Break

2007-03-23T02:00:00.000+08:00

Hmm it's a long long time since I've blogged here. Can't believe time flies so fast and soon in 3 plus weeks' time, exams would have started. Besides exams, there's lots of other thoughts on my mind, mostly related to post examination activities. The May-August break seems very long but it seems like I have so many plans that I don't know how to fit them in at the moment:

1. Class Chalet - Seems likely that my class chalet would be held from 3 May to 5 May after my last paper which is on 2 May.

2. Joining my parents in Udon Thani? - my parents have booked a trip to Udon Thani from 12 May to 14 May and my father said that I could join them if I want to.

3. Special Semester - applied for Business Finance in Special Semester 1 which is from 7 May to 8 June but there's only 80 vacancies with at least 500 applicants. Chances of getting it are slim but if I get it, it means that the first half of my break would be well-occupied with studies. The Business Finance exam's on 13 Jun. May also apply for Special Semester 2 which is from end June to end July but I'm not that keen on doing a module in Special Semester 2 as I prefer to relax during the June-July period.

4. Entrepreneurship module - just got an email that I need to clear this module during either the May-August break, September recess or December break. Would prefer to clear this ASAP so that I don't need to worry about it later. Will clear it in either May or July depending on whether I get selected for the Special Semester. It's basically a 1 week intensive core pass/fail module.

5. Short trip with volleyball gang? - as suggested by Elmo, a short 2 day trip to Malaysia but not sure if it will come to fruition.

6. Trip to Melbourne? - Definitely not going with the volleyball gang as most of them are either not free or feel that it's too expensive. If I'm going to Melbourne, I'll go with KH and his friend ZH but we are too busy to discuss at the moment. Will probably discuss after our exams end. KH wants to go in May but HB is preparing for his exams at the moment, so end June would be the most ideal. Considering my packed May schedule, I'd prefer end June too.

7. Apply for ACCA examination invigilator job? - Another round of ACCA exams in June and after having missed the opportunity to take up the job last Dec due to hall sports training, I'd like to take up the job this time round in June to at least earn some money to offset any holiday expenses.

8. Beach volleyball referee course - should I take up this course? It's from 9-13 May and costs a bomb (around $150) but there's the FIVB coming to Singapore from 21-27 May where it may be possible to recoup the course fee. But then again, it depends on whether the volleyball guys want to take up the course and it also depends on whether I can find time or not.. Ha...

9. Inter-Constituency Volleyball Tournament - Duration from 22 April to early June but right now, fixtures are not out yet.

10. Opens volleyball tournament - Well I went for the first training for my CSC team last week but don't think I'll join them to play in the Opens as I feel a bit sian not having any close friends in the team and it's hard to commit myself to train with so many unplanned acitivites. In addition, I need to mug these few weeks. But then I might just change my mind again during the holidays.

11. Join IVP training? - Depends on whether KX wants to join IVP. If he wants to join, I don't mind accompanying him. Training will probably start in July.

12. Start planning for Work & Travel in USA for May 2008 and Exchange Program in 2nd half of 2008 (Yr 3 Sem 1)

Yup, that's the main 12 things that I might well be busy with during the break. Hmm oh yah, hall application starts soon on Monday. Hmm, to be honest, I'd really prefer staying in an air-conditioned hall as there were a few times that I've suffered from sleepless nights due to the stuffiness of the room. However, our hall is dependent on KX and I for their volleyball and with the core of the team leaving, it would be quite bad if we "jump ship". Admittedly, it would still be quite difficult for both of us to carry the team next year though. With our points reasonably high this year, it would be a waste if we don't try and apply for an air-conditioned hall. Some more I don't think there's another chance for me in the future to apply for an air-conditioned room as I intend to go for exchange in Yr 3 Sem 1 and when I come back in Yr 3 Sem 2 and apply for hall, I won't have a choice of hall. Sigh this is something that has to be settled before the exams start. Grr...

Hmm oh yeah I also realised that I'll be able to graduate in 3 years instead of 3.5 years if I average 21 AUs for each of the next 4 semesters. I've already got 18 AUs of exemptions when I came in to NTU and I've already cleared 18 AUs last semester. By the end of this semester, I would have cleared another 21 AUs and I'll also be clearing another 3AUs for the Entrepreneurship module during the holidays. Hmm but if I clear in 3 years, I'll have to also finish my 8AU final year project in Yr 3 Sem 2 if I'm on track for 1st class honours and this may be a bit too rush. Yet however, if I complete my degree in 3.5 years, it will mean my last semester will be extremely slack with probably only my final year project which isn't very worth it for me.

Revitalised

2007-02-17T14:44:00.001+08:00

I had been feeling pretty downcast and gloomy for the past few weeks since the start of the semester. Not very sure why but it could be a combination of the angst of growing up, Spurs screwing up week after week and the thought of a tough semester ahead with very crappy China lecturers in some modules. The killer was the Public Finance 25% quiz last week where I thought I screwed up badly since the interpretation question was extremely subjective and after the quiz, we went to send HB off to Australia which and the sight of seeing yet another friend fly overseas made me feel even more downcast.

Things picked up this week. After my tutor went through the answers, I felt very relieved to know that I at least didn't go too off-tangent in my answers for that quiz. Then I watched Blood Diamond on Wed with Sadu and it was a nice though sad movie which helped me to destress. It was quite an educational action movie about "conflict diamonds" in Africa and reminded me of the very sad Hotel Rwanda which I had watched though Blood Diamond was much less depressing. On Thursday, I played squash with Sadu and Serena. It was my first time playing squash and boy was it fun... Looking back at it, I felt really happy thinking about squash as it reminded me of someone. Haha looking forward to more squash sessions in the future. On Friday, I played volleyball for a while at Xinmin before joining the volleyballers at Chinatown where they went to K-Ster. Don't really sing much but it was okay lah. At least I felt pretty much revitalised after the end of this week and with Chinese New Year tomorrow and the following week being recess week, I can look forward to a bit of break although I haven't been hardworking this semester and need to spend some time catching up on some stuff after having skipped countless lectures.

Happy Chinese New Year to all!

Another New Semester Begins

2007-01-08T15:37:00.000+08:00

And so tomorrow begins the start of my 2nd semester in NTU, signalling the end of the December holidays. It's been an eventful and busy holiday period with work and Hall games/trainings taking up a lot of my holidays. In fact, I barely had enough time to play until the last week of the holidays. I had intended to complete my Final Fantasy XII within these holidays but after having to restart it because I made an error, I've been too drained of energy to finish even 2 hours of the game. Work was filing and checking invoices which was quite mundane by itself but there was the company of the volleyballers and the attractive pay of $10/hour to offset the boring nature of the job. Hall games wise, we underachieved in volleyball as after defeating a strong hall in the preliminary rounds, we screwed up a rather easy quarter-finals to crash out of it. As for sepak takraw, we were in a tough preliminary group and started badly with a bad 0-3 loss to one of this year's favourites. However, somehow against all odds, we found ourselves in the semi-finals which we'll be playing this Wednesday. I guess not having too much expectations helps as it relieves the pressure off everyone =)

Also got my results for the 1st semester and it'll take a massive task to maintain it. Didn't expect myself to do so perfectly well and I would initially have been satisfied with a GPA of 4.0 and delighted with a GPA of 4.5. However, the fact that quite a number of my classmates were scoring at least a GPA of 4.5 means that I should be having higher expectations in future semesters and hence it means more hard work!

Might also be giving tuition this year again - J1 Maths at $35/hour to HY's student. The rate is good but I really hope I have sufficient mental energy to give J1 tuition. Moreover, I don't have any really free day unlike last semester. We'll see how things go first.

Finally Eddy asked me if I wanted to play in this year's Inter-CSC volleyball. I'm a bit hesitant as I probably won't be able to commit myself to many of the trainings and the tentative dates of the competition are 22 Apr to 2 Jun. My exams end on 2 May, so I can only make it after then. Well tentatively I agreed to join but it'll be a bit hard for me to commit myself to this.

Thus a busy and hectic semester beckons again.

Borat & Stranger Than Fiction

2007-01-03T00:02:00.000+08:00

Watched Borat with Aaron, Andy, John, ZY and ES at GV Vivocity this afternoon before going to The Cathay to watch Stranger Than Fiction with Curren in the evening.

Borat wasn't as funny as I thought it would be but it was still watchable. Rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: Borat Sagdiyev, Kazakhstan's sixth most famous man and a leading journalist from the State run TV network, travels from his home in Kazakhstan to the U.S. to make a documentary. On his cross-country road-trip, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences.

Stranger Than Fiction had quite an interesting and unique plot which I quite liked. Rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: One morning, a seemingly average and generally solitary IRS agent named Harold Crick begins to hear a female voice narrating his every action, thought and feeling in alarmingly precise detail. Harold's carefully controlled life is turned upside down by this narration only he can hear, and when the voice declares that Harold Crick is facing imminent death, he realizes he must find out who is writing his story and persuade her to change the ending. The voice in Harold's head turns out to be the once celebrated, but now nearly forgotten, novelist Karen "Kay" Eiffel, who is struggling to find an ending for what might be her best book. Her only remaining challenge is to figure out a way to kill her main character, but little does she know that Harold Crick is alive and well and inexplicably aware of her words and her plans for him. To make matters worse, Kay's publisher has dispatched a hard-nosed "assistant," Penny Escher, to force Kay to finish her novel and finish off Harold Crick. Desperate to take control of his destiny and avoid an untimely demise, Harold seeks help from a literary theorist named Jules Hilbert, who suggests that Harold might be able to change his fate by turning his story from a tragedy into a comedy. Professor Hilbert suggests that Harold try to follow one of comedy's most elemental formulas: a love story between two people who hate each other. His suggestion leads Harold to initiate an unlikely romance with a free-spirited baker named Ana Pascal. As Harold experiences true love and true life for the first time, he becomes convinced that he has escaped his fate, as his story seems to be taking on all the trappings of a comedy in which he will not, and cannot, die. But Harold is unaware that in a Karen Eiffel tragedy, the lead characters always die at exactly the moment when they have the most to live for.

Death Note 2 The Last Name

2006-12-27T22:56:00.000+08:00

Watched Death Note 2 The Last Name with KX David WY HY JX HB and ZJ at Shaw Century yesterday afternoon. Movie was not bad but not as nice as the first one as the plot probably lost its novelty appeal. Rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: Light joins the task force searching for Kira in an effort to avert suspicion from himself and also, to get rid of L. The mystery deepens as another Death Note with its God of Death, is brought into the human world. A second and third Kira complicates the mystery. Making things even more unpredictable are the 'Eyes of Death', given to the second Kira, enabling the owner to know the true identity and lifespan of any person. Who would get hold of the 'Trump Card' which would determine the outcome of events? And who will be the Last name?

Eragon

2006-12-21T23:33:00.000+08:00

Watched Eragon with Curren at GV Bishan just now. Movie was so-so but it was too fast-paced and ended too quickly at just an hour and a half. Rating is 3 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: A boy named Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest. At first, he thinks it's a lucky discovery, something that will bring meat to his poor family for the winter. Instead, it brings a dragon hatchling, and Eragon is soon thrust into a world of magic and power through which he and the dragon must navigate.

The Holiday

2006-12-19T21:29:00.000+08:00

Watched The Holiday with Curren at GV Plaza Singapura yesterday night. This romantic comedy wasn't as funny as I expected it to be and my rating is 3 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: Iris is in love with a man who is about to marry another woman. Across the globe, Amanda realizes the man she lives with has been unfaithful. Two women who have never met and live 6000 miles apart, find themselves in the exact same place. They meet online at a home exchange website and impulsively switch homes for the holiday. Iris moves into Amanda's L.A. house in sunny California as Amanda arrives in the snow covered English countryside. Shortly after arriving at their destinations, both women find the last thing either wants or expects: a new romance. Amanda is charmed by Iris' handsome brother Graham and Iris, with inspiration provided by legendary screenwriter Arthur, mends her heart when she meets film composer Miles.

Casino Royale

2006-12-09T23:27:00.000+08:00

Watched Casino Royale with KX, ZJ, XH, David, HB and Daniel at GV Plaza Singapura yesterday night. Not a particular Bond fan and thought the show was so-so as compared to other action movies. My rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: James Bond's first 007 mission takes him to Madagascar, where he is to spy on a terrorist Mollaka. Not everything goes as planned and Bond decides to investigate, independently of the MI6 agency, in order to track down the rest of the terrorist cell. Following a lead to the Bahamas, he encounters Dimitrios and his girlfriend, Solange. He learns that Dimitrios is involved with Le Chiffre, banker to the world's terrorist organizations. Secret Service intelligence reveals that Le Chiffre is planning to raise money in a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro at Le Casino Royale. MI6 assigns 007 to play against him, knowing that if Le Chiffre loses, it will destroy his organization. 'M' places Bond under the watchful eye of the beguiling Vesper Lynd. At first skeptical of what value Vesper can provide, Bond's interest in her deepens as they brave danger together--and even torture at the hands of Le Chiffre. In Montenegro, Bond allies himself with Matthis, MI6's local field agent, and Felix Leiter, who is representing the interests of the CIA. The marathon game proceeds with dirty tricks and violence, raising the stakes beyond blood money and reaching a terrifying climax.

