Wednesday, August 30, 2006

What do I put here?

Really, what do I say..

Oh, ok. I learnt how to cook spinach today! Haha..it's so surprising that so much spinach [filled the wok to the brim] could shrivel up so much after a little cooking =p Like what some people would term as suk sui. Haha..thought it only happened to sensitive clothing.

And it tasted not too bad. The family didn't realise. So, that's good. Perfect guinea pigs =p

Hmm..another 2 hours til Animax starts premiering. Yay! At least a countdown I'm looking forward to=)

PGP Malaysians have fun! Haha..rival the PRCs in the patriotic celebrations..if you can..hehe>.<

National Day 06

National Day is coming sooon! Tomorrow, in fact.

So let's take this time to count our blessings, and to honor some heroes who have passed on for the sake of our country.

Thank God for a safe time throughout our lives, or at least throughout my life. There has been no wars like the Iraq Wars, or even the Star Wars. In fact, we should also thank God for the lack of wars in other places, like most of the ASEAN countries. Since we are on this topic, why don't we also thank God for the lack of wars in well, MOST of the countries in the world? It would be most appropriate.

Thank God for the economy. We do not have high taxes like in some countries way up north, like some Scandinavian country that charges up to 50% tax to finance projects that are designed to develop their country. We should be thankful that unlike that country where those projects have benefited the locals and foreign investors, we have capable and outstanding ministers here who are not ashamed to blast each other over screw-ups like in the case where luxury cars were not sold to certain VIPs for a trifle. We should be thankful, that instead of bowing to outside Western influences, our leaders are trying their best to protect our local business interests by imposing abnormally high standards and stringent requirements on foreign investors. Also, we should be thankful that they are trying to sign a full-blown FTA with the US that would protect the drug companies by banning all currently legal generic medications. An agreement that would make those AIDS sufferers who are relying on much-needed government subsidies and cheaper generic medication imported from India cough up the enormous amount of money that is rightfully claimed by pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

Thank God also for capable leaders in the government. Leaders who would not sell off their assets to others unless the buyer was from a certain race. Yes, be thankful for them, for they have only the interests of the people from that race at heart! Hark, bravo to them! They would even publically rebuke other ally parties who would find means to attack and destabilize their own party for whatever reasons. And most of all, with so many like-minded leaders, they would receive overwhelming support to continue in their course of action without having to apologize, showing that the government is united and receives a mandate from the people.

Thank God for patriotic citizens! Thank God for leaders who lead by example! Kudos to the many ministers who are going round distributing our national flag! Bravo, bravissimo! Salute the people who marry while clothed in the national flag; admire those who decorate the entire car, frame, roof and windows, with the flags! Weep with tears at the news of those who died for our country, oh those patriotic souls! Even though afflicted with hypertension and diabetes, one of the participants of the National Day parade in Sarawak still persevered and attended the rehearsal despite feeling faint. Oh, that she had so much pride and love for our country! This is sublime, nay, nobel beyond all thought, that she would have sacrificed so much for the one thing she loved so much! Nobel, patriotic act!

Thank God for local enterprising companies. Like the lone satellite tv company, that unhesitatingly sacrifice a few months revenue so that we would have a chance to watch interesting programs in front of the idiot box. Thank God for their wise selection of choices, like Animax which was supposed to have premiered years ago.

Ah, now who can tell me that there's nothing to be thankful for? Who can say that there is no reason for us to display our feelings for our country on this glorious day?

PS. This is an advance greeting. Happy anniversary to our country, and a happy birthday to my friend Ling, the only Malaysia babe from Singapore that I know! Keep smiling, and bury that homicidal tendency you have now =p Have fun at the new campus!

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Darth Vader and Pluto

Here is a video about Darth Vader and a short audio clip about the downgrading of Pluto a.k.a. NS-style.
Tee hee hee..
Thanks to mrbrown

If there's any problem with the video link, just sign in with a youtube account and click confirm. If still got problem, just go to the mrbrown link and you can view it without a hitch.
Thanks to N who raised this issue =p

Btw, MO is medical officer, who is part of the medical board. This medical board basically rates new NS people's health, and if they are found wanting, they are downgraded. These downgraded people are allowed to skip a lot of exercises and training during NS. Also, if their fitness is so much below the mark, they are considered out of the course, meaning they go directly to become clerks and can just bypass the usual physical training course.

Enjoy!

Repro

My thoughts wander back to the days when we were perusing the book Reproduction and Development. There was this one chapter inside that was talking about long and short night plants.

Basically a long night plant is a plant that requires a relatively long and uninterrupted period of darkness (night) to bloom. The short night plant is the opposite, where a relatively short period is enough for it to bloom.

So, I'm wondering. In this age where light pervades, wouldn't the long night plants be at a disadvantage? A passing car with High Illuminating Display would totally wipe out a whole night's worth of preparation for the blooming of the plant's flowers. In fact, the street lamps might just be enough to produce the same effect. So then what happens to these plants? Do they just die off or will the mutant offspring which shed the need for long, uninterrupted periods of darkness supplant them in the future? Would a feature designed to ensure that these plants only bloom under certain conditions like in daylight or during winter make these plants obsolete?

Looking at this from another angle, light under such circumstances is just another form of stress. And in this age of stress and adrenaline-pumped environment, would people with a need to sleep longer than others be at a serious disadvantage? Would they, due to their inherent nature, be made obsolete?

No wonder panda went for the power sleep approach. 2 hours of sleep to sustain him throughout the rest of the 22 hours of the day. More time to manage investments. More time to pursue interests. More time not wasted in recharging the body.

More.

Just like in the Celcom advertisement. "Who doesn't want more?"

Greedy and ineloquent beings that we are.

Maybe that's how top lists came to be. Like top 10 songs of the month. Or top 500 companies in the world. A list of recommended stuff so that we don't waste time looking through the rest that didn't quite make the mark. No matter that the journey itself could be more interesting than the end of the journey.

So, here's a list, courtesy of thiam. I don't know who the author is, but it doesn't matter now. He/she is not in the top 20 bestselling authors list.

Top 9 reasons I want to be a doctor:
1) I hate sleep. [ouch!]
2) I fail math
3) I like to stay in school for, like, forever!
4) Nobody can read my handwriting
5) Dad has extra money
6) I enjoy my life enough
7) I don't want to live life without stress
8) I want to pay for my sins
9) I don't want to marry before 30

Seems this list automatically excludes me from the medical profession forever =( Man..I don't even possess a single reason that is listed.

Oh well, I could always apply to be the bumming, pampered and lazy husband of a beautiful and rich lady.

Or not. It's not even listed in the top 10 most-wanted jobs in the world.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Ah..L'amour

Just read this. Resonates with me, mostly.
But, conformity or peer pressure is the last thing on my mind on such things.
Guess I'll just wait?

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Lessons that should be carried throughout life

Might as well find a way to stave off the lethargy for a little while longer.

Went to church office yesterday to help out N. Supposed to be a morning thing. Turned out it was more of like a 9-5 job. Actually, barring slight delays and rounding off the minutes, it WAS a 9-5 job. Haha..
Except that instead of pushing paper, we were cutting paper. And cardboard. For doorgifts.

So, ladies, please don't waste our efforts! Believe me, the doorgift looks superb! [Haha, don't worry, no biasness here. I wasn't the one who made the prototype, and most certainly did not have a big part in putting it all together. Just menial jobs=p]

The seemingly simple action of getting lunch taught me a whole load of things. Which, hopefully, will be indexed by my memory-retrieval system for future reference =p
Simply put:
1) Be more aggresive and stubborn on the road. Especially if you're looking for a place to park in town. Once you feel that you want to check out an alley for a possible parking lot, immediately work on getting your ride there. Pronto! Unless you are ready to give up the lot or you plan to emulate the famous tortoise that bribed the hare to have a nice, long nap.
2) Maintain, if not improve Chinese proficiency. Especially the reading part. The alternative is to swear off Chinese stalls and the excellent food there when there are no proficient Chinese speaking friends around.
3) Once Chinese is getting better, learn names of nice food. Or risk starving to death when girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse refuses to order food when not in the mood.
4) Bring along some snacks to stave off starvation in case last part of point 3 ever comes to pass. Or prepare excuses to change location to the nearest Italian/steak/any non-Chinese speaking food places.
5) Singapore street is so named because..
of..
..
certain reasons.
Yup.
6) Min fan gou is really simple to prepare on your own. As is green bean rice. And a whole lot of un-superhighclassed chinese food.
7) Agapeline has recipes! Yum~ brownies..

