Today, I basically decided to start catching up on the movies which I had been missing the last few weeks. So, I went on a movie marathon at Eng Wah (Toa Payoh) , catching 3 movies! heh...
Started off with ROBOTS at 2.10pm. It was a so-so movie. It wasn't bad, but I guess the characters just aren't that endearing. The story was also just so-so. I didn't find it boring, but it certainly isn't in the same league as Nemo or Incredibles. I did find the animation very nice, and the robot world they created was quite interesting too. But, the one thing i really enjoyed was that one fart joke. It was really hilarious! Personally, I would go as far as to say that that one joke was worth the whole movie! haha.
Next was HITCH at 4.50pm. It was quite funny and really enjoyed it. There were plenty of laughs and it was nice to see Will Smith not in an 'action hero'-type role. The King of Queens guy was also pretty funny. Highly watchable, dun miss this one.
Finally, I caught LEMONY SNICKET at 7.10pm. It was quite an interesting movie. At least Jim Carrey didn't turn me off! The three kids were pretty natural and I enjoyed their different abilities. I've not read the books yet and I must say that after watching the movie, I'm quite tempted to pick up a copy and give it a try.
Well, that's about it... how I spent my first day of the holidays. I think it was pretty well spent, don't you? :-P
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Friday, March 11, 2005
Track & Field Meet
Thought the other post was getting really long, so I might as well post this separately.
It was certainly a special day... first time in 16 yrs... Bayley House finally won the T&F championships. I know I'm no longer in charge of the house, but I still feel really proud of the house even though I'm just a normal teacher in Bayley. It was awesome to hear the announcer saying 'Champion House is BAYLEY!' and it was an almost emotional experience watching the house captain lifting the trophy. Let's hope that this is a good sign for the rest of the year! It's time Bayley reclaimed the Overall Champion House title after losing it for two years!
I'm however gonna be frank and say we kinda deserved getting fourth place for the cheering and stand decorations. Although we had a pretty large group of students cheering, our volume was really quite sad... And the cheers weren't as exciting and heart-pumping as Moor's or Morrison's. Morrison's Haka (is that how it's spelt?) was not original... but I do like their cookie monster cheer. Unfortunately, I think they didn;t do it in the right style. It was too 'shoutish'. With such a fun cheer, they should really have tried having more fun with it. Moor was quite powerpacked with their cheers. Really good team of cheerleaders AND cheerfollowers... heh.
Stand deco? Morrison won, hands down. Really creative and festive. Bayley's stand was really not very good. We had such a fun theme to work with, but unfortunately did not maximize the potential. The pyramids were quite sad... and the banners... hmm... actually, I think all the banners weren't very good. I think it would be useful to organise a banner course sometime end of this year! It's about time the students learnt how to do really good banners.
Finally, a quick (but heartfelt) apology to the H house... sori lah.. but to those who know what I'm talking about, I really couldn't help but come up with the cheer... it was just..... too..... tempting.....
It was certainly a special day... first time in 16 yrs... Bayley House finally won the T&F championships. I know I'm no longer in charge of the house, but I still feel really proud of the house even though I'm just a normal teacher in Bayley. It was awesome to hear the announcer saying 'Champion House is BAYLEY!' and it was an almost emotional experience watching the house captain lifting the trophy. Let's hope that this is a good sign for the rest of the year! It's time Bayley reclaimed the Overall Champion House title after losing it for two years!
I'm however gonna be frank and say we kinda deserved getting fourth place for the cheering and stand decorations. Although we had a pretty large group of students cheering, our volume was really quite sad... And the cheers weren't as exciting and heart-pumping as Moor's or Morrison's. Morrison's Haka (is that how it's spelt?) was not original... but I do like their cookie monster cheer. Unfortunately, I think they didn;t do it in the right style. It was too 'shoutish'. With such a fun cheer, they should really have tried having more fun with it. Moor was quite powerpacked with their cheers. Really good team of cheerleaders AND cheerfollowers... heh.
Stand deco? Morrison won, hands down. Really creative and festive. Bayley's stand was really not very good. We had such a fun theme to work with, but unfortunately did not maximize the potential. The pyramids were quite sad... and the banners... hmm... actually, I think all the banners weren't very good. I think it would be useful to organise a banner course sometime end of this year! It's about time the students learnt how to do really good banners.
Finally, a quick (but heartfelt) apology to the H house... sori lah.. but to those who know what I'm talking about, I really couldn't help but come up with the cheer... it was just..... too..... tempting.....
Term 1: The End
This week went by really fast, thanks to the Sec 1 GE Camp, Track & Field Meet and all the other end of term stuff. As usual, it always seems that there is insufficient time for everything. I think we are simply people who are too busy. Oh well.
Monday was a 3/4 day holiday. I appreciated it. Thought it was great to take a break. Some of the teachers basically took the chance to have a long leisurely lunch and just forget about work for the rest of the day. I've not had much time for such chill-out sessions with the teachers this term. It always seemed to be one thing happening or another. So, this was a good time for us to just hang loose and be ourselves.