Happy Feet

2006-11-24T15:03:00.000+08:00

Watched Happy Feet with Curren at GV Junction 8 yesterday evening. Not a bad show although ending was a little bit "forced" and weird. My rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: In the great nation of Emperor Penguins, deep in Antarctica, you’re nobody unless you can sing--which is unfortunate for Mumble, who is the worst singer in the world. He is born dancing to his own tune--tap dancing. Though Mumble’s mom, Norma Jean, thinks this little habit is cute, his dad, Memphis, says it “just ain’t penguin.” Besides, they both know that, without a Heartsong, Mumble may never find true love. As fate would have it, his one friend, Gloria, happens to be the best singer around. Mumble and Gloria have a connection from the moment they hatch, but she struggles with his strange “hippity- hoppity” ways. Mumble is just too different--especially for Noah the Elder, the stern leader of Emperor Land, who ultimately casts him out of the community. Away from home for the first time, Mumble meets a posse of decidedly un-Emperor-like penguins--the Adelie Amigos. Led by Ramon, the Adelies instantly embrace Mumble’s cool dance moves and invite him to party with them. In Adelie Land, Mumble seeks the counsel of Lovelace the Guru, a crazy-feathered Rockhopper penguin who will answer any of life’s questions for the price of a pebble. Together with Lovelace and the Amigos, Mumble sets out across vast landscapes and, after some epic encounters, proves that by being true to yourself, you can make all the difference in the world.

The Departed

2006-11-11T23:37:00.000+08:00

Watched The Departed with KX at GV Vivocity last Wednesday afternoon. Quite a decent remake of Infernal Affairs. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: 'The Departed' is set in South Boston, where the state police force is waging war on organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Costello (Jack Nicholson). While Billy is quickly gaining Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the police department as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the gangsters and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy -- and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself.

Scoop

2006-10-24T15:32:00.000+08:00

Watched Scoop with Curren at GV Plaza Singapura yesterday evening. Quite an light-hearted comedy/thriller and Woody Allen provided lots of laughs with his role in the movie. The plot was a little predictable towards the end but the show is still a nice movie to watch. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: The prominent--and recently belated--U.K. journalist Joe Strombel is being mourned by his fellow colleagues. Meanwhile, even as he's frustratedly stuck in limbo, Joe remains committed to pursuing a hot tip, from beyond, on the identity of "the Tarot Card Killer," who's still at-large in London. But how can his legwork get done now that he's dead--the answer is simple: via the very much alive Sondra Pransky. An American journalism student, Sondra is visiting friends in London. While watching a stage performance by another American, magician Sid Waterman (a.k.a. Splendini), Sondra is shocked to find herself able to see and hear the belated journalist. From beyond, Joe gives her the scoop of a lifetime and urges her to pursue it. Sondra immediately starts chasing the big story, enlisting the aid of a very reluctant Sid. Her chase leads right to a handsome British aristocrat, Peter Lyman, with whom she falls head over heels. Soon, Sondra finds that the romance of her lifetime may very well be the dangerous scoop for which she is in hot pursuit.

Death Note

2006-10-22T15:02:00.000+08:00

Watched Death Note with KX, JX, HD, HY, David, JX, ZJ, XH, Elmo and YH at GV Marina Square yesterday evening. Quite an interesting and captivating thriller with a very good plot. My rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: Light Yagami is the top high school student of Japan who has, until recently, led a boring and uneventful life. All that quickly changes when he finds a mysterious notebook with the title "Death Note" on it, lying on the ground near his school. This innocent-looking object which should remain in the hands of God, may just be the catalyst that would change the fate of the world forever. Although initially skeptical after realising that it is a tool of a Shingami (God of Death), Light eventually decides to use it to 'cleanse' the world of evil. With the power to kill anyone by writing the name on the page, he begins to hold the scales to judge criminals based in his discretion.

World Trade Center

2006-10-16T23:33:00.000+08:00

Watched World Trade Center with Eng Seng at GV Jurong Point this afternoon. The show was so-so and the plot was rather thin and followed an overly "safe" approach. Still a rather emotional film and pretty much watchable though. My rating is 3 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: True story of Will Jimeno and John McLoughlin, two Port Authority police officers who rushed into the burning World Trade Center on 9/11 to help rescue people, but became trapped themselves when the tower collapsed. A race against time ensued to free them before their air ran out.

Calculus

2006-10-01T00:44:00.000+08:00

Something funny and related to calculus:

Recess

2006-09-29T00:01:00.000+08:00

So it's the recess week. What is supposed to be a break ends up being a week of catching up and revision. Except that I didn't do much revision and ended up doing a bit of catching up and reading in advance instead. Have completed almost all the available work already and am just left with the revisions for mid-term tests which fall on 7 Oct (Programming), 10 Oct (Macroeconomics), 14 Oct (Foundations of Maths & Calculus I).

And I'm finally 21. Spent my birthday at home slacking around though. Was given a big surprise when some of my classmates crashed my hostel room last Friday morning after Programming lecture with a birthday cake and a card. Was really touched by the surprise as I didn't suspect anything amiss at all. Then the volleyballers celebrated David's and my birthday on Sunday. Went for dimsum buffet at Excelsior Hotel and then they celebrated our birthdays but before that we had to swallow a mini pseudo birthday cake which was actually a mooncake. I personally don't like mooncakes but this Oreo mooncake wasn't too bad. After that, we went to Marina Square to give David a makeover by "forcing" him into Chapter Two to have his hair cut and dyed. I really wouldn't mind having my hair dyed just that it's too expensive in Singapore. If I want to get it done, I'll probably get it done in Malaysia and actually, I hope to do so during the December holidays. Anyway, they gave me a Crumpler laptop bag which was something I needed (I said I needed a sling bag when explicitly asked what I wanted for my birthday present by KX). Curren also gave me a Puma shoe bag and an orange Nike T-shirt. A number of people also wished me a happy birthday via MSN Messenger and SMS on my actual birthday. So thanks everyone for the presents and well-wishes!

Oh and another piece of good news. I was offered the Max Lewis scholarship which was valid for one academic year and valued at $3000. Yay! Actually I was also offered the NTU-administered bursary which was valued at $800 but I had to choose one or the other, so obviously I chose the scholarship. =)

Singapore Dreaming

2006-09-25T23:48:00.000+08:00

Watched Singapore Dreaming with Curren at GV Junction 8 last Wednesday afternoon. I thought it would be a very humorous show but although it did have its humorous moments, it turned out to have a very sad ending instead. The last movie that really left me that depressed after the show was probably Hotel Rwanda. The plot was however quite good although it was a little slow at the start. My rating is 4 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: This is a poignant, yet darkly humorous story about a typical Singaporean family coming to grips with their aspirations. It weaves a layered and moving tale about a family dealing with loss, ambition and the search for what really matters in life.

Interview

2006-09-14T12:02:00.000+08:00

Hmm just had an interview for a NTU-administered scholarship, namely the Max Lewis scholarship. Was pretty calm about the whole thing and was only slightly nervous before the interview. Think I screwed up some parts of the interview - the first question about how I felt about the name change from HCJC to HCI caught me by surprise and also the part where they asked me if I applied for the Nanyang Scholarship which I said I did but on further questioning, I realised I mixed up the scholarship with the NTU Alumni scholarship and had to apologise for my oversight. Otherwise, the interview was rather okay and if I get the scholarship, then it's a bonus. I'm not going to pin so much hope on it and end up being very crestfallen should I not get it.

The Devil Wears Prada

2006-09-08T23:54:00.000+08:00

Watched The Devil Wears Prada with ZL, KX and HD at GV Junction 8 just now. This movie features Meryl Streep at her very best and the plot was decent with a slightly subtle meaning behind it. My rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: In the dizzying world of New York fashion, where size zero is the new 2, six is the new 8, and a bad hair day can end a career, Runaway Magazine is the Holy Grail. Overseen with a finely manicured fist by Miranda Priestly--the most powerful woman in fashion--Runway is a fearsome gauntlet for anyone who wants to make it in the industry. To make Runway the fashion bible of New York and therefore the world, Miranda has let nothing stand in her way--including a long line of assistants that didn't make the cut. It's a job no self-respecting person can survive, yet it's an opportunity a million young women in New York would kill for. A stint as Miranda's assistant could blast-open the doors for recent college graduate Andy Sachs. More college drab than haute couture, she stands alone among the small army of "Clackers" on staff at Runway--superslim fashion divas clacking their stilettos down the halls of the magazine's Manhattan headquarters. But when Andy comes in for the job, it dawns on her that making it in this industry will take more than drive and determination. And her ultimate test stands before her in head-to-toe Prada. Miranda can spin the fashion world like a basketball but has a devil of a time finding and keeping a good assistant. Andy is completely wrong for the job. But she has something the rest of them don't: she refuses to fail. To become the perfect assistant, Andy will need to make herself over in Miranda's image. Soon, much to her boyfriend's dismay, she can talk the talk, walk the walk and never again confuse Dolce with Gabbana. But the more of life she sees through Miranda's eyes, the more she begins to grasp that Miranda's world is a fabulous but lonely one--and that sometimes great success depends on great sacrifice. But at what cost?

Crazy Stone

2006-08-31T20:27:00.000+08:00

Watched Crazy Stone with Curren at GV Plaza Singapura yesterday afternoon . This movie is a film from China and it had an entertaining, well-linked and ingenious plot. Definitely recommended by me. My rating is 4.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: A precious stone is found by accident in a factory. When the owner of the factory put it up for exhibition, gangsters plot to steal the stone. The loyal factory worker who first found the stone, volunteers to guard it. But it isn't as easy as he thought. The thieves can be very tricky, so our factory worker has to be even trickier.

First Day Of School

2006-08-07T21:22:00.000+08:00

First day of school today... Only had an Microeconomics lecture from 1030-1230 as there's no tutorials in the first week. Lecture was okay but the pace at which they teach in university is pretty fast, covering in 1 lesson about 4 chapters that were learnt in JC (though not exactly in detail). Went to collect my matriculation card and buy some second-hand books after that before going home.

Anyway I went to school early to add some electives as the school server's faster. Library was almost packed to the brim but I managed to find a computer at 9.28am, just 2 minutes before the add/drop period started. Wanted to take up Business Finance (which had 10 vacancies in my favoured slot) and Working in the 21st Century (which had only 1 vacancy) but less than 10 seconds past 9.30am, all of them were taken up already. Was feeling quite sian but somehow the guy who added the Working in the 21st Century module dropped it and I managed to add it. Feeling quite fortunate. =) Took up Financial and Management Accounting module instead as a replacement for Business Finance. Should be sticking to this unless a vacancy opens up in my favoured slot in Business Finance. So my timetable reads:

Mon
0830-1030 Maths Lab (Wks 3,6,9,12 only)
1030-1230 Economics Lecture
1330-1530 Programming Lab
1630-1730 Accounting Lecture

Tue
1030-1230 Maths Tutorial
1330-1530 Maths Tutorial
1530-1730 Economics Lecture
1730-2030 Working in the 21st Century Lecture

Wed
0930-1030 Economics Tutorial
1230-1330 Accounting Lecture

Thu
1330-1530 Maths Lecture
1630-1730 Accounting Lecture

Fri
0830-1030 Programming Lecture
1030-1230 Economics Tutorial
1330-1530 Maths Lecture

Relatively tough start to the week (especially Tuesdays where I can only have a late dinner) before it starts getting relaxing towards the end of the week.

Click

2006-08-02T22:57:00.000+08:00

Watched Click this evening at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard with XH, David, HB, JX, Elmo and KX. Movie was better than expected and it was very funny at first before it became a little bit too serious and somewhat draggy in the 2nd half of the show. My rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: A workaholic architect, who has been overlooking his family in favor of his career, comes across a universal remote that allows him to perform TiVo-like functions on his life, such as pausing events or fast-forwarding over them. When the remote begins creating its own memory and choosing what to fast-forward over, the man sees how much of his personal life has passed him by and realizes the importance of spending more time with his family.

Collection of Pay Cheque

2006-08-01T19:37:00.000+08:00

Was pleasantly surprised after I went to collect my pay cheque today from Charlton Media on the way back from NTU. Was actually working at this company from 14 Jul to the 26 Jul (up to 2pm) as a telemarketer and events assistant. I actually took over from CH who had to go for his orientation camp. Basically what I did was to call up banks in Malaysia and Thailand to ask them if they're interested to attend a free risk management forum organised in their respective countries on 25 or 27 Jul. Lunchtime was flexible and working hours are not really rigid, so it's quite a nice job.

Pay was supposedly $6/hr with $10 commission for each delegate registered for the forum. However the commission I received was much more than I expected as I personally didn't manage to register so many delegates. Turned out that my supervisor decided to divide the commission equally among 4 people (CH, me, Sam who is CH's working partner and LK who is Sam's replacement and my working partner) which I thought was fairer since I was tasked to call bank delegates to confirm their attendance for the forum and hence spent more time on this than calling banks to ask them to send representatives. Anyway, the total pay worked out to slightly more than a thousand dollars and it more than makes up the abysmal and crappy pay by Cyberminds who kept lowering the commission rate during the PC Show in June. Hope to be able to go back to Charlton Media to work again during the school holidays or something.