There's also this point 8 thingy? But not sure if it's valid.
"Don't even try to understand a girl. Especially your girlfriend. Just love her."
Hmm..deep.
But how do you love somebody if you do not understand the person? Should I be contented with just knowing the shell of people I love?
I wouldn't know and love what goes on within a person and the person's thoughts. Since all those are, in medical terms, deep to the outer part, wouldn't that make me a shallow hal?
Of course not. I'm not called hal.
Lol..

Former Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Ming's son Damien was here in church today. He shared about his experiences of his walk with Christ [being fanatic was the word he used, I believe], and also about the kidnapping that happened a few years back. Seems that God really sent an angel of protection to him, literally.
In short, have a strong faith that God will always be with us, and that everything works according to His plan for the good of all those who love Him. Also, he was really funny. Makes for a good orator. =p

Speaking of God's plan, it just simply talks of God knowing all events throughout our timeline, whether in the past, present or future. In other words, it does not eliminate our free will [determinism or predestined argument], since God only knows the all the events in time but does not control it. That's only logical. Thanks to N for this piece of info. Seems I knew the answer to that all along but in a different context. Haha..As to why it's called a plan, I have no idea [We see only in part, therefore the mirror is darkened. And if I knew everything that would make me God]. Gotta follow up on that. Any leads anybody?

Enough of that for now. IMHO, it's quite hard to argue religion logically to atheists. To us, faith is the foundation for our beliefs, but by human logic, it is just another circular argument. Doesn't mean that it's wrong or anything, just that in a logical argument, it is worthless since something in your argument is used to defend your argument. Oh well..

On another note, this is quite interesting. Sortoise's is so famous [or infamous? =p] that his last name is officially a censored word on tagboards worldwide. Don't believe me? Try it out. Comes out as 1*beep*2
Thank God his girlfriend is not yet corrupted. Her name still appears well on taggys =)

Ok, enough delays. Let the sand cover my head, and the sandman snatch me away from the realities of this world.
I welcome thee, sleep..

*snores*


I'm tired~

Yup, that's right. I'm tired.
Why?
No idea.
Maybe due to sleep-deprivation? Haha..
It's too bad I'm a long night plant =(
Oh well..

Friday, August 25, 2006

Of anniversaries and annes

Ok, I admit. This has nothing much to do with annes. More of the anniversary part. But it does sound better, don't it?
Like how we like to say "of mice and men" when in fact all that we really mean is "of mice". Check out the Hitchhiker's Guide for verification. Particularly the reply of Slartibartfast.
Anyway, [Hey, I do use this a lot!] here's my very own happy anniversary greeting! Haha..firstly to my blog on achieving its 100th post, and secondly to my parents on 24 years of continual marital bliss! Woohoo! =p
What should I do to celebrate this double bash? God knows I don't know. Haha..maybe a cake?
A good friend gave a really nice suggestion.
"When was the last time you guys took a family portrait?"
Wow..that's profound! Let me see..like, never? Haha..
Too bad we are not too photogenic. Oh well, at least we look better in person =p
Nevertheless, it's a real good idea. Maybe I should look into doing this when I'm celebrating my own anniversary with The One. Then I can plaster my whole house full of such pictures =p Makes for a real nice sight..imagine this, the moment you enter my house in the future, the first thing you see is this picture of ME standing in the midst of my family and STARING right at you! Then you turn and see..ME!!! Haha..makes for a nice horror film scene =) If only I don't appear in the picture it would be so much better..Hehe..
Oh well..will stick to the tried and true tradition for now.
Since this is a good time for reflections, I shall reflect on my seemingly ineffectual ability to be a millionaire.

Your Chances of Being a Multimillionaire: 44%

You have a decent shot at being a multimillionaire. Surprised?
You're confident and a hard worker. Keep it up!
Will You Be a Multimillionaire?

44%? Haha..not good actually. I was hoping to be around the region of 0%. After all, it isn't becoming of a billionaire to have a good chance of becoming a multimillionaire! It's a sad downgrade for me ;(
Lol
Btw, that blueberry cake? It's real..going to cut it up soon at the celebration dinner. Not for the blog, you nit, for my parents! Haha..
Let's pop the cork!

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Pre-anniversary post..

I just discovered the reason for the discrepancy between the blogger dashboard and the archive section. Somewhere near the beginnings of this blog, a transcription error caused a duplicate entry to emerge from the murky depths of this scribe. Haha..Whatever~
So, now this will be the pre-100th post..must make the best of it..
Went to this bookstore opposite KL GH. MMMC hardgay was the first to bring this to my limited and blur attention. According to him the prices there was quite reasonable. So, there I went with my dad. Before we left, my mother asked me to look out for a teaching book there.
Which sadly to say [or, rather this strikes me as being quite funny now] it was not there. The reason? "Kamal's MEDICAL Bookstore". That was the name of the bookstore. Sigh~
Anyway, according to the previous generation, this store has been around since their time. And it still looks exactly the same! Which is to say, small, cramped and totally old. In fact, it's not a bad thing. Shows how good the business is. Man, I'd really like to run such a store too..where you don't even need to improve or renovate anything since the business just keeps pouring in. In fact, if this keeps up it'll really get a "rustic old charm" look that buildings such as the Coliseum or the Colosseum acquire. =p
Anyway, about business..I estimate they sold at least rm1000 worth of books in the short time I was in the store. Which would roughly make their daily takings somewhere in the region of rm15000. Easily the amount a moderately good specialist earns! Man, I might just give up on university and buy a share in that store =)
But I can't..
Cause..
I got me Moore..
It's one of the 2 textbooks that I got! Haha..The other is Guyton..
So these 2 books are there as a constant reminder to give up on the pigging and concentrate! Like what is shown before any Tenchu match starts: "Focus!" Complete with flames..haha..
But why did I choose moore and not snell? Maybe because there's More nice pictures? Haha..but I think that Moore has a better layout compared to Snell. No offense Snell, but your layout is not exactly the best. Had to flip back and forth whenever I wanted to refer to things. Hope I'll have a moore good experience with Moore. Lolz..
Anyway, the reminders are coming on strong! Time to hit the books, before I hit the sack..
As my friend said, hopefully I won't be hitting the wall [long-piak]
Or writing 38, Ward B, Tg. Rambutan as my new address..


MUG MUG MUG!



Tuesday, August 22, 2006

童话 (Fairy Tale)

Once upon a time, in a land that mappers nearly forgot [oh, they did end up putting a small red dot in the end], there once lived an unusual creature. Its origins are still shrouded in mystery til this day, and none know how it came about to be. Nevertheless, this creature was constantly reminding others of its presence simply by virtue of being there. Ah yes, also since it also kept spewing forth an infectious blend of substances, collectively known jokus lamus, or in layman's terms the "Lame Jokes". Through thorough examination and observation of the victi--, er, I mean the interaction subjects, it can be concluded that this particular jokus is a particularly infectious form of disease. All that is required is a living vector that is able to possess locomotion, particularly the ability to generate audible coherant sound waves, and any form of stimulus that will result in the vector to open its mouth. Once these requirements are met, all subjects within listening radius would instantly be infected. This, in itself, is really scary. Just take a moment to reflect on this. The Spanish bird flu which wiped out millions in the early 20th century could only be passed by physical methods, such as eating infected chickens or through the particulate that is ejected from infected individuals when they sneeze. Now, imagine the jokus lamus, which is transmitted through sound waves! If but 1 infected individual got hold of the ingenious device called a radio, the whole world would be at his/her mercy! Ah, the horror!