Tuesday to Thursday was Sec 1 GEP Camp. I must admit I went to the camp with mixed feelings. Last year, I was in charge of discipline, but this year, I wasn't asked to do it. Wasn't quite sure then if I should be actively involved in the discipline. Well, I decided that I should leave the discipline to the teachers who were assigned and try to enjoy myself. At first, it was a little hard. When the sec 1s were noisy, I was so tempted (out of habit) to stand up and ask them to shaddup... but I am proud to say I managed to subdue my habits and leave it to Mrs Neo and Mrs Maas. The main thing I was asked to help out with was the campfire. All in all, I think the campfire went quite well. It's still not the campfire which I think it should be, but it's better than the one I helped plan last year. I'll keep looking towards organising a really good campfire. Hope the sec 1s enjoyed the campfire. I thought the cheering competition and the dances were really fun. Kudos to the 8 Sec 4s who took the time to travel all the way to Sembawang to join the Sec 1s. To me, this was the best example of commitment.
The sec 1s are a really enthusiastic batch. And I must admit, the energy levels are really high. Some quick positive & negative points about this batch from this camp:
Positives:
1. enthusiastic (yep, I said this already)
2. energetic (ditto)
3. spontaneous
4. fun-loving
5. crazy about Carrot Juice is Murder
Negatives:
1. restless
2. doesn't listen when others talk (sigh... i really vomit blood with this point! esp in class too!)
3. many dun like veggies!
4. crazy about Carrot Juice is Murder
As for the Sec 3 PLs? I thought they did quite a good job. For one thing, I liked the fact that many of them did spend time talking to their groups, sharing their experiences and giving them advice. Yeah, some of them did walk the thin-line of almost tekaning the sec 1s, but I think they generally didn't cross it.
This is the 4th Sec 1 camp I've attended. First was Sec 1 camp 2004, second was sec 1 geo camp 2004, then sec 1 camp 2005 and now sec 1 gep camp 2005. I have never believed that you need to 'tekan' students to get their respect. I believe we should be strict. But I never supported this idea that students need to be subjected to constant punishment and humiliation then they will learn to be disciplined. Since I took over PM-ship and had a chance to make more of a difference, this was one of the things I set out to change. I know many senior boys don't like this change. But after these four camps where I gradually persuaded more people to accept this point, I am still convinced that what I believe is correct. I dun think that the Sec 1s who have undergone the 'tekan'-less camps were any less well-behaved than those who have. I know there are many senior boys who still disagree with me. But I hope this is one thing which I can leave behind when I leave RI.
Monday was a 3/4 day holiday. I appreciated it. Thought it was great to take a break. Some of the teachers basically took the chance to have a long leisurely lunch and just forget about work for the rest of the day. I've not had much time for such chill-out sessions with the teachers this term. It always seemed to be one thing happening or another. So, this was a good time for us to just hang loose and be ourselves.
Tuesday to Thursday was Sec 1 GEP Camp. I must admit I went to the camp with mixed feelings. Last year, I was in charge of discipline, but this year, I wasn't asked to do it. Wasn't quite sure then if I should be actively involved in the discipline. Well, I decided that I should leave the discipline to the teachers who were assigned and try to enjoy myself. At first, it was a little hard. When the sec 1s were noisy, I was so tempted (out of habit) to stand up and ask them to shaddup... but I am proud to say I managed to subdue my habits and leave it to Mrs Neo and Mrs Maas. The main thing I was asked to help out with was the campfire. All in all, I think the campfire went quite well. It's still not the campfire which I think it should be, but it's better than the one I helped plan last year. I'll keep looking towards organising a really good campfire. Hope the sec 1s enjoyed the campfire. I thought the cheering competition and the dances were really fun. Kudos to the 8 Sec 4s who took the time to travel all the way to Sembawang to join the Sec 1s. To me, this was the best example of commitment.
The sec 1s are a really enthusiastic batch. And I must admit, the energy levels are really high. Some quick positive & negative points about this batch from this camp:
Positives:
1. enthusiastic (yep, I said this already)
2. energetic (ditto)
3. spontaneous
4. fun-loving
5. crazy about Carrot Juice is Murder
Negatives:
1. restless
2. doesn't listen when others talk (sigh... i really vomit blood with this point! esp in class too!)
3. many dun like veggies!
4. crazy about Carrot Juice is Murder
As for the Sec 3 PLs? I thought they did quite a good job. For one thing, I liked the fact that many of them did spend time talking to their groups, sharing their experiences and giving them advice. Yeah, some of them did walk the thin-line of almost tekaning the sec 1s, but I think they generally didn't cross it.
This is the 4th Sec 1 camp I've attended. First was Sec 1 camp 2004, second was sec 1 geo camp 2004, then sec 1 camp 2005 and now sec 1 gep camp 2005. I have never believed that you need to 'tekan' students to get their respect. I believe we should be strict. But I never supported this idea that students need to be subjected to constant punishment and humiliation then they will learn to be disciplined. Since I took over PM-ship and had a chance to make more of a difference, this was one of the things I set out to change. I know many senior boys don't like this change. But after these four camps where I gradually persuaded more people to accept this point, I am still convinced that what I believe is correct. I dun think that the Sec 1s who have undergone the 'tekan'-less camps were any less well-behaved than those who have. I know there are many senior boys who still disagree with me. But I hope this is one thing which I can leave behind when I leave RI.
Monday, March 07, 2005
Weekend over liaoz...
Yepz, the weekend came and went really fast. It's been a pretty fun weekend. Firstly, I got to catch up with some sleep. It's really glorious to sleep more than 5 hrs a day. I think optimally, I should sleep about 7 hrs. But it seems almost an indulgence. If I were to wake up at 6.30am, I would have to sleep at 11.30pm every night. Hmm.. maybe it might be possible... but what about TV??