Anyway took 2 interesting photos whilst working there:

Found this notice in the toilet. Yep, the toilet bowl's really short. And it rhymes too...

Apt description for the pay I got from Cyberminds. Haha... Anyway this was stuck on the company door and apparently I thought this was the headline in the Sydney Morning Herald after Italy beat Australia 1-0 in the World Cup but did some research on the Internet and concluded that this was probably photoshopped as the headline was actually "Goodbye, cruel world".

Collection of Hostel Room Keys

2006-08-01T19:16:00.000+08:00

Went to collect my hostel room keys with KX this morning. Hostel room was not too bad although it was kind of dusty in there, probably because the room was vacant for the 2 months of holidays. Spent some time wiping the furniture but the floor (especially under the bed) was still quite dusty and had lots of stray hair, so I'll probably bring a vacuum cleaner one of these nights to clean up the floor. Considering that this hall was one of the newer ones (5 years old), it makes me wonder what conditions the rooms in the other older halls are like. Grievances aside, I thought that the location was still reasonable as compared to Halls 8 to 11 since it's about 10 minutes' walk to the lecture theatres and to my temporary school office located at NIE. As for facilities, I haven't really checked them out but toilets are kind of small although they are equipped with hot showers. Anyway, it could be worse, so I'm not going to complain so much. Anyway, KX took some photos of the room:

KX's bed & study table

My bed & the obstructed study table behind it

Our wardrobes

Wisdom Tooth Souvenir

2006-07-31T16:43:00.000+08:00

Hmm was packing my room earlier and came across my lower left wisdom tooth (or rather its fragments) which I extracted in February this year. Still keeping it as a souvenir. Haha...

Desperate Landlords

2006-07-30T23:41:00.000+08:00

Was looking at the noticeboard near the Ang Mo Kio MRT taxi stand while waiting for the IKEA shuttle bus to arrive this afternoon and spotted these:

Everything is available? Kind of exaggerating right...

Free owner? Free expenses? Free racist? What about Free Bad Engrish? Cos I really catch no ball...

Hong Kong Trip Photos

2006-07-29T13:58:00.000+08:00

Finally as promised, the long-awaited photos of my Hong Kong trip with my Sec 2 classmates from 24 May to 27 May... Got them some time ago but haven't had the time to put them up. Here it goes... (Warning may take some time to load)

Touchdown in HK at 1200! See Our flight CX 710?

Checked in at our hotel which was quite crappy actually

Had our first meal at this eatery. ZL apparently very satisfied with his lunch =P

Uhm... Found a pretty interesting sticker on a power grid outside our lunch place.

Went to the Hong Kong Space Museum after that

Group photo at the Hong Kong Space Museum. Nothing really interesting there. Luckily we went on a Wednesday when admission is free.

Went to Avenue Of Stars after that. Uhm weather was kind of foggy. Guess that's an understatement.

ZL and I with a lame pose at the Avenue of Stars

Watched the Symphony of Lights which is actually a nightly light show. Beautiful nightscape.

We travel by the MTR train frequently but their display was a little screwed up back then.

ZL, KH and I on the ferry to Macau. Ferry cost HK$277 (about S$57) for a 2-way trip.

Arrived at the garden inside the Headquarter of Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau. Lovely place.

Arrived at the Leal Senado Square

Another shot at this Square

ZL trying out local snack which is actually some crackers

Me in front of the St Dominic's Church at Leal Senado Square. St Dominic's Church is in the World Heritage List.

We tried out the famous pork chop burger. Delicious.

Interesting "balconies" the local residents have.

This bakery is actually called Da San Ba!

View of Ruins of St Paul's

Me, Wilbur, WL and KH in front of the Ruins.

View from the top of the Ruins. Lots of famous local bakeries along this stretch.

Me in front of the Museum of Macau which is located at the Monte Fontress

At the top of the Monte Fortress. Rushed to catch our ferry back to Hong Kong after that. Would love to return to beautiful Macau as we didn't really have time to explore it.

Had dinner with Tim's HK friend and then a group shot near Mongkok MTR.

On the Star Ferry from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island on Day 3

Trams and buses on Hong Kong Island

Yummy dim sum at a restaurant in Sheung Wan

Wilbur and KH enjoying their dim sum

Went to the nearby Western Market where they had this wooden "tree" where people could write their messages on a piece of cloth and then hang on it

So we wrote a message and hung it up. =P

Tried out lots of different desserts at Xu Liu Shan. They have lots of stalls in Hong Kong and the desserts are superb!

You can actually check in your luggage at the IFC (International Finance Centre) before taking the train to the airport. Convenient eh?

View from the Peak. Weather still not too good.

View from the other side of the Peak.

Group shot at the Peak.

Went to the Madame Tussaud's at the Peak after that. Posed a lame shot with the wax figure of David Beckham. (P.S. move over Beckham! There's Aaron Lennon now!)

ZL the future Einstein

WL and KH with the wax figures of The Twins

Tiger Woods: "Erm where's the golf hole now?"

On Day 4, Wilbur, WL, Tim and KH went to visit the Buddha Statue on Lantau Island. CH, ZL and I felt that it was kind of rushed to spend 1 hour travelling to visit the statue and then another hour back to the hotel on the day when we're flying back to Singapore. So we just chilled out and window-shopped on Hong Kong Island.

Newly Painted Blocks

2006-07-28T23:51:00.000+08:00

Feeling boliao while waiting for a bus near my house earlier this afternoon, so I used my handphone to take photos of some blocks near Xinmin Sec which had newly-painted artwork.

The Lake House

2006-07-27T23:58:00.000+08:00

Treated KX, HD and JX to The Lake House this afternoon at Shaw Bugis with my Shaw movie vouchers. Movie was a little slow at the start but became slightly more interesting as the movie went on. At times it was a little confusing since it kept switching back and forth from 2006 to 2004, so save some brain cells before watching it. My rating is 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: An independent-minded doctor (Sandra Bullock) who once occupied an unusual lakeside home begins exchanging love letters with its newest resident, a frustrated architect (Keanu Reeves). When they discover that they're actually living two years apart, they must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.

Middlesbrough Job Application

2006-07-27T23:07:00.000+08:00

Hilarious...

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

2006-07-16T21:46:00.000+08:00

Watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest yesterday afternoon at GV Marina Square with Melissa, JX, David, HB, Elmo and Daniel for $8 (SAFRA weekend offer). The movie was very hilarious and engrossing. Just recently, I mentioned that Thank You For Smoking was probably one of the better non-animated movies that I've watched this year but this movie is definitely this year's best non-animated movie for me so far. The story hasn't really concluded in this movie so it leaves viewers looking really forward to the next instalment of this trilogy next summer. However, this at the same time somewhat gives viewers (include me) a little sense of inadequancy after watching this movie so 4.25 out of 5 stars from me. Synopsis as follows: Captain Jack Sparrow is caught up in another tangled web of supernatural intrigue. Although the curse of the Black Pearl has been lifted, an even more terrifying threat looms over its captain and scurvy crew: it turns out that Jack owes a blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones, Ruler of the Ocean Depths, who captains the ghostly Flying Dutchman, which no other ship can match in speed and stealth. Unless the ever-crafty Jack figures a cunning way out of this Faustian pact, he will be cursed to an afterlife of eternal servitude and damnation in the service of Jones. This startling development interrupts the wedding plans of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who once again find themselves thrust into Jack's misadventures, leading to escalating confrontations with sea monsters, very unfriendly islanders, flamboyant soothsayer Tia Dalma and even the mysterious appearance of Will's long-lost father, Bootstrap Bill. Meanwhile, ruthless pirate hunter Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company sets his sights on retrieving the fabled "Dead Man's Chest." According to legend, whoever possesses the Dead Man's Chest gains control of Davy Jones, and Beckett intends to use this awesome power to destroy every last Pirate of the Caribbean once and for all. For times are changing on the high seas, with businessmen and bureaucrats becoming the true pirates--and freewheeling, fun-loving buccaneers like Jack and his crew threatened with extinction.

Thank You For Smoking

2006-07-13T21:45:00.000+08:00

Watched Thank You For Smoking this afternoon at GV Plaza Singapura with Curren using my GV movie vouchers. Movie was a short but interesting comedic satire and is one of the better non-animated movies that I've watched this year. 4 stars out of 5 from me. Synopsis as follows: Nick Naylor, chief spokesman for Big Tobacco, makes his living defending the rights of smokers and cigarette makers in today's neo-puritanical culture. Confronted by health zealots out to ban tobacco and an opportunistic senator who wants to put poison labels on cigarette packs, Nick goes on a PR offensive, spinning away the dangers of cigarettes on TV talk shows and enlisting a Hollywood super-agent to promote smoking in movies. Nick's newfound notoriety attracts the attention of both tobacco's head honcho and an investigative reporter for an influential Washington daily. Nick says he is just doing what it takes to pay the mortgage, but the increased scrutiny of his son and a very real death threat may force him to think differently.

$1.50 Wan Ton Mee

2006-07-12T18:14:00.000+08:00

Hmm had a chance to try out the 1.3 megapixel camera function today in my recently acquired Dopod 577W ($468 and free 512MB mini-SD card and speakers with line). Was at the hawker centre on the 2nd level of Bishan bus interchange looking for lunch when I passed by this stall selling wan ton mee. (As you can see, the photo quality isn't really good especially for the first picture as built-in camera functions in phones aren't meant to replace digital cameras anyway.)

Well guess how much the wan ton mee costs?

$1.50! Portion is decent for $1.50 and it's possibly the cheapest wan ton mee you can get in Singapore!

(Edit: This was only for a promotional period and this offer has now ended)

Congratulations Italy!

2006-07-10T21:16:00.000+08:00

Heartiest congratulations to Italy who have won the 2006 World Cup! I've supported them since the start of the tournament and they didn't let me down with their fighting spirit, resilience and triumph over adversity. It also marks the first time that the team I supported at the start of an international tournament actually won it though admittedly this tournament wasn't exactly spectacular and will be remembered more for Zidane's headbutt than anything else. My player of the tournament would be Fabio Cannavaro who was imperious in defence and did not even pick up a single yellow card in this tournament littered with yellow and red cards. Sad for him that he didn't pick up the Golden Ball as it went to the disgraced Zidane instead. If only the media representatives had voted based on performances instead of sentimentality and also if they took into account the performances of the players in the final instead of casting their votes before the final whistle of the World Cup 2006 was blown.

World Cup 2006 = Euro 2000 In Disguise?

2006-07-07T15:07:00.000+08:00

Hmm this 2006 World Cup bears remarkably uncanny similarities to Euro 2000:

1. France beat Spain 2-1 on the way to winning Euro 2000 with Zidane scoring in that match. This World Cup, France beat Spain 3-1 with Zidane scoring in that match as well.

2. The semi-finalists of Euro 2000 comprised of Italy, Portugal, France and Holland (co-host of Euro 2000). The semi-finalists of Euro 2000 comprised of Italy, Portugal, France and Germany (host of WC 2006).

3. France beat Portugal by a one-goal margin (2-1) with Zidane scoring the decisive penalty in extra-time in Euro 2000 semis. France beat Portugal by a one-goal margin (1-0) with Zidane scoring the decisive penalty in regulation time in WC 2006 semis.

4. Italy drew 0-0 against co-hosts Holland in regulation time and beat them 3-1 on penalties in Euro 2000 semis. Italy drew 0-0 against hots Germany in regulation time and beat them 2-0 in extra-time in WC 2006 semis.

5. Italy came in 1st and France came in 2nd in the group stage but both made it to the finals in Euro 2000. Same case for WC 2006.

6. Zidane scored his only 2 goals in Euro 2000 against Spain and Portugal. Zidane scored his only 2 goals so far in WC 2006 against Spain and Portugal.

7. Henry scored 3 goals in Euro 2000 - 2 in the group stages and 1 in the knockout stage. Henry scored 3 goals so far in WC 2006 - 2 in the group stages and 1 in the knockout stage.

8. Italy's goals up to the Euro 2000 semis came from a pretty decent range of scorers (6) - Inzaghi (2), Totti (2), Fiore, Di Biagio, Conte, Del Piero. Italy's goals up to the WC 2006 semis came from a remarkable range of scorers (10) - Toni (2), Pirlo, Totti, Zambrotta, Grosso, Gilardino, Materazzi, Del Piero, Iaquinta and Inzaghi.

Short Update

2006-06-29T22:22:00.000+08:00

Have been quite a long while since I updated on my life. I went for a few trips with different parties in the past 2 months - to Hong Kong with my family from 5 to 8 May, to Hong Kong again with mostly my Sec 2 classmates from 24 to 27 May and to Penang/KL with the volleyball guys from 18 to 22 Jun. Will try to post the pictures on this blog once I get them. Anyway, I'm now itching to go on another trip again. Bitten by the travel bug, as they would say. Next destination I would really consider is Vietnam. Hope to be able to go there with some friends in December during my school holidays.

I've also stopped work at IRAS on 31 May and have been perpetually slacking at home watching the World Cup apart from the not very pleasant experience working at the PC Show for the stingy distributor from 1 to 4 Jun.