Now, in our haste to impress on you, the reader, the severity of this malady, we have perhaps missed out on important descriptions of the origin. As we have mentioned, the creature in question is a singular creature. On the one hand, it's facial structure resembles what is known as the Animalia Chordata Aves Anseriformes Anatidae, or simply, the common duck. Careful scrutiny would lead the observer to notice a plate-like protrusion resembling the beak of a duck. On the other hand, some others have noticed that this creature resembles the squidm, or more commonly known as the sotong. Furthermore, owing to its back, it resembles the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, except for the kung-fu part, and perhaps the mutant part, and in fact after this year even the teenage part would cease to hold true. =p This fusion of characteristics lead some to adopt a name for this creature, which shall be forthwith known as the Sortoise sp.

In this story, the Sortoise moved, for reasons still unknown, from the Caves of Stone to the Red Dot in the Middle of the Ocean. Successfully infiltrating Victoria JC, it then insinuated itself as a member of the class. Mixing around with the unsuspecting populace, it began its schemes of being a highly successful vector. One by one, the denizens of 11 began to succumb to this malady. As this is being written, 1 such incident comes to mind. The giant of 11 was good-naturedly teasing this sortoise about their height difference, until the sortoise came up with an excellent comeback, which unfortunately was another of the Lame Jokes. This is an important point in history, where the L Rule traces its origins.

For the uninitiated, the L Rule is a simple, thought-provoking and rather encompassing rule to swear by. It is infinitely easier to comprehend than the famed Einsteinian Theory of Relativity, and is so much more definite than the theories of science. Simply put, it states that Man can be compared to the letter L. In this world, there are 2 groups of such people. For one, there is the upright Ls.

Then there are the prone Ls.

For example, the giant is classified as the upright L. A tall person, he is quite lacking in his lateral growth, exactly as the L suggests. Sortoise, on the other hand, is slightly vertically challenged, but makes up for it by being incredibly endowed laterally. Just like the 2nd L.

Interesting, no?

Anyway, now this story is coming to an end. Since this is but a chronicle of the origin of the L Rule, we must leave sortoise alone for now, for fear of angering it and bringing about the terrible wrath manifesting itself in the form of the Rain of the Lame!

Which brings me to a point. Seeing so many NUS people using laptops during lectures and for their assignments, maybe it would be wise to develop proper typing skills, not the type of short-forms typically found on instant messaging. However, it is a sobering thought..would the L Rule apply here too? Would reverting back to the long form result in shortening of other, ahem, things? ARGH!

I'm so Bo Liao these days.

Anybody has any recommendations for medical textbooks? Perhaps starting with Anatomy, Physiology and Biochem. Perhaps even Histology.

I really need to get a life and end such Bo Liao entries. Lolz..

Ah, the centennial celebration of this blog is coming close! Just another post and we're there!

Gambateh!

Monday, August 21, 2006

Interesting stuff

This is decidedly a world full of curiosities and misdeamours. Just yesterday MMMC hardgay was telling me about this crazy man. It seems that he left hypodermic needles laced with HIV-infected blood in cinemas around my place. Now this might not really sound unusual to certain people since it happened before in places like Thailand, but here, it most certainly is one of the pioneer acts of hateful torture. Hardgay said that at least 3 girls were infected, and the crook is still at large. Hmm, if this story be really true, thank God nothing happened to us when we were watching Monster House yesterday!

On another note, was flipping through the news that I missed over the past week and noticed this story about a New Delhi man who has what is known as diphallus. Di = 2, phallus = pertaining to the penis ie male outer reproductive organ. Usually this occurs very rarely, with a rate of about 1 in 5.5 million men. These people will have two of the same thing, but on most occasions "2 much of a good thing is even better" is really not applicable, despite what the filmmakers of Garfield 2 want to lead us to believe. Those poor men will have an extra piece of unfunctional equipment dangling around at all times! Imagine the distress..Then this Delhi guy, he's a real rare example. Both of his, er, equipments actually work! Well I don't know about his feelings of having 2 functional ones, but he plans to go under the knife to remove one of them. Most probably to prevent his future wife from getting the shock of her life =p Well, all the best to him! Man, those surgeons will really have a hard time, since both are well-supplied with blood vessels. Hopefully all things go well and he gets on with his life.

Then there's the bizzare. Hardgay passed this to me, but I have to warn you first. It's seriously disgusting. My skin still crawls thinking of it.

Hardgay's disgusting article.

If you're done with it, read this to determine if that is true or fiction.

Sorry for putting you through it. After all, I did give you a warning beforehand. =0

That's all folks. Til the next time.

Scream FIRE if you need help

Ah, indeed! To succeed in life, and not just be successful from a narrow point of view, one should be a complete person. To do that, wholesome education is necessary! Ok, not wholesome like a comp sci fella from st paul told me (something about gawking at girls etc), but rather in a..wholesome way. Hahas..

I must state this for a fact. NUS surely would beat the living lights out of any university over this side of the bridge! Man, they even have lame lecturers! Haha..but seriously? It was a real eye-opener.

[Day 1]

Ok, every story has a beginning, and this is no exception. Man, what a lame opening for a paragraph! Exactly like those primary school essays we used to write. -_-" The idiotic KTMB train departed late from home. I was all panicky and rushing all the way to the station just in case it left without me. And they had the guts to just slack around for half an hour after I arrived just because of lousy planning on their part. Come on, a train is coming from the opposite direction? What lame excuse is that?
Anyway, after much ado and no fanfare, the train finally left. Snatched some sleep along the way, finished a whole lot on The Count of Monte Cristo. Ah, reminds me exactly of the time I used to do this once, long long ago. Lazing on the chair, flying through the story like an Airbus 320 cleaving through the clouds. Lolz
Gulped down the Domino's I rushed to get on the way to the train for dinner. Not a bad dinner as dinners go by, though I really have a bone to pick with the chef for the superbly exessive amount of MSG he put. Way more than that hut that sells pizzas. Nevertheless, it tastes better, so I guess I'll let this go..once again.
Arrived at Woodlands around 7 something. Just slightly behind schedule. However, a tragedy happened at the customs. Really tragic. An over-zealous official spotted my student card and embarkation/disembarkation card. Ah, woe is me! The long arm of the law has finally overtaken me, and swept away my momentos in one fell swoop! Ah, the deuce!
Ma foi! Oh well, life has to go on. Just a reminder to all who wish to retain their student cards: keep it in a cool, dry place. Like a vault. Or your home. So sad~
And to make things worse, KTMB was getting back to their old habits. Just 10 minutes after clearing Woodlands the train stopped in the middle of nowhere. Ok, rather, in the middle of the Red Dot in the Middle of the Ocean. FOR HALF AN HOUR! You know what was the excuse this time? Train track was spoilt. Undergoing repairs. Ah, for the love of whoever! Of all the times of the day, of all the times when no trains where using the track, KTMB just
had to choose that time to repair the tracks. But wait, what was that I saw?! A TRAIN passing by ours right at that moment. The cheek of them all! Choose your excuses wisely! Tracks are spoilt and the other train could use the track? What a load of rubbish. Ended up at Tg Pagar at 1145pm. Not bad really, considering that I was only 2 hours delayed. Better than the 5 hours I had to endure the last time. At least KTMB staff aren't as slow in the head as their service would leave you to believe. There were no staff on hand for the frustrated passengers to scold or demand reimbursement for time and effort wasted. Cheeky fellows..
Thank God I found the right bus in time to proceed to Kent Ridge. On a more earthly aspect, thanks nocturnal and jason for the info too.
Note to self: busses 10 and 30 are excellent numbers to see right after exiting Tg Pagar. The bus driver was also quite kind to point out exactly where to haul my big fat mass out. =p
Well, they say that all the pains and weariness fall away when you reach paradise. I'm not too sure of that, since I have not had the pleasure of tasting paradise~ However, seeing 2 good friends that night really helped to erase the bad experiences on the way down until it seemed but a shadow of a nightmare. However, maybe I was too tired to say what exactly was on my mind. So here it is: Thank you so much for waiting for me. It meant a lot. Too bad I didn't notice you at the bus stop. Or maybe I was already in the cramped bath cubicle of PGP. Hahas..Nevertheless, hope the items you received will help you to reconcile your feelings of leaving home with the joy of experiencing new things abroad. At least since I can't bring you to agape so soon, I hope I did the next best thing - bringing a fragment of agape to you.
Never saw so many midnight joggers.
Had a fun night trying to get used to sleeping on the floor. Good thing jason still had his mat with him. And a new addition.
Meet my pillow.

