Caricatures of the Carnicus

The Nxis of Truth

2010-11-25T13:12:00.002+08:00

I've decided to start afresh.

So I've moved ahead to wordpress, because it is so much more customizable, and I like the GUI better. :D

http://nxis.wordpress.com

Dante out.
P.S. Now, I'm Nxis.

Don't fix something if it ain't broke!

2010-11-10T00:11:00.003+08:00

I've been reading countless articles on Singapore's political scene, having a very much muted opposition. Now that I think of it, I really do not see anything wrong with it.

One of the main reasons why we are so successful today is because the PAP does have too many obstacles, in the form of opposition, to hinder its eventual implementation of its master plan for Singapore. The way politics in Singapore is engineered, PAP is somehow conferred powers of an authoritarian regime while having an undisputed majority supporting it because we TRUST our government. Without much of the obstacles other democratic governments have to face, it would be very easy for the PAP to implement policies very quickly and efficiently. It works well.

However, there are dangers associated with such pseudo-authoritarian power. Having such great ease in policy implementation can work for you, or work against you, much like how in economics, the large multiplier allows an economy to expand rapidly during a boom, but works against an economy during a recession as the rate of contraction is equally rapid. ie. If it is a good authoritarian government, we improve at a very rapid rate; but if it is bad, it is also very easy for the country to fail. We are lucky that Singapore has a generally incorruptible government with a system of check and balances that, though there might be certain points of contention, works; and will ensure continuity of an incorruptible environment. Hence I do not see that we are in much of a danger of failure, at least for now.

Although, we all must admit that there must be an eventual shift to increase the amount of opposition in the nation to ensure that our future government does not get too over its head; especially because we do not truly know how long this incorruptibility can last. However, there is no need for a radical shift from the status quo. We need slow, steady shifts, much like what we have now, and slowly increase the number of opposition seats in parliament. Slow enough, that everyone understands the degree of responsibility that is associated with this greater "freedom" and "choice" - we need time to nurture the evolution of our social compact (Yes! I finally found that word. Bloody hell, it took me 2 years to find out the term associated with this..) into a desirable form.

This is actually in line with what we all can observe - the number of opposition seats are slowly being increased, and more written works that act as the "balance to the Lee-centred focus that has dominated both Singapore's academic historiography and its popular mythology" are being allowed. The government indeed has foresight to recognize this, and we are actually in a transition phase into a new system, even though we may not seem to be aware of it - which is what makes it so successful.

Just a casual observation:
In order for a political system to experience a rapid radical change, there must be strife and conflict to force disorder upon the country such that people lose trust in the government in power, and we must make sure that the new system can bring the country back to stability. Most of the time, people inadvertently miss the part where the new system is supposed to bring the country back to stability, and in the end just cause dissension without helping the country much - or rather, take a very long time to finally bring it back to stability. This is what the Singapore government fears - having a radical change without a quick route stability - which is also what we don't want. Instead, the government is opting for stability associated with slow, gradual change. This way, we will actually have a faster route to having a stable new system.

Right now, most of what we have here works. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Dante out.

RIP birds stuck in the birdshop

2010-11-08T23:58:00.005+08:00

Photo source: Me

Location: Birdshop behind bus stop opposite TKGS
Dante out.

Playing Devil's Advocate to Win

2010-10-28T18:01:00.001+08:00

Hahaha.

Yes, from the evidence, it looks pretty likely to me that we're causing the global warming on a horrific scale. But with science, you don't need to argue. It doesn't matter who wins the debate - it's about reality. By just waiting a little bit longer, we'll get to SEE who's right. It feels unethical, but I find myself wanting to keep quiet about the science just to know for sure. As terrible as it sounds, the state of the world isn't really my responsibility. I'm just thrilled to get to watch. If scientists are right - and if we keep people from understanding just a little longer - we'll get to enjoy quite a ride. And pragmatically, on the outside chance that they're wrong, I get saved of the embarrassment of having spoken up. :)

-xkcd.com

Dante out.

All that glitters is not gold, but all that is gold does not glitter either

2010-10-27T20:57:00.004+08:00

We the sons and daughters of men are supposed to hold a vastly greater importance intrinsically than we see ourselves do in this world of superficiality. We are more than finished products of this idiocy of an education system. Actually, there is no problem with the education system - we are "WORLD-CLASS" - but the people, and related persons who partake in it.

I hate the fact that we are just so damned obsessed with branding ourselves with a clean slate of 'A's; so much so that education is starting to look like a demerit good instead of a merit good. I don't believe that anyone doesn't recognize the value of education anymore; the problem now is that people are placing too much value in education - rather the fake portion of it.

Tuition fees are obscene, reflective of the ever increasing demand for tuition, or the fact that parents are hard-pressed to send their children for tuition because they "have no choice". (Tch. Rather, they don't trust their children's ability enough.) But this is not merely a transfer of wealth from parents to tutors, this insane pressure from parents creates unnecessary stress for children, who have their childhood sucked out of them for the sake of better grades. More of us pupils are being taken to the Institute of Mental Health during examination periods; our teachers are also become increasingly stressed; our myopia rates are among the top in the world... There are many externalities associated with such transactions.

Education has lost its meaning and significance, and most of the time, there is no room for creative thinking, no feeling, no passion, no anger, no anguish, no heart. We cram formulae that we would mostly find useless later on in life, and even GP becomes mechanical. Who says you can't mug for GP? They look for the same points, same structure, same style, same interpretations, same everything. You will only get burnt trying to wander off the same path, as did I. Whoever said you can't mug for GP just isn't trying.

We are machines operating over full capacity. Over-stretched, over-stressed, over-exploited, most of us students get so fucking caught up with droning along the production line that is the education system just so that we can stick our high foreheads out to hopefully get labelled by some old Englishmen(educated and qualified, nonetheless) half a globe away with a triple 'A' rating. Our character, our passions, even ourselves become secondary, overshadowed by the artificial importance of grades. Grades become our identity, and soon we succumb to the sad truth that we are merely products with various ratings. Is that really where our importance ultimately lies?

The way we are being labelled isn't that bad. The mother of our labels is the bell curve, the nefarious statistical tool that has the ability to decide a person's future. No matter how hard everyone tries, there will inevitably be people at the top scoring their A's, while there will always be people who, without fail, fail with an F/U grade. Even if you managed to score at least 70% in the exam, you're still going to get F/U if you are the last of the cohort

Most of us drive the nail into our heads just because every one else is doing it; if we don't, we'll only get hammered by others. Unfortunately, unlike the "AAA" slices of CDOs which were insured with Credit Default Swaps should they fail, we aren't; but even those failed too. There is just not enough room for failure, only success. So much so that there is no room for anything else: No room to be creative; no room to be compassionate; no room to care about climate change; no room to express ourselves freely. Worst of all, there is no room to be ourselves - we sad, sad generation of people. We are, after all, only human; but there's no room even to be human.

Besides, how much do we really learn from CIP - the quintessential segment of our testimonials that we decorate so blatantly with - anyway? Though there are people who truly care, how many of us actually do? Like I said, in our education system, there is no room to be compassionate simply because there isn't enough time. CIP is merely a necessary task to undertake so that we can boost our artificial identities enclosed within those portfolios. The stages where we develop compassion for others, or even a passion for anything we want to do are supposed to be in our teenage years. Sadly, most of us spend so much of our teenage years mugging so much that our EQ suffers, with no general opinion, no ambition, no life; until we devolve into a rude bunch of dull fucktards that people complain about ever so often.

Well, look at it this way:

What started off as a million dollar website for Singaporeans to be a web version of The Straits Times has turned into this GOSSIPY and LOW BROW site mostly having people snap shots of unknowing citizens participating in various disgraceful activities. Like eating on the MRT or leaning on the MRT pole. Or bad parking. Or students kissing. Stupid shit like that. -Xiaxue

STomp.com is a reflection of us trying to act all civilised to correct social "ills" which aren't ills most of the time, act intelligent and be know-it-alls who constantly troll the naysayers. Civilised? More like uncivilised bickering. I need not quote more evidence to show that we are, who we are... But hey, isn't that an identity in itself too? -.-

However, despite whatever I've said, getting to the top in the education system is still the fastest ticket up the ladder of society to get the best job that we can. If we don't follow the easiest path, we had better be damned sure about the alternative, and be pretty damned hard working at it, or we'll end up screwing yourself upside down.

Still, it is tragedy if we perceived that all there is to education as a way to get better jobs. Ultimately, getting to the top in the education system isn't everything, what matters most is the knowledge that we gained, the joy we are supposed to have while acquiring all these knowledge, instead of memorizing stuff and not learn its applications in life. Speaking of life, get one now, before it's too late.

Acknowledgements to Adeeb, friend of a friend who gave me inspiration to write this; Leong Ching from the Business Times writing about the "Edvantage". And even this, I am doing for the sake of gathering content for GP... -.-

Dante out.

P.S.
I quite like this poem. Even though it was written in a fictional context, referring to Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings, I find it quite applicable to us. :D

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king
- J.R.R. Tolkien, in his novel, Lord of The Rings

Behind the Scenes of Ivan and Jingmin's Wedding

2010-10-24T11:01:00.015+08:00

Ivan and Jingmin's wedding - finally, they are married.

It has been quite a while since I last touched my camera for and event such as this, yet the camera still feels natural to me. It has probably become an extension of myself where the camera and I are one, just as how Samurais and their swords are as one. O.o heh.

Anyway, since they hired an official photographer for the event, I figured that I try to complement his photos with other shots, using unconventional angles, 'behind the scenes' coverage, etc. Mainly, editorial based.

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It all started on the early hours of the Saturday, 23 Oct 2010, 6am. Everyone who wished to attend, all the 'jie mei's, and especially the bride, were getting ready for the groom's arrival.

Gown, check; Makeup artist, check; Photographer, check; Videographer, check... Well, mainly it was the bride that was getting ready, because she was the star of the show. So everyone decided to gather outside her room to watch her transform into that princess.

Everything was ready, and everyone was eagerly waiting for the veiling of the bride.

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Fast Forward
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Groom arrives in a luxury car, complete with a driver.

He was basically all-smiles when he first stepped out of the car. And as he approached the gates of the house, his band of 'Xiongdi's were not too far behind him.

As the groom approached the gates, he was met with obstacles - a series of tasks that he, and his 'Xiongdi's has to complete before being allowed to pass through to reach the bride. but he also had to give red packets before receiving every task to perform. But basically, he sang, danced, did push-ups, limbo..... oh you get the point. It was supposed to 'torture' the groom, so that it shows how sincere he is, and how far he is willing to go in order to get to his bride.

And then came the final obstacle - singing his love out to the bride.

And when the bride finally approved of his singing, the doors were opened and the bride was brought away to the groom's place for a 'Jingcha' session, where the bride and groom offers tea to the elders as a form of respect, and to ask for their blessings for their marriage.

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Fast forward
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Bride and groom arrives back at the bride's house for a traditional family meal (which I don't know what it's called, if there is a name for it), another 'Jingcha' session, and photo-taking

After that, off we were to the banquet. This is the first time that the ceremony is in the afternoon, together with the lunch. Usually, it would be a dinner, where everything is not as rushed. But I guess this saves a lot of time. Haha.

Alright, I don't think I need to annotate anything from here on out. Except maybe that I think I drank a lot of good white wine just because it was soooo good. At first, I was drinking the wine because I didn't want it to turn warm, which would suck. After my first cup, I decided that it tasted so good that I drank more and more, and the waiters kept filling my glass with more wine, and I drank even more until I lost track of the number of glasses I drank. I think I could have finished 1 bottle myself. O.o Well, I didn't become too drunk, and I didn't have a hangover, whatsoever. And my photos actually turned out okay. Just see the photos.

Oh, oh, and here's me toasting to the bride and groom while taking photos. Not very easy, especially when your camera weighs in at about 4kg and you're basically supporting it with your fingers. Hahaha:

And *surprise*, *surprise*, during the lunch, another of my cousins announced his engagement:

Edward and Vanessa. Well, that is for another day.

This time, the spotlight's on Ivan and Jingmin, and I give my well wishes to them.

Dante out.

We the "Pesky Parasitic Pests"/Students of Singapore, bring business to Starbucks.

2010-10-20T15:06:00.014+08:00

Today, I finally realised that we students in Singapore are like pests. Just as the rats, cockroaches and lizards seek out unlikely places in everyone's home to breed, we students seek out unlikely places in Singapore to mug, (or "study", if anyone doesn't know the slang). Well, at least this applies to this particular period of the year, where both the A levels and O levels are approaching.

Just when I thought that I found the perfect place - with a nice, quiet ambiance, almost Zen because of the general lack of traffic - to mug, the place was crawling with all these other students hording the place when I came back the following day.

I can't help but to draw such a parallel between pests and us Singaporean students. It is really the perfect metaphor, in my opinion.

Also, we are quite the parasites. Just like how fleas are difficult to get rid of - and even when we finally do, they just keep coming back; we students are quite reluctant to leave a place once we've settled down, and we just keep coming back too. Even if the employees try to chase us away, or get us to consolidate our tables, more of us just keep coming and eventually overrun the place. If we are banned from the place, we simply find another "mugging ground" like how fleas just hop onto another animal to find new breeding grounds. To the employees, it is like pushing against a wall of water.

Speaking of which, the airport is now overrun with students. It's like a classic zombie horde scene such as in Dead Rising, where high density areas get overrun with zombies. But oh, whatever the case, this calls for me to find an alternative place to mug.

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We pesky parasitic pests of Singapore get our fair share of student-icides sprayed into our face, but nevertheless, we bring business to the places that would otherwise have a generally low traffic, even though we hog up the spare capacity of the areas.

Case in point, Coffee Bean vs Starbucks Coffee. It used to be the case where Coffee bean had been utilizing "student-icides" in practically all of their chains around Singapore - i.e. "No Studying" signs placed on every table and on the counter. On the other hand, Starbucks had been more open to such "parasitic" customers, even explicitly placing a "Happy Studying" signboard at their counters. It was also nice for them to inform people when are the peak hours of their business so as to give an idea when we students should consolidate our stuff together to continue studying; or just leave when the crowds really get too unmanageable without angry customers.

The problem with Coffee Bean is that although they free up tables for more customers to arrive, they end up losing the bulk of their customers, which are students. Of course, I must clarify once more that I'm only referring to the generally more remote chains in Singapore. In the end, Starbucks seems to be more crowded than Coffee Bean all the time.

Traditionally, most consumers in Singapore follow a "herd" mentality where if one sees a long queue outside a hawker store - or any store, for that matter - he/she will naturally think that the store is selling good stuff - especially food. Since we generally have no opinion (which partly explains why Singapore is such an anomaly in the political sense), the effect of us following whatever the rest of the "herd" is doing is amplified in Singapore; when applied to the situation of seeing Starbucks being more crowded than Coffee Bean, we would think that Coffee Bean sucks, and Starbucks is the shizzzz. Naturally, crowded eateries and restaurants attract more customers, while business becomes extremely slow in Coffee bean.

Only recently do I see Coffee Bean slowly retracting their bans on students, but the damage to their reputation has been done, and there is now a larger consumer base following Starbucks. Furthermore, consumer loyalty usually plays a huge part in the F&B business, and people just go back to Starbucks rather than Coffee Bean. In the long run, perhaps Coffee Bean might be able to make a come back. However where students are concerned, there are probably more students loyal to Starbucks, and these students will later on become the bulk of customers for Starbucks rather than Coffee Bean. This will give even more business to all the Starbucks chains in the long run because of customers who were loyal since they were students.

This can also explain why Starbucks recently came up with the Starbucks card. Since coffee bean recently lifted their ban on students and are now open to students, Starbucks has to come up with a new way to capture and retain more customers in order to maintain their market share for the student consumer base.

It's only logical that they come up with a consumer loyalty programme that provides additional benefits for consumers such as "every 13th drink is free", and "free drink on birthdays" in order to compel students to buy more Starbucks to obtain that free drink. This in turn provides a great incentive for students to study at Starbucks more often and reap the potential benefits from consuming more Starbucks. This attracts more students and keep them loyal to Starbucks, essentially offsetting the move by Coffee Bean to open their chains to students who want to study. Then again, Coffee Bean also has a consumer loyalty programme similar to Starbucks - but the damage is already done to Coffee Bean from the initial ban of students.

However, despite all these market tactics, I still think Starbucks coffee tastes more superior to Coffee Bean's. The coffee produced in Coffee Bean seems to me like a glorified cup of "kopitiam" coffee. In my opinion, comparing Starbucks with Coffee Bean is like comparing Coffee Bean and "Kopitiam" (not to be confused with the eatery chains of the same name) coffee. Whatever the case, Coffee Bean is inferior to Starbucks. However, it is not like when my pocket money decreases, I would opt to drink more Coffee Bean than Starbucks - no. They are still considered to be within the same category of goods. If my pocket money decreases, it is more likely that I'd buy more "Kopitiam" coffee instead, since the price of Coffee Bean is not very significantly lower than Starbucks. But hey, it's still inferior in terms of quality in my opinion!

I guess this is just my 2 cents in this Starbucks vs Coffee Bean thing. It's up to you to decide whether you agree with me or not.

Dante out.

These days, "a few" = "about 200"

2010-10-16T01:11:00.005+08:00

Come on man, it's been a long while since I even touched my camera and shot anything. Yet, I find myself still having that photographer's "instinct" in me. Well, I shouldn't call it "instinct", but rather perception.

For example, my idea of "a few" photos ended up being "about 200" photos. It is kinda intriguing how I derived this.

Recently, my school had a Farewell Assembly for the J2s (so that we could have our study break just before the A levels) and I decided beforehand that I was going to take only "a few" photos on that day. So there I went, taking "a few" photos, by taking a "conservative" number of photos based on my gut feeling of what is "a conservative number"...

09S17! (but without Isabel and our 2 beloved CTs)

When I reached home, I didn't check the total photo count, and loaded them up into Adobe Lightroom. I subsequently picked and rejected photos and then edited them accordingly. Finally, when I exported the entire batch of selected photos, the number came up: 215. I thought, "That is a few photos?!"

Yeah... Totally, man.

Actually, I realised that I accidentally exported some of the rejected photos too. Still, when I filtered out the rejected photos, the selected photos still totaled up to about 125 photos. Which is erm... somewhat beyond the far vestiges of the definition of "a few"(And I just realised it's just a shuffle of digits from the previous number. LOL)

I was amazed at how casual it felt while processing the entire batch of photos. In the past, before I started photography as a hobby, I used to think that even taking 50 photos was a lot. However, it was also back then when 20 dollars seemed like a lot for pocket money to me.

A normal number of photos to take is about 800-1000 - which, I know to most people would seem a lot.

Anyway, I'm starting to believe that our perception of absolutes is never static, and always dynamic. It seems like anything, even those encroaching on the absurd, would seem normal to any person after a long while. Humans are such adaptive beings - able to grow accustomed to anything insanely possible even... I guess.

Including anything over the edge. like literally.

Ah whatever.

FOOD PORN

Dante out.

The Mentor and the Protege

2010-10-09T01:09:00.002+08:00

It suddenly dawned upon me that I need a mentor - someone who has a true purpose and direction in life, enough to be able to guide me along the way. I find my interests so varied that I don't really know what I want in life - but then again, which other JC student really does?

I envy Poly students who know what they want and have the guts to commit and pursue what they want in life, hence going in the course of their choice. JC students often
make use of the 2 years in A level as a buffer period to get their priorities ironed out - like myself. Unless, of course, it is those who are dead set on the course that they wish to do, that specifically demands an A level certificate to study. In any case, why am I even pondering over such questions now? I have an even longer buffer during NS to find out what I really want to do - with 4 weeks left, all I have to do is just study. But I'm taking a break now, so whatever.

Apart from the fact that I have less of a career direction than I would like to have, there are just so many questions in life that I need answering.

I must say, though, I am honestly sick and tired of hearing politically correct answers, because after a while, it becomes common sense. I need answers that pierce the heart of the matter - the unadulterated, ugly, brutal truth about reality, not merely beating around the bush with heavy euphemisms. I have had enough about hearing about ideals, and I have a clear idea about what it is that guides our morals and compels us to do good - I already have those kinds of questions answered by God. I need to know what compels us otherwise, amongst other things.