With regards to my university admissions, I'll be admitted to NTU Maths & Economics course. My SMU appeal wasn't successful as my appeal was too late and they didn't have enough spaces. They advised me to apply as a transfer student next year but I think I'd probably remain at NTU as switching to SMU would be pretty inconvenient. My Macquarie University International Scholarship wasn't successful and I didn't hear any word from ANU regarding my scholarship application, so I'd take it as my chances are dead. So I'll be at NTU in August and I've applied to share a NTU hostel room with KX.

Will *try* to update again soon. Simply too lazy these days.

Superman Returns

2006-06-29T22:20:00.000+08:00

Watched Superman Returns yesterday night at The Cathay with KX, HB, ZJ, JX, Elmo, David, HY, Daniel, HD and XH. Movie was so-so (3 out of 5 stars) and definitely not as interesting as Batman Begins since Superman seems invincible without any weak points (kryptonium yes but even after he is weakened by it and falls right from the stratosphere, he manages to survive), the villain in this movie is pretty mediocre and lastly, plot was pretty predictable and moving at a snail pace. Synopsis as follows: Superman--born on a planet which has long since died--has been raised by adoptive parents on the Kent farm in Kansas. The young boy Kal-El is renamed Clark Kent, and though he has grown up among humans, he is not one of them. Under Earth's yellow sun, he can do two things humans can only dream of, but to co-exist with them he must live a dual life as mild, unassuming Clark Kent, secretly transforming into the Man of Steel when the world cries out for him. But now, the world's crises have gone unheeded for five long years since Superman's mysterious disappearance. Without him, crime has risen in the city of Metropolis and beyond; that's not even counting the future destructive acts of Lex Luthor, who has been sprung from prison with the specific intent of using Superman's technological secrets for his own personal gain and glory. Lois Lane, star reporter for the Daily Planet and the love of Superman's life, has moved on since Superman left without a word. She has even won a Pulitzer Prize for her essay, "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." Lois has other issues to contend with--she is now engaged to the editor's nephew and has a young son to look after. But for Superman, the long search for his place in the universe ends back at the Kent farm, among the only family he has ever known. His destiny lies in Metropolis, where one look in Lois's eyes tell him that this place, among the flawed but ultimately good people of Earth, is his true home. And with Lex's plan coming to fruition mere hours after his return, the world will never need Superman more than it does now.

Scary Movie 4 & Cars

2006-06-26T01:47:00.000+08:00

Went for a 5 day 4 night trip to Penang and KL with the volleyballers last week and watched 2 movies there - Scary Movie 4 and Cars.

Watched Scary Movie 4 with KX, JX, HY, HB, HD, Elmo and David at the Gurney Plaza in Penang for RM9 the day we reached Penang (Sun 18 Jun). All in all, a pretty awful movie that is getting less funny and more painful with each sequel. My rating would be 1.5 out of 5 stars, equalling the lowest I gave to Date Movie. Not sure whether there was actually a part about King Kong censored in the show since he appeared in the movie poster but couldn't find anything about him in online movie spoilers. Oh well, it wouldn't have made much of a difference to the movie anyway. Synopsis as follows: The ever-naïve Cindy Campbell, seeking a career in home healthcare, finds work with a creepy old lady in an even creepier old house haunted by a ghostly presence. Throw in a good-looking guy next door and the threat of aliens intent on global domination and Cindy's instantly up to the top of her extremely blond head in danger. Our fearless heroine catapults into action once again struggling to decipher ominous messages from the beyond, looking for love in some very weird places and trying to save the world from mass destruction. As she struggles to discover life-saving answers, Cindy encounters horrific plane crashes, bodacious blind girls, village idiots, disheveled rappers, kinky contraptions, psycho survivalists, alien sphincters and even Oprah!

As for Cars, watched with JX, HB and David while the rest went shopping. Didn't really have high expectations for this movie as the preview trailer didn't look very good but I'm glad I was proven wrong. Apart from a slow opening, this movie had a nice plot going on and had an unexpected ending, warranting a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating from me (as good as Over The Hedge). I'm already looking forward to the next Pixar release Ratatouille (scheduled to be out next year)! Synopsis as follows: Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs. On route across the country to the big Piston Cup Championship in California to compete against two seasoned pros, McQueen gets to know the town's offbeat characters--including Sally, a snazzy 2002 Porsche, Doc Hudson, a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a mysterious past, and Mater, a rusty but trusty tow truck, who help him realize that there are more important things than trophies, fame and sponsorship.

Puma World Cup Jerseys

2006-06-05T19:34:00.001+08:00

Took a look at the World Cup jerseys and found that most of the Puma jerseys have light imprints on them, making them extremely aesthetically pleasing and creative as compared with other kit suppliers. However, Czech Republic and Italy jerseys are still the standard ones without any imprints, so I think I'll give buying an Italy jersey a miss and instead save up for the next season's Spurs jersey which will incidentally be supplied by Puma. However, as much as I hope that my Spurs jersey will have light imprints like most of these World Cup nations, I think it's pretty much unlikely as the sponsor's logo will probably cover up most of the imprint already. Anyway, here's a look at these creative World Cup jerseys:

Ghana:

Iran:

Ivory Coast:

Poland:

Saudi Arabia:

Switzerland:

Togo:

X-Men: The Last Stand

2006-06-05T13:22:00.000+08:00

Watched X-Men: The Last Stand with HB, KX, JX, CW (NPCC), JQ (IRAS), XF (4J) and YR (4J) at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard last Tuesday. Been a while since I met CW, XF and YR, so it was quite nice to meet old friends again. This final instalment of the X-Men trilogy is now directed by Brett Ratner instead of Bryan Singer, so there was a different feel about this movie compared to the previous two. This movie moves at such a fast pace with lots of action that the movie ends in just one hour and a half. I would have preferred it if the pace slowed down a little and although this movie wasn't as exhilirating as the second movie in this trilogy, it is still good enough to warrant a 3.5 out of 5 stars rating. Synopsis as follows: A "cure" for mutancy threatens to alter the course of history. For the first time, mutants have a choice: retain their uniqueness, though it isolates and alienates them, or give up their powers and become human. The opposing viewpoints of mutant leaders Charles Xavier, who preaches tolerance, and Magneto, who believes in the survival of the fittest, are put to the ultimate test--triggering the war to end all wars.

Mixed News

2006-05-23T18:40:00.000+08:00

Good News: Managed to get a confirmation that I'll be working at the PC Show from 1 Jun to 4 Jun after going down for the interview yesterday evening! Have already verbally informed my supervisor I'll be quitting IRAS on 31 May anyway, so my schedule is going to plan. I will be selling Samsung LCD monitors, KX and JX selling BenQ optical mice, keyboards and miscellaneous accessories, HD selling graphics cards and ZL selling Microsoft products. Elmo however didn't get chosen, so feel quite bad for him but there's nothing much we can do. So I suggested he try KX's previous employers although they offer a much lower pay. Our commission has not been confirmed and we'll only know on the day itself. Just hope it's decent enough. =)

Bad News: Had a response from Macquarie University regarding my scholarship application today which turned out to be unsuccessful. In a way it helps resolve the dilemma between staying in Singapore (if I get into SMU) or going overseas. Somehow I'm not too keen on going overseas to study now and I didn't really expect to clinch this scholarship, so I'm not terribly disappointed. However, there's still a very small chance that ANU might offer me a scholarship but I think the ANU scholarship is tougher to get. So just have to pray that my appeal for admission into SMU (which I completed and sent out yesterday) is successful.

A New Choice: SMU

2006-05-21T20:37:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, I went to listen to the SMU talk on the new Quantitative Finance major that they're introducing this year. Actually the degree sounds quite tough but I take it as a challenge and I feel that the things they teach in this course is more relevant to the job requirements in the financial industry. Moreover, I heard from the SMU professor that SMU is planning to introduce Actuarial Science as a major by next year (In SMU students only decide their major by end of 2nd year). So after weighing the pros and cons of SMU and NTU, I feel that SMU offers a more flexible learning programme, its standard and recognition is higher and the travelling time is half that to NTU, my mind is set on appealing to SMU for my local university choice.

According to the SMU admissions officer, the chance is slim and most places have been given out already but told me there's no harm trying, so I spent hours drafting my appeal letter and personal statement yesterday. Anyway, if I get into SMU, I may rethink if I want to go to Australia to study even if I get their scholarship. So in summmary,

1st/2nd choice: Actuarial Science at Macquarie University or Australian National University [pending each university's scholarship application result in June]
1st/2nd choice: SMU Quantitative Finance and Economics (or Actuarial Science) [pending appeal]
3rd choice: NTU Mathematics & Economics [Actually I just switched my NTU course to this a week ago as I feel NTU Business is a bit too risky if I don't make the cut for Actuarial Science specialisation at the end of 1st year while Maths & Econs offers me a wider range of career options]

As you can see, where I am in August, I'll only know next month, hopefully before we set off to Malaysia. Could be any of the 4 universities. Haha I shouldn't think so much before I go bonkers.

On the topic of the Malaysia trip, HB KX and I went to David's house 2 days ago to book the hotels. Our booking for Berjaya Georgetown Hotel in Penang has been confirmed already while our booking for Swiss Garden Hotel in KL is awaiting confirmation. I didn't join some of the others for volleyball at Queenstown CC later as I was still on medication from the flu bug and wanted to recover ASAP in time for my Hong Kong trip from Wed 8am to Sat 11.40pm.

Earlier this afternoon, I went to Kovan Heartland Mall EC House (those $10 in 10 min shops) for my haircut. I was reading my newspaper while waiting in line when a couple (of which the guy looked familiar) approached me:

Couple: Hi are you alone?
Me: Yah
Couple (pointing to poster stating 3 haircuts for the price of 2 with Heartland Mall privilege card): Both of us are cutting our hair. Want to share the cost? We pay $7 each then you pay $6 can liao lah.
Me: Okay I actually have the card also...
Couple: Actually how are their haircuttings standards ah? Good or not?
Me: Okay lah... They say will cut in 10 minutes but usually will take their time to cut one, usually more than 10 minutes...
(Begins to think that the guy is looking more familiar but goes back to my newspaper before they asked me another questionj)
Couple: So are you studying now?
Me: No waiting to enter university. Just finished NS recently like in March.
Couple: Oh really?! You look quite young... Like you're still schooling
Me: Oh haha a lot of people say that...
Couple: So what you intend to study and when school starts?
Me: Quantitative finance or actuarial studies. Might be going to Australia to study. If I go there, it'll be mid-July. If I stay in Singapore, it'll be August.
Couple: Oh really... We have a niece studying physiology... Studying in Fremantle, Perth...
Me (begins to have a strong feeling why that guy is so familiar): Oh I have a friend studying there also
Couple: Oh maybe they might know each other.. Haha
Me: When did your niece go Australia to study?
Couple: Hmm last year... She's from Hwa Chong
Me: Is your niece called Melissa?
Couple: Eh yah!

So we had a long chit-chat while waiting for our turns to have our haircuts. Pretty interesting and co-incidental. Haha... Anyway at the start I thought that the guy looked a bit like one of Melissa's uncles but then I was only 20% sure. As for the lady, I never noticed her before at Melissa's house, so I thought maybe the guy was just another person. Turns out otherwise to be a small world indeed. =P

Over The Hedge

2006-05-20T12:00:00.000+08:00

Watched Over The Hedge with Curren on Thursday night at Cathay Cineleisure after winning a pair of premiere tickets via UIP. Security was quite tight and Curren had to surrender his digital camera at the entrance for safekeeping. The show was 1 hr 30 mins long (like most animated movies nowadays) and it was a fun, heartwarming and cute animation movie which ranks as my favourite movie of the year so far. A must watch, so I'll give it 4.5 out of 5 stars! Synopsis as follows: Spring has sprung, and Verne and his woodland friends awaken from their long winter's nap to discover that a tall, green "thing" has mysteriously cropped up right through the middle of their home. Enter RJ, an opportunistic raccoon, who explains that the world beyond the hedge is the "gateway to the good life" where peculiar creatures called humans live to eat, rather than eat to live. Suspicious and even a little jealous of RJ, the ever-cautious Verne wants to keep his blended family safely on their side of the hedge. But, proving the adage that one man's garbage is another man's--or rather animal's--treasure, the manipulative RJ tries to convince the woodland band that there is little to fear and everything to gain from their over-indulgent new neighbors. Eventually, RJ and Verne form an unlikely friendship as they learn to co-exist with--and even exploit--this strange new world called suburbia.

Mission: Impossible III

2006-05-10T22:01:00.000+08:00

Mission: Impossible III is my 3rd movie in less than 2 weeks! It's blockbuster season anyway, so expect more movie ratings from me... Haha... Watched this movie with David, YH, KX, HB, Elmo, HD and ZJ yesterday night at Lido. Plot was quite fast and a little hard to catch at times but action aplenty. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: Super-spy Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has retired from active duty to trains new IMF agents. But he is called back into action to confront the toughest villain he's ever faced - Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an international weapons and information provider with no remorse and no conscience. Hunt assembles his team - his old friend Luther Strickell (Ving Rhames), transportation expert Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), background operative Zhen (Maggie Q), and fresh recruit Lindsey (Keri Russell) - to travel the globe pursuing Davian and rescue Hunt's love, Julia (Michelle Monaghan).