Believe me, it/his back was a really good place to rest your head =p The head and tail form natural boundaries to prevent excessive rolling of the head. Too bad it wasn't long enough to be a bolster. Hahas..

[Day 2]

Breakfast was a slice of pandan bread, courtesy of jason. Thanks dude! It's not bad, at least the smell cloaks the taste of the bread, or there wouldn't be any bread in the world that would enter his mouth. Hahas..
Biodiversity lecture was the in the morning. Quite interesting. The lecturer, Prof LM Chou, gave an introduction to the course. Quite the joker =) "I have an excellent textbook to recommend. Incidently, it's written by me and a few others. Remember to rush down to the bookshop next week to get it! Get 2 or 3 copies..just in case you lose one. Also, there will be autograph sessions with the authors soon!" Coincidentally, he was the prof who taught Mrs Teo! Whoa~ She had nothing but compliments for him. Must be a great zoo guy.
[He's a zoologist]
Oh yes, met nocturnal's cluster mate before the lec. Ken Yee. Real nice girl. Spirited, helpful, cow's hostel mate and appreciator of my jokes. Good start=) Meet Jian Guang during the lec too. So ngam that he would be sitting directly in front of me. Man, it was just fated. 真有缘!
Had the rest of the day off. Got coerced into eating one of nocturnal's siew paus. Real paisei. Should discipline my stomach next time and not be a slave to it's whims and coercions. Haha..being the showoff that I supposedly am, took nocturnal on a tour around VJC. After getting my long-awaited A level cert. After being laughed at by Mr Choy for forgetting. Lolz..She was quite impressed I hope..or not it would have been a whole waste to have subjected her to the stress of going through a long busride with me. Hahas..Sorry nocturnal, didn't know about the passenger stress syndrome =(
Learned a few things that day.
1) Siglap ban mian is not opened during the late hours of the afternoon.
2) Walking under the hot sun is totally different from flying on a bike.
3) 197 is a very useful bus. Goes to lots of interesting places I never noticed before.
4) Siglap Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee tastes great on an empty stomach.

Met up with ecnerwal, owern, kokosing, kokosing's sis and kong jien for dinner. The Deck really lives up to its name. Or my stomach is an empty pit that devours food like black holes suck in all matter and light. And yea, ecnerwal and owern got into the familiar routine of "i'm better than you at [...]" - "no way, i'm way better!" - "i chop into thousand pieces if you win me!" - "set, you're on! let's get it on now!"
I think it was about badminton. Or something like that. Not that it really makes much difference. Haha. Format is always the same. =p

Important lesson #1: Visiting friends in PGP is a pain. Multiple security measures designed to ensure a high level of protection results in multiple pains. And irritatingly long waits just to meet up with anybody at all. At least meeting with an intimate friend will make all those worth it=p

[Day 3]

Noticed this structure and took a picture of it. Reminds me of my nick on the shout!box.
Went for an early lec with ecnerwal. Physio. Interestingly, the lec was comprised of four faculties - pharm, bioeng, nursing and dentistry. Very varied people, but all coming together for one purpose. Nice~ The lecturer was quite good. Went through the basics of ECG and cardiac muscle contractions.

Important lesson #2: Having breakfast with a friend whom you've not meet for a long time while being slightly sleep-deprived just before lecture while surely cause time to fly..such that you will never be on time.

Rushed to the Scotsman's Chem lec after that. Due to a breakdown in communications, ended up sitting at the far back with lizzie! Same old look about her,
perhaps more aunty looking than ever? Hehe..Interesting modules she had..Pop culture in Singapore, Post war jap movies..oh yes, she has an interest in Kendo! Wahaha..should ask her to demo her super Kendo scream after she starts lessons =p

Important lesson #3: The projector is a good friend. Always head towards it for friendly company.

Had spaghetti for lunch. Practically daylight robbery in progress! It was the shortest queue, and being the gentleman I am
cough cough I didn't want my friend to wait too long for me. It was edible at least. But seriously, too watery and sour. =(

Surprise surprise! Guess who I met right at that moment? Our resident mad rock climbing burmese! Haha..THAZIN! Of all places~ Seems like we have brainwaves of quite the same frequency in terms of motives. Hehe..

Went to Central Library after that. Met kong jien along the way. Poor fella, couldn't find a single person he knew who didn't have lunch yet. =(
Found out how to make "courtesy calls"! Woohoo! Haha..basically means free calls =p Neh, it's a secret..can't rat out my friends=)
But hey, Central Lib is seriously well designed and equipped! None of that Malaysia crap you get in sec sch. Even have a whole floor that is a quiet area ie shaddup-when-you-are-there area. Hahas..Met jason who was reading up on real estate law. Poor fella didn't notice that the module was real estate
law and thought it was a good opportunity to understand real estate. At least, he'll get some exposure throughout the course =)
Met with a whole load of friends on the way to and from the library. Hahas..poor nocturnal, bombarded with a whole list of faces and names. Kudos for remembering more than 50%! Haha..met elaine too! Haha..that fella. First thing see me is start make fun already. Ceh~ people go library
study one leh, not for other reasons. Hmph. Hahas..
After a short rest at PGP, went for biochem lec. Intersting demo by the lecturer on DNA extraction from a liquid solution. Prof HPToo was uncannily familiar. Perhaps met him during one of the seminars I attended. Hmmm..
Had a sneak peek at the interior of Kent Ridge Hall, the newest hall in NUS. Real nice place. Even has its own alarm that goes off around 8 in the morning. Sounds like a piling-machine at work. Which was exactly what it was doing=p

Met a st paul guy at PGP during dinner. Quite the humorous fellow.
And yu min at PGP Asian Cuisine is totally out of this world. In terms of salt content. Could have gotten hypertension from that one meal alone :~ Not to mention the trader talked weirdly. Couldn't understand a word he said. Surprising thing was that his pronunciation improved remarkably when he was talking to another customer, a
girl.
Hmph
Buaya

[Day 4]

Ah..heard of the term TGIF? It stands for Thank God It's Friday. Yup, Friday is such a good day! Had the first breakfast prepared by a non-family female friend!
Ok, please exclude the maid and any female hawkers. Ah, luncheon meat spread with margerine sandwich and milo will forthwith be my favourite meal! =)
Mmm..getting hungry just thinking about it..hehe
Attended sci of music lec after that. An interesting physics module. Covers exactly that, the science behind the art. Got to know that YST Conservatory of Music actually offers free performances on a regular basis! Wow..

The rest of the day was quite a slack one. Yielded to the Sandman after brunch. No matter how much I strove to achieve a permissible level of fatigue to allow an easy transition to dreamland every night, there has to be limits. Haha..

Met our resident photographer peter chung! Haha..brought us to the med lib. Quite an okay place. Got to know some med people. Had some fun reading up on physio. Hopefully it's a baby step on my efforts to get my momentum up to speed over the next few months =)

Had a peek at the famous KE7. Nope, that's not kinetic energy to the 7th power-_-" Nice try though=) King Edward is positively the best! There's not a single piece of obstruction from the outer stairs to the final target: friend's room. Haha..makes things so much easier=) Met teaegg there. Room was not too bad. The chat was good. Took a nice picture of Newater in its preprocessed form.
Yea, I was just kidding=) That's detergent-_-"
Then had to rush down to KR to meet vege, who was kind enough to skip some hall activity to accompany me to the gathering=) Thanks gal!