The weekend got off to a good start. After having a lovely 8 hours or so of sleep, I was awakened by the ring of my handphone. It was two challengers asking if they could drop by to compete in a round of Karting. Well, always game for a challenge, I humbly accepted it. It was not long before someone deeply regretted his decision. He had one stronghold... Baby Park. He was the King of the Park and he was wallowing in his pride and confidence. Well, I believe it was an equally humbling experience as he saw the title slowly slip from his hand as his Kart fell behind the others... Yes, the king of Baby Park is no more. This was certainly a good start to the weekend.
Later on, had a meeting to attend. Not too bad... despite being a Saturday afternoon meeting, it was fairly productive. It was even more productive when we ended the meeting with a few rounds of... you guessed it.. Karting again! You know, you really have to give it to Nintendo. Although the Gamecube doesn't have very good support from other gaming companies, the party games which Nintendo publishes are really very good. Mario Kart, Mario Party, Bomberman... all examples of great 4 player games. PS2 and Xbox loses out in this area.
On Sunday, I made my first sale through a classified I posted on the net! So exciting... I had bought GT4 because of the excellent reviews it was getting. When I tried it out, I realised the game was just too realistic for me. I really prefer the arcade-y type racers like Burnout 3. So, I posted a classified late on Saturday evening and inless than 12 hours, I had sold the game.. losing about $15 from what I had paid. Not bad lar. Better to lose $15 than to leave the game rotting in my room.
After selling the game, I thought I would enjoy a nice lunch... so I decided to eat at NYDC at Wheelock place. What a disappointment that was. I had the potato salad first. Now, how wrong can a potato salad get? Well... very wrong! The salad came soaking in the mayonaisse. It was gross. Every mouthful was totally pukifying. Then came my main course. I ordered the 'chef's recommendation': The bbq chicken sandwich. What a mistake again. The sandwich just tasted... tasteless! There was some chili salsa sauce... some chreds of chicken... four HUGE slices of foccacia bread, but the combination was just wrong. I ended up leaving two pieces of bread uneaten, andinstead resorted to scraping the slivers of chicken meat from the bread. It was a sad, sad lunch. sigh.
Sunday afternoon was Boarding Sports Carnival. Hullett Block tried hard, but alas.. we're still enjoying 4th place out of 4 guy blocks. We did do very well in Volleyball, coming in first... but we pretty much sucked at the other games. Heh. But the guys tried hard and I hope they had fun. Perhaps we might do better in Term 3!
So in the evening, to make up for the sucky lunch, I went with the tutors to Magic Wok at Novena Square for dinner. Not the best of meals, but it was tasty and miles better than the tasteless slop I had at NYDC. I tell you, it will be many many many MANY months before I every step into NYDC again.
The week ahead is gonna be short. GE camp on Tues, Wed and Thurs. Then TnF on Friday. IT show starts on Thursday... yeah... looks like it might be time to start spending again! hooray!
The weekend got off to a good start. After having a lovely 8 hours or so of sleep, I was awakened by the ring of my handphone. It was two challengers asking if they could drop by to compete in a round of Karting. Well, always game for a challenge, I humbly accepted it. It was not long before someone deeply regretted his decision. He had one stronghold... Baby Park. He was the King of the Park and he was wallowing in his pride and confidence. Well, I believe it was an equally humbling experience as he saw the title slowly slip from his hand as his Kart fell behind the others... Yes, the king of Baby Park is no more. This was certainly a good start to the weekend.
Later on, had a meeting to attend. Not too bad... despite being a Saturday afternoon meeting, it was fairly productive. It was even more productive when we ended the meeting with a few rounds of... you guessed it.. Karting again! You know, you really have to give it to Nintendo. Although the Gamecube doesn't have very good support from other gaming companies, the party games which Nintendo publishes are really very good. Mario Kart, Mario Party, Bomberman... all examples of great 4 player games. PS2 and Xbox loses out in this area.
On Sunday, I made my first sale through a classified I posted on the net! So exciting... I had bought GT4 because of the excellent reviews it was getting. When I tried it out, I realised the game was just too realistic for me. I really prefer the arcade-y type racers like Burnout 3. So, I posted a classified late on Saturday evening and inless than 12 hours, I had sold the game.. losing about $15 from what I had paid. Not bad lar. Better to lose $15 than to leave the game rotting in my room.
After selling the game, I thought I would enjoy a nice lunch... so I decided to eat at NYDC at Wheelock place. What a disappointment that was. I had the potato salad first. Now, how wrong can a potato salad get? Well... very wrong! The salad came soaking in the mayonaisse. It was gross. Every mouthful was totally pukifying. Then came my main course. I ordered the 'chef's recommendation': The bbq chicken sandwich. What a mistake again. The sandwich just tasted... tasteless! There was some chili salsa sauce... some chreds of chicken... four HUGE slices of foccacia bread, but the combination was just wrong. I ended up leaving two pieces of bread uneaten, andinstead resorted to scraping the slivers of chicken meat from the bread. It was a sad, sad lunch. sigh.
Sunday afternoon was Boarding Sports Carnival. Hullett Block tried hard, but alas.. we're still enjoying 4th place out of 4 guy blocks. We did do very well in Volleyball, coming in first... but we pretty much sucked at the other games. Heh. But the guys tried hard and I hope they had fun. Perhaps we might do better in Term 3!