Yes, I know most people just cannot take brutal truths; hence the need for some form of diplomacy - trust me, I have had my fair share of receiving and giving (constructive) criticisms to know what it really means to be diplomatic. However, I cannot stress enough that being diplomatic does not mean resorting to euphemism. (Though there are some instances where euphemism is necessary.)

Sometimes, I see people "sugar-coat" their (constructive) criticisms to the point where I don't see the point of even saying anything. If there is something useful(I must stress 'useful') to criticize, then there really shouldn't be a need to resort to euphemism for the fear of offending the person. That is not to say that we should come across as too assertive, and such. That all boils down to taste. This is the whole reason why satire exists - it allows people to see the hard truth in a rather pleasant fashion without having a bitter taste in one's mouth. This is how people should be diplomatic - being diplomatic does not mean "sugar-coating" one's words, you're not the candy man.

However, I am not referring to criticisms that are meant to get at a particular person - with a form of cynicism, rage, envy and any negative emotions associated with those kinds of criticisms. Those are the kind where we all just have to shut up, because it serves no purpose other than to taunt people - something which we don't usually need these days.

I am certainly not weak-willed, and my skin is thick enough to be able to take the brunt of hard truths that could potentially pierce my soul, and survive. I will defend my position when attacked, but I need someone who is able to obliterate my "defences" and tell me what logical flaws I have, etc. etc. etc... These days, such debates end up as counterattacks on my part, in which the attacker ends up losing (albeit not all the time). I need just that kind of mentor who can withstand that kind of debate, and be so damned good at it that I feel worthy of being subjugated to him/her - which is probably the only time where I really respect someone in an authoritative position, which I am finding increasingly scarce.

Perhaps I felt the sudden urge to have a mentor is because I miss the comfort of being watched by my parents, and being taught by them, every step of the way. I am at a stage where I cannot even ask my parents much of what I need answering because it is beyond their capacity to do so, apparently. Countless times I have asked them difficult questions, and I end up getting unsatisfactory answers. Sometimes, I even answer questions for them, and the role of "mentor" and "protege" between say father and son, has been reversed.

It is as if for all this while, I was being carried by a rocket up to the skies by the drop-away boosters. When I have reached a sufficient height, I drop the boosters, and I'm on my own. Like a young bird, my flight is unstable, but I am flying. I know it will take time for me to grow stronger and stabilize, but right now it seems as though the floor has collapsed on my and I'm in a state of free-fall.

It is so hard to search for one who has that capacity to handle questions with sufficient depth AND have the inclination to do so. There are plenty with that capacity, but most rather stay away from such topics of debate. No mentor.

I probably won't find one anyway. I can only wish, not even hope. I guess i'm on my own.

Dante out.

Could 'Goldilocks' planet be just right for life?

2010-10-08T16:42:00.006+08:00

Ooohhh... potential life-supporting planet. Nice.

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer – Wed Sep 29, 7:19 pm

ET WASHINGTON – Astronomers say they have for the first time spotted a planet beyond our own in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks zone for life:
Not too hot, not too cold. Juuuust right.
Not too far from its star, not too close. So it could contain liquid water. The planet itself is neither too big nor too small for the proper surface, gravity and atmosphere.
It's just right. Just like Earth.

"This really is the first Goldilocks planet," said co-discoverer R. Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
The new planet sits smack in the middle of what astronomers refer to as the habitable zone, unlike any of the nearly 500 other planets astronomers have found outside our solar system. And it is in our galactic neighborhood, suggesting that plenty of Earth-like planets circle other stars.

Finding a planet that could potentially support life is a major step toward answering the timeless question: Are we alone?

Scientists have jumped the gun before on proclaiming that planets outside our solar system were habitable only to have them turn out to be not quite so conducive to life. But this one is so clearly in the right zone that five outside astronomers told The Associated Press it seems to be the real thing.

"This is the first one I'm truly excited about," said Penn State University's Jim Kasting.

He said this planet is a "pretty prime candidate" for harboring life. Life on other planets doesn't mean E.T. Even a simple single-cell bacteria or the equivalent of shower mold would shake perceptions about the uniqueness of life on Earth.

But there are still many unanswered questions about this strange planet. It is about three times the mass of Earth, slightly larger in width and much closer to its star — 14 million miles away versus 93 million. It's so close to its version of the sun that it orbits every 37 days. And it doesn't rotate much, so one side is almost always bright, the other dark.

Temperatures can be as hot as 160 degrees or as frigid as 25 degrees below zero, but in between — in the land of constant sunrise — it would be "shirt- sleeve weather," said co-discoverer Steven Vogt of the University of California at Santa Cruz. It's unknown whether water actually exists on the planet, and what kind of atmosphere it has.

But because conditions are ideal for liquid water, and because there always seems to be life on Earth where there is water, Vogt believes "that chances for life on this planet are 100 percent." The astronomers' findings are being published in Astrophysical Journal and were announced by the National Science Foundation on Wednesday.

The planet circles a star called Gliese 581. It's about 120 trillion miles away, so it would take several generations for a spaceship to get there. It may seem like a long distance, but in the scheme of the vast universe, this planet is "like right in our face, right next door to us," Vogt said in an interview. That close proximity and the way it was found so early in astronomers' search for habitable planets hints to scientists that planets like Earth are probably not that rare.

Vogt and Butler ran some calculations, with giant fudge factors built in, and figured that as much as one out of five to 10 stars in the universe have planets that are Earth-sized and in the habitable zone. With an estimated 200 billion stars in the universe, that means maybe 40 billion planets that have the potential for life, Vogt said.

However, Ohio State University's Scott Gaudi cautioned that is too speculative about how common these planets are. Vogt and Butler used ground-based telescopes to track the star's precise movements over 11 years and watch for wobbles that indicate planets are circling it. The newly discovered planet is actually the sixth found circling Gliese 581.

Two looked promising for habitability for a while, another turned out to be too hot and the fifth is likely too cold. This sixth one bracketed right in the sweet spot in between, Vogt said. With the star designated "a," its sixth planet is called Gliese 581g.

"It's not a very interesting name and it's a beautiful planet," Vogt said. Unofficially, he's named it after his wife: "I call it Zarmina's World." The star Gliese 581 is a dwarf, about one-third the strength of our sun. Because of that, it can't be seen without a telescope from Earth, although it is in the Libra constellation, Vogt said.

But if you were standing on this new planet, you could easily see our sun, Butler said. The low-energy dwarf star will live on for billions of years, much longer than our sun, he said. And that just increases the likelihood of life developing on the planet, the discoverers said. "It's pretty hard to stop life once you give it the right conditions," Vogt said.

Online: The National Science Foundation:
http://www.nsf.gov NASA:http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/gliese_581_feature.html

AC here, AC there... "The best is yet to be"?

2010-10-08T15:40:00.011+08:00

I wonder what's up with the number of AC-related news being reported these days. The 3 main stories that revolve around the AC name in the recent days have been:

Photo: BT File Photo

ACS(I) principal, Dr Ong, reported to have acted "inappropriately" towards a male teacher last week. He subsequently resigned due to unknown reasons, either because of what happened, or simply just retirement - we don't know. Either way, he resigned.

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Then this week, that same principal who resigned, got admitted to hospital for breathlessness and numbness just yesterday.

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Today, a leaked sex video of 2 ACJC lesbians, who apparently had a tryst in one of the school's toilet, appeared on the web, according to Straits Times.

Man, I'm getting sick of reading controversies surrounding anything AC-related already. Enough!

Though I found one of the comments reported on the Straits Times rather hilarious:

'What I saw disgusted me,' said the second-year student, who said he could not bring himself to continue watching the rest of the clip.

Come on man, politically correct answers are full of bullshit. However people want to argue about being virtuous and upright, the truth is still as ugly as ever, no matter how hard or how desperately anyone tries to deny it.

99.9% of the time, any guy who sees that kind of video (or even wanted to check it out in the first place) and subsequently commented that "what he saw disgusted him" is lying. Yes, you could argue that he really could be virtuous, but would a virtuous guy even want to watch the video in the first place? No, they would not, for the sake of preserving a girl's (in this case, girls') modesty.

The truth is probably something more like he couldn't watch it anymore because he would "shoot out" if he continued to. Otherwise, he's gay.

Seriously, comments like these are a joke. Sometimes, hiding truths can be so damned hilarious, you can even write a comedic play centered around these kinds of controversies surrounding the AC-affiliated schools just because of such comments.

That aside, what's up with AC-people these days anyway?!

Also, though it is a mere coincidence that all these events happened within such a short time, it appears that the reputation of AC is declining rapidly, or so I gather from people's comments. (How reliable can anecdotal sources be? Heh.)

I wonder if it is worth while to have a sociological study on the effect of such controversial events on society's perceptions of an "elite" vs "non-elite" school, whichever the event involved.

Say there are the same number of "controversial events", so to speak, that could potentially harm the school's reputation.

Questions to ponder:

1. How would the "reputation" - or society's perception of the school - be affected if:
a). these events occured within a relatively short period of time, say a week;
vs
b) these events occured over a longer period of time, like a year or so, or at least a few months?

2. How would school's "reputation" be affected if the schools were:
a)perceived as an "elite" school
vs.
b)perceived as a "non-elite" school.

I really do wonder.

But whatever the case, there isn't time for me to dwell on these sorts of questions now. Blasted A levels.

On a last thought about AC-related controversies: I also wonder... "The best is yet to be"? HAHAHA.

Dante out.

If you ever get tired of listening to the same old songs...

2010-10-05T00:21:00.003+08:00

Try playing everything backwards instead. It is interesting to note the number of satanic messages you can find within mainstream songs, though some are rather hard to decipher.

While it is debatable, it is known that our minds process and assimilate information during sleep, etc. in various ways, taking it apart, putting it back together again, forwards, backwards, any way possible. It is hence within believable limits that constant "indoctrination" via nigh constant playback of the same songs over and over again should generate some effect based on the "subliminal messages" they carry.

Let's start with an appetizer - not exactly satanic, but I guess the increased promiscuity today can be partly attributed to songs like these, with hidden subliminal messages inside (as described in the previous paragraph). It's something not too new, not too old, and rather mainsteam - "Hit me baby one more time" by Britney Spears.

Played forwards, a particular excerpt from the song is "...I lose my mind, give me a sign..." Sounds pretty innocent, doesn't it?
But when played backwards, you get "Sleep with me, I'm not too young."
Oh, don't you love conspiracy theories about how promiscuity is so rampant in America today, and in a growing number of countries too. *nerd chills*
Not that it's just this song, but slowly, from clean songs with hidden messages, we move to more explicit songs like what we have now.

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Possibly the most infamous example of satanic messages embedded in songs is "Stairway to heaven" by Led Zeppelin.
Played forwards, you'll get:
"If there's a bustle in your hedgerow,
Don't be alarmed now, it's just a spring clean for the may queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by. But in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on."
Played backwards, you'll get something like:
"So here's to my sweet satan.
The one who's little path would make me sad, whose power is satan.
He'll give you 666. There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer - sad satan."
Of all the (whether bull or not) examples, this is possibly the most epic one. The entire uhh... verse (?) is satanic when played backwards.

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Heh. Even the Jonas Brothers have satanic messages embedded in their song too; Hey, if they're that popular, duh, satan would have placed subliminal messages and ride on the wave of popularity to influence the masses, especially kids.

If you don't believe me, go play "Kids of the Future" by Jonas Brothers backwards.

The end of the song goes "We are the kids! We are the kids! We are the kids of the future!..."
Play it backwards, and you'll get "Our sweet forsaken, Satan! Satan!"

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Oh ok, so you think everything above is full of bull. But it is also interesting to note that there are known satanic rituals that are performed within songs; For example, in "Dinner at Deviant's Palace" by Cradle of Filth.

When played forwards, you hear gibberish, literally.
But when you play it backwards, the words are DISTINCT, and obviously intentional. The entire song when played backwards is literally the Lord's Prayer. From "Our Father who art in heaven...", all the way to "... For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen"
And basically, desecrating the Lord's Prayer.

And that is a known satanic ritual by satanists. Apparently, the soundtrack was also used for Death Note - hey what do you know! Another popular series.

So, if you ever wonder what's in your iPod/iPhone/MP3 player, do note that there are a large number of satan-inspired songs out there. Guard your mind castles from all attacks! If you believe that these conspiracies are true, that is.

Then again, someone once said that Satan's greatest trick was to convince the whole world that he doesn't exist.

BTW, Lady Gaga has a huge plethora of Masonic symbolism within her MVs and photos. One of her photoshoots included the twin pillars inside a Masonic Lodge, and also a Masonic Throne. More importantly, her photos very often contain the symbol for the Eye of Providence(a masonic symbol) by covering 1 eye, or having a circle around 1 eye, and the most explicit one - the "eye in a triangle" hand. And then comes more conspiracies linking her and the Illuminati, and then a whole crap load of conspiracy theories that she is an Illuminati puppet will arise again.

Anyway, on a lighter note, perhaps it is a relief to know that there are still secular music that is clean. Example - songs the by Singaporean (oh i'm so proud) Singer-Songwriter Corrine May. Her songs are considered secular, yet quite often, her songs are even more biblical than some Christian songs, which is... I guess you could say a pleasant surprise.

Dante out.

Razer 1337 Giveaway!

2010-10-03T20:04:00.003+08:00

I just found out that Razer's giving away a huge load of stuff. Top prize is a gaming suite which includes the mouse of your choice, the keyboard of your choice, the headphones, the bag, the pad, the everything you can ever use in games. A little overkill, but who cares as long as you have them.

Go go go! Give it a shot!

Link below:

http://l33t.razerzone.com/index.php?user_dtl=d8bb2d14079776008f5efcbd809ea7cc

Dante out.

Hyperactive dreaming is weird, and tiring

2010-09-29T21:44:00.005+08:00

I wonder if weird occurrences will ever stop bugging me. This time, it's hyperactive dreaming... And whatever I say below will probably be nonsense to most, I guess.

Anyway, usually, I don't seem to be able to go past stage IV of sleep into the REM state of dreaming - which is probably the reason why I don't dream so much. Recently however, I've been experiencing the raw power of dreams (or something more), and the ability to come up with exciting new possibilities that I've never thought of before.

I came back from school, and for some strange reason felt so tired that I had to go to bed at 6pm and just knocked out. I don't know how I can describe this, but after what seemed to be hours of long unconsciousness - by the long gap of no memory - I went awake as a multi-dimensional being. As in living in alternate realities simultaneously mainly as an observer. Strange as it felt, I seemed to be able to think about every possible permutation of a given situation simultaneously, as if gleaming into future events and knowing each and every outcome.

That said though, it felt as though my brain was about to explode. Maybe all neurons were continuously firing simultaneously to work out every of those permutations. All I remember is that my brain short circuited, and I woke up feeling ever more tired than before I slept. -.-

What an experience where sleep backfires on you. I went to sleep to rest, and ended up waking up feeling more tired than before, which is weird. Considering that REM states are supposed to allow you to recuperate and recharge your body, waking up feeling THAT much more tired seemed to require a tremendous amount of... depletion of "mana" (for the lack of a better term) for me to feel tired even through a period of the fastest "regeneration of mana" possible (REM state)

I can't believe I'm referring to fiction, but it felt exactly like how mages cast spells in Eragon, where fatigue sets in as you cast spells. What does not follow is that I "casted" a weird spell whilst in my dream state, which gives me nerd chills. And a small part of me is screaming "OMFG, I think I have unlocked my potential for spellcasting!" Gosh.

I reckon its a state beyond the REM, and I have no idea what use has it. I don't think it consolidates any form of memory - spatial, semantic, procedural, or episodic - because I felt even more disoriented when I awoke, as if there was a nuclear explosion in my head screwing my brain functions up.

Checked the clock - 9pm. 3 hours of sleep. Should have gone through 2 cycles of REM, but I seemed to have been stuck in the 1st cycle and never stopped progressing in unprecedented stages of sleep. Though, this is a markedly different experience as the one depicted in Chris Nohlan's "Inception" - i.e. I did not progress in levels of dream states. Instead, I experienced all of them simultaneously, feeling much like living as a multi-dimensional "Observer" as depicted in J.J. Abrams' "Fringe". However, even that particular description of "Observers" doesn't quite fit what I experienced, though it is by far the closest that I know.

If humans were to ever ascend into a form that goes beyond our physical limitations as multi-dimensional beings, hyperactive dreams like the one I just experienced would probably be the key to unlocking that ability. Or at least learn how to utilise it. Although we'd probably also need to upgrade our brains at least 5 times in capacity to operate at that rate normally. Simultaneous multi-dimensional experiences are far too taxing for our brains to handle.

NOT ENOUGH MEMORY. NEED MORE RAM.

Whatever it was, I am certain I experienced it - once, over each of the past 2 days.

I don't know if I'm using the correct terms, but based on what I can infer, and current (limited) knowledge on the subject of dreams and sleep cycles, it seems pretty accurate to me. Not sure about anyone else though.

Anyway, at this rate, my brain's gonna be fried. I think I'm spouting what is probably nonsense, but I absolutely had to catalogue this for future reference.

Dante out.

Prelims are officially over!

2010-09-23T16:24:00.003+08:00

Oh gosh, I just realised that I haven't been eating for the past 24 hours, in my over-zealous rush to get home and do stuff.

I.

Am.

Hungry.

Well, I'm going out for some pool later, so I'd probably grab some food along the way there.

The reason why I didn't eat was because I was way to caught up with doing stuff that I didn't realise I didn't eat. Also, it is probably due to my laziness that I didn't step out of the house initially, but when I finally got myself to step outside the house, it poured so heavily that even if I used an umbrella, the rain would "fall upwards" - basically, the umbrella would be useless. Heh.

So the prelims are finally over, and I've gotten down to doing some of the stuff I've always wanted to do for quite a while now.

Over the past 24 hours, which is exactly since the time my last paper - Physics P1 - ended, I've been doing loads of stuff:
1. Packing up my books
2. Watching a helluva YouTube videos and Starcraft 2 replays
3. Played a helluva Starcraft 2 games (well, not really, because I was interrupted. See next part).
4. Halo: Reach (as an additional surprise)

My cousin actually dropped by to return my Xbox 360 and also to pass me the copy of Halo: Reach. (YES! Finally got it) And I basically spent time that I originally planned to play Starcraft 2 on Halo: Reach - on a full frontal assault of the campaign. Now, I've completed the campaign after a relatively short (i think) 10-hour gameplay(?). Oh, I'm not really sure, because I kinda lost track of time and just fell asleep on my couch after blazing my way through the campaign.

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Halo: Reach is the best Halo game ever released by Bungie Studios - the creators of the Halo franchise. You'd also probably expect this to be the pinnacle of achievement for all the Bungie games - building upon past experiences, as well as this being the very last Halo game in the franchise that will be developed by Bungie. Honestly, while the campaign was relatively short (but games these days are getting shorter and shorter anyway), it did meet up to its expectations. I think it is the best way that Bungie can exit the franchise, with a slightly new direction to the game.

Conceptually, the game provides a little more down-to-earth gritty feel to it, while maintaining the same finesse, and the distinctive "Halo" aura we all have grown to love. For example, the first time I fired the assault rifle at the beginning of the campaign, it felt solid, punchy, and very satisfyingly visceral - kinda reminded me of the time I fired live AR-15 rounds at a range a few years back. It felt real, unlike previous Halo games, where explosions, and gun-bursts were more toned down.

Yet, while I say it feels more visceral, the addition of loadouts add a new dimension to strategic gameplay, requiring more intellect to plan your battles wisely. The AI is significantly improved too - with the right amount of aggression and evasion that keeps you on your toes, while staying true to the predispositions of the various types of enemies. Throw in interesting camera angles with improved graphics and in-game cinematics makes the story even more compelling. All in all, Halo: Reach is definitely Bungie's way of ending their work in the franchise with a large bang.