Took the 143 to Harbour Front in the evening with vege. Real nice place. First time there in fact. Hahas..Had dinner at Spizza, real cozy place. Had a little gathering with kid, peter chung [hey, where's those fireworks pics you promised?! I need those works of art =) ], vege, viv and varensa. The pizzas were superb! There was like real nice white mushrooms, mussels, and truly splendid Italian cooking=) We polished up everything between the 7 of us in a jiffy! Had a real nice chat too..yea..too bad the management got fed up of us and tried to give subtle hints that we should leave, about an hour after we paid the bill. Haha..stuff like slowly cleaning our tables one item at a time. First were the plates. Then the cutlery. Followed by stopping the flow of water. And finally the loss of the cups. Haha..kid said no fair, since we were indirectly promoting the store by making it seem like there were a lot of people there, but with sufficeintly empty seats to entice potential customers. Haha..

And yes, some people commented that viv looks a little like N. Hmm..what say you?

That's her on the left. Must be the hair she grown.

Took 10 back to PGP. Bus stopped at a bar area just before arriving to pick up a whole load of passengers who were evicted from their bus because their bus driver was involved in a brawl. According to some helpful local Malays, "itu bodoh punya orang, pigi lawan. Gigi pun sudah jatuh." You get the idea..

Slacked at student lounge around midnight.

And yes, like it says, it was a beautiful day=) Ending with a beautiful night.

[Day 5]

Had breakfast at..wait, you better prepare yourself..a mamak stall! Haha..it's called the cheese prata shop, situated just near yusof ishak hall. The food there is quite good. Quite Malaysian-ish. Haha..da bao some lunch from PGP for the long trip back that afternoon. Nocturnal was kind enough to accompany me all the way to the bus stop! =) Thanks! Too bad I dropped her umbrella and the wind blew it down this ravine behind PGP =( Good thing was able to retrieve it =p Though I must have looked like some silly fellow..haha..if I just did a roll that would've completed the look..haha..

Important lesson #4: My handphone screen does no respect its victims. Looks too wide. Thank goodness the camera is well and the pictures turned up fine=)

Important lesson #5: Never handle an umbrella unless in an emergency. Especially if said umbrella is of sentimental value.

Needless to say, after half an hour ride of the bus to Tg Pagar, we were all suffered to wait another 40 minutes on the train because "another train is approaching". Typical KTMB.

Maybe I should just consider taking the coach back. Cheaper and faster. Though more dangerous. Oh well~

In conclusion, we will recap our ABCs.
A is for "A mamak stall in Singapore?!"
B is for "Blast, missed that shuttle bus~"
C is for "Can I have another taste of that wonderful sandwich?"
.
.
.
J is for "
Qoo!

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Happy Birthday FCBC!

Happy Birthday FCBC! Yes, FCBC has been in existance for the past 20 years. As old as some people I know. And how far has it come! Tens of thousands of members now! Hallelujah!

Heard that all present were given balloons to blow.

Thank God for all that He has done for the church. May He do so much more and let the fields be white and ripe for the harvest! Glory to God, and may He open the floodgates of Heaven, showering all of FCBC with blessings abundantly.

Ah, I miss that place.

Ang Gu Gu: aIks

Ah..came back some time ago. Maybe I'll talk about it some time else. Rather catch up on my sleep and keep this feeling alive for a while longer=)
In the meantime, check this out. No wonder I don't want to be a teacher~

Ang Gu Gu: aIks

Monday, August 14, 2006

Christian Songs

Eunice, you're another ET that I know, but by Jove, you're music taste is superb! Haha..Thanks for the Casting Crowns. Excellent songs, surprisingly rock-type Christian songs that I can adapt to=)
Take care ya, and it's a nice thing having you back again.

PS. If you need me to return the favor just tell me. I'll have a pack of sesame-coated siew pau for you to bring back to you-know-where. Haha=p

New Fashion Statement!

Check this out. The New and Improved Fashion accessory!

That is so NOT me..

FYI, I don't wear yellow at all. Man..

Your Lucky Underwear is Yellow

You're an extremely happy, laid back, fun soul. And your lucky yellow underwear can help you get even more out of life.
In life, you rather play than work. You're apt to quit any task that doesn't nourish your creativity and inner child.

Sometimes your drive for freedom hinders your quality of life. You find it impossible to do anything unpleasant.
If you want to have responsibilities and still have fun, put on your yellow underpants. They'll help you make a party out of the most mundane tasks.


Btw, here's a greeting to all my NUSian friends. Enjoy your new tenure at NUS starting today! Hope you guys have fun there=)

PS. In case some of you need a refresher course in maths, check this out.






























And for the best:

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Object recognitions



So, what is this? Looks a little like an uncooked roti canai/prata to me. Haha..turns out that it is a towel. A TOWEL! Wow..Haha..Got it when we got an ink cartridge at the PC Fair. Supposed to expand into its original form when you just add water. Like those space-age foodstuffs. =)

It was seriously packed there! But if you persevered there would be at least some good deals. Or a lot of experience in tricks and subterfuge. Haha..But there were a lot of people who left laden with products. At least they looked satisfied. =p

And the place was just SO crowded. Crazy~ Sometimes it's as if there was not enough O2 around for everybody. Yeah, especially the Atoms. No discount at all. Lol..

Btw, if you're looking for a good deal on thumbdrives, go to the booth beside the Dell booth on the highest floor. 1GB for RM71. Kingston and Pendrive. If you still want lower prices, there's this booth on the lowest floor. It sells thumbdrives for RM60+. However, I never heard of the brand before. Must have been some China brand again. Haha..no offense to all my PRC friends. China brands can be good. Or bad. Like every other brand. Just that I don't trust brands which I or my close friends have never used before. =)

Something else of note. How does "Electronic machines overheat" link to EMO? !!! Haha..just a thought.


Since this is titled "object recognitions", I shall add another thing for you to try and decipher.
Yeah, you're right. zzz for me

Friday, August 11, 2006

Attn: F6-gov uni ppl

This circular is addressed to all the people I know who have gone through the works in Form 6 and are now in public universities. Pleased be informed that there will be what is officially known to foreigners as "indulgence of Malaysian fare", or the title which is bestowed by the powers that be, "consumption of beverages that will cause heart attacks and eating food that have no nutritional value while inadvertantly contributing to the increasing rates of crime and possibly recreational drug usage". I'd rather just call it the yamca session. None of the connotations that accompany the official titles. Not that the official titles are true. In fact they are far from true. But that depends on the company present. Haha..certainly not when I'm around. I'm a good, law-abiding person =P
All persons involved are to liase through Cheese. Absentees will be noted and duly punished. With a "strongly-worded memoranda" that promises, in the event that the first memorandum is ignored, to deliver what is termed as a "strongly-worded memoranda".
Attendance is compulsory.
Unless you are truly, seriously sick. With an MC.

Signed,







.............................................
SIGNIUS
Honorary Slacker

What's with guys and games

Haha..I'll leave it to you to figure it out on your own. Seems that most of the guys I know are hooked on games. Not the emotional or Jedi mind games thingy. Ok, maybe Jedi mindgames. Haha..since that feature is part of the Star Wars PC and platform games franchise. Lol

Anyway, here's something out to Dodo. Congratulations on finishing FF7 in under a week! Haha. You're really a game god. Lolz. I havn't even finished the game after a whole MONTH! Haha. And how was the Golden Saucer date? Did you take Tifa or Aerith?

Well..seems like Nobuo Uematsu did this composition JUST for you. "Birth of a God" Haha..it's the track just before the One-Winged Angel comes on. =p

PS. Please please please teach me how to get to Golden Chocobu! The only thing I seem to be doing is to break PRC's one-baby rule (actually seems like most of the PRC guys ARE breaking that rule..you see, when a PRC guy gets married, he gets married to a babe, and after doing you know what, 9 months later he gets another baby~) and fulfilling Singapore's aim to have 2.3 kids per household. *faints* Lousy green and blue and every other colour except gold keep popping up. Haha..was releasing them so often I think the Chocobu farm could be renamed as an animal shelter without adequate family planning.

Sigh~

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Computer jokes..

The computer is personal again! [or at least according to an ad] Hopefully these jokes are not too personal then..haha..