Poseidon

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

Watched Poseidon with KX just 4 hours after touching down from Hong Kong. Managed to watch it for free after winning a Todayonline contest. It's not bad and quite a gripping movie but it still fails to live up to all its hype and promise, has a predictable plot and the runtime is very short at just 1 hr 30 mins for an action/disaster blockbuster. So thankfully I watched it for free. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: When a rogue wave capsizes a luxury cruise ship in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, a small group of survivors find themselves unlikely allies in a battle for their lives. Preferring to test the odds alone, career gambler John Dylan ignores captain's orders to wait below for possible rescue and sets out to find his own way to safety. What begins as a solo mission soon draws others, as Dylan is followed by a desperate father searching for his daughter and her fiancee--a young couple who hours before couldn't summon the courage to tell him they were engaged and now face much graver challenges. Along the way they are joined by a single mother and her wise-beyond-his-years son, an anxious stowaway and a despondent fellow passenger who boarded the ship not sure he wanted to live but now knows he doesn't want to die. Determined to fight their way to the surface, the group sets off through the disorienting maze of twisted steel in the upside-down wreckage. As the unstable vessel rapidly fills with water each must draw on skills and strengths they didn't even know they possessed, fighting against time for their own survival and for each other.

Ice Age: The Meltdown

2006-05-03T21:03:00.000+08:00

Watched this with Curren last Sunday morning at GV Bishan. Haven't watched an animation movie for quite a while and it was pretty much average with a predictable plot which I probably won't have much impression in time to come. In fairness though, the characters especially Sid and Scrat livened up the movie and it deserved 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: The Ice Age is coming to an end, and the animals are delighting in the melting paradise that is their new world. Manny, Sid, and Diego quickly learn that the warming climate has one major drawback: a huge glacial dam is about to break, threatening the entire valley. The only chance of survival lies at the other end of the valley. So the three heroes, along with a mammoth named Ellie and her two "brothers" -- possums Crash and Eddie -- embark on a mission across an increasingly dangerous landscape towards their salvation.

Quick Updates

2006-04-26T20:46:00.000+08:00

Haven't updated for a while.. Quite a lot happened in the past 2 weeks or so.

Mr Lim suggested forming a team for this year's Opens and although it'll be fun playing with friends in the same team, I'm not too keen on it either as Opens is in August and I might be in Australia by then or busy studying at NTU which is so bloody far away at Jurong West and also, I don't really feel like playing competitive volleyball again. Right now and probably in university, I prefer to enjoy playing volleyball with my friends in a recreational setting.

Came back from Desaru on Monday after a 3D2N stay there with my family. It's quite a rundown place now with nothing much to offer - at most the odd person or 2 swimming at the beach. Spent most of the daytime travelling to Pengerang for good and cheap seafood as well as buying cheap snacks while dinner was mostly spend in the hotel room watching TV as there were too many mosquitoes out there. Also visited my relatives for a short while there... A pretty boring trip and I wouldn't be going back there anytime soon. Going to HK next Fri with my family from 5 May to 8 May (which means I'll miss all the drama and excitement on Elections Day =/) and then again to HK with Sec 2 friends from 24 May to 27 May. Looking forward to HK!

Yesterday was Ben & Jerry's free cone day! Yippee... Managed to get a free scoop during lunchtime and after work but only got to try out the chocolate chip cookie crumble flavour as I tried it during lunch and after work there were only this flavour and Chunky Monkey left (I don't like banana flavour)

Need to quickly settle my Macquarie University International Scholarship application as they haven't received the referee reports by mail yet. Asking my aunt to help me send them by fax tomorrow. Hope to settle the application once and for all and just wait for the result.

Been experiencing breathlessness for the past one week and visited the doctor just now to be safe than sorry. Lungs are clear and no phlegm, so shouldn't be any major problem. Most probably an effect from too much gas in my stomach. Hope I can breathe normally soon.

Also I'm asked to give my cousin tuition as her mid-year exams are coming, so will have to squeeze out some time from my tight schedule to tutor her.

Pay, Work & Sudoku

2006-04-09T23:24:00.000+08:00

Just checked my pay which I got from IRAS and I was shortchanged 50 cents! Grrr it's the 2nd time I've been shortchanged for my pay in this month alone after Vivien shortchanged me $7.50 for the IT SHOW 2006 pay and I had to hound her to check it after which she promised to credit the remaining balance (which I'm still waiting for). $8 may not be a big deal to some people but it can buy me 4 plates of chicken rice which translates to 4 meals leh! Admittedly $8 won't get me 4 meals during lunchtime at Novena because all the food in the area is so FREAKING EXPENSIVE with LITTLE PORTIONS and there is NO STAFF PRICES at the IRAS canteen when you see places like the airport canteen or HDB Hub canteen having discounts for their staff.

Okay enough of my rants... Shall talk a bit of my experience at IT Show and IRAS since I didn't blog about it previously. Working as a sales staff at IT Show was quite an eye-opener and fun at the same time interacting with new friends. Learnt how to be patient dealing with customers and understood the hassles of setting up just a small stall in the IT Fair (the price tagging, setting up of display racks etc). Peeves would be average pay and irregular mealtimes (4pm lunch and 9pm dinner?!) As for IRAS, it's quite enjoyable screening income tax returns. It's like marking exam scripts and once you finish your share of work, you can discreetly work on Sudoku puzzles. Another plus is I can wear jeans and shirt to work which is just 30 minutes from home.

Talking about Sudoku, I'm rediscovering my passion for it after a short craze earlier this year. It's mentally challenging solving those evil puzzles at websudoku.com and it gives you a sense of achievement after solving it step-by-step logically (not guessing).

Sick Again & Overseas Trips Planning

2006-04-04T16:24:00.000+08:00

Had a minor recurrence of hives yesterday night and then developed viral conjunctivitis over the night which caused a yellow sticky discharge from my left eye. Went to see the doctor in the morning and it cost a real bomb - $33 although he prescribed quite a lot of medicine like antibiotics, throat gargle (sore throat), eye drop (conjunctivitis) and cough mixture (cough with phlegm). Guess my body is too heaty but I hate drinking "cooling" drinks like barley and water chestnut. =/ My eye infection seems to be much better now though I'll remain wary as I seem to be having a mini experience of my past illnesses like hives (Primary 4) and conjunctivitis (during my time at SI). Last thing I need is for me to re-experience Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease which I contracted in Sec 2/3. The HFMD disease is quite a horrid experience with itching blisters all over my feet and hands and ulcers in my mouth which made eating and swallowing liquids a real pain in the ass.

My family trip to Hong Kong has been confirmed from 5 May (Fri) to 8 May (Mon) while we are also likely to go to Desaru from 22 Apr (Sat) to 24 Apr (Mon). I had initial reservations about Hong Kong as I might be going there with my Sec 2 classmates but I thought I could go explore different things in both trips instead, so we just settled the family trip destination and timing once and for all on Sunday night. As for the Desaru trip, my parents bought vouchers for a resort stay at a recent Malaysia travel fair so we planned to book it this coming weekend but as it was fully booked, we'll probably have to settle for 22 Apr to 24 Apr. I might have a match on 24 Apr night but we'll be coming back in the afternoon before my father's dialysis timing at 5pm, so no real problems here.

As for the proposed trip with my Sec 2 classmates, it's quite difficult to coordinate a suitable timing for 8 of us. 8 is quite a lot and thinking about it, it's quite amazing that 6+ years down the road, we would be organising an overseas trip together. Well there's KH, CH, Tim, Wilbur, WL, YK, ZL (well he's not exactly our Sec 2 classmate but he's close enough to most of us) and me. However, I foresee that we may be unable to agree on a common date as CH can only make it after 22 May due to exams, KH needs to go back to camp in late May and prefers it to be after his ORD, Tim is unsure if he need to go back to camp in late May, WL might be going to Taiwan in early Jun and doesn't want to miss the World Cup from 9 Jun to 10 Jul and I might be flying off to Australia in mid-July if I secure the ANU or Macquarie University scholarship which will only be known in June. Worst case scenario is we split up and go that means Wilbur, WL and YK go together to HK while KH, CH, ZL, Tim and I go together to a place that may not necessarily be HK (especially since I'll have already gone there).

Now comes the proposed trip with the volleyballers. We're probably not going to Thailand anymore due to the political instability and uncertainties over there, so will probably make do with a budget trip to a few Malaysia cities. Should be going during the World Cup season but don't mind missing a few matches or so (not too many lah since I paid $10.50 to sign up for the Starhub Cable TV World Cup Pay Per View already). Well planning still seems to be in the initial stages with the people going not even confirmed yet, so there's nothing much to write about.

Hives & Scholarship Application

2006-03-31T22:55:00.000+08:00

Having a bout of throat infection and hives since Wednesday. Well I wanted to go to work today but I overslept after taking my medication and my parents thought I wasn't going to work when I clearly told them I wanted to wake up and see how I was feeling before going to work. So in the end it turned out that I didn't inform HB that I wouldn't be meeting him and I felt bad about making him wait.

Went back to school to pass Mdm Ching and Mr Lau the Referee Reports for my MUIS application today. Mr Lau wasn't around so I left it on his table while Mdm Ching was quite busy so I didn't have much time to talk with her as well. Anyway had lunch in the school canteen and there was this new stall selling Japanese food. Had a Teriyaki Chicken Don (a bowl of rice with teriyaki chicken, omelette and whipped potato) for only $2 and it was quite nice too! If only it opened earlier when I was studying back then. Will be going back in about 2 weeks' time to collect when Mdm Ching contacts me to tell me they're ready for collection

Free Movie Marathon

2006-03-26T11:47:00.000+08:00

Had a mini movie marathon on Friday night as The Cathay had just reopened on that day and was screening movies for free on that day. Ended up watching 13th District (a French movie) and Inside Man (a sneak preview as it only opens in Singapore in April).

Watched this with HB and KX. Quite a fast-paced and engaging action movie with a believable plot but unbelievable action sequences. 4 out of 5 stars. The movie is set in the Paris suburbs 2008. Nobody has control over the 13th District. The police tries to learn to. Two young heroes, born in what became this no man's land and fighting against a rehabilitary government, have 24 hours to go and save what became a dark, violent, out of control dimension.

Watched this with HB, KX and David who joined us after the first movie. It's quite a snail-paced thriller about a bank robbery and seems to combine the elements of Basic and Ocean's Eleven (or rather Ocean's Twelve since it's going at such a slow pace). Still it's quite an enjoyable movie that keeps viewers guessing throughout the movie though it would've been better if it moved at a faster pace. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: Four people dressed in painters' outfits march into the busy lobby of Manhattan Trust, a cornerstone Wall Street Branch of a worldwide financial institution. Within seconds, the costumed robbers place the bank under a surgically planned siege, and the 50 patrons and staff become unwitting pawns in an airtight heist. NYPD hostage negotiators Detectives Keith Frazier and Bill Mitchell are dispatched to the scene with orders to establish contact with the heist's ringleader, Dalton Russell, and ensure safe release of the hostages. Working alongside Emergency Services Unit (ESU) Captain John Darius, all are hopeful that the situation can be peacefully diffused and that control of the bank and release of those inside can be secured in short order. But Russell proves an unexpectedly canny opponent--clever, calm and totally in command--a puppet master with a meticulous plan to disorient and confuse not only the hostages, but also the authorities. Outside, the crowd of New Yorkers grows as the situation becomes increasingly intense tense, with Frazier's superiors becoming more concerned about his ability to keep the standoff from spiraling out of control. The robbers appear to consistently be one step ahead of the police, outwitting Frazier and Mitchell at every turn. Frazier's suspicions that more is at work than anyone perceives are justified with the entry of Madeline White, a power player with shadowy objectives, who requests a private meeting with Russell. The chairman of the bank's board of directors, controlling entrepreneur Arthur Case, is also uniquely interested in the moment-to-moment happenings inside the branch. But just what are the robbers after? Why has nothing worked to alleviate the standoff, which stretches on hour after hour? Frazier is convinced that invisible strings are being pulled and secret negotiations are taking place as the powder keg situation grows more unstable by the moment.

Interesting Restroom

2006-03-17T18:50:00.000+08:00

This has got to be the most interesting male restroom ever. =P

Date Movie

2006-03-17T18:31:00.000+08:00

Watched this with Curren at Eng Wah Jubilee yesterday. I never have high expectations for movies that I watch but this movie was downright awful with a very weak plot and mostly lame, unfunny spoofs of other romantic comedies that were extremely gross. (Case in point: the basketball scene in Along Came Polly whereby a guy is defending a one-on-one with another guy but literally comes face-to-face with the other guy's sweaty, hairy chest. However, this time round in Date Movie, they go one step further, the unlucky guy somehow managed to get a clump of chest hair into his mouth and spat his out) Poor Curren was eating MOS Burger while watching the many gross scenes in the whole movie and thankfully he didn't throw up. 1.5 out of 5 stars for the worst movie I've watched in quite a while (0.5 star for the rare humour at times and 1 star for the show putting my misery to an end in just 1 hour 20 minutes). Synopsis as follows: The story of hopeless romantic Julia Jones, who has finally met the man of her dreams, the very British Grant Fonckyerdoder. But before they can have their Big Fat Greek Wedding, they'll have to Meet the Parents, hook-up with The Wedding Planner, and contend with Grant's friend Andy - a spectacularly beautiful woman who wants to put an end to her Best Friend's Wedding.