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Another thing I realise about myself, is that when I do something, I tend to get over my head to do it, even at the expense of some other things. It's as if I have great inertia in tasks. If I do something, it's very hard to stop - but consequently, it is very hard for me to start doing something in the first place (especially if it requires a helluva lot of commitment). It is probably the innermost trait of a "loyalist" that gives me such a disposition.

Speaking of which, I realised that over the past 2 years, I seemed to have a personality shift, according to the MBTI personality type. From an INTP to an ENTP - it seems that my work in photography has somehow invoked a change from an I to and E, due to the nature of my work, needing to interact with all sorts of people to have an idea of what's going on for events.

It's quite intriguing, considering from what I hear, people don't change personalities, only behaviour. Then again, I seem to feel some gravity towards withdrawing myself from people. Sometimes, I just feel like being alone because I get to think much more clearly when so. It's almost like I have a need for introspective analysis, and I've been starved of it for a long time. Oh, and I've continued blogging hence - which, as I've mentioned before, forms the bulk of my introspective analysis, albeit rather publicly.

On a side note: If zodiacs ever had any truth, I am a monkey. Monkeys, according to the zodiac thingy, are supposed to have a head full of ideas, but can never stop telling people about them, which I suppose is kinda true.~

Oh whatever. I am hungry and I really need to go hunt for some food.

So this is it.

Dante out.

Prelims are almost over!

2010-09-20T23:18:00.002+08:00

Oh man, the Prelims are almost over! And i've finally decided that I shouldn't stop blogging, because it has always been the source of my introspective reflection - something which I have been sorely lacking over the past few weeks, and probably will for the rest of my life if I don't blog. So that is it, and I shall continue to blog for as long as I live.

I also need to start blogging essays for GP and about other stuff like I did for my O levels, and managed to bring up my standard of English from C6 to A1. But then again, that was the O levels, and honestly, getting an A1 isn't that hard then. A levels, on the other hand, are much, much harder, since the population of students that are competing for the top prize has been whittled down to just a handful, with majority of people moving on to Polytechnics and ITEs. I must clarify that by saying that, by no means do I mean to exert any amount of condescension on anyone, but I digress.

Really, I think it has been quite a while since I last looked introspectively to ponder upon some of the finer points of living that I lack, or perhaps flatter myself with the stuff I did good to boost my self-confidence.

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That aside, the two papers that are left are Chemistry Paper 1 (MCQ) and Physics Paper 1 (MCQ) - both are 1h papers each. 40 MCQ questions. I sure hope that they would be a piece of cake.

But while I have been doing my Prelims, my parents have decided to go on a holiday to Shanghai's World Expo 2010. No, my parent are NOT the evil conniving ones who would go for a holiday right smack in the middle of my prelims IN MY FACE. No, they are definitely not. They actually went together with my relatives who weren't aware that I would be having my prelims while they were in the stages of planning for this 1-week trip there. So I totally understand, and anyway, it's not as if I'd be affected even if they did it intentionally anyway. But they are really nice parents who love me so much, that they'll never do such a thing to me. EVER. :)

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The starcraft 2 scene is really picking up around the world, especially in North America. Unfortunately for people like us in the Oceania region, which includes Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, the community isn't as strong as we'd like it to. Such is the state of the small, community here that Blizzard has decided to allow North American region access for all SEA versions - the first version to have "cross region" play. Of course, that was because we need to have a larger player base to play properly. Heh.

I really hope that the Starcraft 2 community here in homeground will grow, and I'm seriously considering starting to commentate on games and perhaps start a shoutcast stream on Youtube myself, much like how HuskyStarcraft and HDStarcraft are doing their stuff. This, also with other fellow commentators in the region, namely SephyreSC - comparable to the standards of HuskyStarcraft and HDStarcraft - I hope that this would really generate a much larger interest in SC2 in the region in general. Hopefully this would also raise the level of competitiveness in SC2 and get the great players up and coming. Media must play a crucial role in sustaining anything - just look at Korea man. Media has created a few billion dollars worth in a Starcraft 1 competitive gaming community. Since Singapore is looking to create a niche in the competitive gaming scene, commentators are sorely needed - hopefully I can contribute to that.

Starcraft 2 aside, Bungie has just reached their new pinnacle of game development. Halo Reach is now so much more competitive and much more strategic just by the addition of a new dimension of gameplay - loadouts. Check out the news on Gamespot for more details, because i don't have the luxury of time to go through those now. I've got Prelims tomorrow!

My cousin decided to borrow my Xbox 360 since I'll not be using it until perhaps after the A levels coz i need to study, and even if I play, i'd most likely play Starcraft 2. He has since bought a copy of Halo: Reach and went balls out bonkers on the final addition to the Halo franchise by Bungie. From initial impressions, I'm sure he'll have a great time, and he's been praising the game. The best thing is, after he's done, I'll get back my Xbox 360 and I get to keep the game! :D :D Perfect!

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There's just so many things that are going on right now, and I don't even know why is it my luck that all the great events are happening around Prelims and A levels in general? Starcraft 2 on 27 July, Halo: Reach on 14 September, YOG from 14-26 August, etc. etc. etc. Gosh.

But I'm hoping that once I get my prelims done and over with, I'd really be able to get down to down some of these stuff I've been wanting to do since the start of BT2, but really hadn't the time to do.

I guess this is it, so Dante out.

Hypothesis Testing Exercise: Starbucks vs Coffee bean

2010-09-19T18:24:00.003+08:00

Daniel drank 60 cups of Starbucks coffee and 60 cups of Coffee bean coffee.
Let X = difference in utility derived from consuming starbucks' coffee and coffee bean's coffee.
Based on data from consuming 60 cups of coffee from each brand, he obtained the following results:

Sum(X) = 185.934; Sum(X^2) = 6966.786

(a) Calculate the unbiased estimates for
(i) the sample variance;
(ii) and the sample mean.
(b)(i) After drinking that much coffee, he hypothesized that Starbucks' coffee is significantly better than Coffee beans' coffee on average. Test at 1% level of significance, whether Starbucks coffee is better than Coffee bean coffee, based on the utility that Daniel derived from consuming 60 cups from each brand.
(ii) Explain the meaning of "1% level of significance"

Answer:
(a)(i)Unbiased estimate for sample variance = 104.73 ~= 105;
(ii)Unbiased estimate for sample mean: $3.0989.
(b)(i)H_0: u = 0 (ie. same)
H_1: u > 0 (ie. Starbucks > Coffee bean)
Under H_0, X_(mean) ~ N(0, 10.234^2/60) by Central Limit Theorem
Using Z-test at 1% level of significance,
p = 0.0095005 < 0.01
Therefore, we reject H_0 in favour of H_1. At 1% level of significance, there is sufficient evidence to say that Starbucks coffee is better than Coffee bean coffee based on the utility that Daniel derived from consuming Starbucks and Coffee bean coffee.
(ii) 1% level of significance means that there is a probability of 0.01 of concluding that the utility that Daniel derived from drinking Starbucks coffee is equal to that which Daniel derived from drinking Coffee Bean coffee.

Long, Long Hiatus

2010-09-12T23:03:00.002+08:00

I guess trying to maintain a blog during this period is impossible. I'm not as good multitasking in life than I am in Starcraft, but oh whatever is the comparison. hehe.

Perhaps after the Prelims, this would continue. But as for now, it's on an indefinite hold, at least indefinite till after the A levels. :D

Musical Pun

2010-09-07T00:26:00.001+08:00

C, E-flat and G go into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, but we don't serve minors." So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and the G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough. D comes in and heads for the bathroom, saying, "Excuse me, I'll just be a second." Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices b-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, "Get out! You're a minor and the seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight." E-flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, "You're looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development." Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural. Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest. C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an upscale correctional facility. On appeal, however, C is found innocent of any wrongdoing, even accidental, and that all contrary motions are bassles. The bartender decides, however, that since he's only had tenor so patrons, the soprano out in the bathroom, and everything has become alto much treble, he needs a rest -- and closes the bar.

Author Unknown.

Commitment

2010-08-27T01:04:00.002+08:00

Wow, I just realised how long I stay committed to supporting a lot of things. Supporting the YOG since it's inception through the bid, preparation and actual event is one example. Supporting Starcraft series since kindergarten, ie 12 years since the original Starcraft got released... Etc etc Etc. People used to question my enthusiasm and why I even bothered with these things, even with YOG. But the truth is, because I was such a staunch supporter, I have probably benefited the most out of it, unlike my critics and other critics too.. Funny how many of them suddenly realise how popular YOG became and switched over to support, but by the time they switch to support, most of the action is over. So, who has the last laugh now? Why am I so enthusiastic about so many things, because I believed - faith - and I had the spontaneity (which I feel majority of singaporeans lack) to act on my beliefs. Oh I don't know how to explain this properly especially when I'm this tired.
Good night. :)

Dante out

YOG is here! But are we excited?

2010-08-15T23:08:00.007+08:00

Before I begin, I must qualify that I am PERSONALLY a supporter of YOG.

Finally, after 2 and a half years of preparation since the announcement of the host country for the Youth Olympic Games, it is here. But while the Games begin, 7% of the tickets are actually sold to people (not bought by organisations, etc), contrary to what the ticketing organisers have claimed. In actual fact, according to the Online Citizen, of the 100,000 tickets that were sold, 80,000 of them are bought by MOE, and many schools seem to be hard pressing students to go support the games, putting off a large amount of people. (Fortunately, my school does not, and so general interest level seems to be at least decent as compared to some other schools.) Some other schools seem to be rescheduling lessons for students JUST to get students to support YOG events.

The question remains as to whether our enthusiasm about YOG is really there, or is it just faux popular enthusiasm of billboards put up by the neighborhood committees - "Residents of XXXXXX celebrate YOG" - and rigged figures of ticket sales showing an "overwhelming response" when 80% of the tickets were bought by MOE?

Frankly, it seems to be yet another example of what Catherine Lim called "the Great Affective Divide". People stay away from many of the things that the government deems to be important to them, in particular, things that deal with the ego of the government.

How many of you people actually care about Singapore's Changi Airport being the best in the world? Not many. Most people would be "bo chap" in their responses, and things like these are taken for granted. "So what?" are what many would reply upon knowing that.

In Singapore, radicals are jailed, fined, and made bankrupt, as known from the multiple number of defamation suits put across by His Royal Highness himself. Most people would hence be discouraged to even participate in politics at all. Unfortunately though, this also applies to many of the projects that the government endorses. It's almost as if people find the government's methods a tad distasteful and overall, there is a sense of alienation. But hey, if it doesn't cause them harm, and as long as everyone has a decent standard of living - which by now, is more than decent, and there's even a fast growing number of millionaires in Singapore too - why bother? Such apathy seems to be inculcated into citizens as an unintended side effect of the "politics" in Singapore, which has now cascaded into the YOG.

On a side note, some people actually question, "What politics?" upon being asked to comment about the political scene in Singapore.

It is also a widely known fact that our sporting culture isn't really present, and when the government tries to make use of Sports as a platform to crank up nationalism, it really isn't that effective. But this really isn't about nationalism, it's about ego - being the first at everything. However, as more of the ministers get involved in this, so do the number of Singaporeans that stay away.

Funny, I see figures on Channel News Asia quoted as such:

Here's the link: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/polls/archivecomment.php?ranid=1280244519

And if I make use of what I learnt in Maths about statistics, this is a biased estimate. I think that the 88% of people that took part in the poll is an underestimate, because frankly, if you don't care about YOG, you wouldn't even bother to take part in this poll in the first place.

Also related, but quite an old poll, which was posted about late July:

An online poll by news portal AsiaOne - which asked if people would give way to YOG vehicles - found that 54 per cent of respondents said they would do so, while 28 per cent voted otherwise. Those who said that they were not aware of the special lane made up 18 per cent of all respondents.

And based on my 1 experience riding in a YOG bus, I didn't see many of the motorists even bothering to give way on many occasions, except for 1 car that actually moved out of the way.

Are we excited? I don't think many of the people are, especially with the government force-feeding many students into watching the games itself. But personally, I am excited for YOG.

Actually, considering how the actual Olympic Games started off, we are really not that much different. It also took time for the Olympic Games to gain enough momentum, and it has been nearly 200 years since the modern Olympics began. Comparatively, to have 204 countries (or more, since some countries combined to form a team) participating in this inaugural Youth Olympic Games, it really isn't that bad already.

While many don't actually care much about the YOG now, I think that in the future, more Singaporeans will see how YOG becomes popular throughout the world, and look back retrospectively and say, "Hey, the YOG was inaugurated in Singapore!" The negative connotations that surround the words "inaugural YOG" will be dispelled in the coming years, and nationalism will eventually grow too, for Singapore.

But while many people remain cynical about YOG right now, I'm enjoying the moments while YOG lasts.

However, one thing I cannot stand is that National Day Parade was better than the YOG Opening Ceremony, and I really think Ivan Heng is a joke, and he either he really ran out of ideas, or he was ordered to run out of ideas. Nevertheless, the YOG Opening Ceremony was awesome. I guess after the NDP was overshadowed by the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2008, Singapore decided that NDP has to be better than the YOG Opening Ceremony, which is kinda shooting yourself in the foot.

Whatever the case was, I'm all geared up for YOG. Go Singapore! (and Go Germany!)

Dante out.

The Week in Perspective: 25th July - 1st August 2010

2010-08-02T22:52:00.003+08:00

The previous week had passed without much incident, and I hope that the following weeks would be just as peaceful. I just completed the CG Graduation video over the weekend, which I sorta extended the deadline myself by leaving a note saying that there were technical difficulties processing the video, and had to hand in on Monday instead.

Come to think of it, I just realised that I was supposed to submit it in .avi or .wmv format. Crap. I guess staying up till 3am last night caused it to slip my mind, and I ended up exporting the video as .mov and submitting it as such instead. :/

I wonder if the AVA would just take it and convert to .avi for me, but I really hope that there wouldn't be a degradation of quality due to the conversion process; it is already as bad as it is already.

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More importantly, Starcraft 2 has just been released. After 12 long years of waiting, the story finally continues...

If anyone was wondering whether I meant 12 long years when I said it, I did. I practically grew up with starcraft by my side. Yes, I played starcraft when I was in Kindergarten, and I have lost count on the number of times i played through the campaign of the original and brood war expansion of Starcraft.

However, though I played it since young, I was not utterly obsessed with the game, unlike the Koreans who have seemingly assimilated the game into their culture. By assimilation into culture, I mean Korean almost always = gosu starcraft player. (Gosu meaning something like guru, beyond professional level) In fact, the whole competitive starcraft e-sport industry is probably worth a few billion dollars, with almost every known sponsor, including nike, adidas, etc., sponsoring notable starcraft players, which are, rather unsurprisingly, usually Korean.

I never really got into playing on B.net in Starcraft, largely because of the lackluster support from my peers on the game, and also because I kept getting owned on B.net. Come on, what can you expect from a 6 year old playing starcraft? HAHA.

In any instance, Starcraft was a truly endearing game that stuck with me throughout the years. Perhaps, it is the ONLY game that I have played it many, many times over throughout the years. Somehow, the game doesn't seem to lose its charm 12 years on, even with many games that boasted better technology being released throughout the years. In fact, the game got better as it aged.

Now, the legacy of Starcraft continues with the 1st installment in the trilogy, Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty. But the A levels are so near...

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The seminar I attended at the Civil Service College was interesting. China and the globalised world. It talked about the current situation that China is in, and how Globalisation had cause a slew of changes to its economy, and contributed to its successes and failures. Within 10 years, China grew from a country of rather minuscule importance to a country which made headlines almost every other day.

The Seminar talked about the overriding objectives of China in the coming decade, which include 2 things:

1. Transforming the growth model (from a "low-income economy" to a "high-income economy" so to speak):

An example of a successful transformation of the growth model is South Korea, which in the 1980s transitioned into a "high-income" economy; and its membership with the OECD is indicative of its high-income society.

Right now, China's growth model is what the speaker, Dr Edwin Lim likes to call the "Asian Tiger Growth Model". Which basically involves a large amount of unskilled labour force in labour-intensive industries such as garment manufacture, etc. After these few years however, China has now emerged with a fairly literate, unskilled and disciplined workforce which accept low wages; and China is now manufacturing many electronics and computer systems. But the problem with this is that China is exporting "too much", such that their surplus position is very strong, and are experiencing much resistance from other countries such as the USA. A reason why China has such a ginormous surplus is that most of the money in China is concentrated in corporations, and so much of the consumption is lacking. China needs to balance consuming and producing, since it has had enough focus on producing already.

The other thing that the Chinese government aims to do is:
2. Building a Harmonious Society

While people are much better off than before, there is a growing income disparity between the rich and poor, due to uneven development over the past decade. Such regional disparity observed in China is unacceptable. Furthermore, while much of the unskilled labour force is supplied from the rural parts of China, the workers are not given rights to stay in cities, etc. because of the Hukou system in China. An analogy of the lack of rights of rural citizens is us Singaporeans protecting our own privileges from foreign workers, such as our own maids.

Also, in the past, before media was so prevalant throughout the country, there was no TV and a lot of people were ignorant of happenings in the world, and even in the large cities like Shanghai. Back then, people were satisfied with what they have, as long as they were able to eat 3 meals to their fill, drink and sleep. With the proliferation of media in the form of TV throughout China, people are informed of the world events, and seeing how nice it would be to have a luxurious life, caused people to have a lot of discontentment because they think their lives are just too simple. Eventually, this leads to a disharmonious society, creating problems for the government to implement policies effectively, etc.

While these tensions are inevitable, and the government recognises these problems, the next question to ask is, "What are they gonna do?"

Summary of an action plan required of the Chinese government:

1. Transforming the role of the state from owning corporations to regulating the market and prices, and also focus on the environmental impact of economic activities.
2. Building a market economy - but in the process of doing so, the rate of urbanisation has to increase, and abolish the Hukou systems.
3. Changing relationship between Central and Local governments. Right now, Local governments have too many responsibiliies but lack the funds, but the Central government has too much funds but too little responsibilities.
4. Implement back Social policies of the past, which granted basic education, etc. *Side note: One of the reasons why China could grow so quickly in the past was due to the communist system taking care of all basic needs such as education, that its population was largely literate, and have the ability to learn skills on their own.
5. Coping with a new role in the world economy, because it is fast approaching the number 1 position in terms of economic growth. It is growing with increasing importance every day.

Blah blah blah, that is the main gist of the talk.

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The youth olympic flame is coming to SAJC on 8th Aug, National Day is on the 9th August, and this Friday is National Day celebrations. Events, events, events, but all is great! Much time to study! Hurray! :D

And now is time for me to sleep. Cheerio!

Dante out.

Prologue to the Final Frontier

2010-07-19T23:43:00.002+08:00

As of today, I have officially completed most of my assignments due for my CCA, save for a few finishing touches. I just received the Service Award for my contributions to the Photographic Society. Some of my work will be displayed in the school's compound for future generations of Saints to admire, (the ones you see around school now are not really that permanent a fixture. I'm talking about the more permanent works ordained to be "artworks by students" which are "immortalized" in the school's compound.)

Also, I am awaiting confirmation by the Saint Andrew's Village administrators that my work will be presented to the VIPs from the YOG-twinned countries of Germany and South Africa. I never thought that it would ever be like this, representing the entire Saint Andrew's VILLAGE! Definitely something to be proud of, though unexpected for the most part.

At first, I wanted to be involved with the YOG by joining the Youth Ambassdors. Unfortunately, my involvement with the Youth Ambassadors, like the other J2s, have now been diminished greatly. In it's place, I have moved from representing just SAJC to the entire Saints family. Unimaginable in the past, but it has become a reality for me. Plus I get to massage my ego even more by stating that I gained international recognition in the ultimate ego-massaging exercise of school ever - the drafting of our SGCs. HAHAHA. Oh whatever.

My life here is almost complete, and dusk approaches for me. The passing over is complete. And I really feel old, and retired as a veteran.

On the other hand, as far as the Youth Ambassadors are concerned, everything is, as almost always, tentative. The inaugural YOG in August 2010 was supposed to be the culmination of our training as Youth Ambassadors. But from the looks of how the J1s have taken over the important events for YOG, the very event that was to define us as the Youth Ambassadors doesn't seem very defining as it once seemed to be, prospectively. As of now, our involvement with the YOG seems tenuous at best. Only time will tell.