Software development cycle
More computer jokes

Man, I'm so bo liao. Better zzz now. Jogging tomorrow. I hope. Haha..

Beef Noodles

Argh! How to make beef noodles? Not those soupy ones you find in Singapore. [No offense..but I really prefer the one back at Pasar Besar]

Lousy recipes online taste totally different =(

Man..can't even find a picture of the kuan low beef noodles.

Maybe I should get a job..at any of the beef noodle stalls. Haha..could get a sneak peek at the family recipe! Don't worry I won't use it for revenue purposes. Haha..Just for self-consumption or for family and friends *wink* you guys know what to do if you want to be served some authentic kuan low beef noodles! could even adapt it to be chicken noodles for those who abstain from beef *wink wink*

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Thank God

Just another random post that is actually not-so-random.
Kind of like that time when somebody said, "I'm secretly not gay."
Or something.
Haha.
Just want to thank God.
What for?
Haha..full exhaustive list would be just like the name implies. Exhaustive. Haha.
So here's a short one.
Thank God for
~ closing my doors. Usually only gentlemen would do that. Not does it show good manners, it also directs the person who just went through that particular door to the only door left opening. Kind of makes things easier on the mind. No more of that o.0-oh-my-goodness-this-is-a-real-dilemma-i'm-getting-hysterical-and-confused-which-option-shuould-i-choose situations.
~ allowing certain key events to occur. Helps to make life interesting since we can always look back on those events became key events in our lives. Not to mention showing us who are our true friends.
~ working in mysterious ways. Allows me to feel the suspense lacking in most new horror shows, notably the scary movies.
~ hindsight. Without this biased judge we wouldn't understand the mysterious ways of God that has already occured.
~ gratitude. Without which we would not appreciate the good things God has done for us, or to act upon the results of our hindsight.
~ a loving family. Who are my earthly pillars of support, giving me guidance and strength. Not to mention discipline. Haha..
~ super powers, simply called "a tolerable memory". [Hey, don't blame me! All the superheroes of the past took the cool names. Like Laser eyesight, anti-gravity etc etc] With this super power, I am now a super hero! Lol..watch me activate it..
and hey presto!
I can remember my good friends, the people God placed in my life to make it a better one, people who understand and care for me! Haha..Now that I remember my good friends, I need to..uh, I..need..to..need..Where was I?
~ good friends. OHYES, I wanted to thank God for good friends. =) Hmm, seems like I got to learn how to control my super power. Hehe..Thank God for good friends who are there for me.
~ conscience. Which is telling me to stop now and go back to study. Haha. Gotta obey it!

So, those are just part of the things I'm thankful for. For a complete list, please consult www.signius'sbrain.com

That's all folks.

Cheers!

Happy Birthday! to a person and a country

This is a birthday greeting to my friend Devil May Cry & God May Laugh at d person who is truly innocent! Haha..what a long name=) Well, hopefully the devil cries because you are so good and godly that God will laugh for having such a good person.
Whatever.
Haha..
Anyway, God bless dude. Don't get too thin, or not sticks and stones WILL really break your bones. =P Take care, hope to see you when you come back!

PS. Don't go holing yourself up in your house the whole time like the last time you came back. Haha..I'll drag MMMC hardgay over to your place if you do so..haha..

Happy Birthday!

Oh yes..another thing. Happy Birthday Singapore! Haha..to all my Singaporean friends..happy National Day. If you can't find a reason to be happy, then at least be happy for this - it's a public holiday! Whee! =)

If you're still down, then check out these links. A warning beforehand though. These are meant for your personal enjoyment for enjoyment's sake, and the ideas and comments contained in the articles/pictures/whatever in these links do not necessarily conform to my opinions. So there.
Singapore National Bird!
True Singaporeans?
Sing-a-song
Uniquely Singaporean
Forgotten Moments in History
Lessons Learnt

Post Modern Man

It is said that Adam, the first man on Earth, roamed the Garden of Eden in search of food. Vegetables, fruits and what not.
Then came The Fall.
After which, Man became hunter-gatherers. Foragers of the woods, seeking out edible flora, while stalking and killing animals.
Then came new technology. In place of the spear came the hoe. In place of blow-darts, came ninjas with blow darts. Ok, maybe not. Haha..

Anyway, Man eventually settled down and stopped becoming nomads. Their primary source of food now came from the fruits of their labor, some literally (take fruits for example), while others were not (like the domesticated animals). The farmers appeared.
As the world aged, different people took up different and specialised niches. Some remained as farmers, but specialised into fields like Pig-rearing Specialist, while others took up jobs like Otolaryngology Specialist. (The second is an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist btw) Modern Man had taken over the role of the Outdated Man and the This-is-so-yesterday Man, subsequently resulting in the elimination of their related fields, like Saturday Night Fever disco dancing and Popular Large Afro Hairdos.

However, Man is never static. This dynamic nature of Man resulted in him following the flow, changing as the times changed. In this modern era, the Post Modern Man has appeared, bringing along radical changes. The concept of Retro is invented, and relics of the Outdated Man have been discovered and accorded a place in the Hall Of Fashion. Sexual equality has been raised time again, where women demand an ever greater share of the work force pie (together with its stress and burdens) and men demand to be allowed to be House Husbands.
The species of Man long gone would recoil at the idea that the Working Wife has taken over as the main breadwinner of the family, and the House Husband does marketing! Indeed, if they were undead they would be curling and rolling about in their graves had they but get a whiff of this news.

Btw, since "un-" means "not", would that make an undead somebody/something that is not dead? If that is so, would it/he/she be alive then? Since most things have their equals and opposites, would that also mean that there are unalives?
Ignore that. Just being lame~

PS. What could the guy working in Jusco have to laugh about when he saw me buying fish?! Has he never heard of the post-modern man before? Mental note to self: Set lose an army of unalives on the poor hapless modern man in Jusco who does not recognise the product of evolution.

Markets!

Whoa..I'm really going to turn out as a house-husband..Haha..what with the cooking lessons..can't believe it, I'm going marketing soon. Lol..









Ok, maybe not this market..This should be more like it









Hey, I gotta start somewhere! Haha..even if it's jusco..
On the upside, I'll get some much-needed living skills experience=) Don't think there'll be many Pasar Besar type of markets where I'm going..
Chicken-fish-veg, here I come!

Oh yes, just in case you misunderstood. I'm not into marketing, ie sales etc. I'm into marketing, ie buying foodstuffs. Lol

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Plato, not Pluto!

Plato.
Rhymes with Jell-O. A bit. Slightly. Maybe.
Philosopher.
Dialoguer. (Is there such a word? Probably not..)

pla·ton·ic
Pronunciation: pl&-'tä-nik, plA-
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin platonicus, from Greek platOnikos, from PlatOn Plato
1 capitalized : of, relating to, or characteristic of Plato or Platonism
2 a : relating to or based on platonic love; also : experiencing or professing platonic love b : of, relating to, or being a relationship marked by the absence of romance or sex
Courtesy of Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Reminds me of this movie I once watched. Ok, a patient and open mind is required here. Some scenes which I will gloss over will be disturbing to some, and at the same time be read by some disturbing people. By reading from this point onward you promise to think clearly and neutrally, without giving rubbish comments. You've had your warning! Haha..

This is a movie called Platonic Sex. Hey, hey. Remember the warning! Ok, the title is kinda tintillating. But! Many, if not most, of the Chinese and Korean movie titles have interesting (actually, more of disparate) English translations. Anyway, this is a sob story (aren't most Korean films these days like this?). It revolves around this girl who is forced/tricked into being a porn star. Don't quite remember the details. However, after a few (popular) films, she meets this nice guy, who loves her for who she is, not for her sex appeal or whatever. Quite the gentleman. Who, incidentally, doesn't know about her shady job. Over time, she starts to feel guilty about her past and decides to stop being involved in such productions because she felt like it was a betrayal to the guy. Which, to me, is a good thing. Nevertheless, like most Koreans scripts, this ends with a tragedy, and a new lease of hope for the other person.