So in the evening, to make up for the sucky lunch, I went with the tutors to Magic Wok at Novena Square for dinner. Not the best of meals, but it was tasty and miles better than the tasteless slop I had at NYDC. I tell you, it will be many many many MANY months before I every step into NYDC again.
The week ahead is gonna be short. GE camp on Tues, Wed and Thurs. Then TnF on Friday. IT show starts on Thursday... yeah... looks like it might be time to start spending again! hooray!
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Dunno why, but I've been feeling very drained this past week. It's like... there's no energy left and I'm like running on empty. I've been trying to grab a little more sleep, but somehow I end up sleeping about 5 hrs a night. Tomorrow is Friday, so maybe tomorrow night I can catch up on some glorious sleep.
Yesterday, I went videogame shopping with a friend. He was looking for the new Gran Turismo 4 and I was thinking of getting it or some other game. I'm not exactly a racing game enthusiast, but I've seen the screen shots of the game and they look awesome. Anyway, we first went to Funan to take a look. Unfortunately, although they had the game, they did not have the special Logitech Force Feedback Wheel which my friend was thinking of getting together with the game. You've gotta understand this, my friend is not a console gamer. He hasn't even played with his PS2 yet. His friend had loaned him the set indefinitely. Anyway, we asked around and found out that the Logitech wheel was more than $300 dollars! Phew... $300++ bucks for an accessory! He was a little discouraged when he heard that. You could feel his enthusiasm subside almost instantly. Well, since there was no wheel there, we thought we'd drop by Seow Choon games near Sim Lim Square. They're like a distributor, so we thought we might find the wheel there (even though my friend was pretty much set on NOT buying it coz of the price).
We walked into the shop and looked around and saw some other wheels. There was a $85 dollar one and we kinda fiddled with it. My friend was obviously not very impressed with it. Then, it happened. He caught sight of the Logitech wheel. He lifted the box and stared at the pictures lovingly. The $85 wheel was certainly NOT in the same league. The next 20 minutes were spent allowing him to convince himself that it was ok to spend that kind of money on a wheel. Mind you, he probably could have bought a real steering wheel for $300 bucks. In the end, (with a little of my prompting) he caved in and left the shop $430 poorer...but with the wheel & game in hand. Frankly, I couldn't believe he caved in. It was a real hoot to see him struggling over the decision. Yeah, guess I'm kinda evil for doing this to him. But it's good to see someone spending so much money on a toy wheel and game.
I wonder how long it will be before he gives up on the wheel. Maybe I might be able to get him to sell it to me at a 50% discount! haha....
Yesterday, I went videogame shopping with a friend. He was looking for the new Gran Turismo 4 and I was thinking of getting it or some other game. I'm not exactly a racing game enthusiast, but I've seen the screen shots of the game and they look awesome. Anyway, we first went to Funan to take a look. Unfortunately, although they had the game, they did not have the special Logitech Force Feedback Wheel which my friend was thinking of getting together with the game. You've gotta understand this, my friend is not a console gamer. He hasn't even played with his PS2 yet. His friend had loaned him the set indefinitely. Anyway, we asked around and found out that the Logitech wheel was more than $300 dollars! Phew... $300++ bucks for an accessory! He was a little discouraged when he heard that. You could feel his enthusiasm subside almost instantly. Well, since there was no wheel there, we thought we'd drop by Seow Choon games near Sim Lim Square. They're like a distributor, so we thought we might find the wheel there (even though my friend was pretty much set on NOT buying it coz of the price).
We walked into the shop and looked around and saw some other wheels. There was a $85 dollar one and we kinda fiddled with it. My friend was obviously not very impressed with it. Then, it happened. He caught sight of the Logitech wheel. He lifted the box and stared at the pictures lovingly. The $85 wheel was certainly NOT in the same league. The next 20 minutes were spent allowing him to convince himself that it was ok to spend that kind of money on a wheel. Mind you, he probably could have bought a real steering wheel for $300 bucks. In the end, (with a little of my prompting) he caved in and left the shop $430 poorer...but with the wheel & game in hand. Frankly, I couldn't believe he caved in. It was a real hoot to see him struggling over the decision. Yeah, guess I'm kinda evil for doing this to him. But it's good to see someone spending so much money on a toy wheel and game.
I wonder how long it will be before he gives up on the wheel. Maybe I might be able to get him to sell it to me at a 50% discount! haha....
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Nausicaa at last
I've always loved reading comics, both english and chinese. Up to primary six, I read English Comics by DC and Marvel. Superman, Green Lantern, Spiderman, Archie... I usually went to the neighbourhood comic rental shop to rent them. As for chinese comics, they fell mainly into two types: Xiao Ding Dang (Doraemon) which I followed really religiously and Astroboy, which I got to read when I visited my cousins in Johor Bahru. In Secondary School, I kinda lost some interest in comics, though I still read them occasionally. I really got hooked again towards the end of JC, and that was when I started reading manga like Dragonball. One of my all time favourites is Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.