My only hope is that in the event that we are NOT involved, my fellow compatriots within YA are not screwed in terms of their SGC, lest it be filled with so much bullshit that it would stink to the high heavens above. I shall not express the amount of indignation I have over this matter here, but I guess this is enough to give you an idea how much chaos there really is. It was fortunate that I forced my way to join the Photographic Society and get an exco position or I'd be damned by the lack of content to write in my SGC, and a "wonderfully distasteful" experience in SAJC.

This is partly the reason why my relationship with SAJC has mostly been love/hate. Never purely love, nor ever purely hate - the sort of ambivalence that gives the bittersweet experience of life that makes my stint in JC so memorable. I think that if not for the fact that many of the systems and practices are so fraught with flaws and imperfections, I wouldn't have realised how much a really do care about the school. While perfection is too idealistic, all of us should be striving toward it, no matter how impossible it may seem or is. After all, isn't this one of the ways we can live up to the motto of "Up and On!"? :D

But digressions aside, really, all there is left for me to do is just to study hard, and obtain all the 'A's that I can. Half the battle of getting into any employer's good books has been won, testimonial wise. All that is left just is the straight 'A' distinctions

Dante out

Technology Enslaves us. Comment.

2010-07-19T23:31:00.002+08:00

While school is starting to return back to normal lesson schedules, our long overdue assignments are catching up to us too - such as this particular GP essay that I was supposed to pass in about uh.... 2 months ago?

In any case, I still had to do the essay. So whatever with this half-assed attempt. Done while I was half asleep. I don't think I discussed implications on social institutions as much as I am supposed to, but it's not like I have done that for the past few essays. I should perhaps start to think much, much deeper when writing essays.

Throughout the history of mankind, Technology has been used with increasing intensity and prevalence throughout the globe. Once, we were separated by oceans, mountains, or by sheer distance which hindered communication between communities and nations. Back then, it was unthinkable that today, a mere click of a button could send an e-mail halfway across the globe in seconds – a product of the high speed internet of today, creating some semblance of a seamless global community. It was the inordinate explosion of such technological innovations over the past decade or so that propelled us into the fray of a true technocratic revolution, not just in terms of communication, but many other aspects of human living as well.

Inadvertently though, we seem to have latently enslaved ourselves by our own ingenuity; it seems that unknowingly, we have constructed a simulated reality of on-line activities which we use to augment our experience of everyday life – which, what we once called “virtual” is now quite actual. Even our survival as a species is directly dependent on the use of technology to utilise the Earth beyond its natural capacity. As a species, we have never been less human than we are right now; we have, perhaps, crossed the threshold from ‘humanity’ to ‘technologically augmented humanity’, from people to cyborgs, enslaved by the very tools we once sought to improve our own lives – technology.

Much of what we do today is enabled by communications technology; in particular, project management applications, social media tools, email and the like, enables a team to quickly mobilise and complete projects even if resources are geographically spread out. Whilst this modern, web-working paradigm is a revelation to the otherwise dysfunctional team set-ups, high costs and low efficiencies, however, these tools encourage our own inattention to detail. Sometimes, we become so inundated with the input that our main concern becomes keeping our e-mail inbox under control, rather than dealing with the substance of the input. Even the simple reminders for birthdays clearly illustrate my point that we depend so much on technology to process the information for us, rather than doing it ourselves, that we become enslaved by it.

Some, if not many of us are not just dependent on technology, but rather addicted to it, and the significant increase in the number of computer addicts in recent years is a case in point. These addicts are constantly drawn to the computer for hours at a stretch, and the increasing prevalence 24-hour cybercafés further illustrates the growing demand for nigh constant computer use. The social implications of such addiction are grave, and it is not merely as simple as the case where Korean who literally died while playing Starcraft, a popular computer game created by Blizzard Entertainment, for 72 hours straight. Rather, it is far more worrisome that our addiction separates us from other humans, eroding away what is left of our ability to interact – the very defining aspect of human beings. Relationships get neglected, and sometimes disappear altogether, and it ultimately translates into the degradation of the human species if such addictions are left unchecked.

Often, critics argue that new technology such as Facebook and Twitter has the potential to help raise awareness of issues such as global poverty and environmental problems to the general public, and to reach out to the isolated and the oppressed. However, while such ‘virtual’ communication has helped communities to reach out to the isolated and oppressed, it may very well be isolating and oppressing those previously free to connect with the ‘real’ world too. Sometimes, the sheer amount of on-line presence and updates contradicts the very content we spend our on-line time creating – confirmations via the virtual world that we are busy living in the real. It is worrying that the etiquette and elegance with which humans have learnt to interact, the way we articulate our thoughts and established, complex communication skills are being reduced to simple ‘Likes’, ‘Dislikes’ and other simple and frivolous statements. Our ability to interact with each other is slowly being distorted, and disfigured into something far less direct, far less social, and certainly far less human, all with a click of a button or two.

It is not just communications technology that enslaves us, but many other types too. Technology has changed the face of warfare, where the power of a country is often compared to the number of nuclear weapons it has, for instance. These days, countries seem to be competing with each other for having the largest number of nuclear weapons, claiming that they have it as a form of deterrence. However, deterrence by nuclear weapons can only take you so far; anything beyond that is obsession. Case in point, America is reported to have enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world 5 times over – even if it were for deterrence against the entire world, it is ridiculous to even need to destroy the world even once.

Technology has also given terrorists new ways to sneak explosives past security systems and ultimately creating a greater need for improved security and surveillance systems, which forces governments to further encroach upon our privacy to prevent such acts of terror – installing closed-circuit cameras in many locations just for surveillance, even to the expense of our personal freedom. Even though technology emancipates us from geographical barriers, we have put in place human barriers of distrust, as in the case for the need for surveillance technology. In this case, technology fuels our personal fears of betrayal by fellow humans with the increasing use of surveillance technology just to cover our own backs.

There are many other instances where technology enslaves us, but it is important to note the benefits that technology brings about. Solutions to many of the world’s problems have been as a result of the creation of new technology, such as the use of genetically modified foods which are of higher yield than normal crops in a hope to curb world hunger. Developments in medical technology to find cures to diseases have led to the near elimination of polio and smallpox, and in the future, we may eventually find a cure for AIDS. Though technology enslaves us, and we are so very dependent on it, we cannot deny the benefits it brings to mankind.

Ultimately, mankind’s pursuit for technological progress has a plethora of effects, some beneficial, some detrimental. Technology is a tool that humans, the masters of ingenuity on Earth, have created. Being slaves to our own tools is an insult to our existence; and as a tool, technology can only enslave us only if we allow it to. As always, much caution and prudence must be exercised when utilising technology as our means such that we do not be enslaved by it.

-END-

Dante out.

Genres of Games affect behaviour?

2010-07-13T23:36:00.002+08:00

I just realised much of my behaviour is shaped by the games that I play - rather, the genre of the games that I play. Reading back my own writings from the past tells an intriguing journey through my psychological development.

Rough explanation of what genre influences which kind of people and behaviour:

FPS - Primalistic, instinctual living. One objective at a time with a single plan, 1 step at a time, single-mindedly, where efficiency thrives and the most efficient killer wins. Solo or team depending on situation.

RPG - Creative juices flow. Creating the character that is meant to be, living an alternate reality. Alternate pathways can be taken, exploiting every nook and cranny you can think of. Teamwork is crucial most of the time.

RTS - Pursuing multiple objectives simultaneously, where stratagems thrive and multi-tasking is key. Control is necessary.

Dante out.

CMC Youth Sunday

2010-07-13T23:11:00.002+08:00

Youth Sunday was a success! Everything, including sales of food, t-shirts, accessories, and the photobooth was a success!

People of all ages participated, including the wild and wacky, to the young at heart.

This was also the first time I tried out the ST-E2 commander. I must say, after doing some manual strobist work, the ST-E2 just makes everything so much easier, but there are still limitations to what I can do.

For one, it's using infra-red triggering system. This means that I can use this effectively only indoors - when it's outdoors, I'm afraid it's not going to work as well. Wireless radio transceivers would work better outdoors.

Secondly, there's only 2 groups, working in ratios. While it works most of the time, the creative versatility might not be there as much as manual strobist work is concerned - independently setting exposures obviously gives more creative freedom than working in ratios. For most of the time though, ST-E2 is all you'll need I guess.

ST-E2 is definitely on my list of considerations in the future.

And kudos to the fund raising effort!

Dante out.

The reason why Apple doesn't need iPhone 4 to sell iPhones

2010-07-07T00:41:00.002+08:00

Crap, I can't stop watching this! HAHAHAHA.

Hype is so effective.

Dante out.

Every day the Same Dream

2010-07-03T17:06:00.007+08:00

Imagine a life a mediocrity.

You are a stereotypical office worker. Every day, you wake up, dress up, your wife greets you. As you go to your car, the elevator lady talks to you. You go through frustrating traffic jams, facing your obnoxious and fat boss who scolds you for everything every single day.

No matter what, you still go to your cubicle, but as you walk along the way to your cubicle, you see everyone who is just like you, placed in a cubicle doing the same old things every day - crunching numbers and working through texts.

You get frustrated. You feel tired. You grow weary.

One day, you wake up and go through your routine. Your mind starts to feel like your wife is so distant - why is she greeting me with the same things every day? What purpose does she have in my life? What is it that made me marry her? You then seem to feel your elevator lady is an oracle who tells you positively that you are a few steps away from becoming a new person.

Your boss remains the same old obnoxious and fat dick head. You don't feel like you want to face him anymore - but you tolerate it for one more day. You walk to your cubicle through countless cubicles again, and you grow scared of everyone - everyone who looks, acts and behaves the same way, and does the same work as you; everyone who works in that same office under that same boss. "This is the last straw", you say.

The next morning, your wife greets you in the same way again, and the ever foretelling oracle of an elevator lady tells you about becoming a new person again.

"Today, I will be different. I will not go to work."

You walk away from the carpark, you meet a homeless person. You talk to him, and he tells you that he can take you to a quiet place. You follow him to the cemetery. Though the place is rather morbid, you kind of like it. It is a vast difference from facing your boss, and hearing endless drumming of fingers on the keyboards in the office. The experience is most refreshing, and you decide to spend the rest of the day there.

The next day, you decide to go to work. Somehow, the Oracle tells you that you are 1 less step away from becoming a new person. Your mind goes wild - you escaped from work and refused labour. Yet, the Oracle says that you have made progress in becoming a new person. The toxic notion simmers in your mind, a compulsion for escapism gets to you again, and along the way to work through the traffic jam, you decide to abandon your car and walk off the highway.

You meet a cow. You pat it and say "Hi." The cow continues to graze the grass - oh, how serene this is. The cow is better off than me; So peaceful, she lives. I envy her. You seem to spend a long time with the cow, and forget that you abandoned your car.

Suddenly, you are pulled back into reality, and see the long line of cars behind yours. You curse and go back into your car and drive off to work. As usual, your boss reprimands you for being late - isn't there anything new? You still go to the same old cubicle.

The next day, you wake up. Wife greets you again, and the oracle now tells you that you have progressed in becoming a new person - you get surprised again. 3 more steps to becoming a new person. It is absurd - you tried to escape work again, and now she tells you that you are 3 steps away from becoming a new person? Your mind goes wild again, but you still get into your car and get to your workplace.

You see the single leaf in autumn still stuck on the tree you pass by every day. You decide to wait and admire that single leaf. You empathize with it - everything around you seems so alien, as it you were that 1 single leaf still stuck on that tree. A gust of wind blows the leaf down and you catch it. Is this an omen?

You go to your cubicle thinking about these thoughts of escapism. You really start to feel like becoming a new person. The work is killing me - literally.

The next day, the Oracle tells you that you are 2 steps away. You start to really consider if the fallen leaf was an omen as you enter office again. The boss shouts at you to go to your cubicle, but when you reach your cubicle, you refuse to go in.

"If I go in there, I am going to screw myself with work and deny myself from becoming a new person," you say.

You overshoot your cubicle intentionally and walk to the balcony of the office.

"It is a rather long drop down. I wonder if I will survive"

In your mind, you jump. Your body stays alive, but in your mind, you have experienced a joyride of a life time. Your existence is dead, and your body is just a former shell of your existence. You go home that day feeling dead.

The next morning, you decide to try something rebellious - you decide not to dress up. You leave your alarm clock ringing, you leave everything on. Your wife tells you to get dressed up, but you ignore her.

The Oracle doesn't look shocked - maybe she is the Oracle after all. She says that you are 1 more step away from becoming a new person. You go to work dressed in your pajamas. Your boss is shocked.

"WHAT?! WHERE IS YOUR TIE?!"

"YOU ARE FIRED!"

For some reason, you don't think it is a bad thing. Your boss fires you, and you no longer have work to earn your wages, yet a smirk appears on your face and smile - "I have become a new person."

The next day, you wake up. You forget that you are fired and you dress up. But today feels like a different day. You don't seem to see your wife anywhere. Maybe it's because she greets you the same way every day that you aren't aware of her existence already. You go into the elevator, but the elevator lady oracle isn't there. You think the oracle has ascended into heaven.

You drive to "work", and you don't see your boss anywhere, but you see the stocks graph of the company that you used to work at dropped to rock bottom.

You decide to check your cubicle, but as you walk there, everyone doesn't seem to be present. You think, was everyone around me just like me? Going to work every day and facing alienation, and feeling the need for escapism?

Maybe everyone got fired too, like me.

You decide that it is time. Your new identity has taken hold of you. You walk towards the balcony that you once contemplated jumping off from. You see one of your ex-colleagues standing at the edge and jumping off. Your mind starts to go wild - your heart beats faster, and you start to go insane. Was every body really the same?

You say, "It is inevitable. Every day had been the same dream over and over again. I am a new person now, no longer bound to this Earth."

The game ends.

Perhaps, it is better if you explored the game for yourselves.
http://armorgames.com/play/6244/every-day-the-same-dream

It is one of the best concept games I have ever played. It is nothing about action, but concept. It explore existentialism - and the existential obstacles of alienation, escapism and the refusal to work. All in all, the delivery was excellent and you will REALLY think about life in a different way.

GG, man, GG! Good Game

Dante out.

Sleep is My New Best Friend

2010-07-02T23:54:00.003+08:00

What I learnt from BT2 - Sleep is the most important factor in exams. Second: knowledge. Third: skills. I also gained a new best friend - Sleep. It was just a friend before, but after my separation with that friend, I realise how much I need Sleep and miss Sleep. And the expression "I can't live without you" towards Sleep is one of the most explicit forms at the peak of your own sleep cycles.

I can safely say that I screwed up my Chemistry Paper 3 because of my complete lack of sleep - after looking through the questions, I was wondering how could I not have done the questions? It's so damned easy that I think I seriously spaced out for 30 minutes in a transition awake/asleep trance to have thought that it was damn hard. Ok, i'm exaggerating how easy it is, but you get the point. The difference is that hard.

Sleep has now become my new best friend. Perhaps in the future, in any exam, whether or not I have prepared for it, I will go to sleep and wake up with a fresh mind. Rather than trying to burn the entire supply of midnight oil and in the morning you go into the exam and..... STONE. It's the most dastardly attempt of suicide, and its immensely counter-productive. But i guess this only applies in the area of academics.

With a total clocked time of 8 hours of sleep within this 5 days, my head is ringing with... exhaustion? I can't describe this weird sensation perfectly, but trust me. It's the feeling you get when you have gone through an intensive uniform group with endless amounts of physical exercises, circuit training, and an infinitely long journey around Singapore on foot; that, but without any sleep - or, 3 hours in total, at best. Just in case you're wondering, yes, I've done that before.

1 last pointer about sleep that I learnt during triple inversion of my sleep cycles during holidays: I found that I am more rested when I sleep at 11pm, and wake up at 6am. However, I found that it is more effective to cleave your sleep cycle in two, and sleep from 11am to 4am, then again at 2pm to 4pm. Total of 7 hours, but you utilise the times where sleep is most effective to ensure maximum "energy" and efficiency in whatever you do. I know this sounds crap, and I can't justify this with scientific journals, because I don't have any. Nevertheless, it still applies to me. Your physiological make-up differs with varying degrees with mine, and so the same might not apply to you.

And so, I have just found my new best friend - Sleep. It will stay with me throughout my life.

Dante out.

P.S. Unfortunately though, even if I feel super tired, I'm still going to watch football. GAHHHHH! THE PAIN OF BOYCOTTING STARHUB AND SINGTEL'S ABSURD PRICING! Well, there's always alternative means of watching. :D Perhaps I should just head down to Clarke Quay or something.

Just Cause I'm Singaporean 2!

2010-06-20T01:40:00.004+08:00

I wonder how I started with looking at football related videos and somehow ended up looking at "Just Cause 2" videos... But damn, I just discovered this wonderfully satired Singapore in a game, whether or not it is an intentional attempt by the developers.

After looking through the comments, videos and articles about Just Cause 2, I found out that the "supposedly random third world country in Southeast Asia" coincidentally seems to be referring to Singapore. I think that the semblance to Singapore is quite uncanny, but the references are so over-the-top and exaggerated that it simply becomes a joke. But come to think of it, as a country, aren't we already a joke ourselves? Ah... I just <3 such a form of satire.

Here's some evidence of why the game seems to mock Singapore (and no offence intended by any means):

1. The fictional tiny Southeast Asian island is about 400 square kilometers in land area. Come on, what other country can come close to the fictional islands' size other than Singapore, which is 710 square kilometres in land area.

2. The names of locations on the island even seemed to resemble the names of actual places in Singapore, like "Tanah Raya" (Tanah Merah, anyone?)

3. The island ruled by a military government oppression, which plots to use chemical weapons against their people to make them obedient. (uh... very weird slight satirical reference to PAP in making Singaporeans very obedient to their government (but in a different way)?)

4. There are 3 rebel factions: Reapers, Ular boys and Roaches, which resemble the 3 dominant races in Singapore - Chinese, Malay and Indian.

5. Why Reapers resemble Singaporean Chinese? Just look at the ridiculously weird leader: Bolo Santosi - she obviously looks like a Chinese wearing the SIA costume, just like in SIA's "Singapore Girl" campaign... What's more, her annoying voice accent is the over-exaggerated form of the Singaporean accent, which I now realise how bad such an accent can spoil a (proper) game's experience. However, in "Just Cause 2" which doesn't take itself seriously in the first place, satirizes it in such a way that "Bad Voice Acting + Bad Singaporean Accent = WIN", as Mr Brown puts it. Cracked me up real good.

6. Why Ular boys resemble Singaporean Malay? (By the way, it's pronounced as "you lah boys". And Ular is "snake" in Malay - Snake boys?!) This is actually largely in reference to how Malays in Malaysia was/is, and to a smaller extent, how Malays in Singapore were in the past because of UMNO(If I am not wrong.): They claim that the Island belongs to them and they want to get rid of all foreigners from the island. It vaguely sounds familiar, doesn't it? Besides, the Ular boys leader used the characteristic supposedly Singaporean "lah" in their conversation with the protagonist, albeit sometimes with weird un-Singaporean-like grammar.

7. Why Roaches resemble Singaporean Indians? Their leader has an Indian name Razak, and he has dark skin like typical Indians in Singapore. Also, try to keep a straight face while hearing his accent, which somewhat resemble's the Singaporean Indian one. And gosh, I can't believe they actually used "Roaches" to represent the Indians. Damn, the henchmen of the "Roaches" even have that Indian accent in a weird twisted way. However, I don't see how having

8. The government's symbol is red background with a white star, and together with the above references, seems to refer to Singapore too, with its white crescent and a single white star on a red background often used as a symbol on the small flag thingies(the term escapes me) that are strung across poles and stuff. Again, what other Southeast Asian country can this refer to?

The game itself is not bad either, judging from reviews. But ah, the brilliance of satire always never fails to amuse me. Win.

Dante out.

Damned World Cup. Cannot study.

2010-06-18T17:09:00.004+08:00

This is hopeless. Here I am, trying to study, and there I was, watching World Cup matches.