I guess why it's titled as Platonic Sex is because of the story line (duh!) and maybe because of the phrase platonic love. Or like N says, platonic friendship. Basically it means a relationship that does not involve sex. This kind of shows in the way the guy treats the girl in the movie. The platonic sex part would be her productions, I guess. Could be construed as the opposite of platonic love. She's having recorded sex that does not involve elements of a healthy friendship. Total opposite of platonic love.

Ah, rats..going into movie buff mode. Haha..Well, a better choice of movie would be A Moment to Remember. Also another movie from my Hall of Love and Loss. But without the over-18 issues that are raised in the other movie. Cathay is now screening it in Malaysia if you're interested.

Haha..didn't think that a comment would lead to such a long post! Ok, that's it now. Gotta get me some shut-eye. Having some mild headaches stretching from the right parietal to the right occipital. Must be the Sandman catching up with me, demanding I repay some sleep debts. Or is it the other Sandman? Haha..Nitezz y'all!

Sarah Brightman

Man, that is one good singer. Or maybe her song selections are good. =)
Nevertheless, her vocals are superb. Way better than mine. Haha..maybe that's why she's raking the $ while I'm spending $
Ah, scarborough fair..what memories it brings back..
And the song Only an Ocean Away. Wow, resonates with me right now. Ok, maybe not 100% of the lyrics. But still, the title itself..Many people are just an ocean away. Maybe it's relative. Just.
For now, I'll just have to listen to another song. La Mer. It's La Mer, not Lamer! Haha..
~Lame~

Monday, August 07, 2006

Friends

No, this is totally unrelated to the popular series Friends. Rather, this is just something that popped up recently in one of my conversations. A question that is much deeper and complex than it looks at the first glance. However, this is hardly surprising. Most questions of this world and matters relating to it are usually so. Colored in shades of grey. It is indeed very rare to find absolute rights and wrongs, if ever. A whole spectrum of grey spanning from one end of white to the other end of black is ever-present, covering us like a cloak that obscures our vision, that clouds our ability to make a decision. Not to mention, there's also the point about not being omniscient.

"We see in part, and thus the mirror...is darkened"
Seer spirit, The Dark Tower series

Anyway, back to the question in question. Haha..

"Does true friendship exist?"

At first glance this might seem like a no-brainer. Of course!would be the resounding answer most people will give. Ok, this excludes people who have been hurt very badly in relationships before. Nevertheless, it does exist! However, what was really being asked here? What was really on her mind was this:

"Is it possible for true friendship between people of the opposite sexes to exist? If yes, what makes it different from a BGR? If not, will such a relationship turn out to transform into a BGR?"

Haha, I can just about think about the reaction going through your head at this moment. Man, not another of this kind of posts again?! For those who think of it this way, lol..There's nothing I can do now. It's just a question that sticks in my head for now, one that is pertinent. If you don't like this, please feel free to come back another day. There'll be plenty of other types of posts then=P

So, does it exist?

I really don't know anymore. There are actually scores of people that I know, and know of, who actually have true friends from the opposite sex but who are not involved in a romantic relationship with each other. However, it doesn't help that most of those people are from the previous generation. Haha..and not forgetting that many young ones these days treat the person of their dreams especially well, notably during the "chasing after that person" stage.

Hmm, then again, I think it does exist. A few personal friends have shown me that. People who are there for you, who care for you. People who you can be quiet with. People with whom you can talk about every conceivable topic under the sun. People who listen to your lame jokes and find them amusing. Haha..a group of people who are truly turning out to be a rare species nowadays. I can't say that BGR will not evolve out of such relationships, nor can I say the opposite. Nevertheless, I can be sure of this - that true friends are precious and hard to find. Be grateful for them and appreciate them.

And even if it starts to turn into a BGR, isn't that good? Your significant other will not just be just your best friend, he/she'll be your best true friend. Haha, what more can you ask for in the person of your dreams? =P

Well, in typical signius-y, undecided, unsure mode, I dunno-lah. Haha..despite what the pastor said about Que Sera Sera, I feel that what will be will be. No matter what happens, there are true friends from both sexes. And whether any of those relationships will take a further step and turn into something else is of no consequence. After all, those friends are there for you, through thick and thin. I'm happy being contented with that. If there's more to come, it's just fine by me. Bring the blessings on! =)

Happy Birthday!

Here's a happy birthday to you vege! =)
Too bad my sms can't seem to get through..oh well..

May God guide and lead you on, and may you find strength and direction from God.
God bless!
Take care=P

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Stress

Haha..here's a relatively old topic here..Stress
How, exactly, do you cope with stress?
No prizes or anything for those who get the right answer, since there's really no absolute right answer =P

Nevertheless, I'm interested..how exactly do people cope with stress? Successfully, I mean..not that interested in methods that ultimately result in what the chinese would term as 怒发冲冠. Roughly translated as so angry that when rage erupts, it just rushes through the scalp. Ok, that's a literal translation..haha..It's more like extreme rage. Blowing your top. Gone cuckoo. Take your pick. [Incidently, if you can't read the chinese text, please click View -> Character encoding -> Unicode (UTF - 8). For Internet Explorer users, please click View -> Encoding -> Unicode (UTF - 8), read the blog, then click on the Firefox ad on the right panel to get an entirely FREE copy of Mozilla Firefox. It's a super nice browser to use, not to mention being so much more safer than IE. Yes, I do get paid a fraction of a cent for each user that installs Firefox, but that's really peanuts. I do this only because I believe in Firefox more than IE. So there]

Anyway, comments are welcome. Only things I can think of are such:
Know that you are stressed. 知自知比,百战百胜. Know thyself, or rather, know what's bugging you. Haha..
Identify the source of stress. This is critical. Really. The key to tackling any problem is to tackle the root of the problem. Simple application of the principle of cause and effect. Remove the cause and you remove the effect, in this case it happens to be stress. And this action will result in a reaction, which is removal of stress for you.
Brainstorm ideas to either a) Remove the source, or b) modify your actions or the source so that there is less of an effect on you, or in a worst-case scenario c) remove yourself from that environment that generates such an unbearable amount of stress.
Then take the most appropriate action.
However, just coping with stress this way is quite one-minded and not very effective in the long run, I think. Like the emerging branch of preventive medicine, there should be preventive steps taken to avoid such situations from arising in the future. Or, at the least, minimize its effects. Like the speaker from No Apologies said, the best way to solve a problem is to NOT get into the situation in the first place=) Anyway, back to the issue, one should be prepared for stressful situations. Like the patients who are told by doctors what to expect will report less pain after the procedure, those who are prepared for stressful situations should be less prone to its ill-effects.
Anyway, that's what I think. Can't verify the usefulness of all those methods though-_-"
So that's where you, the reader, comes in. Comment and leave your thoughts. Maybe something you post here will shed new light on better stress management techniques. =)
Ok, time to go and re-enter stressful times. After all, a little of healthy stress keeps us fit, in an ironic and paradoxical way.

Broken things..

Things are broken everyday..ranging from hilarious ones to the more sombre ones..
Like hearts..
Or specs..
A certain MMMC hardgay told me this story..might tickle somebody's funny bone..depending on who you are, that is=P
Somebody's father called him, and in his filial haste to get another episode of fatherly advice and companionship, he accidentally pushed his spectacles off the bed. You see, he was asleep when the call came through, and when he registered what happened, the lens was already broken into 2. The only funny thing about this is that it should be quite impossible to break the lens just by having the specs drop from the bed to the floor. And that wasn't even funny. Poor fella, hope it can be repaired ASAP..exams start in 5 days! Man, if I were in that position it would totally suck..looming exams and can't study?! Haha..thank God for backups..
Which he forgot to bring back to MMMC after visiting Malaysia.
Man..
It could break somebody's heart.

Oh well, time to sleep. Can't really help that fella anymore.

"Unbreak my heart!"

Friday, August 04, 2006

God is good! Everybody say..

All the time! =)
Whoo! My bro passed his piano! Haha..that's really something, considering he didn't practice much..haha..Thank God for that! A real miracle..hehe..

And yes, the whole family passed..at least for those applicable..