Settler's Cafe

2006-03-03T21:32:00.000+08:00

Went down to Settler's Cafe (Holland Village) with CH, ZL and some of their friends. Been wanting to try out the board game cafe concept for quite a while and got to do so today. We played for about 4 hours for $6 with free flow of drinks which was well worth the money. Tried out 2 really interesting games - Munchkin and Cranium.

Munchkin is an RPG-based card game. Each player begins as a Level 1 Human with no class and by drawing cards, they acquire races, classes, items, armours, potions to combat monsters. The objective of the game is to reach level 10 and levels are gained by killing monsters and selling acquired treasure. Of course it's not as simple as it sounds and there's more to that which makes it a very good and fun game!

Cranium is more of an intellectual game combining concepts from brain games like Pictionary, Trivial Pursuit and Taboo. There are 4 different sections in Cranium. In "Creative Cat", you have to clue a word to your teammates by drawing it, sculpting it in clay, or drawing it with your eyes closed. In "Data Head", there are a variety of trivia questions. In "Word Worm", you have to unscramble words, spell challenging words, guess definitions, identify words with letters left out, or spell words backwords. In "Star Performer", you have to whistle a song, impersonate a celebrity, or act out a clue.

Reminiscing The Past

2006-03-01T12:13:00.000+08:00

Happened to meet CKH online yesterday which was quite rare and initiated a chat with him. We haven't met up for quite some time, the last time watching King Arthur in 2004. Started to talk about university, driving and DotA which he asked me to play with his friend that happened to be TYR, my Sec 4 classmate. This in turn brought up nostalgic memories of my secondary school life and made me realise I haven't been in contact with some of my closer secondary school friends for quite a while. I guess it's time for me to set aside some time to meet up with them otherwise good friends will become mere acquaintances over time like some of my primary school classmates. Same goes for my bunch of SI friends.

Munich

2006-02-28T12:23:00.000+08:00

Watched Munich with JX and KX yesterday at Causeway Point. Paying $6.50 for this 2 hours 40 minutes heart-stopping political thriller is quite worth it although there were some parts that were unnecessarily gory and the slightly limp ending might have disappointed a few people. Still, this film succeeds in challenging viewers into thinking and reflecting about the issues brought up in the movie. Set in the aftermath of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the story follows a secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and kill the 11 Palestinians suspected to have planned the Munich attack and the personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team and the man who led it. 4 out of 5 stars from me.

KFC - The only thing missing is U!

2006-02-20T19:57:00.000+08:00

Maybe KFC should change their slogan from "Finger Licking Good" to the following one (someone apparently said this on IRC and was quoted here on bash.org):

you know what? KFC is ONE letter yes ONE letter away from fuck.
i have just thought of their next motto
KFC! the only thing missing is U!

Mentos & Coke Reaction

2006-02-17T22:49:00.000+08:00

Check out this cool reaction between Mentos and Coke here or here. Remember trying out with the volleyballers during my JC days but the reaction in this video is definitely more explosive than ours! Anyway here's the explanation for why Mentos and Coke reacts:

Soda get its fizz from a gas known as carbon dioxide. When the carbon dioxide is pumped into the soda, water molecules cling to the gas and create tiny bubbles of gas in the liquid. The force holding the gas inside the water is known as surface tension.

It takes a lot of energy to break the surface tension inside soda, but most of you have probably done this by dropping a can and opening it shortly afterwards.

Mentos contains a chemical known as ARABIC GUM (this is the ingredient that makes the mint "chewy"). This ingredient causes the surface tension of the water molecules to break even more easily, releasing more carbon dioxide gas at an astounding rate!

The gas causes pressure to rapidly build inside the bottle which thrusts the soda upwards in a wonderful fountain-like BLAST!

As most know, like a melting popsicle, melted sugar is VERY STICKY! Try to use DIET soda (or any other carbonated beverage that does NOT contain sugar), otherwise you'll be running for the shower!

DOTA Leavers

2006-02-17T12:51:00.000+08:00

Lol! Check out these 2 hilarious Flash Animations about DOTA leavers! Moral of the story: Don't be a leaver.

Leavers
Leavers II

2005 Singapore Top 20 Highest Grossing Films

2006-02-15T22:13:00.000+08:00

The 2005 Singapore Top 20 Highest Grossing Films list is out! In bold are the movies I've watched last year which isn't a lot actually. =)

1. Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
2. King Kong
3. Chronicles of Narnia
4. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
5. Madagascar
6. War of the Worlds
7. Fantastic Four
8. Batman Begins
9. Constantine
10. Mr & Mrs Smith
11. Charlie & The Chocolate Factory
12. Initial D (HK)
13. Chicken Little
14. Hitch
15. The Maid (Local)
16. The Myth (HK)
17. I Do, I Do (Local)
18. Kingdom of Heaven
19. The Island
20. The Eye 10 (HK)

Creative Egg Peeling

2006-02-08T09:41:00.000+08:00

Take a look at this video showcasing a really creative way to peel eggs:

Foxtrot Volleyball Comic

2006-02-07T17:20:00.000+08:00

Hmm... Today's Foxtrot comic features my beloved volleyball sport! Oh and I'm a fan of Foxtrot too!

Zoolander

2006-02-06T21:41:00.000+08:00

Got to watch a Zoolander preview last Friday with Curren at GV Plaza Singapura. It's quite a silly show with a stupid plot in my opinion. It was slightly funny only in certain parts of the show, so I'll give it 2 out of 5 stars. This movie is about the international misadventures of fashion model Derek Zoolander, who is hired to stop a secret cartel of political assassins posing as male models. Derek soon discovers the horrifying secret of why no male models live past the age of thirty. While Derek tries to infiltrate the fashion/assassin clique led by the mean-spirited designer Mugatu, he must also contend with Hansel, a dense, on-the-rise male model who threatens to sabotage his mission--as well as his modeling career.

I Not Stupid Too

2006-02-02T12:16:00.000+08:00

Watched I Not Stupid Too with David, HY, Elmo, Daniel, HD and HB yesterday at GV Plaza Singapura. Not a bad show and it was quite funny at the start and sad towards the end. However, the plot was a bit predictable, some parts of the movie were quite cliche and the movie sometimes switched from a really sad to a comedic scene too suddenly. 3.5 out of 5 stars. Synopsis as follows: "I Not Stupid Too" is a comedy centered on the theme of generation gaps parents are facing with their children, it probes into the difficult relationships parents have with their children today. Set in Singapore's fast-paced society, the narration progresses through the eyes of 8 year old Jerry as he and his older brother Tom face the pressures of school and demands of their wealthy but ever-bickering parents. Also on the ride is Tom's friend Cheng Cai who is often misunderstood by his teacher at school and his own predicament with his single widower father. The film also reveals deep concern with the growing generational gap between the grown-ups and the younger generation. Through Tom and Cheng Cai, the film delves into juvenile delinquency as a result of this communication breakdown. Similarly, Jerry tries to get his workaholics parents to attend his singing performance and gets into trouble. Multi-faceted, insightful and highly entertaining, "I Not Stupid Too" features a large cast of talented actors and a delightful story every Singaporean can relate to.

Zhilin's Birthday/Reunion Dinner

2006-01-28T22:55:00.000+08:00

It's Zhilin's 21st birthday today. Tim, Chi Hoong and I met up yesterday night at this new Western café called Mad Jack located near the Bukit Timah Neighbourhood Police Centre. I already had dinner earlier before coming out, so had an Oreo cheesecake for $4.90 and it was not too bad. Think I'll probably be coming back to try out the main course next time. One thing that was a turn-off was this flyer they posted at the main door announcing "Children's Playroom upstairs" and it featured a little boy and a little girl in camouflaged attire. Duh.

After that we took Tim's car to Timbré (a music bistro and bar located beside The Substation) for some live music. It's my first time at such a place and I had quite a pleasant time listening to the music. We tried dedicating Wonderful by Everclear for Zhilin's birthday but they didn't have the song, so they played the Happy Birthday song for him instead. We also shared a jug of Heineken which was the first time I'm trying out beer. Expected it to be quite bitter but it turned out to be quite okay. I did however feel a little sick after finishing a glass, probably because I was already feeling half dead and extremely tired after tidying up my room and catching a bad flu from all the accumulated dust. I did feel slightly better after a while though. All in all, Timbré was quite a good experience and I wouldn't mind going back there. Zhilin suggested that I should go try out clubbing just for the experience at the very least and well I thought perhaps next time I might, probably in a large group though so I won't feel out of place.

After that, we went to Adam Road's Food Centre to eat dessert but the stall was already closing, so we just had drinks and Tim had mee rubus. The milk tea I had kind of refreshed me and I was feeling much better.

Then we went to Tim's house for stayover. Played Taboo which Zhilin brought until Tim wanted to play DOTA on his computer and I was feeling really tired then and I conked out at about 4am.

Woke up at about 8am and went home to get a quick change before rushing to NUS for volleyball but the volleyball court was used for archery and the tennis courts were full, so we kind of slacked around and went for lunch at Munchy Monkey's. Food was average and the menu kind of limited. Then went to McDonald's for Dan's weekly McFlurry treat (well at least before he flies off to NZ) and went home after that for a short nap before going to Hotel Intercontinental's Man Fu Yuan restaurant for an early reunion dinner at 6pm. Reunion dinner was a sumptuous seafood fiesta with shark fin's soup, abalone, scallops, lobster and fish. After ending at about 7.45pm, we headed for home.

Cheaper By The Dozen 2

2006-01-24T21:53:00.000+08:00

Watched Cheaper By The Dozen 2 with Curren today at Shaw Balestier using a pair of The Dark free tickets. Quite an okay comedy which warrants 3 out of 5 stars. The movie is about Tom Baker and wife Kate, hoping to bring their family together for a memorable summer vacation by taking their 12 offspring to the rustic Lake Winnetka. But their retreat soon becomes cutthroat when they enter into a competition with the over-achieving members of a large family headed by Tom's long-time rival, Jimmy Muraugh.

Real!

2006-01-22T15:41:00.000+08:00

Watched Real! with my brother at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard on Wednesday night. Pretty much an average football movie which is more like a propangada for Real Madrid. 2.5 out of 5 stars. Real is the story of five lives in different continents, who share a common passion: Real Madrid. Real is a chronicle that weaves dreams and reality, revealing through the experiences of these characters how the international phenomenon of Real Madrid has infused the lives of people around the globe. Real is the first official movie of the leading football sports club Real Madrid and provides the exceptional opportunity of witnessing through a privileged window the behind-the-scenes and unveiled reality of a team that has inspired a world of passion.

Geek Quotes

2006-01-14T22:28:00.000+08:00

10 interesting geek quotes... Or is it 1010? =P
============================================
1. There are 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don't.

2. If at first you don't succeed; call it version 1.0

3. I'm not anti-social; I'm just not user friendly

4. My software never has bugs. It just develops random features.

5. Roses are #FF0000
Violets are #0000FF
All my base
Are belong to you

6. Microsoft: "You've got questions. We've got dancing paperclips."

7. In a world without fences and walls, who needs Gates and Windows?

8. I would love to change the world, but they won't give me the source code

9. The speed of sound is defined by the distance from door to computer divided by the time interval needed to close the media player and pull up your pants when your mom shouts "OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!"

10. 1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

2005-12-25T11:53:00.000+08:00

Watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe with Curren at Shaw Prince yesterday morning. It was not bad but not exactly superb, so here's 3.5 out of 5 stars for the movie. It Follows the exploits of the four Pevensie siblings--Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter--in World War II England who enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of 'hide and seek' in the rural country home of an elderly professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs, and giants that has become a world cursed to eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Under the guidance of a noble and mystical ruler, the lion Aslan, the children fight to overcome the White Witch's powerful hold over Narnia in a spectacular, climactic battle that will free Narnia from Jadis' icy spell forever.

King Kong

2005-12-14T21:00:00.000+08:00

Watched King Kong with Curren today at Shaw Balestier using a pair of Saw 2 free tickets. Most Shaw theatres have an attendant outside each theatre which is an obstacle and we didn't know if Shaw Balestier would be the same as well. Turns out that security is extremely lax there and once you pass the attendant guarding the escalator and go up, you get a free choice of 6 theatres to enter. There was only an attendant guarding a lift, presumably to prevent anyone from entering the cineplex directly via the lift. After the show, we had to exit using the theatre entrance which brings us back to the corridor leading to any of the 6 theatres. Lots of people were loitering about the corridor waiting for people to finish their business in the toilet and yet the sole attendant by the lift didn't give a hoot, which makes sneaking into another theatre after a show has ended really easy indeed. However, we didn't take advantage of this flaw and faithfully went down the escalator instead (on hindsight maybe we could have caught Chicken Little as well).