But that aside, Germany, Brazil and Argentina are doing well. France disappoints everyone, Spain had a shocking defeat,... Gah! Distractions, distractions, distractions.

Dante out.

Lumopro LP160

2010-06-15T01:52:00.003+08:00

Oooh, it's out.

Upgrade from LP120.

It is the next not-as-expensive lighting solution to strobist photography as the 580EXII, yet the power is equivalent to it. I just might consider. But then again, I'm broke. :(

The LP160 Quad-sync flash builds on the success of previous models, like the LP120,
giving amateur and professional photographers even more features. Today's digital
photographers are looking for powerful, small flashes that are reasonably priced and
well constructed. The LP160 is the flash that delivers the power, features and price
point to meet that need.

As with previous projects, LumoPro crowd-sourced the additional features from the
Strobist community, a popular online group of photographers devoted to working
with small, battery powered flashes. This creative and sophisticated group led the
developers to create the tool to meet the demand.

Improvements included in this new model are impressive and built to fit the needs
of today's working photographers. The LP160 features twice the power and quicker
recycling for faster shooting. The Full to 1/64th power setting and digital optical
slave make the flash more usable under low light situations. A 7degree tilt, metal
hot-shoe, electronic zoom, and improved body construction add to the long list
of features for professionals.

All other features from the popular LP120 are present, including the Optical slave,
PC and Miniphone syncro ports, and manual power adjustments. The power
output of the LP160 is equivalent to the top of the line flashes from camera
manufacturers such as Canon and Nikon.

An exciting new feature will allow even more integration with existing flash systems:
the new digital optical slave will ignore the 'pre-flash'- a common feature of TTL
flashes for obtaining exposure information. This important addition enables
photographers to manually control the LP160, in conjunction with their TTL flashes,
without transmitting a TTL signal or exposure information, or having the LP160 flash
when the pre-flash activates.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Guide number: 140 (at ISO 100, feet) (Equivalent to Nikon SB-900 and Canon
580 EX II)
Remote function: Optical Slave, Digital Optical Slave, PC syncro port, miniphone
(3.5mm) port
Shoe: Standard ISO, screw lock, single pin, metal construction
Power settings, Full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64
Zoom Settings: 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 85, 105mm
Wide-angle adapter: Included
Swivel: 270degrees
Tilt: 187degrees, -7degree tilt for macro photography
Flash ready light: LED front and back
Minimum Recycling Time, Full power: 4 seconds with AA Ni-MH
Power source: 4 type AA batteries, Including Alkaline-manganese, Lithium, NiMH.
Optional Power Supply 3rd party: Quantum Battery 1+, 1C and 2 with MB5
Dimensions (flat): Aprox. 2.6 x 3.1 x 7.2 in. (66 x 79 x 183 mm)
Weight: 12.8oz (0.8lbs, 362grams)
Supplied accessories: Wide-angle diffuser, Miniphone to PC syncro cable, flash stand.
Warranty: 2 years from date of purchase through authorized LumoPro dealers.

FLASH DURATION:

Full t.5 : 1/1200
t.1 : 1/450
1/2 t.5 : 1/1300
t.1 : 1/950
1/4 t.5 : 1/2650
t.1 : 1/2250
1/8 t.5 : 1/4750
t.1 : 1/3700
1/16 t.5 : 1/9100
t.1 : 1/6050
1/32 t.5 : 1/18200
t.1 : 1/9450
1/64 t.5 : 1/27800
t.1 : 1/13150

Source: Mpex website

Dante out.

Midweek

2010-06-10T20:59:00.004+08:00

The middle of the week has just passed, and I have so far achieved very little. How tragic. There isn't much to worry though, all is not lost for me.

A quick run-through on the stuff that I have to do reveals a not-so-shocking revelation, though it technically only qualifies as "Oh well, what am I going to do?"

Then there is the SGC and Testimonials that I have to worry about. Honestly, I don't know what to write - there simply is too much to write about. I guess the qualitative aspect of the write-up shouldn't be too much of a problem, once I've got the specifics of the quantitative aspect down - and so I shall.

But where shall we begin? Hmm... I guess since everyone knows me more as a photographer than a youth ambassador, I shall start with my involvement with the Photographic Society of SAJC then.

It amazes me how I managed to get through J1 without retaining, much less keeping my 4H2s with the astounding level of involvement in event coverage last year. I can only imagine the frustration my teachers had (or not) with my nigh consistent absence from lessons using either of my CCAs as a reason. That also probably explained why I didn't even do my homework at all, (except copying. But even then, it was just to pacify a certain educator... -.-) and why I did so badly last year. Let's run through the list of events that I have covered as a school photographer:

2009:

2nd February - SAB concert

4th March - Cross Country

3rd April - Life Concert
8th April - Sports Day preparations
9th April - Sports Day
15th April - Student Council commendation
17th April - International Friendship Day
21st April - Hockey Match Finals
22nd April - Youth Ambassadors Social Etiquette Training
24th April - Thai Teachers' Visit

13th May - ACJC/SAJC Netball
15th May - "The Love of Three Oranges" Drama
21st May - Hockey Match
22nd May - Soccer Match
26th May - Saints on Stage/Team SAJC Closure

12th July - aLife Fund Raising @ Novena Church

6th August - German YOG Youth Reporters Visit (Fabian and Deutschmann)
7th August - National Day Celebrations
14th August - YOG 1-year Countdown
18th August - Graphic Calculator "Fastest Finger First" Competition Round 1
20th August - Archery for Alternative PE Programme
21st August - College Day
22nd August - GC Competition Round 2
22nd August - Learning Fest
31st August - Teacher's Day Celebrations

15th October - JC2 Farewell assembly

24th November - 3rd December - Youth Ambassadors' Germany Trip
13th December - SAJC Prom night

2010:

13th January - SAJC Open House
22nd January - SA/RI Kiwi Cup
26th January - YOG Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame
28th January to 3rd February - SAJC Orientation 2010 "Mosaic"

12th February - Chinese New Year Celebrations

5th March - A level results release
6th March - MOE Excel fest 2010
17th March 09S17 Service Learning

5th April - SA vs Australian Invitational Rugby
20th April - Student Council Stepping Down Ceremony
20th April - SAJC vs MJC Soccer finals
24th April - 'Celebration of Youth' Prize Ceremony

Phew! I feel proud of myself to have catalogued every single event I took in preparation for this. But these are just the events. There are photoshoots too:

J1 Photoshoot 2009
House Council Photoshoot 2009
"Sunrise" Assignment by Chinese department
A level Top-Scorers Photoshoot in 2010

I have a long way more to go... Time to get cracking!

Dante out.

Starcraft 2's new DotA map! Best Rick Roll ever. -.-

2010-06-10T01:16:00.003+08:00

DotA fans, the map entitled DotA v1.0 is out!

Check out the video. ROFL.

Damn, the beta for SCII is already being exploited. HAHAHA!

Funny.

Dante out

Killers

2010-06-09T01:44:00.003+08:00

Ashton Kutcher strikes again! This time, he plays as Spencer Aimes, who is your average, undercover, government-hired super-assassin accustomed to a life of exotic European locales, flashy sports cars and even flashier women. But when he meets Jen Kornfeldt, a beautiful, fun-loving computer tech recovering from a bad break-up, he finds true love...and happily trades international intrigue for domestic bliss.

Three years later, Spencer and Jen are still enjoying a picture-perfect marriage - that is, until the morning after Spencer's 30th birthday.

Imagine that suddenly, everyone you thought you knew tries to kill you. You then realise that they are actually hired killers all trying to claim the 20 million dollar bounty on your head, and it could be anyone: friends, neighbours, the grocery store clerk, even that crabby old guy shuffling across the street. Spencer's and Jen's lives are turned upside down as are on the run for their lives.

As their suburban paradise turns into a paranoid game of bullet dodging, they must find out who wants Spencer dead and why, all the while trying to save their marriage, manage his in-laws, keep up neighborly appearances ... and just plain survive.

I find it rather intriguing how the movie manages to appeal to people even though it is fraught with a myriad of issues such as a hazy, convoluted murder-for-hire plot; and often times too-cutesy romance; fairly exciting action sequences; lazy attempts at cliché humor, and a screenplay that loses steam before arriving at its obvious conclusion. Yet, the film is able to blunt the impact of its many flaws simply by nailing the two elements so few of today's films manage to produce: charm and chemistry.

Kutcher and Heigl. Interesting screenplay. I shall not explain, all of you should just watch it to see for yourselves

Anyway, the moral of the story is also pretty lame: be sure to disclose your secret life as a professional killer before marrying the girl of your dreams.

So alright, it isn't THE perfect film, nor is it plain garbage. The movie is still very enjoyable.

On a side note, I've been watching movies until i feel... burnt out! Man, have i spent too much time on movies. I really feel like studying now. HAHAHA.

Dante out.

The Losers

2010-06-09T01:30:00.003+08:00

The movie is about a team of mercenaries who wage war on the CIA after they're double-crossed in the field and left to die. They were on a black-ops mission in the Bolivian jungle when rogue CIA agent Max hung them out to dry.

After beating the odds and surviving their ordeal, the team decides to strike back against Max even if it means sacrificing their own lives to do so. Along the way, they find Aisha (or rather, she found them) who is also on her own path of getting at Max. But getting to Max isn't easy, because in addition to having the CIA on his side, he's about to spark a global war that could plunge the world into chaos. The Special Forces unit that everyone assumed is dead prepares to strike back with a vengeance.

While the setting may seem a tad cliché, I think this movie strikes a fine balance between the action, thrill and excitement with humour, and is executed rather well overall.

The uniformly excellent cast injects life into the movie with their own quirks and personalities. What makes the movie such great entertainment is the fact that the story refuses to take their characters too seriously. Humour quite often hits you round an unexpected corner, and enjoyable at that.

Actually on hindsight, the movie doesn't really make much sense to me. However, the movie just keeps going with action sequences, and it doesn't stop long enough for you to ponder about how much sense it actually makes. Over-the-top action does help with maintaining the mood of satire in the movie.

And I think i enjoyed this WAY MORE than Sex and the City 2 any day.

Dante out.

Sex and the City 2

2010-06-09T01:14:00.004+08:00

This movie was small disappointment. Although Abu Dhabi injected some fun into it, I think the whole series has been milked to dryness already. The characters have more or less reached their maturity point and nothing much can be developed anymore without compromising their identities.

As Carrie described her marriage during the movie, the Sex and the City franchise has now lost its "sparkle".

Though I much enjoyed the movie, there is nothing too great about it, except for messing around with UAE's customs and traditions which were genuinely funny.

Dante out.

Why Singapore should thank the MRT Vandals

2010-06-08T23:56:00.012+08:00

Photo source: CNA Website
The story is 3 weeks old. You've seen it all, and you probably thought it was an advertisement and didn't bother about it. At least, not until the news finally reported that the MRT was actually vandalised.

I think it is a joke. This is one huge signal to terrorists to say "HELLO! WE ARE VERY VULNERABLE! OUR SECURITY IS VERY LOW BECAUSE WE HAVE BECOME SO COMPLACENT ABOUT IT!" Forget what in the world were the Swiss and Briton thinking when they vandalised the MRT, think about what the heck were the depot security personnel thinking when they allowed the MRT to run! More importantly, think about how the buggers managed to sneak into the depot by cutting the wired fence at the side of the compound and managed to paint that large graffiti artwork on the side of a train!

Security agencies hire people to point out loopholes in their systems to further improve their systems, but here we have an ultra low-cost solution to identify loopholes in security systems. Either Singapore doesn't care about security in crucial transportation infrastructure because they think terrorists wouldn't bother with such "lame" ways of attacking Singapore, or that terrorists wouldn't bother attacking Singapore in the first place - either way, they are wrong; but, I am not going to commit a false dichotomy - there could be other reasons, but I just don't really see what else is there that best explains the situation. The core of such incompetency is still undeniably complacency.

If Mas Selamat could star in his own show "Toilet Break" to break out of custody in SINGAPORE, and amateurs like the Swiss and Briton vandals could break into an MRT depot to paint a beautiful artwork on a train, what other evidence is there to show how complacent Singapore is? I can't blame anyone though - we live in such a relatively peaceful environment that our mindsets tend to dull easily. Nonetheless, we are at strike two; strike three, and we're out.

So why should Singapore be grateful to these vandals? They helped identify a rather severe security flaw. Imagine the implications if they were well-trained terrorists out to destroy Singapore instead of amateur graffiti artists decorating Singapore - transportation networks get screwed up, people would die, and investment will drop to rock bottom. Honestly, we would be in deep shit. That does not mean to say we shouldn't punish them duly according to our laws; after all, rules are rules - just a lighter sentence would suffice.

In light of Michael Fay (who apparently went on to be arrested for multiple drug and alcohol violations in Florida which includes Butane abuse (Huh?!) after that incident...), here are just some 'appetizers' for the Swiss guy awaiting his judgement, and the Briton who is still at large. Enjoy! :)

Photo source: http://www.corpun.com/vidju.htm

However, for the record, I think this is what art should embody - loudness and audacity which challenges social norms and practices. What defines this particular graffiti work from others is that it was done on a train which managed to run for 2 days without anyone bothering. I guess this isn't such a bad idea of a mobile art exhibition, eh? Artists are great people - they manipulate and make use of vices in their expression to teach us about values (most of the time, i guess). In the same way, these vandals teach us about our complacency. But, it is always better to be polite to ask for permission first, right? :D

Then the next thought comes into mind:
So now Singapore will over-emphasize on MRT depot security, and will neglect something else, say perhaps immigration security. So when someone starts to mess around with immigration security, they start to freak out, the papers run it on the headlines for 3 days, then Singapore's relevant agencies start to over-emphasize on immigration security, neglecting others, as usual. (Thanks, Calvin for the final comment)

Dante out.

Can someone explain why?

2010-05-31T22:40:00.004+08:00

Why are there so many people "Googling" for me these days?

I just don't get it. What is with the sudden explosion of people trying to find out about me? According to my nuffnang, I received 3 hits on the keywords used on Google: "Daniel Teh SAJC" and 1 on "Daniel Teh" directed to my blog. Just TODAY. It is quite unusual.

And so I wonder.

It's likely nothing at all.

Dante out.
P.S. Please click on the ads located at the side of my blog, thanks!

Prince of Persia

2010-05-30T03:39:00.009+08:00

Wow. Just watched Prince of Persia with Hae In. It was surprisingly good - the plot elements were tied up quite nicely, and the cinematography was great! It wasn't like the other game-inspired movies which had generally weak plots which weren't developed properly. Possibly, the only game-inspired movies that were truly good were from the Resident Evil trilogy - it was simply the best ever (of the game-inspired ones). Like the Resident Evil Trilogy, the Prince of Persia is definitely one of the better ones I've seen.

The film is loosely based on the Ubisoft Montreal game trilogy starting from "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time", followed by "Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within" and "Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones". Although the film is primarily based on the first game, elements from the other two games were also incorporated in the film, such as the part where half of the prince's body becomes "flamed" when using the dagger of time.

For the most part, the action was enjoyable, with all the parkour, fighting and running about, up and down buildings and obstacles. But somehow, I think the action was more likened to one of Ubisoft's other game series entitled the "Assassin's Creed" with all the guards chasing the prince! Speaking of which, the Assassins which originated from the Hashshashin cult made their appearance as the "Hassansins" in the film, ordered to kill the prince. I wonder if there is any correlation between the Assassins Creed and the Prince of Persia in terms of Ubisoft game development. But enough digression.

I shan't need to do a long review on the movie. All you have to do is to watch it to enjoy. Maybe I have a biased opinion, I don't know. But I think it is rather well executed, unlike some other game-inspired movies. I guess we can expect nothing less from the producers of the Pirates of the Carribean!

Enjoy! :D

Dante out.

Holidays!

2010-05-30T03:38:00.001+08:00

So begins the start of the holidays, and I am just 2 days away from my Chinese exams. Mugging the whole day for Chinese isn't helping with the holiday mood.

Hey, in the first place, I'm not supposed to even be in a holiday mood! This is the A'level year, and it is important enough that I should even start studying it from the start of the year! This is possibly the most important exam I take in my life - the one which decides the fate of my jobs in the future. This is unlike the O levels or the PSLE in the past. I cannot screw up my A levels with my happy-go-lucky attitude like I did with my O levels or my PSLE anymore. It really is the last straw.

And as I try to phase out of my CCA, there is really much inertia I have to overcome. One is that I have to do stuff for the college annual - photoshoots and the like. Apparently, the school isn't hiring external photographers to do the job unlike the previous years, and I really don't think I am up to the task like I would be last year:

1. I am rusty - It has been quite awhile since I did a lot of photography. I doubt I can think about concepts as well as I could. Plus, I have been trying to phase out and abstain from photography for a few months that I am now well on my way to shift into a mugger's mindset from a photographer's mindset. It is time I let my juniors take over, very, very soon.

2. Is there enough time? Doing a photoshoot of this scale isn't going to be just time-consuming during the shoot, but also before the shoot for planning and after the shoot for post-processing. If I even try to do it quickly, it would only mean that it would be a half-assed job that I cannot be proud to lay claim as mine.

3. Why is the school cutting budget on this in the first place? Alright, I know that last year's economy didn't do so well; The government cut expenditure across all ministries, including MOE, which cascaded all the way down to us. Unlike other schools like ACJC and VJC which has generous amounts of donations rolling in from parents, our school has to put up with many budget constraints. And i don't think that we and petition for the board of governors to chip in, since its not something that benefits the students in the long-run. Well, anyway.. HAHA. Nevermind.

This is so going to suck my time out so much, and I have other concerns too. Before i phase out from my CCA, I think I want to finish up on a few things first.

On a side note, I just realised how within about a month or two, nearly the entire photographic society now has DSLRs of their own. At first, I thought it was a concern that not many had a DSLR of their own, but after the basic DSLR course by this eurasian guy from the NAC, it seems like everyone is starting to get cameras themselves. Not just cameras, Canons too! Not Nikon - ironically, our school uses Nikon.

But, it's not just the photosoc, the whole school seems to have this wave of DSLRs popping up from nowhere. It's like this sudden explosion of Canons (no pun intended) around the school, even. Everyone seems to be using Canon all of a sudden. I think perhaps it's partially (whether it be a major or minor part) because Zexun, Ho Sung and I were shooting canons all the while, and we somehow got the school wanting them. Why i think it's us, it's coz i see a whole lot more Canons appearing than Nikons (actually, I don't see new Nikons around). I really think Zexun, Ho Sung and I should get commission from Canon for giving them such a huge boost in sales.

Perhaps Canon should pursue this line of sales strategy - Using student-photographers to embody the spirit of their DSLRs or something. HAHA. Seems rather effective, ain't it? :D I don't mean to exaggerate or boast, it is merely an observation that I personally find the correlation too coincidental to not be causality. Well, enough head expansion for me. HAhaha.

Ultimately, I feel like my life in JC is well on its way to a nice ending, and it's nearly time for me to go full speed ahead for my studies! Hmm... I suddenly wonder what gives me this joyful disposition. I seem to be happier than usual, for no apparent reason. Even in the face of the Chinese exam, I seem awfully at ease, which paradoxically worries me - I am worried about my lack of worry. I don't get it either. Remotely, I worry for myself, yet my feelings tell me otherwise. Almost as if I feel like i exist as 2 separate beings so ever inextricably linked that I am one.

I guess i should stop with these weird thoughts and concentrate on the task at hand, lest i turn into some psychopathic felon who starts on a rampage on... something. Oh whatever. I am not talking sense. Guess 3.31AM isn't doing me much good. My mind is foggy and hazy, and I'm definitely not thinking straight. I'm just firing my thoughts as I think of them. Hahaha. See how much I have digressed from the start of the post!

Weeeee!

And so I shall go and sleep.

Dante out.

Satire is not supposed to be in reality

2010-05-13T19:11:00.003+08:00

I don't believe it. This isn't supposed to happen in reality! Things such as these should be kept within strict limits of satire humour - fiction!

It is just like the kick ass movie Kick-ass, which starts with the satirical premises of a comic geek trying to be a superhero, who is later joined by a rogue cop on vengeance who brought up his child up as an assassin. While these premises tease reality by injecting over-the-top violence and exploding body parts (or whole bodies), they are kept strictly within the absurd alternate reality we call imagination.