After reading the manga, I found out that there was a Anime version. I've tried to get hold of the English version but believe or not, I've been unsuccessful. Almost every trip I've made to the States would include a search at various video shops to see if I could find the movie. There's a japanese/chinese version available, but I really wanted to watch the English version. Why am I telling you all this? It's kinda hard to believe, but after almost 20yrs, I've finally watched the English version of Nausicaa. Walt Disney finally did a redub of the movie and released it barely a week ago. I pre-ordered it and finally received it yesterday. Tonight, I put almsot everything aside, sat down and enjoyed the movie. It was a pretty good movie. Although it only included about 2 volumes out of the 7 volume-manga, the animation was beautiful and the story was magical. Can't believe I've kept my interest in Nausicaa for so many years! Now, I'm gonna try and dig out the old comics and read through them again!
After reading the manga, I found out that there was a Anime version. I've tried to get hold of the English version but believe or not, I've been unsuccessful. Almost every trip I've made to the States would include a search at various video shops to see if I could find the movie. There's a japanese/chinese version available, but I really wanted to watch the English version. Why am I telling you all this? It's kinda hard to believe, but after almost 20yrs, I've finally watched the English version of Nausicaa. Walt Disney finally did a redub of the movie and released it barely a week ago. I pre-ordered it and finally received it yesterday. Tonight, I put almsot everything aside, sat down and enjoyed the movie. It was a pretty good movie. Although it only included about 2 volumes out of the 7 volume-manga, the animation was beautiful and the story was magical. Can't believe I've kept my interest in Nausicaa for so many years! Now, I'm gonna try and dig out the old comics and read through them again!
Sunday, February 27, 2005
Wow, can't believe it's been a week since I last blogged. The week just kinda zipped past. I guess as the term comes to an end, more and more things seem to fill up the days and it's hard to realize that 7 days have passed. Don't think I'm gonna do a 'what happened this week' kind of blog. I'll just talk about some things that stayed in my mind.
1. Celebrating TC's bday on Monday was quite fun. I think the board should do more stuff like that.
2. I think I should consider starting a business in organising conferences/training programmes. It's really big business with all schools trying so hard to find good courses to send their teachers and students. Maybe this could be the change I am looking for.
3. Some people are just plain lucky at Baby Park. Maybe it has something to do with the simplicity of that track. Maybe some people just aren't wired to handle tougher, more complex tracks, so they excel in simple elliptical ones.
4. Shark Tale is very boring. Watching fish act like fish in Finding Nemo was fun. Watching fish acting like humans in Shark's Tale is just plain boring.
5. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando is pretty fun. Certainly one of the better platformers.
6. WHY does it take Amazon so long to send a package!? It was apparently sent last Saturday and I've still not received it. I know it says 10 to 16 days... but.. I wanted to watch the stuff this weekend! Now I have to wait till next week. Sigh.
7. Mustaffa Shopping Centre is not that fantastic. Sure, the prices are not bad. But it really isn't rock-bottom-jaw-droppingly cheap.
8. My brother's going to GDC in SF next week. He's probably going to E3 in May. I hate him.
Yeah.. that's about it for now. It's week 9 next week. Holidays coming soon....
1. Celebrating TC's bday on Monday was quite fun. I think the board should do more stuff like that.
2. I think I should consider starting a business in organising conferences/training programmes. It's really big business with all schools trying so hard to find good courses to send their teachers and students. Maybe this could be the change I am looking for.
3. Some people are just plain lucky at Baby Park. Maybe it has something to do with the simplicity of that track. Maybe some people just aren't wired to handle tougher, more complex tracks, so they excel in simple elliptical ones.
4. Shark Tale is very boring. Watching fish act like fish in Finding Nemo was fun. Watching fish acting like humans in Shark's Tale is just plain boring.
5. Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando is pretty fun. Certainly one of the better platformers.
6. WHY does it take Amazon so long to send a package!? It was apparently sent last Saturday and I've still not received it. I know it says 10 to 16 days... but.. I wanted to watch the stuff this weekend! Now I have to wait till next week. Sigh.
7. Mustaffa Shopping Centre is not that fantastic. Sure, the prices are not bad. But it really isn't rock-bottom-jaw-droppingly cheap.
8. My brother's going to GDC in SF next week. He's probably going to E3 in May. I hate him.
Yeah.. that's about it for now. It's week 9 next week. Holidays coming soon....
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Woke up today at almost 10.30am. If I hadn't received a call, I probably would have slept all the way to 12 noon! Experts say it is not good to wake up differently on weekends and that we should keep to similar sleeping habits all the time. I dunno, I don't think there is gonna be enough arguments or incentives for me to wake up at 6.30am even on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tonight I had a CNY gathering with some teachers. It was quite fun. We brought food, chatted, watched tv, played with the children who were there... basically did normal, non-teacher things. The highlight for me was watching the Chingay parade on tv. Now, it's been years since I last watched the parade. I can't even count how long ago... maybe since my primary or secondary days? Anyway, we first started arguing about why the name 'CHINGAY'. We had serious answers like how it sounds like the chinese 'Chuang Yi' and we of course had the obligatory answers like 'it's a parade for chinese gays...', thanks to yours truly. :-)
Well, we had fun making fun of the floats, laughing at what we were watching, UNTIL we heard the commentator introduce that the next float was from RJC and RGS! We immediately fixed our eyes on the tv wondering if we would catch sight of any former students. At first, we were kinda disappointed at the dance... some kind of boxercise thing, then we were kinda glad that we saw only girls and did not spot any boys, then we saw some boys on the top of the float, but they were just doing some mock boxing but we couldn't really see their faces, so it kinda ok. But the greatest shock came at the end as the float and dancers were moving off, we caught sight of a few guys dancing at the back. I'm not against guys dancing, but I couldn't believe that the guys were wearing very costumes that were totally similar to the girls' with the flowing cloth at the hands and they were also dancing similar steps... I mean, couldn't they have gotten more guy-type costumes with more guy-type steps? Well, we didn't really recognise them coz the shot didn't linger too long (thankfully...) so I guess we'll accept that they weren't our former students for now.