Thank God!

zzz

Wow, it has been really long since I've done this. Stayed up the whole night! Haha..it's like 6 something in the morning. Will sleep real soon, after printing is done. Remember the only other times I did such a thing was when we stayed over at JT's house for those mahjong all-nighters (no $ involved, don't worry), or when I went for Scouts camps, or..or..maybe next to never! Haha..ok, there was this once when I was still small..stayed up the whole night watching movies with dad..Still wonder how we could stomach those RTM shows..haha..then again, I was small, RTM selections were slightly better than now (none of the current rerun types)
Man..memories..
Ok, printings are done. Time to hit the sack!

"Persevere, a miracle!"

In the novel Catch-22 (A superb story, but that's a story for another day), the Chaplain exclaims that human perseverance is a miracle unto itself. Well, that might be the case, for in one night (yes, ONE NIGHT!) me and my mum rushed through a whole 17 pages of assignment! Yeah, bring it on! Haha..not bad considering I did the first 2 pages in like, I dunno, a few days? Haha.."desperation lends me strength"..lol

Now I'm here all alone editing the last few portions of the 19-paged essay. Mum's in bed already (it just won't do for her to fall sick, especially since she's going on a one week course tomorrow). Yea, so here I am.

After this, final touches on the powerpoint. Then it's uber hibernation for me.

Sorry N, looks like I might not make it to CG=( I'll take care of the refreshments though, don't you worry about that.

I'm going to finish this, if it's the last thing I do before I sleep! No sense bumming around..at last here's something I can do to ease their burden. Thanks ma, thanks pa!


Sleep deprived..disorientation, partial amnesia, lethargy..don't mind me if I stop making sense..or if I'm making cents..sigh~

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Once thin, always thin?

All the best to MMMC hardgay! I wish you all the best in your dieting. You really looked good last time when you came back=) Btw, nice hairstyle!

If you ever want to start a diet again, please bear in mind a few things. I believe that reducing on food intake is usually not sufficient to ensure long-term weight loss. With less food intake, the body goes into starvation mode, thinking that a "famine" is coming along soon, and so takes measures to prepare itself. For example, it uses less energy by reducing the metabolism rate so that more energy stores (read: energy stores = fat) can be prepared within the body. Also, it uses fat more efficiently, so that fats are burned less quickly. You get the idea.

Cut down on food if you must, it's ok to do so. Nevertheless, don't cut down too much, especially the proteins since if you do that, the body will breakdown your proteins to compensate for the lack of energy intake. Meaning, you will lose muscle mass, which is definitely a big no-no as muscles help you to burn fat! I read about the specific maximum reduction in food intake that you should do, but don't quite remember it. I think maybe it's around 20%? Not too sure..Cut down on oily foodstuffs if you want, the more the merrier=)

For carbs, change your diet so that it comes from food with low GI. Fruits and vegetables are such sources. Low GI means that the carbs will only be slowly digested, thus it doesn't cause a spike in blood glucose, leading to less fat being formed and stored in the body. Plus, it helps to reduce your risk of diabetes=) However, there is another concept involved too. That's glycemic load. It is the product of GI and the amount of that particular food that you eat. What this tells you is how much the food affects your blood sugar. For example, although watermelon has a real GI (around 70 with 100 being the max), it has very little carbo content (fibres are NOT considered as we cannot breakdown and absorb these). So, it's glycemic load (GL) is lower than what you would expect. This means that eating watermelon might give you a small spike in blood sugar levels, but will not result in a lot of fat formation.

So, that's about all about the diet part. Go exercise. Your campus should be fairly big. Keep the bike once in a while and go jogging! Or if you trust the water supply to be free of those pesky HepA virii go get a swim=) And make sure after exercise you don't eat more food than usual (grab some vege or fruits if you're still hungry) and that you don't feel muscular aches the next day. That's a sign of going over the limit. A good workout for now would be the stamina type, where you can harden/tone your muscles without building too much of a bulk. This helps to make you look better and increases your metabolism rate to burn more fat. Then again, if you like some resistance training to build up muscle mass, go ahead! Personally I don't do that too much to prevent flabby muscles later on when I get lazy=) Just make sure you stick to 70% of maximum weight that you can lift to prevent muscle injury. (That's for resistance..stamina training involves jogging or light weight-lifting that's around 40% max weight but for more reps)

All in all, hope you stick to whatever plan you have in mind. Don't want that ping-pong effect coming back at you. (That's where people go on crash diets or totally abstain from food, resulting in drastic weight loss which cannot be maintained. The weight goes back up, and usually even higher than before, when the diet is ended. Successive rounds of such diets result in less weight loss in every successive bout of dieting, and in the end the nett body weight goes up, not down.)

PS. All the best in your exams. Hope to see you again later this year. Don't paiseh stay over my place. Though I think most of them will still be in uni..then it'll be a bit boring here..Maybe we can go visit them? =)

Lousy Nerd..

I am nerdier than 67% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Gratitude..

Here's my show of gratitude..

THANKS Nah! You're really a good friend=)
Paisei ask you to help again and again..

All the best for your test this Fri!

God takes care of His children

Congrats Nocturnal on getting band 5! This is so pro! Haha..
God really is faithful, sticking around and helping us in times of trouble. Thank you Lord!

Argh!

I'm old. Super old. This is me..
Yeah, I'm sooooo old. In fact, maybe I'm having alzheimers. I don't mean too be ageist or anything, k? Just trying to put a funny spin on a great big blunder. (Hey, Alzheimer's is a condition that has age listed as a risk.)

Anyway, this is silly. I was supposed to collect my A level cert from Jenny on College Day. Before 5pm. And I totally forgot! My my..didn't even realise it until today. I did remember faintly that there was something else to do at the college, but..yeah, but..

*Flush*
Whoops, what was that sound? Ah, that must be my memory, going down the drain like so much refuse..Rats..

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Evil Dead!

The ultimate experience in grueling terror!

Haha..that's what the director (Sam Raimi) writes at the end of each part of this trilogy. It's basically a 80s horror show, where people who go to a deserted mountain shack find a recording and play it. It basically is the logs of a scientist who found a book, or rather, the Book of the Dead. The scientist has just decoded the book and records the words that are written, inadvertantly opening the gateway for demons to this world where they can torture and possess humans. After possession the human's soul is theirs to keep, and the animated dead body will then try to attack other humans and take over them too until the whole world is possessed or the body is totally destroyed.
The 3rd part is, however, slightly different. The Book of the Dead mentions of a Hero from the Sky who, in the year circa 1300 AD, leads the world to victory against the dead. The 3rd and last part in this trilogy basically is the cronicles of this hero, who turns out to be quite the familiar fellow.
Unsurprisingly, this whole trilogy is quite old and is seriously cheesy, even by the 80s standard. Haha..nevertheless, the last part was shown on Astro some time ago and was quite hilarious. That hooked me and here I am with the whole trilogy. However, the first two parts really cannot make it lah. Instead of being frightened I was actually laughing my head off. Lol..or rather, LMHO.
Actually, it's not that bad. It's after all a B-movie. However, the director/writer is quite good, having produced the first installment at a tender age of 21!
Well, if you want a good laugh, I recommend the 3rd part. It's still the best of all 3 installments! On a sidenote, just sit back and relax. This is meant to be a comedy more than a horror show, unlike the first 2.
Hopefully Astro screens it again. =)
What sia, lame sia~

Hmm..

So this is what it is like to wait..to be the party that gets left behind..
Finally understand what Niffenegger wrote in The Time Traveller's Wife when she said that waiting is the hardest thing to do. At least it's easier now since this is not like the wife, who awaits but doesn't know when her husband will be back. At least I know when they all can come back, when we can meet. That, at least is consolation enough.
*Note to self: Remember to tell wife when I'm coming back in the future. And endeavour to minimise such absent times. Mrs Choo is right, being a doc's wife is really difficult. Gotta do my best to show my appreciation to THE ONE, whoever she is. And of course, I gotta find THE ONE first before that can be done. Haha..*

"Wait, and hope"
Edmund Dante