I just don't get it. How is it justified for a teacher to kick more than half the class out of any future lessons just because students do not stand in a straight line during assembly? And why pick on one class out of the many others who do the same? While we move on to a more gracious society, things like these degrade our sense of graciousness.

Why should excessively petty teachers who deny their students lessons take home taxpayer's money? Kicking students out of class because of not doing homework is one thing, but kicking students out of class because they did not line up properly is another.

Situations such as these are not meant to encroach into reality. Such seemingly over-exaggerated forms of pettiness are supposed to be expressed only in fiction as a caricature of reality; a satire that highlights society's problems through mockery and humour.

However, if that satire exists outside the realm of imagination and in reality, I wonder, how much more exaggerated would that petty teacher be in its satirical form? Perhaps she is a living satire herself, part of the mockery of the education system in Singapore, representing obnoxious political will forcing people into conformity in education.

I have put up with her nonsense for far too long. I have tried hard to accept her methods, and now she does this. Honestly, I'm pissed. Here's me trying to work things out with her and now there's her kicking more than half the class out without a hint of rationality.

But I think this will blow over soon. What would happen is that we will only have to wait. Eventually, we'll land up back in her class. Whatever.

Dante out.

How Technology Tried To Murder Me

2010-05-07T23:11:00.005+08:00

These days, technology is prone to destructive acts on humans, especially towards myself. In the past month or so, technology has evolved from a docile and helpful tool which was supposed to improve the quality of human life into a neurotic, dysfunctional and error-prone beast with homicidal instincts out to end human life as I know it.

7 April 2010: Laptop fails

Thought to be HDD error.
Dismantled laptop, took out HDD, placed it in a casing to be used as external HDD.
Got a new disk and installed Windows 7 on it but failed.
Ran diagnostics, found it to be RAM error. Changed RAM, installed Windows 7 successfully.
Few days later, Laptop failed again with BAD_POOL_HEADER and IRQL_NO_LESS_THAN_AND_EQUAL errors. Tried to do system recovery, got PROCESS1_INITIALIZATION_FAILED.
Ran diagnostics again, discovered it was a RAM error again, but it was the new RAM unit. Infuriating.
Went to change RAM, decided to replace the other RAM unit too, so now both RAM units are changed.
Laptop now functional on 7 May 2010. Exactly 1 month. Splendid.

17 April 2010: Desktop fails

Extracted some data from laptop HDD to the desktop.
After a few days, desktop fails.
Definitely not virus infection. It's a graphic card error because it was outputting weird symbols and the display was screwed.
Changed graphic card, worked for a while. Computer got buggy again and then multiple BSODs appeared. Damn. Yet another RAM error.
Got new RAM units, installed them, worked awhile. Then boom. Hard disk failure.
Got a new hard disk, cloned the old one onto the new disk, worked perfectly fine. I think.
Desktop now functional 5 May 2010. Almost a month too.

20 April 2010: Dad's touchpad on his MacBook fails

Worked perfectly when he used it. The moment I moved touched it, the touchpad failed to work. Hmm... Seems to work perfectly fine when i'm not using.

24 April 2010: Fan went into decapitation mode

Fan failed somehow. The casing got loose and flew out. The fan blades also got loose subsequently and flew all over the living room and nearly decapitated the family, but didn't - phew, such a close shave. Blades broke apart into pieces and scattered throughout the room. Funny.

3 May 2010: Hairdryer transformed into Ironman's blaster

Hairdryer tungsten got superheated somehow while I was using it. Tungsten glowed red hot. Hairdryer exploded and pieces of hot tungsten nearly got blasted into my face. Luckily, I managed to dodge and came out unscathed. Can't say the same for the stuff that caught on fire though.

3 May 2010: Air-conditioning refused to turn off.

Air-conditioning unit's electronics got screwed up somehow. Power button on the unit itself didn't work properly; It merely changed the settings that it ran on. All random switching. Finally turned it off after 30 plus tries.

3 May 2010: Cinema lighting went out of sync

Lights went on midway through the movie. Spoiled the whole experience. Oh whatever.

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

Alright, so not all technology tried to murder me.

At least, now i think it's working for me.

Now, homework first. Technology sucked an inhuman number of hours from my life. Damn it. No photos yet. Not so soon.

Dante out.

Technology Fail

2010-04-22T23:12:00.001+08:00

This is record-breaking to me, I swear. How splendid. 2 computers failing within 2 weeks. Now for the last level of redundancy; The final frontier. If this fails, I shall conclude that there is a great likelihood that I cause technology to fail.

Then again, things have happened around me in the past which were extraordinarily excessive to a much, much greater degree.

Like the time when I saw an average of 8-10 black cats a day for a few months (or maybe it was just 1 black cat that was following me throughout my journey home from school every day, appearing in front of me 8-10 times purposefully... but that's just way more creepy); Then there was another time when I followed this long, dense trail of death and decay ranging the burst stomachs of birds with evidence of tire threads over the bodies, lizard pancakes (as in flattened), maggot breeding grounds on cat carcasses to uhh... okay.

The point was that things have had happened around me all within a short span of time, excessively. It is as if the devil himself has taken a strong particular interest in me and is obsessive-compulsive with influencing my life in any way he can.

God save me!

Wait. Actually, things had happened AROUND me and not TO me. Interesting.

Man, I just hope this next computer won't fail.

Hey! This isn't the last level of redundancy! I still have 3 other laptops to exhaust. Sheesh. Will it really come to that?

Another week passes...

Dante out.

Homework? What is homework

2010-04-19T00:53:00.006+08:00

Me:
Sigh, I am trying to finish my homework.

Friend who had graduated awhile ago:
Homework? What is homework?

Me:
It is the daily routine of students all over the world, especially in Singapore.

Friend:
Ah, I have a fleeting memory of it. I think I used to do it.

Me:
So then, let me refresh your memory for you: It is what helps the system uses to enslave us.

What they do is that they first induce in us a sense of over-achievement and extreme drive for success, forcing us to want to practise.
Then they feed us with this thing called homework to fuel our addiction to practise.
Such a dependency on homework allows the system to bend us to their will, any way they want to.
Ultimately, we become like those harlots who get enslaved by pimps who use drugs to get them addicted; and subsequently depend on the pimps for the supply of drugs. The pimps then force them into sexual slavery. It is a cruel reign.

Friend:
I don't remember it being that evil! O.o

Me:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Dante out.

Hugs, Kisses and Tears

2010-04-14T02:12:00.003+08:00

Why is it always that exchange programmes that I am involved in always have to be so short?
It was only last Thursday that the German students from the Romain-Rolland Gymnasium in Berlin came here. Now they are gone, and I miss them so much already.

It is only after that we caught the last glimpses of the exchange students that I realised that I was living in denial. But oh, how wonderful it was to have spent an entire Saturday out with new friends without any worry for anything else in the world!
Sadly, after the short stint with hosting the RoRo students, we are thrust back to reality.

Truly, I regret not being able to have spent more time with them. This is one of the key reasons why I don't like to have pre-existing commitments. Still, it was necessary that I fulfil them.

Damn, I simply cannot stop thinking about them, nor can I not feel a sense of longing for their company. My thoughts and feelings are now flooded with memories of them. The parting was cruel, as if it were rending flesh from our bones; and soul from our bodies - painful, in all sense of the word.

Even though Josephine and the rest (including myself) were enthusiastically conceptualising another trip there immediately after they left, in the back of our heads, all of us knew that it was nigh impossible. But there is hope. We can hope; perhaps even put it to action.

My thoughts are in shambles, scattered everywhere. I don't know what to think anymore; rather, I cannot gather my thoughts coherently. Observations are mixed with feelings, and I can't seem to able to pen it down (type it out) without sacrificing clarity.

Perhaps, at the end of this week, I can finally relax and gather my thoughts. Then I can type out a proper post with.... PICTURES!

PRAISE THE LORD FOR GIVING US THIS WONDERFUL INVENTION!

Dante out.

P.S.
Wow, I only have 3 hours left of sleep.

Crisis - No. Rather, Crises

2010-04-07T01:00:00.003+08:00

How interesting. I seem to be in some sort of crisis here.

1). My Singpass is locked, so I can't book a medical appointment at CMPB. I need to go to some Community Centre to reset it, or i'm going to be screwed by the government.

2). Laptop crashed, photos and documents stuck inside, but are safe - Photos are still STUCK in there! I need to dismantle my laptop to extract the data! Sheesh! What a hassle! Photos are going to rot and die if I don't do it soon and be screwed by everyone and the school. Damn it.

3). PE got me doing hundreds of lower body excercise that I can't stand up properly, let alone walk properly. Can't cover events as effectively, but what the heck, my laptop's gone, so i can't cover events without equipment. I'm screwed by my own fitness; even after 2 days, I am still aching like hell. Literally.

4). Important events coming up, cannot cover because of the lack of hardware. I am so going to be screwed during the events.

This is stupid. I am being screwed too much. I really must screw something else. Ah. Screw it! I'm going to consider going film photography. Forget Digital! Go Analogue! Now, if only i had a film camera...

Sheesh.

Why does everything bad imaginable have to compound together within such a short period of time - rather, together at the same time?!

It's a crisis, man. This sucks.

Sorry everyone!

Band concert photos are delayed further!

Dante out.

My life is average

2010-04-03T15:38:00.005+08:00

My life is average; Either that, or I have lost the momentum to come up with crap to write about.

Actually, there are some things going on around the college that worth some attention, apart from events.

The college yearbook 2010 is now in it's conception stage. I can't believe that the school's budget problems are worse than I thought. Okay, to be fair, it's actually a budget problem across all government ministries. Expenditure has been cut, and it has cascaded down onto us. Even though the economy now is recovering well, the budget we receive now is based on last year's financial reports... which results in a less than desirable budget this year.

The proposed changes, as a result of the severe lack of budget, are as such:

1) The number of pages are to be cut to about 145 pages. Previously, the yearbooks were about 250 pages.

This is a very large cut. What this means is that CCA feature pages will not be present, and there will be minimal event reportage - just lots and lots of generic pictures. Of course, the achievements of the CCAs will still be present, but I don't like the idea of excluding CCA feature pages. If this were such a case, i'd rather they create a yearbook, save it in adobe PDF format and post it on facebook. That's cutting costs.

2) Only the J2s this year will receive the yearbook - i.e. J1s this year do not get the 2010 yearbook. Estimated number of orders this year: 1000 copies.

I think this will be disastrous for the publication team. The J2s this year (and even last) are already not happy about the previous yearbook. Especially because one of the CCAs were named wrongly. Enrage the J1s, I think I can imagine what the impression of the publication team will be across 3 cohorts of Saints.

I repeat. These are only PROPOSED changes; these are only tentative and are subject to changes which will be discussed during the teacher's meeting next Friday, 9th April.

There is, however, one confirmed change:

The school is not hiring professional photographers for photos in the yearbook.

Though it is an opportunity to boost my resume, I don't think i can afford to commit another round of photoshoots to the school. It would be suicide if I do. There is just not much time left for me - I can only pass on the burden to the J1s. But if we do endeavor in this, I will not allow the photographic society to be simply credited at the end of the yearbook. We have our needs too, apart from studies. I guess I shall have to speak to the respective in-charges about this.

Sigh. Finding people is tiring business.

There is one thing that bugs me though: why do I care so much?

Am I trying to make my life extraordinary?

Dante out.

Purpose

2010-03-16T21:40:00.004+08:00

Oracles certainly do not know everything, neither can they predict anything that happens in the future - they only believe. Belief is the driver of our destiny. It can sway billions or just one. Conviction; Choice - these are the manifestations of our beliefs, or the source of them. Together, they create our destiny - we choose it. Choice is inherent in determinism; though we may think it a paradox, destinies are not determined unless we choose. It is inevitable.

What is purpose? What is prophecy? They mean nothing if we choose not. There is no destiny - we can only believe in order to create one. The choice of whether we believe, and the choice to commit ourselves through what we have chosen to believe matters most. There is no purpose in life unless we define it, and it varies from individuals. Yet finding purpose does not come as easily as how the apple falls toward the earth.

There are no limits - even those we have are merely arbitrary constants put in place by humans to guide us from insanity; anarchy. The ironies of whatever rule, order or creed come as such: They seek to open the minds of men, yet require obedience and a set of rules; They prevent us from acting dangerously on blind faith, yet they are practitioners of it. Our origins are chaotic - unintended, even. Purpose and being instilled with one are solely by the passage of time. First imposed by nature, and later by men. Limits mean nothing in the grand scheme of things - to infinity and beyond!

Whatever the purpose, destiny or prophecy that we may or may not have, we may not know it now, we may not know it ever. All we have to do is to continue choosing, even though we don't want to. We are not constrained by anything - it is only ourselves that choose to manifest walls around ourselves, constricting our choices; restricting our lives; forcing ourselves away from what matters most.

I believe I have found purpose. Success lies in commitment; yet I lack the true courage to act on my choices and am often distracted and i end up choosing what i chose not. Whatever it is, there is no ever; there is only now. My future depends on it.

En Avant!

Dante out.

Beware the Ides of March

2010-03-15T18:37:00.004+08:00

Caesar:
Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music
Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.

Soothsayer:
Beware the ides of March.

Caesar:
What man is that?

Brutus:
A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

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

Caesar died on the Ides of March - March the 15th.

Heh. Even the economy in recent years experienced weird happenings on the Ides of March - March 15. Funny, I'm studying economics now.

I also wonder if Jack Neo is the world's most cunning joker who boosted his sales in China with his theatrics during his episode of infidelity uproar. Apparently, Jack's infidelity bolstered his sales in China! It appears that having multiple mistresses seemed to have increased his credibility instead, i.e. more successful, unlike in Tiger Woods' case. HA. HA. HA.

But anyway, he's the best we've got, and probably the ONLY one we've ever had. At least people chose to let it pass, considering how people responded to his recent surprise public appearance in Tiong Bahru Plaza. I suppose with flaws and all, he will still be, after all, the most celebrated director of Singapore; I respect him for that, but not his infidelity. (Though i must say, i still think it's pretty much a joke to me.)

This day marks a turning point to something(?)

The Ides of March. Beware. Though it's coming to a close already.

Women No Enough: A Jack Neo Production

2010-03-09T18:00:00.009+08:00

So Tiger Woods had 18 girls on his list (if we include Jessica Simpson). That was a joke already - the most renowned golfer scores in 18 holes like he usually does in golf!

So now Jack Neo is starting another parody production featuring himself, Wendy Chong and Foyce Le Xuan!

Women No Enough: A Jack Neo Production
A parody to Tiger Woods' Extramarital affairs

When shit happens, SHIT happens.

Fact: Jack Neo was from my secondary school (Tanjong Katong Secondary School) and teachers look up to him as a role model for creativity. (not sure about now though.)

The end of the world may not be so much unthinkable after all - with moral depravity running more rampantly, exacerbated by media attention and the paparazzi of the world. I guess it very well seems plausible that our world will end very soon, and it might be of our own undoing.. Interesting.

Dante out.

MOE Excelfest

2010-03-07T17:09:00.003+08:00

6-7 March 2010

MOE Excelfest - the exhibition promoting all the school's excellent practices. I wonder where do all these parents find out when it was. I don't think it has been advertised anywhere, yet I see quite a lot of people in the exhibition hall - even the teachers there were befuddled by how so many people actually knew about this excelfest. The junior colleges didn't really have much to present as compared to the Secondary, and especially the Primary schools.)

Even though there were a lot of people, "business" was rather slow. Not many people were interested in seeing what Junior Colleges had in store for them or their children, I guess. Furthermore, the school's booth didn't seem as impressive as our neighbors' - TPJC and NYJC. Plus, we weren't wearing blazers and only had 2-3 students per shift (TPJC probably had 8 or 9) Blah, blah, blah. The comparison will never end.

At least our presenters were both endearing:

and not to forget, excellent(Thumbs up for Josef!) :

What we lack in resources, we make up with our people. HAHA

My dear kindergarten mate also dropped by to say hi (and also put all her shopping down. She's lucky I was there. Otherwise, her hands would be swollen from holding all the stuff she bought! :D) Yes, kindergarten mate. And look at what she also got - some blinged out spectacles!

HAHA.

Splendid day.

Now: Back to studying.

Dante out.

A level results

2010-03-07T10:35:00.007+08:00

Hahaha. It appears that we have a lot of people in year's batch of top scorers from SAJC for the GCE 'A' level examinations by Cambridge. Ah, the euphoria of the atmosphere, happy faces and tears of joy! But be disappointed if you wanted to see crying, weeping and consolation for those who didn't do well, people, because I was only photographing individual portraits and group shots of the top scorers.

But what was interesting was the pre-release - when everyone was waiting to go into the hall to get their results. There were basically 3 groups of people:

The happy go lucky people who smile unconditionally, meet up with their friends and laugh about how long they've never seen each other - mostly guys:

Then there were the lone wolves who were anxious about their results as ever, to the point where they became oblivious to the camera shooting at them - both guys and girls:

And finally, there were people who were anxious TOGETHER. I could only imagine the kind of feelings they were experiencing: "Oh, are you anxious about your results? YES, I'm anxious about my results!" *Everyone laughs together* - These were mostly girls:

Man, even the teachers were anxious to GIVE OUT the results and started calling many people.

I didn't get to see what happened after that, sadly.

How great it would be if I were to score straight A's too - perhaps this shall serve as my drive and motivation to study - something which I seem to have lost ever since the end of O'levels.

Speaking of which, I think I can explain why I don't have the drive to study using something i recently learnt about motivation and emotion and how reason alone cannot move us to do anything. Simple:

Before the O levels and even during the O levels period, I was playing and having so much fun that I didn't really bother about studying - basically "happy go lucky". When the O level results arrived, I was happy with my result, and that became a positive enforcer for my behaviour before and during the O level exam period. Translated into all future instances, I would do more of what i did before: be "happy go lucky".

Gah! It's not like I don't like to study; I'm neutral towards studying, actually. It's just that if it were to be for my own pursuit of happiness, there isn't much pursuit for me because I'm happy where I am for now. Kinda reminds me of some research that proves why it is bad to be too happy. Hmm..

I suppose i just need to do it like a zombie then - it's the only way.

Dante out.

A'level Results Release!

2010-03-05T05:27:00.002+08:00

Today is the day...
Which decides whether I am retaking Chinese A'levels again or not.

Besides, the graduates are going to come back and get their results. I pray that they will all do well.

Dante out.

Cross country

2010-03-03T16:24:00.002+08:00

This is the first major school event that I have not covered. The cycle is complete - well almost. There is still this Friday's A level results release, and perhaps a few more sports events.

Slowly, but surely, the J2s will phase out of the Photographic Society as the J1's involvement intensifies over the next few weeks. I am still unsure about how the Youth Ambassadors will be like though, since our involvement technically includes the Youth Olympic Games later this year.

For me right now, it's a 2 week stretch before the core H2 subject papers for BT1. This Saturday's excelfest, and Friday is the Volkswagen something soccer match though, so i guess my Friday and Saturday is definitely out. I wonder how am I going to cope.

I can't seem to get out of this mire of heavy involvement in CCAs in order to concentrate on my studies. Sometimes, everything isn't a bright, colourful picture, but rather something like thick, sticky honey where things tend to stay the same and are hard to change - like how the classical and Keynesian economic theories are in comparison. But i guess it'll have to do - I'll just have to make do with what time i have left. Honestly, there isn't much.

Now I really have to study, while I am still peeved about the college yearbook issue.

Dante out.

Birthday

2010-02-27T10:35:00.001+08:00

I thank everyone who had wished me Happy Birthday!

Dante out.

Testicles... Testis... Testimony!

2010-02-22T20:12:00.004+08:00

"Testimony" is from Latin "testis"(witness), which is from proto-indo-european "tris-"(three, as in "third person, disinterested witness").

Reference to @WTFfact's tweet:
In ancient Greece, when taking an oath, men had to put their right hand on their testicles, thus giving us the term "testimony". #WTFfact

Source: Lexi

Dante out.