I guess RJC must have been invited to send in helpers or something. Some of the floats after that had students which we started recognizing. Well, I guess this is some form of CIP... getting involved in the community right?
Tonight I had a CNY gathering with some teachers. It was quite fun. We brought food, chatted, watched tv, played with the children who were there... basically did normal, non-teacher things. The highlight for me was watching the Chingay parade on tv. Now, it's been years since I last watched the parade. I can't even count how long ago... maybe since my primary or secondary days? Anyway, we first started arguing about why the name 'CHINGAY'. We had serious answers like how it sounds like the chinese 'Chuang Yi' and we of course had the obligatory answers like 'it's a parade for chinese gays...', thanks to yours truly. :-)
Well, we had fun making fun of the floats, laughing at what we were watching, UNTIL we heard the commentator introduce that the next float was from RJC and RGS! We immediately fixed our eyes on the tv wondering if we would catch sight of any former students. At first, we were kinda disappointed at the dance... some kind of boxercise thing, then we were kinda glad that we saw only girls and did not spot any boys, then we saw some boys on the top of the float, but they were just doing some mock boxing but we couldn't really see their faces, so it kinda ok. But the greatest shock came at the end as the float and dancers were moving off, we caught sight of a few guys dancing at the back. I'm not against guys dancing, but I couldn't believe that the guys were wearing very costumes that were totally similar to the girls' with the flowing cloth at the hands and they were also dancing similar steps... I mean, couldn't they have gotten more guy-type costumes with more guy-type steps? Well, we didn't really recognise them coz the shot didn't linger too long (thankfully...) so I guess we'll accept that they weren't our former students for now.
I guess RJC must have been invited to send in helpers or something. Some of the floats after that had students which we started recognizing. Well, I guess this is some form of CIP... getting involved in the community right?
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Time to stand & stare?
I'm soooo tired. It's 3 days after my CNY + MC break and I must say school is not letting up. I was so tired, I fell asleep during American Idol tonite! Ok, to be frank, it was a boring episode. I think the producers were trying something different, and it just turned out boring. Anywaez, since school restarted it's been like hitting me in the face full force. Monday, had CEC Council meeting until I think 5 plus. Then Tuesday there was staff contact time where I had to present two thing. It was a looooong meeting which ended at 4pm and that was followed with an RIPB exco meeting until 7pm. The meeting was fine.. but it was just tiring. Then today, there was CEC Investiture Rehearsal until 4.30pm then I had to stay back in school to draft some admin stuff until around 6.30pm. Well, there's still marking to finish. Whoopee! Ain't teaching fun! haha.
Yeah, I know a student's life is not much better. I've been hearing from students, about how they finish CCA at 6.30pm/7.00pm then have to travel home, then eat, bathe and then immerse themselves in the seemingly endless stream of homework, projects and tests. Frankly guys, you have my sympathies. If I had my way, I would declare a 'no homework rule'. Stay in school, do CCA and other stuff. Go home at 6.30pm and rest and relax! Wouldn't that be sweet?
Unfortunately, I am but a lowly teacher. So, sorry lar, can't help you nor help myself!
Yeah, I know a student's life is not much better. I've been hearing from students, about how they finish CCA at 6.30pm/7.00pm then have to travel home, then eat, bathe and then immerse themselves in the seemingly endless stream of homework, projects and tests. Frankly guys, you have my sympathies. If I had my way, I would declare a 'no homework rule'. Stay in school, do CCA and other stuff. Go home at 6.30pm and rest and relax! Wouldn't that be sweet?
Unfortunately, I am but a lowly teacher. So, sorry lar, can't help you nor help myself!
I'm soooo tired. It's 3 days after my CNY + MC break and I must say school is not letting up. I was so tired, I fell asleep during American Idol tonite! Ok, to be frank, it was a boring episode. I think the producers were trying something different, and it just turned out boring. Anywaez, since school restarted it's been like hitting me in the face full force. Monday, had CEC Council meeting until I think 5 plus. Then Tuesday there was staff contact time where I had to present two thing. It was a looooong meeting which ended at 4pm and that was followed with an RIPB exco meeting until 7pm. The meeting was fine.. but it was just tiring. Then today, there was CEC Investiture Rehearsal until 4.30pm then I had to stay back in school to draft some admin stuff until around 6.30pm. Well, there's still marking to finish. Whoopee! Ain't teaching fun! haha.
Yeah, I know a student's life is not much better. I've been hearing from students, about how they finish CCA at 6.30pm/7.00pm then have to travel home, then eat, bathe and then immerse themselves in the seemingly endless stream of homework, projects and tests. Frankly guys, you have my sympathies. If I had my way, I would declare a 'no homework rule'. Stay in school, do CCA and other stuff. Go home at 6.30pm and rest and relax! Wouldn't that be sweet?
Unfortunately, I am but a lowly teacher. So, sorry lar, can't help you nor help myself!