The show itself was 3 hours long and it was quite good (4.5 out of 5 stars from me). Flamboyant, foolhardy documentary filmmaker, Carl Denham, sails off to remote Skull Island to film his latest epic with leading lady, Ann Darrow. Native warriors kidnap Ann to use as a sacrifice as they summon "Kong" with the local witch doctor. But instead of devouring Ann, Kong saves her. Ann is later rescued and Kong forcefully taken back to New York for entertainment purposes. There, he searches high and low for Ann, eventually winding up at the top of the Empire State Building, facing off against a fleet of World War I fighter planes. 2 things I didn't understand in the movie were how they managed to transport a 800-pound chloroformed King Kong back to New York on the ship (this wasn't shown and I don't think King Kong would have been chloroformed long enough for him to last the entire ship journey from South-East Asia to New York so he could well have wreaked some havoc along the journey) and how King Kong managed to slide around the ice rink without breaking the ice beneath him. Nevertheless, this was still a magnificent show for me and Peter Jackson has done a great job in portraying the emotional aspects of King Kong.

Injured Civaholic

2005-11-30T22:18:00.000+08:00

Got myself injured for each of the past 2 volleyball sessions. On Saturday, I strained my back muscles while spiking and it hurts when I exert too much force to spike now. Then on Tuesday, I severely sprained my right thumb while attempting to back-set a ball that I kicked against the wall. As a result, I bought finger guards at a shop near my house to reduce the risk of finger injuries in the future. Actually planned on buying them for some time already but I kept procastinating, so it was until something serious happened on Tuesday that I was spurred into parting with 3 bucks to buy 10 finger guards.

I'm also a reborn Civaholic ever since I managed to grab my hands on Civilization IV. Been playing it almost on a daily basis and I've stayed out for DOTA for quite a few weeks already... The new game is so much different than its predecessors as it includes new aspects like religion, civics, unit promotions and great people as well as a lovely game soundtrack and more civilization leaders. These changes help to create the most balanced game of the series and it certainly warrants a perfect rating of 10 out of 10 from me.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2005-11-25T22:51:00.000+08:00

Watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this morning at the hugely revamped Marina Square as part of my unit's anniversary celebrations. (Off topic: Saw Pierre Png doing some filming at a shop in Marina Square at about 9.30am. The shop must've specially opened earlier to cater to the filming.) As someone who didn't read the book, the show was not bad and I enjoyed it better than the Prisoner of Azkaban. I went in with little expectations and the show was 2.5 hours long but I felt it was like 1.5 hours long as I was quite engrossed in the show. Harry Potter followers claim that the show skipped quite a huge chunk of the plot but I thought the plot was still quite smooth overall, so I guess this movie would appeal more to non-Harry Potter fans. 4 out of 5 stars from me. Synopsis is as follows: Midway through both his training and his coming-of-age, Harry wants to get away from the Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with his friends, Hermione and Ron and his family. Harry develops a crush on a schoolmate and gets to represent Hogwarts in a competition against two other wizard schools. It comes down to a face-off between Harry and You-Know-Who that ends in tragedy.

Zathura, The Myth & Noel

2005-11-22T20:05:00.000+08:00

Watched Zathura on Sunday with Curren using the pair of movie passes to Dragon Squad. Yep you didn't read wrongly. Managed to find a timing for Dragon Squad that coincided with a better movie that wasn't Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire (we're watching it during unit anniversary on Friday). Initially had some difficulty finding the right theatre but we managed to catch the show from the start nonetheless. Zathura is the space version of the jungle adventure movie Jumanji. It centres on two squabbling brothers who discover a vintage board game that from the very first spin takes them on the ride of their lives through outer space – literally. The only way to end the game and return safely to Earth is by reaching an undiscovered black planet called Zathura. The boys are forced to put aside their sibling rivalry to survive an unending series of challenges including meteor showers, a laser-firing, rocket-propelled robot, heatseeking lizards called Zorgons, battling space ships and more. 3 out of 5 stars from me.

Later after Zathura, I went to my grandmother's house and caught The Myth on VCD. It's quite a crappy show with a stupid and lame plot. Fearless archeologist Jack (Jackie Chan) and ambitious scientist William (Tony Leung Ka Fai) set out on an adventure that leads them to the greatest discovery in Chinese history. Their journey starts in Dasar, India, where they stumble upon an ancient sword from the Qin Dynasty, and a magical gemstone that appears to be able to defy the force of gravity. These finds not only lead them to a mythical mausoleum, but also connects Jack to his dark past life. Through strange and provocative dreams, Jack sees himself reincarnated as Meng Yi, a general who fell for the First Emperor's beautiful consort Ok Soo (Kim Hee Seon) some 2,000 years ago. As Meng Yi commands his troops in an increasingly desperate war against rebels, he also has to battle his own inner desires in choosing between eternal love and loyalty. Back to the present day, where the final secret of the First Emperor is about to be revealed, as the two adventurers successfully enter the Heavenly Palace – a fortress loaded with death traps and unspeakable evils. But the closer Jack comes to this precious and final truth, the more he gets lost between the past and the present. 1.5 out of 5 stars for this trashy show.

Yesterday after work, also caught Noel with Curren at GV Plaza Singapura. Actually got this pair of tickets free in a New Paper contest. It's however a boring and cheesy show. It was also confusing at some parts of the movie as 3 different scenarios were being portrayed in the movie and there was quite a lot of scene-switching. The movie is set in New York on a Christmas Eve and with a little help from each other, five people will discover new meaning on Christmas Day: Jules finds the courage to step beyond his past; Artie's own tragic history shows Mike where jealousy can lead, bringing renewal to his relationship with Nina; and Rose discovers new hope as Charlie--an unexpected friend--reminds her that no one is ever truly alone at Christmas. 2 out of 5 stars from me.

Bad Day

2005-11-17T21:09:00.000+08:00

Had a really bad day today. Woke up and found out it was raining heavily which was perhaps an ominous sign of the bad things to come for the rest of the day. Luckily I thought of wearing sandals out and packed my shoes into my shoe bag to change along the way to work as my entire sandals and bottom quarter of my jeans were soaking wet having just walked to the bus-stop to wait for the 854. The bus was unusually packed when I boarded it though I managed to find a seat after a short while. Tried to get a nap on the bus but I was sitting on the inside and directly under the air-con, so it was too cold for me to sleep.

After alighting the bus, I walked further to a bench at a HDB block near the back gate to change into my socks and shoes. Having felt dry and comfortable in them, I proceeded on my way towards the back gate. Usually I would cut across the carpark on any day but I thought since the roads were wet, it would be advisable for me to walk the longer but sheltered way via the HDB flats. Having made my decision, I only moved a few steps before I fell flat on the ground after missing a very short step. My umbrella was slightly damaged and I landed heavily on my knee which resulted in some pain and numbness for a short while after the fall. The rest of the day was pretty much eventful although I managed to win a pair of tickets to The New Paper Noel screening on Monday. However, after checking the reviews on the Internet, it turns out that it'll probably be a trashy show.

After work, I headed for Plaza Singapura to buy a copy of 8 Days at Quid Exchange as they were giving a pair of Just Like Heaven passes with every copy of this week's 8 Days. Missed the 857 just as I was about to cross the road so I went to take the MRT instead. I didn't mind paying for my MRT ride when I had bus concession as long as it was worth the trip, but on reaching the shop, I was told that 8 Days was out of stock which meant a totally wasted trip. Kind of summed up the bad luck I had the whole day.

I've also been experiencing some intermittent biting pain behind my ear since yesterday afternoon (although it's slightly better this afternoon). Not sure if it's due to heatiness or a ear infection but if I'm still unwell by tomorrow, I'll see the doctor.

Meanwhile, here's a really nice and appropriate song to sum up my day.

Bad Day by Daniel Powter
Where is the moment we need at the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to grey
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on

You stand in the line just to hit a new low
You're faking a smile with the coffee to go
You tell me your life's been way off line
You're falling to pieces everytime
And I don't need no carryin' on

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

Well you need a blue sky holiday
The point is they laugh at what you say
And I don't need no carryin' on

You had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
The camera don't lie
You're coming back down and you really don't mind
You had a bad day

(Oh.. Holiday..)

Sometimes the system goes on the blink
And the whole thing turns out wrong
You might not make it back and you know
That you could be well oh that strong
And I'm not wrong

So where is the passion when you need it the most
Oh you and I
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

Cause you had a bad day
You're taking one down
You sing a sad song just to turn it around
You say you don't know
You tell me don't lie
You work at a smile and you go for a ride
You had a bad day
You've seen what you like
And how does it feel for one more time
You had a bad day
You had a bad day

The Legend Of Zorro

2005-11-14T21:34:00.000+08:00

Watched The Legend Of Zorro with Daniel (using another free pair of movie passes) at Junction 8 this morning. Like Transporter 2, this movie was also action-packed albeit in the old 1800s style and setting. I didn't watch The Mask Of Zorro but this was entertaining and believable enough to warrant a 4 out of 5 stars rating. It is set several years after the conclusion of the previous adventure. Alejandro (Banderas) and Elena (Zeta-Jones) are married and have a 10-year-old son, Joaquin (Adrian Alonso). Though Alejandro continues to don the mask of Zorro to protect the poor and oppressed residents of the California territory from the greed of the overlords, he is torn between his duty and his desire for a more normal life. Now, he must face that conflict again head-on when plans for California to become the 31st state are undermined by a nefarious plot by several prominent land barons and businessmen. In his valiant attempt to foil their plans, Zorro runs headlong into a crisis that threatens his life and the safety of his family.

Later accompanied Daniel to the Mizuno warehouse sale. Didn't buy anything as there weren't much choices and there were no appropriate sizes for the volleyball shoes. Daniel managed to buy a pair of black volleyball shoes (looks kind of unique) for $50 though.

Innovative Runners Point Ad

2005-11-13T15:14:00.000+08:00

A truly innovative ad combining different logos of sportswear companies by Germany-based Runners Point.

Transporter 2

2005-11-09T20:48:00.000+08:00

Watched Transporter 2 with Curren (using the free pair of movie passes again) at Junction 8 yesterday night. The movie was quite action-packed and entertaining though some of the action sequences were impossibly unbelievable. Still, it was good enough to warrant a 4 out of 5 stars rating. I didn't manage to catch the first instalment of Transporter but this show continues on with Frank Martin, an ex-Special Forces operative retired in Miami, making a living driving for the wealthy Billings family. He's a huge favorite with the small boy but when he is kidnapped and injected with a potentially fatal virus, Frank defies the FBI and works relentlessly to get the boy to safety and discover the kidnappers' master plan.

Bad Santa, Good Show

2005-11-06T22:05:00.000+08:00

Whee.. Woke up at 11am today after a tiring day of volleyball at NUS yesterday. It's been a long time since I had a good sleep. Also got my $400 tuition pay today! Finally I can get a break from scrimping and saving for the past few days as I'm left with less than $20. Before my tuition, I went to watch Bad Santa with Curren (using the free pair of movie passes) at Plaza Singapura. The movie was above average (3.5 out of 5 stars rating from me) and it was as funny as it was foul (it's M18 for pervasive language, strong sexual content and some violence). The show portrays the story of two criminals who disguise themselves as Santa Claus and his elf, traveling across the country to major malls every year, using the good will people have towards Santa to rob the stores blind. The plan is going great until the two baddies meet a pesky store manager ,a savvy mall detective, a sexy Santa fan and an innocent but beleaguered 8 year-old misfit who reminds Santa Claus of the true meaning of Christmas.

Lucky Streak

2005-11-02T21:36:00.000+08:00

Oh what a great day... Had a rare early release at 3pm today and went to collect a ton of freebies courtesy of Urbanwire. Went to meet the Urbanwire representative at Queenstown MRT to collect the freebies at 5.45pm. Initially only took part in the Bon Jovi, Bad Santa and Dragon Squad contests but the girl asked me to send in my entries for the Transporter 2 and Legend of Zorro contests as well (actually I sent them earlier but it was sent to the wrong email and I didn't realise it until she said I didn't take part in these 2 contests). Anyway, I ended up with a pair of movie passes each for Bad Santa, Transporter 2 and Dragon Squad, a Legend of Zorro thermal cup, a Bon Jovi poster, a Transporter 2 baseball cap, a Transporter 2 notepad/notebook and a Transporter 2 mug. The girl said that once the entry is sent in, they will try to contact the sender to give out the prizes already. That explains why I managed to get all the goodies. =) Anyway, it's still unbelievable that I managed to win 5 pair of movie tickets/passes within the past 10 days or so! Hope my lucky streak continues.

Also went to fortunate restaurant at Toa Payoh for lunch last Saturday to celebrate my father's birthday. After that, I went to World of Sports where they were having a 50% storewide sale. I bought a nice blue/yellow/white pair of Mizuno running shoes for $74.50 (after the discount). This will be my new shoes for the upcoming Chinese New Year. Next up will be shirts from New World Order and maybe a pair of jeans before my CNY shopping is over. (Yes I know it's kind of early to be shopping for CNY clothes but I'd like to get things over and done with quickly rather than rush to buy at the eleventh hour)

I'm still having an inflammed throat. Hope it's not too serious. Been having it for most of the time the past month.

DOTA 6.20 is out. I've yet to try it and it's got lots of changes including a new terrain and a new hero. Should be a welcome change and it should revive a bit of my interest in DOTA after I kind of lost touch with it for the past month or so.