From Scratch

2010-02-22T19:28:00.002+08:00

"If you want to create an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe"
- Dr. Carl Sagan

Upon the Rooftops of SAJC

2010-02-22T17:49:00.014+08:00

Yeah, yeah. Word has already got out that I climbed the rooftops to complete a photo assignment by the Chinese Department. I am not telling how I got up there - except that whoever wants to should beware of the gap that you have to jump across to reach the rooftop or you may just fall to your death. Plus, I don't think anyone is allowed to be there in the first place. :S

Still, even though I risked my life for a different perspective, the photos just didn't seem to turn out the way I wanted it too. One of the reasons is because when standing at the very edge of the rooftop, I didn't really get the perspective i wanted - I'd need a helicopter to achieve that, but that's just beyond me.

Besides, I still got pretty great shots. Here are the 3 shots, of varying degrees of inclusion of rooftop architecture - just in case the Chinese Department wants to decide on which.

Personally, I prefer the last photo.

However, I think the 2nd photo would satisfy the requirements set by the department. Too bad the roof architecture is blocking the Jacob Ballas Bridge, otherwise it would be exactly what they were looking for. Well, we shall see which one would the Chinese Department pick when the publication comes out.

Hehe.

Oh by the way, I grabbed a shot of everyone during assembly - well not really everyone. I should have a fisheye with me, but unfortunately I don't. Note taken: Must get fisheye (Tokina again, anyone? :D)

Dante out.

It's coming!

2010-02-22T02:47:00.003+08:00

If, in 3 weeks time, I don't get a minimum of all 'C's for my core subjects in my BT1 exams, it is going to be a little sad.

Therefore, now is when i should work hard and maybe start to burn as much midnight oil as possible to complete whatever i need to do by then.

I need lots and lots of practise, so i guess my online time will be diminished rather significantly - as for blogging to improve my english, let's just hope that I would be able to sustain myself outside of that. Besides, I don't even blog that much anymore, so there's not much of a difference.

Must. Study. Resist. All. Other. Temptations...

Gah!

Dante out

Why Piracy Works

2010-02-20T13:27:00.007+08:00

People just don't get it, do they? One of the main reasons (hopefully) why people turn to piracy is illustrated below:

Source: Lifehacker

HAHAHA

Dante out.

Why are there so many farewells? Now it's Mrs Leow

2010-02-08T02:00:00.003+08:00

6 Feb 2010
And so, Mrs leow already flew off to Melbourne, Australia to retire liao.

"L" for Mrs Leow! :D

Happy Retirement, Mrs Leow.

Dante out

Rachel Goh's Farewell

2010-02-08T01:51:00.006+08:00

2 Feb 2010

Rachel Goh is Goh-ing to New Zealand to pursue her studies. Ah, all the Youth Ambassadors are going to miss her.

I wish I'd have the luxury of time to write a long post dedicated to her, but i don't. Sigh. But we did have loads of fun giving her a surprise by hiding in her room until she came back to get something from there. The result? This series of photos pretty much sums up everything:

Surprise!

Rachel Goh is a very happy girl. And off Gohs the Rachel Goh.

Farewell.
Dante out.

Orientation has ended, and school starts for J1s.

2010-02-08T01:26:00.007+08:00

2 & 3 February 2010

Orientation - It has finally come to an end.

All the cheering, hoorah and oomph has now dissolved away into the mundane lectures and tutorials which everyone has to go through. It is only mandatory.

It is inevitable - besides, if we were to be having "orientation" every single day, we would somehow get bored of it, right? I don't know. Maybe not. But things like these are best in moderation, or it will destroy the uniqueness and its significance to the J1s.

Everyone seemed to be still rather hyped up on the last day of the week, Friday.

The video presentation went very smoothly and was very well received, as we could all hear J1s shouting and screaming for their OGs, OG mates and kingdoms. That was the best reward ever - allowing people to enjoy and relive their best moments, watching how they react to the photos. I was quite overwhelmed.

Phew, we all did a good job covering the SAJC orientation 2010. Thank you, everyone in the Photographic Society and Jonathan and Joshua who took time off to cover Orientation 2010. Hahaha.

I am so tired now. Heh.

Dante out.

TJC-SAJC Friendly Soccer Match/CNY Fireworks display

2010-02-08T00:30:00.007+08:00

30th January 2010

Ah, it was a fun day. Went to have a little fun shooting at the TJC-SAJC Friendly Soccer match at the TJC grounds. Zexun was there testing the Canon Eos 1D mark IV for Red Dot Photo for Canon - Man, i tell you, the camera was a beast! And ultra light too! - lighter than even my camera!

Sheesh. Why do we live in such an unfair world? :(

Well, at least I can say "I have shot with the 1D mark IV".

Haha. It wasn't just Zexun and I. Zexun's boss was there too, and i also got to play around with the fisheye. It's damn fun!

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

When the evening came, it was the CNY fireworks display. Went out with Delise to take photos of the fireworks.

Man, I must really get the Phottix remote shutter release. I can't shoot bulb properly without accidentally shaking the camera too much. Even if i don't use bulb and use mirror lockup setting and shoot with set times, i can't get the exposures right because of different timings of fireworks. Hmm... must really watch how the fireworks fall.

Hey! Remember the Jimmy juggler guy who came to SAJC to showcase his talent to the school? He was at Clarke Quay to perform his act! He, apparently, had new acts to show. However, we didn't really bother ourselves to watch his performance. Hehe.

After that, we went around clarke quay, chinatown, and the CBD for a long, long stroll, taking pictures along the way. I find it amusing that there were still so many people around town at such a late hour - and mind you, we were there at about 2am and people were still having fun. Well, i guess it's a Saturday night, and people don't have to work on Sundays, so.... it's party time for everyone! There were even people buying things for CNY at Chinatown, and we encountered this father and son who were having time together shopping there. :)

Ah, and we finally settled down at Lau Pa Sat to cool down before going our separate ways back to our homes. Hahaha, at 2am, Delise looks reaaaally tired:

:D

Dante out.

Mosaic

2010-01-30T17:28:00.010+08:00

It seems like yesterday that I went for my own orientation, but alas, we are a year ahead. The new batch of J1s who just arrived seem like a fun bunch, but isn't that how everyone is during orientation - an enthusiastic, lively and ultra-fun-loving bunch?

Of course, it wasn't like this on the morning of the first day - not with everyone being so tentative, shy about making the first step to break the ice between them. But the enthusiasm kicked in real fast, and soon after, they were all having a ball of a time - which reminds me of my own OG.

Ah, those were the times. 'Tis sad to say that not everyone stayed within the OG after orientation. After being separated into different classes, the OG sort of stayed together, except a few who disbanded from us. What's funnier is that sometimes I forget that some of my closer OG mates were in my OG, and end up embarrassing myself by asking them which OG were they from. HAHA. I guess the OG isn't what it used to be anymore, especially now with the A'levels coming at the end of the year. I just hope i do well.

Besides, the J1 batch this year are still having their "honeymoon period". Not too long after, they'd be whizzed off into their classes and go into slavery under MOE.

And as time passes by, they'd be reminiscent about the times they had spent with each other, the camaraderie they forged amongst themselves, and the fun they had together. And as more time passes by, they'd forget about these times, as they submit their minds to the overmind of education. Times like:

But wait. Perhaps they'd not forget things like this:

Haha. But that was merely the first day. For the most part of the second day, I was tied up with lessons until the very last part of wet games. What was the last part of the wet games? Battalions of water bomb troops at a battle of epic proportions (considering how water bomb wars usually are)

Unfortunately, I was spending majority of the time dodging stray water bombs that were meant as artillery shelling, jumping up and rolling around, doing somersaults and back flips(Actually, no) just so that my camera wouldn't get as wet. Speaking of wet cameras, witness the awesome power of the 1Dmark2n. This is the reason why people get professional range cameras:

Wahahaha. Eh, one thing unexpected happened though - someone saw Zexun getting wet, thought our cameras were waterproof and started lobbing water bombs at me too while I was shooting Zexun. O.o Dodged a few but finally a single waterbomb flying in from my blindspot nearly blasted my camera to pieces. It was lucky i applied a quick spin, saving my camera from a direct hit. Still, it sustained quite a bit of glancing damage from the subsequent watersplash, and it got shorted out after 1 minute.

Yes, my camera still worked! I love my camera's reliability. But it sure gave me a good reason why i should upgrade to a 7D, 5Dmark2 or even better, a 1Dmark4. Still, it is a few thousand dollars. I wonder...

And the day ended with a short skit put up by the councilors.

Orientation Day 3? Coming right up.

It's the Amazing Race!

Sadly, none of the J2s can cover them, so i'm relying on Zexun and Ho Sung for the shots.

Dante out.

P.S.

I hope that this year's intake of CCAs will be fruitful - especially for the Youth Ambassadors and Photographic Society - my very own. :)

YOG is coming up this year and we really need to recruit J1s to cover for us when we are unavailable - especially since this is our A level year. Initially, we planned not to have any recruitment for this batch, but we figured that the burden would be too heavy for us to take and changed our minds subsequently. I need to find someone who can succeed me as the official photographer of the CCA - perhaps i shall look to the photographic society for this.

The Photographic Society is going to see much changes this year, especially when I'm around. I'm laying out a syllabus this year such that we need regular meetings and such to pursue greater heights in our photographic escapades. Improvements need to be made, equipment bought, more funds are needed too. I hope the intake of J1s this year have good equipment such that they don't have to rely on the school's cameras for covering events - ownership of camera = greater ownership of photos = greater obligation to take better photos = improvement for the photographic society = YAY.

YOG - Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame

2010-01-27T00:03:00.004+08:00

YOG Learning Centre, Singapore
26th January 2010

The Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame - 5 cities have been announced to host the trail for the Youth Olympic Torch to herald in the Youth Olympic Games in from the 14th to 26th of August, later this year.

The flame will first be lit in Athens, Greece around July. Subsequently, it would make its way to Berlin, Germany; then to Dakar, Senegal; Mexico City, Mexico; Auckland, New Zealand; Seoul, Korea; and finally to Singapore. The Youth Olympic Torch will make then its way around the island on a 6-day relay before finally lighting the Olympic Cauldron in time for the Youth Olympic Games.

The announcement for this "Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame" was made during a short ceremony at the YOG centre. Representatives from schools who have successfully been twinned with the host countries of the trail, as well as the representatives from the host countries themselves and the YOG Committee were present.

Just for your information: the high commissioner of New Zealand was there too. Don't remember him? Remember the Guest of Honour for the Kiwi Cup just last Friday? Yes, that is him.

During the ceremony, there were performances put up by schools, such as the Olympic Anthem by the "Hai Singers" from Hai Sing Secondary, as well as Bukit Panjang Government High, with their tribal dance (which was what gave inspiration for the Rugby chants/battle cries)

See the similarities?

Here are some of the other photos from the event:

Dante out

Winning Streak

2010-01-24T23:49:00.007+08:00

24th January 2010
SAJC Astroturf

The Saint Andrew's Family has claimed the title of the Kiwi Cup Champion once again!

In the 4th consecutive year, the Saints have dominated over the Raffles' Rugby team in the Kiwi Cup. This year's match had a fresh feel to it, mainly because it was played on the newly-constructed Astroturf field in Saint Andrew's Village in the Junior College section.

It was not all smooth sailing for the Saint Andrew's family though, as the "Curtain-raiser" match for the under-14 category was lost to the Rafflesians by a penalty, 6 - 3. And yes, if you watched the match, the points were won by penalties - so did the match.

Besides, the Saints have won it again, and it sure was a helluva fun time for me covering the event, except i'm short of 200+mm lenses.

Here are some other pictures from the event:

Dante out.

Avatar

2010-01-22T01:31:00.002+08:00

Whew! MSA has just passed, but honestly, I didn't study properly. That was one of the most slipshod studying I ever did. (the past year was not slipshod studying, it wasn't studying at all!)

I must up my gears as soon as possible, and as quickly too. Bloc test 1 approaches in 7 weeks' time. I must be ready.

Besides, today is a day for watching Avatar. It was technically very stunning. The amount of effort that has been put into making this movie is really tremendous. The visual impact is there, with extra bonus because it is shot in 3D. 3D! Man, to shoot that film in 3D - Oh, let's just say that the movie was great.

The film does go a rather long way in showing support for environmental conservation. Though the film isn't depicted as Earth, it sure had that same, if not greater magnitude of telling what we are really losing by environmental degradation. Yada yada yada.

However, one problem I encountered during watching the movie was because of the sucky non-spectacle-compatible 3D glasses. Though it's supposed to be "engineered with precision, Dolby should have thought about the people who are wearing spectacles! Oh well, at least it didn't really hinder my enjoyment of the movie that much.

Tomorrow is a Friday.
JC1s are coming in soon. Orientation is coming. I have to plan.
And it's late.

Good night.
Dante out.

Weekends/SAJC Open house 2010

2010-01-16T13:08:00.010+08:00

Ah, the weekend has finally come. MSA1 is next week though - must ensure better grades this time.

Enough of that. Open house 2010 pictures are here.

No time for captions, just photos. Nothing much, nothing special.

Well, the rest of the photos can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=189467&id=768564553&l=76b778cfae
Dante out.

Beware of Exploding Fans!

2010-01-11T19:44:00.007+08:00

The first day of school went off with a bang quite literally. It happened during my class' break time and we were all at the canteen.

The aftermath of the exploding fan. You can see the hand-over-mouth-"OMG!" reactions in the background. If you can't see, click on picture to enlarge.

Today, a fan exploded in school today. Well, sort of.

It was during my class' break time when the fan suddenly shuddered very vigorously with a continuous screech for about half a minute, and then it sort of fell apart violently with a cacophony of bangs and clangs. Almost everyone in the canteen was shocked by the sudden incident. While some shouted "Oh my God!", others screamed. Others still went to investigate and see if anyone was hurt.

Luckily, no one was hurt because no one was sitting near the fan. Only the table had a few scratches here and there, but other than that, there was nothing much at the scene. Though there were bits of the fan blades that flew everywhere within a radius of a canteen bench around it, it is not as bad as it sounds. At least, by the time I took the photo, the janitor already went to pick up some of the pieces.

One of the pieces of the fan blade

After this fan exploded, a 2nd fan started to exhibit similar signs of near explosion, right above a table with a class of people. and then a 3rd fan on the opposite end of that table also started shuddering, but milder. The reactions were, honestly, quite comical. I mean, after witnessing the 1st fan break into pieces violently, what would your reaction be if you see a fan above you that started shuddering in the same way? HAHA.

Here's a video of the 3rd fan that was shuddering at a much, much milder rate than the other 2 fans.

Beware of Exploding Fans, People! I just hope everything will be fine during open house. Heh.

Dante out.

Dinner

2010-01-10T07:37:00.003+08:00

Had a great time having a gathering with my extended family at the Chinese Box @ Bukit Timah NUS Law campus - at least with those who are in Singapore. It has been a week since we came back from the USA/Canada trip, so I guess this dinner is some sort of celebratory one for our return.

The food was quite good, albeit very slow to serve. You could wait an average of 15 mins before the next dish arrives - such a vast difference from the chinese restaurants in New York. Perhaps the business there is really good as compared to here, that's why the situation is much different there: Within 5 minutes of sitting down at the restaurant, the waiters and waitress spam plates of food quite literally. It was nearly mindless eating because we had to concentrate on eating quickly to clear a spot before the next dish arrives - 10-course meal the fast-food way. But I guess having slow serving food is way more conducive for much talk, so it's a trade-off.

Went to aunt's place after dinner to view photos and videos from the USA/Canada trip. I haven't really edited my photos because I was too occupied with trying to clean my room up and settling post-trip logistics. Nevertheless, the unedited photos were already very nice. Perhaps editing these holiday photos will come after MSA 1 is over - it starts next Friday!

Times like these don't seem to come as often as they used to. No longer do we gather weekly at someone's place - we only wait for occasions to meet, but we try to keep together as much as possible. This is how families should be - each one trying as much as possible to keep together, no matter the circumstances of work or play.

Dante out.

Re-Genesis

2010-01-09T06:41:00.003+08:00

Hurrah! After a month's long appeal - appeals, rather - some diplomatic compromise has been reached between the school and I.

Next target: All Cs in Bloc Test 1, otherwise, it's back to dropping H2 Economics.

That aside, I have to plan my involvement in CCAs from now on. No longer can I zealously pursue CCAs with blind passion - the end must be in mind; in sight.

Dante out.

Formalities First

2010-01-07T20:21:00.002+08:00

The First Day of School in SAJC will start with a formal assembly at the Cultural Centre.

Start: 0715

The Board of Governers will be present

Bring Thermometers

Councillors on duty will direct people to allocated class seats.

By order,
SAJC

Dante out.

The Race Approaches

2010-01-07T17:20:00.003+08:00

There are 4 days left before the start of the term. 2010. Nice number, but its going to be an awfully rushed year. A'levels blockade the end of the year, so engines must start roaring from the very start - actually, now.

Things to be done; subjects to polish and refine; hurdles to overcome.

Level 1: Re-Genesis

Dante out.

An Important Ritual

2010-01-04T18:27:00.002+08:00

I cannot believe such a seemingly trivial matter as a countdown to the New Year could be such an important ritual to me. Since I did not manage to countdown to 1st Jan 2010, and skipped an entire day, I now still feel stuck in 2009. 4 days into 2010 feels like... 4 '31st December 2009's.

!

I need a countdown. This is the first year that I missed - no - could not have a countdown. It was literally, physically impossible, based on the timezones. Sheesh.

Dante out.

Old Age

2010-01-03T13:48:00.014+08:00

Many a time, I have heard many people say that with old age comes great wisdom and knowledge. However, it doesn't seem that way as we all grow of age, towards the Golden Years - i.e. 50+ years old.

Sometimes, it seems that old age does not bring you wisdom, but robs you of it. Like a poison, it infects your brain; it consumes your entire being, destroying your logic centres and also corrupts your memory capabilities. Old age is a concept of mystery - sometimes, you wish you were as old as your grandparents and sometimes you don't. Old age is actually a scary thing. To me, it seems more likely to reduce us to what we thought we had grown out of - our childhood.

Perhaps, my parents have nearly full capabilities of their logic centres and memories, but even they are losing their edges. Especially recently when I discover that some of the more petty things are getting of much concern to them. Somehow, I think that this is an indicator that there is a lack of things for them to be concerned about, and their minds are finding a way to anchor their logic centres to and argue about, no matter how trivial or childish it may seem. It appears that some of the very tasks that seem so complex to us has become so much of a routine to them that it becomes too simple for them, and they are seeking new ways to exercise their brains. This, I must find - a way to anchor their thoughts and feelings such that they do not become as fickle as a child, lest they lose their own sanities and become like children to be taken care of - or worse, because old people are very fragile.

Old Age - ah, such a frustrating thing. No wonder so many people thought of abandoning their elders to the Old Folk's homes: because they do not understand the workings of such things. However, I do understand the intricacies of these things because I am not as thoroughly involved in working as many other adults are. Perhaps I have been blessed to have been born when my parents are at such an old age, because I have so much time in my hands to track and analyse each of their progress as they age. I am afraid I may lose what I have come to hold so dear of them - their true identities - the ones that are worthy of being remembered.

I do not want their minds to be reduced to like a child, but rather, have their minds kept keen and sharp. Thus begins my quest to find that anchor, and a way to keep them as healthy in both mind and body.

However, should I fail, I hope I am strong enough to commit myself to not allow the temptation of abandoning my parents to take over; not like others who had succumbed to such ungodly desires.

But how shall I go on from here?

These days, it seems more like I shouldn't think how to patch the holes in their logic, and rectify their mistakes, but more of how we should keep them happy. After all, that that is what all that matters, isn't it?

Perhaps I have not been a filial child because I can tell that my parents were deeply saddened by some of our arguments. Countless times, has this already happened; Countless times, have I thought that I reduced them to tears, literally. It could mean that I cannot argue well, or it is perhaps that there are so many things that they know had worked for them for so long that they are afraid of a different perspective; maybe they are starting to be befuddled with old age.