Yeah, I know a student's life is not much better. I've been hearing from students, about how they finish CCA at 6.30pm/7.00pm then have to travel home, then eat, bathe and then immerse themselves in the seemingly endless stream of homework, projects and tests. Frankly guys, you have my sympathies. If I had my way, I would declare a 'no homework rule'. Stay in school, do CCA and other stuff. Go home at 6.30pm and rest and relax! Wouldn't that be sweet?
Unfortunately, I am but a lowly teacher. So, sorry lar, can't help you nor help myself!
Monday, February 14, 2005
Sunday, February 13, 2005
It's the end of the long break for me... including Chinese New Year, I've been away from school for 12 days... but thanks to CNY, I've missed only 4 days of lessons. Phew... otherwise, there would be plenty of catching up to do.
It's gonna be hard to wake up early tomorrow. I've had almost two weeks of late mornings. Maybe it would be a good idea to start school later! I was reading somewhere that NJC starts lessons at about 8am or something like that. Not bad eh? But I guess, if you start later, it just means school will end even later. As if school doesn't end late enough as it is right now with CCAs, third lang, etc, etc.
CEC Investiture is up next so my week is pretty much gonna be taken up with rehearsals and other preparations. Yeah.. never a dull moment in RI.
It's gonna be hard to wake up early tomorrow. I've had almost two weeks of late mornings. Maybe it would be a good idea to start school later! I was reading somewhere that NJC starts lessons at about 8am or something like that. Not bad eh? But I guess, if you start later, it just means school will end even later. As if school doesn't end late enough as it is right now with CCAs, third lang, etc, etc.
CEC Investiture is up next so my week is pretty much gonna be taken up with rehearsals and other preparations. Yeah.. never a dull moment in RI.
Saturday, February 12, 2005
Howl's Moving Castle
I made my way to Suntec today to catch Howl's Moving Castle. Glad to see that the demand for Anime is going strong coz the cinema was pretty much a full house. Before I talk about the movie, I shall give a brief assessment about food options near the cinema.
I ate lunch at the kopitiam on the 3rd level outside the Rock auditorium. I tried the Ayam Pangang (BBQ Chicken) at the very first stall on the left. It's a similar concept to the Ayam Pengang at Plaza Singapura (which I happen to love!). Well, frankly, this kopitiam copy cat was quite a disappointment. The chicken was coldish, meat was tough, sauce was insipid, soup was too salty. In short, dun try it.
However, I went to the food stalls outside Carrefour at level one to get a drink and found that they had revamped the food items. Not bad.. they have a very interesting pineapple rice (for only $1.90) and you can add stuff like teriyaki chicken and drumsticks. Also had nice japanese tempura and udon. Next time, I'll probably go straight there for my food instead. I like the way they reinvent themselves quite regularly.
Back to the movie. Studi Ghibli really has a special touch when it comes to cartoons. There's this air of innocence and simplicity in their animation and storylines. But behind the simplicity is a thought-provoking story which does appeal to your heart. The animation standard is great (as usual) and the characters are really interesting. You can't help but grow comfortable to the characters and start to feel for them as the story progresses. My only gripe is that the ending was a little abrupt. It all ended very quickly and neatly and there was this 'happily ever after' conclusion which seemed to come out of nowhere. Compared to Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, I would have to put this one in third position. Spirited Away was a fantastic movie. I'm looking forward now to the re-release of Nausicca on 22nd Feb. That's one movie that I have been searching for for many years.
I ate lunch at the kopitiam on the 3rd level outside the Rock auditorium. I tried the Ayam Pangang (BBQ Chicken) at the very first stall on the left. It's a similar concept to the Ayam Pengang at Plaza Singapura (which I happen to love!). Well, frankly, this kopitiam copy cat was quite a disappointment. The chicken was coldish, meat was tough, sauce was insipid, soup was too salty. In short, dun try it.
However, I went to the food stalls outside Carrefour at level one to get a drink and found that they had revamped the food items. Not bad.. they have a very interesting pineapple rice (for only $1.90) and you can add stuff like teriyaki chicken and drumsticks. Also had nice japanese tempura and udon. Next time, I'll probably go straight there for my food instead. I like the way they reinvent themselves quite regularly.
Back to the movie. Studi Ghibli really has a special touch when it comes to cartoons. There's this air of innocence and simplicity in their animation and storylines. But behind the simplicity is a thought-provoking story which does appeal to your heart. The animation standard is great (as usual) and the characters are really interesting. You can't help but grow comfortable to the characters and start to feel for them as the story progresses. My only gripe is that the ending was a little abrupt. It all ended very quickly and neatly and there was this 'happily ever after' conclusion which seemed to come out of nowhere. Compared to Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, I would have to put this one in third position. Spirited Away was a fantastic movie. I'm looking forward now to the re-release of Nausicca on 22nd Feb. That's one movie that I have been searching for for many years.
Today, I almost went back to normal... spent some time at Kinokuniya at Takashmaya to stock up on my regular magazines and comics. It's the beginning of the month so most of them have just been released; EGM, Edge, Empire, Total Film.. Pretty much centred around games, movies, comics, anime, etc.
After that, I went over to Sim Lim to stock up on some VCDs and DVDs. After being out of action for more than a week, there were some new stuff which had come out. Bought Last Exile Vol 2, Orphen and a few other movies. Not sure if I can watch tem over the weekend, but I guess I'll watch them sometime... heh.