Driving License 1st Anniversary

2005-10-28T20:50:00.000+08:00

Today's the 1st anniversary of my Class 3 Driving Test pass! This means that I'm not required to put up the Provisional Plate if I should drive a car... I haven't driven since I last passed though, so I might probably need a refresher the next time I'm in the driver seat of a car. It's quite easy to remember the date of my pass since it's the day before my father's birthday on 29 Oct. Anyway, my family will be going out for lunch together to celebrate his birthday. It's been ages since we had a family meal especially with my brother working recently. I still haven't recovered from my sore throat/cough/blocked nose though. Hope to be well by tomorrow.

Also had a unit Deepavali celebration dinner at a restaurant along Race Course Lane today. Had briyani, curry chicken, spicy mutton and Indian crackers for dinner as well as an ice-cream cup for dessert. Of course these food certainly don't help to improve my sore throat but I'm left with no choice at all. =X

There's still something wrong with the FIFA 06 graphics after changing the disc. Grrr... Think I'll buy some other games at the Tampines shop and tell them later that the FIFA 06 I "bought at their stall" was faulty and I want to change it.

At least, all's not going bad. I managed to win a pair of movie passes to The Legend Of Zorro courtesy of MTV Asia! Received them when I reached home after the Elizabethtown screening on Wednesday night. Hope to win more stuff! =)

Elizabethtown

2005-10-27T21:06:00.000+08:00

Managed to catch a special preview of Elizabethtown (courtesy of a UIP contest) at Plaza Singapura on Wednesday night with Curren. It will only be out in Singapore on 5 Jan 06. The movie was just okay for me with the plot quite predictable and a little draggy for my liking. It's about a guy called Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom) who is fired for causing his shoe company to lose hundreds of millions of dollars and is promptly dumped by his girlfriend. On the verge of suicide, Drew is oddly given a new purpose in life when he is brought back to his family's small Kentucky hometown of Elizabethtown following the death of his father, Mitch, as it falls to him to make sure that his dying wishes are fulfilled. On the way home, Drew meets a flight attendant, Claire Colburn (Kirsten Dunst), with whom he falls in love, in a romance that helps his life get back on track. I'll rate the movie 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Throat Infection

2005-10-26T13:08:00.000+08:00

Having a throat infection, flu, cough and headache after duty on Monday, so I'm at home today. Feeling quite lethargic for yesterday and today. Had my stitches removed yesterday as well and I'm also supposed to wash the wound for 2 more weeks each night. Managed to get my FIFA 06 PC game changed to FIFA 06 PS2 game, Winning Eleven 9 and a Naruto action adventure game by topping up $10. However, there's something wrong with the FIFA 06 graphics, so I'll have to change it again. Bleah.

Gaming Issues

2005-10-23T22:55:00.000+08:00

Argh... Practically spent the whole evening to resolve the issue of getting FIFA 2006 and Age of Empires 3 to work on my computer. Quite pissed about this.

Age Of Empires 3 was quite easy to install BUT my computer can't seem to support it! It's the first time I got such a warning: Your graphics driver may be too old to run Age of Empires III. If you wish to update your drivers, please contact your computer manufacturer for any necessary assistance. System information: 2500 MHz, 512 MB, 128 MB GeForceFX 5200 (vendorID 10de, deviceID 322). I persisted on trying to play the game but the screen was quite laggy and choppy so I guess I'll have to give up on this game. Didn't expect recent PC games to have such crazy requirements man...

As for FIFA 2006, it was a real hassle to get it working as it kept giving me the "CD/DVD Emulation Software detected. Please disable it." message whenever I tried to run the game after installing it. After trying out numerous cracks on the Internet, I finally managed to find one (which happened to be the very last resort) allowing me to access the game. Just when I thought all's gone well, I found out that after finishing a match on FIFA 2006, my computer will just hang and I'll have to restart my computer. Which makes it impossible to play FIFA 2006 on my computer as well.

So I spent $30 on 2 games that didn't work on my computer. Bleah... I guess I'll consider exchanging them for PS2 games on Tuesday and from now on, my PC can only be solely used for the Internet. =(

Spendthrift

2005-10-23T15:38:00.000+08:00

Been spending a lot this weekend after a week of idling at home. Yesterday had Marche for lunch which cost $9.80, then went to NUS to play some volleyball (bought 100 Plus for $0.90) before a $5.95 KFC dinner and playing some DOTA at Ginza Plaza ($4 for 2 hrs but computers not very good though). Then today I went to Beach Road to buy a beret for $10 since I misplaced mine in camp and the eMart has run out of stock for my size (it's been 1 month plus already). I'll be buying the crest at the eMart tomorrow though (saves me $3 then). After that, Had a $2.95 KFC Fillet Burger meal and I also bought Age Of Empires 3 and Fifa 2006 from a make-shift stall in Hougang for $15 each (after an earlier unsuccessful attempt to locate such shops in Ang Mo Kio) before returning home. Not to forget I spent $10 betting on a Man Utd win over Tottenham (I treat it as buying insurance for my beloved Spurs and thankfully they got a deserved draw at Old Trafford - I'd pay for my team not to lose) and $10 on a Chelsea minimum 2 goal victory over Everton today (remains to be seen if I can recoup some money on this). So total expenditure for the weekend is $83.60 (might be reduced to $63.10 if Chelsea beats Everton by at least 2 goals today).

Meanwhile, I thought of trying out the 3 new services 43 (Punggol - East Coast Rd), 52 (Bishan - Jurong East) and 59 (Bishan - Changi Village) today but only managed to try out 43 from my house bus-stop to Serangoon Interchange. Was too lazy to try out the other services but I'm sure there'll be many more opportunities to try out the other services, especially service 59 which goes to my grandmother's house.

Millions

2005-10-21T16:37:00.000+08:00

Rented Millions from the CineNow machine near my house this afternoon at $2.50 for 6 hours. Basically the premise is about 2 kids - the ever practical 9-year-old Anthony and his 7-year-old brother Damian who uses imagination, fantasy, and faith to make sense of his confusing world - who start anew after the death of their mother. When a suitcase full of pounds falls out of the sky at Damian's feet seven days before Britain converts to the Euro, it sets the boys on the adventure of a lifetime that leads them to realize that true wealth has nothing to do with money. Overall, it's quite a morally refreshing and enchanting movie family which I'll rate at 4 out of 5 stars.

2005-10-21T10:49:00.000+08:00

Another witty bus advertisement found on the Internet. It makes use of the connecter found on articulated/bendy buses as an accordion to promote a jazz festival.

NewNova.org

2005-10-21T10:37:00.000+08:00

Great news! Remember the old SuprNova.org website for downloading torrents? It closed down quite some time ago but now it's back up as NewNova.org with the same interface as before! =)

The Reincarnation

2005-10-20T11:01:00.000+08:00

I remember playing Archmage few years ago when I was in secondary school and it was the time when everyone was busy playing Earth 2025, Utopia and Archmage. Was kind of hooked on to Archmage but after a while, the site closed down and I forgot about it - until I chanced upon it yesterday. It's now recreated as "The Reincarnation" and can be accessed here. Tried out the Apprentice Server since I thought I would be quite out of touch with the game but turned out that it was exactly the same format as it was before when I last played it, so I was still familiar with some aspects of the game. =)

Wisdom Tooth Origin

2005-10-19T12:44:00.000+08:00

My wisdom tooth recovery is going on quite well for today... My cheeks or lips only swelled a little which was great. Watched the simulcast of Amazing Race 8: Family Edition and the EPL highlights earlier in the morning before surfing the Net and blogging here. Anyway I've been wondering about the origins of the term "wisdom tooth" - as in why is it termed this way and I managed to get an answer thanks to the ever reliable Wikipedia. Here's what they say:

Wisdom teeth are third molars that usually appear between the ages of 18 and 20 (although they may appear when older, or fail to appear at all). They are called "wisdom teeth" because they appear so late—much later than the other teeth, at an age where people are supposedly wiser than as a child, when the other teeth erupt.

Wisdom Tooth Surgery - Part 1

2005-10-18T11:39:00.000+08:00

Just had part 1 of my wisdom tooth surgery yesterday morning... Extracted my lower right wisdom tooth at Alexandra Hospital at about noon yesterday. The operation was quite painless as they injected me with anaesthetic. The pain only set in after the anaesthetic effect wore off after about 4 hours and I had to take 2 paracetemols to combat the pain in my right cheek and right side of my head after that. My mouth was also quite bloody after the operation... Rinsed my mouth for about 5 to 10 minutes on reaching home before I could get rid of most of the blood in my mouth... It's less painful today but I'm supposed to expect my cheek/lips to swell to its maximum after 72 hours, so it's still too early to say if the pain relief I'm experiencing today will continue. All in all, the post-surgery was bloody painful (literally) but still manageable as I managed to have a good uninterrupted sleep last night.

In exchange for the pain, I get a one week's break from work, I only have to pay about $20 for the entire surgery (thanks to SAF's medical coverage) and I get to keep my wisdom tooth as a memento (yep, not joking.. it's broken into 2 very small parts and 2 major parts.. maybe I'll take a picture and put it on the blog when I have time). I'll still have to remove my stitches on Tuesday afternoon though and I'm planning for Part 2 of my wisdom tooth surgery (lower left wisdom tooth) on 16 Jan 06.

Revamp

2005-10-18T11:37:00.000+08:00

Okay I've just revamped this blog with a new template. Actually I started this current blog in July but I've just been periodically updating it with interesting photos and news snippets. Now that I've kind of revived my blogging interest, I've changed it to a nicer template since I'll be using this blog to post my personal thoughts and any interesting stuff.

Why have this new blog instead of continuing on with my old blog? Oh well, just thought it's time for a change and I guess I prefer the in-built Blogger comments function for the more recently created blogs. Anyway, my old blog can still be accessed here... Well let's hope that my rekindled blogging interest can be sustained for a long time. =)

New Humans Exhibit at London Zoo

2005-08-27T21:28:00.000+08:00

LONDON (AFP) - London Zoo unveiled a new exhibition -- eight humans prowling around wearing little more than fig leaves to cover their modesty.

The "Human Zoo" is intended to show the basic nature of human beings as they frolick throughout the August bank holiday weekend.

"We have set up this exhibit to highlight the spread of man as a plague species and to communicate the importance of man's place in the planet's ecosystem," London Zoo said.

The scantily-clad volunteers will be treated as animals and kept amused at the central London zoo with games and music.

"I actually think the fig leaves will be enough to cover us up, it's no worse than a swimming pool," said volunteer Simon Spiro, 19, from New Malden, south of the British capital.

Spiro, selected from dozens of hopefuls in an Internet competition, said he was excited by the prospect of monkeying around on the zoo's Bear Mountain.

"I'm a veterinary student so the idea of working for a zoo was something that appealed to me.

"I thought it would be fun and interesting because I'm an outdoorsy kind of person," he said.

Brendan Carr, 25, from Aylesbury, southern England, wrote a poem in his bid to get on the mountain.

"I'm funky like a monkey and as cool as a cat, talk more than a parrot, up all night like a bat," it went.

"I got a laugh like a hyena but get the hump like a camel, so cover me in fig leaves as I'm the ultimate mammal."

Hmm... Quite an interesting piece of news... Was thinking that the Singapore Zoological Gardens could also do with a similar human exhibit as well... All they have to do is to showcase the bickering Joo Chiat neighbours and the visitors to the zoo will increase tenfold! =)

Happy Father's Day - With A Twist

2005-08-10T21:42:00.000+08:00

Found on the net: A tongue-in-cheek advertisement by Durex on Father's Day.

Witty Bus Advertisements

2005-08-02T18:13:00.000+08:00

It's pretty hard to find such creative advertisements on buses in Singapore...

Female Version of Nicky Butt

2005-08-01T22:52:00.000+08:00

Could she possibly be related to Nicky Butt?

War Of The Worlds 2

2005-07-05T21:04:00.000+08:00

I guess this could well be a scene taken from War Of The Worlds 2... Perhaps featuring drunk aliens?

Toilet-themed Restaurant

2005-07-03T22:20:00.000+08:00

TAIPEI (Reuters) - It may take a strong stomach to eat curry or chocolate ice cream out of a toilet bowl, but a commode-themed restaurant in Taiwan does booming business serving up just that.

The Martun, or toilet in Chinese, restaurant in the southern port city of Kaohsiung boasts lengthy queues on weekends as diners wait for a toilet seat in its brightly coloured tile interior.

Food arrives in bowls shaped like Western-style toilets or Asian-style "squat pots".

Manager Hung Lin-wen said the original inspiration came from a toilet-shaped spaceship in a Japanese cartoon. The theme has attracted droves of novelty-seeking young people who come to play with their food and gross out their friends.

"We think the theme is special, and the food is tasty," Hung said.

But no matter how delicious, a few customers still find the combination a little hard to swallow.

"The taste is good, but I still feel disgusted when I look at it," said diner Lin Yu-may.

Read this on the Yahoo! news and it was quite interesting albeit in a gross way. I can't imagine eating out shit-like stuff from a mini toilet bowl. Didn't know such stuff appealed to Taiwanese. Reminds me of the time when my BMT section-mate shit into a ziploc bag in the middle of the night because he was having a stomachache in the middle of the night. The next morning, waste was being collected into a trash bag and he simply threw it in. Gross right... Perhaps the restaurant could use ziploc bags for takeaway food for greater grossness... =P