But I cannot bear to do this anymore - I cannot bear to sadden them further. Nothing else is more important in the current life than happiness, but even that has greater philosophical meaning than material gains. Defining happiness and giving it to them is going to be difficult. I must be strong.

Dante out.

Good bye New York, Hello Singapore

2010-01-02T04:28:00.003+08:00

I hate this. The moment we exited the plane from our transit flight from Narita Airport, we were thrust back into the detestably thick, hot, humid and sticky air of Singapore. The humidity and temperature is so vastly different that I nearly choked on my first breath back in Singapore.

Right now, I can only lament on the fact that all of us are back from 9 days in USA and Canada. School's going to start again soon, and hell, it's going to be a busy year.

Nevertheless, I think this holiday had been one of my best ever - 9 days in Berlin, Germany, and the other 9 days touring around USA and Canada. I've never been to so many countries within one holiday season, and I sure enjoyed my time.

We went on this tour because my sister and my cousin were doing exchange programmes there and NYU in New York and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario respectively. My sister had the best ever accommodation you could ever have in NYC - right at the heart of Times Square. Man, imagine having your apartment illuminated by the lights in Times square at night!

In total, there were 15 of us joining the tour together - 12 were family, and 3 were my cousin's friends. Although, my sister only joined us for the American part of the tours. Spending time with family and friends in snow season... indescribable.

The funny thing was the number of people were in our tour in total.

"Hey, your tour in USA and Canada seemed like huge fun! How many people did you enjoy the tour with?"

"Uhh... 301?"

"WHAT?!"

Heh. Imagine the logistics that the travel agency had to handle - amazing!

Now, the tour has finally ended and we're back in Singapore, but my cousin and her friends are probably on their way back to Toronto to catch their flight back here. My sister is better still - she's going for a Caribbean cruise before coming back. Gah! And life goes on as per usual. Oh well.

Dante out.

The Great Adventure Continues

2009-12-23T02:01:00.002+08:00

Not too long before, I was whizzed off to Berlin, Germany for a school trip. It was sad that there was not a single flake of snow for us to see, feel or taste.

Now, I am going to be whizzed off to the land of opportunity, or so people have called it. The great adventure continues.

Dante out.

P.S. (travalogue of Germany trip will continue after my return.)

Stalked by a Black Cat

2009-12-22T04:31:00.011+08:00

"Hey, what are you doing following me?" I said. I realised that a black cat was following me on my way home from a meeting in school.

"Come to Papa" the cat replied.

"What the... If you come any closer, I'm going to shoot you!" I warned. However, the cat ignored my warnings and chose not to heed them. I took out my camera, and started shooting the cat. I warned you...

After awhile, the cat started to lose interest, and got a little peeved, even. It turned away and laid down beside one of the poles supporting the roof of the covered walkway. I decided that irritating the cat further was way more interesting and fun than letting it go.

I went up to the cat and said, "Hi." The cat did not appear pleased, and immediately shot a fierce look at me and asked, "What do you want with me? I've irritated you enough for my own satisfaction already. Go away!"

"Yes," I replied. "But now it's payback time. What do I want with you?" I paused a long while, and pretended to be in deep thought.

"This"

I pointed my camera at it and it appeared stunned for a moment. He then creased his eyebrows and asked, "Why the hell did you take a picture of me for?"

"No, I did not!"

*Click*

"Now I did."

The cat was certainly not very pleased then. I expected a flurry of claws from it, and embraced myself for it. However, to my disappointment, it merely placed its head on the ground lazily and murmured, "Oh, never mind. Do whatever that pleases you..."

"Sure"

"Cheerio!" I bade it good bye after taking another photo.

"And a good day to you, sire." The cat bade me fare well. A flicker of higher intelligence suddenly seemed brighten the cat's eyes and as it turned and walked around a pole. I tried to look for it after that, but it seemed to have disappeared. How strange.

Dante out.

Atrium - Day 6

2009-12-21T22:57:00.014+08:00

Alas, we were nearing the end of the trip and we dreaded the end as much as ever. We were having such a wonderful time there, away from the cries and woes of the Singaporean education system.

Nevertheless, we proceeded with our activities as planned.

We went to some sort of a school for the arts, though the name escapes me. I think part of the name consists of "Atrium", for most of us were referring to the place as such. So let us assume it is called the "Atrium" and I shall continue.

In the atrium, we, including the RoRo students who were there to join us, were split into a few groups - some into digital photography, some into film photography, some into baking, Chinese dance and Baroque dance. 5 groups were made and we scattered for the rest of the day.

I decided to not go into any of the groups so that I would be free to roam around to document the all the sessions. But for the most part, I joined the film photography group because I was keen in finding out how to develop a photograph from film. Interesting thing to note: I even found my very own German counterpart, Daniel. But instead of having a digital still photo camera like mine, his was a digital film camera, professional grade (Also Canon. :D ). So both of us went around documenting the sessions together - as Daniel and Daniel. Heh.

After the sessions with the 5 groups were done, we had a pleasant, and very much welcomed lunch break. We had a long chat with each other - Germans, Singaporeans or otherwise - and it felt like we were with old friends who we knew over the past year.

Subsequently, we gathered together for a showcase of what we had learnt - for the dance groups, their dances; photography groups, their photos; and the baking group, their cookies and biscuits.

So here is the collation of the showcase and the sessions:

Digital Photography:

Film Photography:

If you were wondering, yes, I shot in the darkroom. It only appears brighter than it should be because I made it so. Enjoy!

Chinese Dance:

Baroque Dance:

Baroque costumes are what they were wearing, if you're wondering.

Baking:

Costume-wearing(Not a session.)

After seeing some of the Baroque costumes that the dancers donned, many were so excited that they decided to go try the costumes for themselves. It turned out that there was a treasure hold of costumes. Everyone, students and teachers alike (and the tour guide too), went to try on the costumes.

It was a fun time being there, and the whole day was spent thus. We went back exhausted, and were also rather depressed that the final day had arrived - One more day; one last day in Berlin, one last day with German friends.

Dante out.

Getting Friendly and the DDR museum - Day 5

2009-12-21T01:14:00.000+08:00

The Monday blues did not affect us at all - with a whole morning of visits and interaction with our German counterparts, it was hard to not be excited. It is nice to know that SAJC is starting up a partnership with the German school for some programmes lined up for the future, so i guess that would not be the last time we would see RoRo students. In fact, here's a spoiler for you: wait until April 2010.

Marcus getting friendly with our German counterparts

The whole morning was dedicated to getting them to try our local snacks, getting to know each other better, finding out how differently they live their lives, etc.

Mr Chay getting comfortable in a car that was used during the DDR rule

The place was sectioned into various recreations of former East German homes, and many other exhibits. Everything in the homes were identical - everyone had the same clock, the same decorations, the same furniture, until the point where going to another person's home was like your own. Except maybe your friend has a telephone and you do not.

A recreation of an East German home during the DDR rule

The lives that people led then were much more sociable because commodities and many items were hard to come by. You had to know someone in order to have this or that. Take the telephone, for example - not everyone had a telephone - and so you had to know someone as a friend in order to use it. This applies to almost everything that we now take for granted.

A picture with our tour guide, a former East Berliner

The most important reflection point from the museum was that it is ironic that not having everything in the past seems cultivate a much better society than today. Today, people are so obsessed with their personal items that they seem to forget the people around them, because they basically have everything that they need - a more selfish and antisocial behaviour ensues. There are so many things for us to reflect upon, and there are many things which socialism can teach us, no matter how bad people describe it as.

Dante out

Arbeit Macht Frei, Olympiastadion und Jüdisches Museum - Day 4

2009-12-20T23:37:00.006+08:00

Travelling along the autobahn

It was yet another tour filled day in Germany - Sunday, 29 Nov 2009. We awoke early for the long road trip along the autobahn. (speedways in Germany) Something interesting to note is that for most of the autobahn not near the city, there are no speed limits. Unfortunately, we only stuck with the autobahn near the city, so it was not as much of a thrill ride as it should be. Heh.

We continued our journey through the holocaust history and arrived at one of the places where the Jews were held - Konzentrationslager (concentration camp) Sachsenhausen. Well, it wasn't a camp just for Jews, but also for those who were deemed "antisocials" by the Nazi. Today, it is called the "Gedenkstätte und Museum Sachsenhausen", or the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum, in English.

Arbeit Macht Frei

The front gates to Sachsenhausen lay the imfamous slogan "Arbeit Macht Frei" - "Work that sets you free", but they are simply more of Nazi lies to give prisoners a false hope.

The Death strip

Of course, if anyone couldn't take it anymore, they could simply just run into this patch of black rocks where the guards would shoot them down - whether it be because they wanted to escape (near impossible, anyway) or that they simply wanted to commit suicide. Nobody ever bothered with clearing the bodies, so the entire stretch was strewn with bodies left to rot throughout the life of the concentration camp.

Conditions that they lived in - it became so crammed that people actually resorted to sitting on the ceiling beams to get out of the crammed situation.

They lived a harsh life: They were forced to live in crammed conditions where you literally had to sleep on your side to share a mattress with another with barely enough room to move; ate only 2 slices of bread, some butter, a bowl of soup (more like water) and a cup of coffee every day; and had to work 7 days a week. The only time they stopped work was when they died. Many of these houses have now been destroyed - not by bombs, but by deterioration from bad maintenance.

Luckily, the inhumane activities carried out at the camp is now history - in its place, a memorial.

An artwork now stands in the crematorium complex where the bodies of executed prisoners were sent after execution
And the burial sites of the ashes of the executed now lay as memorials.

The Berlin Olympiastadion

We left Sachsenhausen for the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, and boy was it a magnificent sight - at least for someone who has never seen such a stadium through his own eyes like me.

'Tis rather funny to see one of my fellow companions, Rachel, to go gaga over the place, but not surprising. "OMG! It's where soccer gods had walked!" was her response to a question why she reacted so. Her obsession with soccer consumed her while we were on a short tour around the stadium.

However, while the place is where Bundes Liga matches are held, the Berlin team is sadly rock bottom.

Still, the place is so obsessed with soccer that the urinals are filled with soccer pitches.

Also, i can't really remember, but there was a representative from the International Olympic Council there to present us with souvenirs. In return, we presented a plaque to him.

We then moved on to the Jewish museum - I say, it was one of the best museums i've ever been too mostly because of the wonderful tour guide, the way of presentation was so fresh, so insightful and so witty that somehow, my perception of the world has changed.

When you first enter the museum, you are underground. It seemed like a normal passageway, but yet it does not. The walls look straight, but as you walk along the passage, you feel like there's a sense of gravity pulling you toward the entrance.: This is symbolic of how the future was unstable for the Jews at that time, and while they were forced out of exile from their own country, they felt reluctant to go and are inclined to return.

It seems almost like a warped reality in there. (Yes, you stand straight and the paths seem straight, but nothing feels straight and only lead to seemingly dead ends)

It almost seems like a warped reality in there. Standing at the crossroads, you see the 3 other paths, which feel like they go up and down, yet they appear straight and the same, but all of which lead to black emptiness as it appears. But a few people pass through the wall - there are doors - but people quickly disappear into black emptiness again: Jews did not know where to go, they only felt a path would lead them up or down, but ultimately only to seemingly dead ends where death would ensue

The garden of exile
You feel lost - the path seems straight, yet meandering to you.

As you proceed to the garden of exile, you enter a concrete jungle (just like the memorial of the murdered jews). Once again, gravity still pulls you toward the entrance; Worse: the ground is made of pebbles and is very unstable to walk on. As you walk through the towering blocks of cold, unyielding concrete, it seems like everywhere you go appears the same. You find the edge of the garden, but you see a large expanse between you and the walls leading to the outside world - to freedom: Jews travel to other countries, still afraid and still unsure where to go. Everywhere seems the same to them, where they feel lost, and detached from the outside world. They are so close to freedom in the outside world, yet they cannot seem to be accepted anywhere, as if an expanse separated them. So near, yet so far. They cannot help but feel lost in a forest of the cold and unyielding people who do not accept them.

The house seems to be falling down when you are standing straight - the world is falling apart?!

You try to peer closer at the outside world, but what's this? The world appears to be falling apart. You know that the building stands straight but, everything around you seems to be falling down. What you see and believe is what you get. Does this mean that perceptions can be the key to everything?: The Jews felt like their world was falling apart for them, they felt so hopeless, unsettled and homeless. However, the world still stands straight and nothing falls apart - perhaps if the Jews had changed their perception of the world, they would know that the world is not falling apart for them.

You want to walk towards heaven

Moving on, you ascend upstairs and it seems like heaven up there. You walk towards the light, trying to rise up again.

But you meet with a dead end, and you look back, and see a whole new world, with shadows going everywhere and a black expanse below. What you thought was good has now transformed and you awake from your dream into a nightmare.

However, you are met with a dead end, and a staircase that leads to nowhere. Your eyes had deceived you all along! You start to look back, but it does not seem to bright and heavenly now! In its place now lies shadowy depths to the below and you "dare not go back down". Everything seemed to have changed from what had appeared heavenly to such a shadowy, twisted conundrum. You have nowhere else to go but into the only doorway you see - the one that leads to the history of the Jews before the holocaust.

It seems that we were all deceived after all! The term "rich Jew" was totally false! The Jews were not rich, they were wanderers of the earth, banished from cities for they treated the Jews like they were the ones who would pick grime from the ground to eat it.

For a long time, Jews were trying to integrate themselves into society, and when they finally did, along came Hitler with his Third Reich and thus the Jews were persecuted once again.

And it was there that our tour ended, sadly due to the time constraints we had. There is even an exhibit made of metal faces scattered around that you can actually step on, symbolic of how Hitler used to "step on Jews".

It is interesting for me to find out that whatever the prophecies had said about the Jewish population about their constant persecution and significant events and ultimately, they would be reunited under a common flag again under extraordinary circumstances, have been accurately recorded in history. And while most of the prophecies have already been fulfilled, it seems that the one prophesying about the rapture would come true very soon - and it may even occur within our lifetime. Only God knows.

After dinner, it was straight back to the hotel to get ready for the next day.

Dante out.

The Fall of the Falcon

2009-12-17T03:37:00.003+08:00

What the heck. Now it's my turn!

First the Eagle, now the Falcon. Gosh. What's next, the Sparrow?

Dante out.

Learning to hate

2009-12-15T11:46:00.005+08:00

How does one hate?

The meaning of hate can be learnt from the ever popular Biro Tata Negara. No, it does not teach you the meaning of being a Malaysian, it teaches Malays to hate Chinese. One of the speakers even went as far as to say that the Chinese are the Jews of Asia. The camp is as though it was a communist propaganda brainwashing camp that stresses the importance of 'Ketuanan Malaysia' and indoctrinates racial hatred for the Chinese, talking about how much the Malays have sacrificed and saying how the Malays have been too dependent on the Chinese and some Malays have betrayed their own race, trying to even convince them to be united against the 'outside threat' - Chinese

When a student once told a speaker how as Muslims, they should respect other races who are also Muslims, the Speaker replied, "All Muslims are Malays, so it does not matter if they are Chinese or Indians. If they are Muslims then they are Malays."

Oh come on, ignorant scholar! How could you ever commit such fallacies?

Anyway, it seems as though the Malaysian government was trying to create a holocaust just like the one by Hitler imposed upon the Jews during the Third Reich. Imagine if there was no China: we would probably suffer the same fate as the Jews. How wonderful.

Luckily, these controversial courses are starting to be banned like in Selangor and Penang. Relief.

Dante out.

Advice of the Day, 14 Nov 2009

2009-12-15T02:02:00.004+08:00

When you are unmarried, OPEN your eyes and see everything.
When you become married, CLOSE your eyes and don't complain.
- unknown source, heard on 938 live radio.

Gateway To The Past- Day 3

2009-12-10T22:37:00.011+08:00

It was a beautiful day for a whole day's tour around key sites in Berlin. We awoke early to capitalise on shorter queues in the morning to the Reichstag building. The Reichstag building was ravaged by a fire allegedly the communists according to the Nazis - or, it could be the other way around. It was rebuilt and today, it stands as one of the main parliament buildings for Germany, and an icon of the past.

The cupola within the glass dome on top of the Reichstag building

The Reichstag dome at the top of the Reichstag building was one of the most beautiful structures I had ever seen. The pillar of mirrors in the middle called the cupola reflects sunlight downwards through the skylight, and into the parliamentary floor below. From the glass dome looking down, parliamentary meetings of the Bundestag would be in clear view to the public - a symbol of transparency in contrast to Hitler's time.

Spiral walkways leading to the top of the cupola

Spiral walkways encircle the cupola leading to the top of it, granting a full 360-degree view of Berlin's cityscape for those who traverse it. Audio guides issued at the entrance of the Reichstag building's rooftop unveil the history of the many iconic buildings scattered throughout Berlin to those who plug them in their ears whilst making their way to the top of the cupola.

Outside the Reichstag dome, on top of the building

Finishing the audio tour with a panoramic view of Berlin, we made our way down and out of the glass dome for more fresh air. The dome's exterior was equally beautiful. However, we were on a tight schedule and did not take much time to revel in the beauty of the structure.

But our disappointment soon peeled away as we made our way toward the Brandenburg gate, another iconic structure of Berlin.

A silhouette of the sculpture of the Roman Goddess of Victory atop the Brandenburg gate

Built by Kaiser(King) Frederick William II of Prussia, it was a sign of peace, and is currently the only remaining gate of a series for which anyone would formally enter Berlin.

A small signboard stating "Welcome to Berlin" stands in the center in front of the Brandenburg gate for tourists to take pictures with.

It is probably one of the hottest tourist photo-taking spots in Berlin, for endless crowds of a myriad of people filled the entire open space in front of it.

A photo of the Youth Ambassadors of SAJC with a person dressed as a bear(a symbol of Berlin)

After lunch, we proceeded to the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe which, as the name suggests, reminds us of the holocaust during Hitler's reign.

The 2711 stelae that stands in the middle of Berlin in a clear public space. The number is not significant to anything - the atmosphere that it generates when you stand in the midst of them is all important

2711 stelae - concrete slabs - stand in the center of Berlin, forming a concrete waveform in the heart of Berlin - and for the government to have supported the construction of this memorial in such a public space, it is a sign of embracing the past mistakes, no matter how horrible and inhumane, and learning from them.

Though the stelae are ordered in perfect rows and columns, the ground is unstable, and the variable heights of the stelae further emphasizes the uneasy and confusing atmosphere when one stands in the midst of them. The entire sculpture is supposed to represent a supposedly ordered system that lost the human touch - like the inhumane system of Hilter to eliminate all Jews.

A feeling of being lost, confused and uncertain is portrayed when one stands on unstable ground in the midst of monolithic, cold and seemingly uniform stelae surrounding you, with nowhere to hide from them - symbolic of the experience of persecution of the Jews during Hitler's reign.

Underneath these stelae lay records of all known Jewish holocaust victims presented in various forms, recounting the atrocities of Hitler's rule.

Information boards containing the recounts of Jew persecuted during the holocaust

The walls are lined with text after text of what happened to the Jews during the Third Reich. Accounts of the growing atrocities towards the Jews filled our hearts with injustice, driving us into a deep contemplative mood.

More names of the victims are displayed with audio recounts played

All these recounts were personal. None of them spoke with peripheral points of view.

Each and every one of them were in the heat of the action; each one questioning the need for such discrimination, venting futile anger towards Hitler and his subordinates, unable to resist being subjected to the treatment by the SS officers.

They lived in constant fear - every day wondering whether the next day would be his or her last. I could never describe fully the amount of anger, injustice, hatred, fear, hopelessness and horror the personal recounts put across, but each and every one painted vivid pictures of the holocaust in our minds and triggered feelings that we would probably never experience.

It is amazing how people could be brainwashed in such a way to commit all the atrocities such as during the Nazi rule. Concepts and ideals rule the world.

Our day ended with a sumptuous meal at a small restaurant. The meals just got better and better with each passing day. I went to sleep thinking about the holocaust.

Dante out.

The Fall of the Eagle

2009-12-10T15:57:00.003+08:00

Taken on an iPhone

And so, the legendary Canon EOS 1D Mark IIn of Zexun's failed to play back the images that i just took. Hahaha.

Dante out.