Then I went over to Toa Payoh, hoping to catch the new Studio Ghibli movie, Howl's Moving Castle. There was supposed to be a 3pm show, according to the movie listings in the Straits Times. But when I got there, I found that it was a mistake and there was no 3pm show. What a bummer. I was quite fed up, but then again, what can I do? Sigh. Now I'm hoping to catch it on Saturday afternoon instead. Hope there won't be another misprint...
Met up with my friend for kopi. He has been away in Cambodia on a Singapore International Foundation programme. Basically, he took some time off teaching (no pay leave) to be posted to Cambodia to teach the students and adults there. It's kinda like a third-world CIP thing. It was good to catch up with him and find out how things have been. Quite a few years ago, I had considered signing up for the SIF programme as well. Thought it would have been a very interesting experience. I'd actually signed up, gone for the briefings, interviews, etc, but I had to pull out after that... partly due to my health. Well, that's one experience which I guess I'll kinda regret not having. Back to my friend.. well, as expected, life in Camboida is so much simpler.. he was talking about how he had time after work, and how people basically spent evenings gathering with friends, drinking kopi, hanging out.. haha.. I don't think this can happen in Singapore any more. With the demands of work and pace of life here, things just move too fast for such a leisurely lifestyle. Maybe it's a matter of choice.
Tonight, I watched CLEAN on DVD. It's this arty farty film starring Maggie Cheung. I think she' s a pretty good actress, so I thought I'd give the film a chance. It wasn't bad... but the ending was so... arty. No nice and neat hollywood ending. I think we are so used to the 'happily ever afters' that when we get an open-ended conclusion, it just throws us off. The film just ends. Just like that. Leaving you to wonder what's gonna happen after that. Quite unnerving actually.
Two more days before school resumes. sigh.
After that, I went over to Sim Lim to stock up on some VCDs and DVDs. After being out of action for more than a week, there were some new stuff which had come out. Bought Last Exile Vol 2, Orphen and a few other movies. Not sure if I can watch tem over the weekend, but I guess I'll watch them sometime... heh.
Then I went over to Toa Payoh, hoping to catch the new Studio Ghibli movie, Howl's Moving Castle. There was supposed to be a 3pm show, according to the movie listings in the Straits Times. But when I got there, I found that it was a mistake and there was no 3pm show. What a bummer. I was quite fed up, but then again, what can I do? Sigh. Now I'm hoping to catch it on Saturday afternoon instead. Hope there won't be another misprint...
Met up with my friend for kopi. He has been away in Cambodia on a Singapore International Foundation programme. Basically, he took some time off teaching (no pay leave) to be posted to Cambodia to teach the students and adults there. It's kinda like a third-world CIP thing. It was good to catch up with him and find out how things have been. Quite a few years ago, I had considered signing up for the SIF programme as well. Thought it would have been a very interesting experience. I'd actually signed up, gone for the briefings, interviews, etc, but I had to pull out after that... partly due to my health. Well, that's one experience which I guess I'll kinda regret not having. Back to my friend.. well, as expected, life in Camboida is so much simpler.. he was talking about how he had time after work, and how people basically spent evenings gathering with friends, drinking kopi, hanging out.. haha.. I don't think this can happen in Singapore any more. With the demands of work and pace of life here, things just move too fast for such a leisurely lifestyle. Maybe it's a matter of choice.
Tonight, I watched CLEAN on DVD. It's this arty farty film starring Maggie Cheung. I think she' s a pretty good actress, so I thought I'd give the film a chance. It wasn't bad... but the ending was so... arty. No nice and neat hollywood ending. I think we are so used to the 'happily ever afters' that when we get an open-ended conclusion, it just throws us off. The film just ends. Just like that. Leaving you to wonder what's gonna happen after that. Quite unnerving actually.
Two more days before school resumes. sigh.
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Day of Liberation
I walked today. It felt good. After being cooped up at home and rolling around in my room on my office chair, I am glad to be able to stand on my own two feet again. There's still some swelling and it still feels a little sore at some parts, but basically, I can walk.
And as is typical of me, I could not help but make plans to get out of my house. So tonight, my brother and I went to Great World City to watch Constantine. Heh, I was still limping a little but I was glad to be out of the house, watching a movie which I was really looking forward to watching for a while. Hope I didn't overstrain my foot. Otherwise, I might end up chair-bound again.. ha.
Constantine was, in my opinion, quite good. I liked the mythology surrounding heaven and earth which the author had crafted. Keanu Reeves was pretty much in his element. It's the kind of role that he was made for. I know many people have said how similar this show is to the Matrix. Frankly, I don't think there are many similarities other than having Keanu in both both films. The effects were well done and I think this is one of the best angel wings effect that I have seen. For those who have not watched it, remember to stay to the end of the credits. It reveals a little something which gives a nice touch to the story.
If all's well tomorrow, I hope to watch Howl's Moving Castle. I've been so looking forward to that!
And as is typical of me, I could not help but make plans to get out of my house. So tonight, my brother and I went to Great World City to watch Constantine. Heh, I was still limping a little but I was glad to be out of the house, watching a movie which I was really looking forward to watching for a while. Hope I didn't overstrain my foot. Otherwise, I might end up chair-bound again.. ha.
Constantine was, in my opinion, quite good. I liked the mythology surrounding heaven and earth which the author had crafted. Keanu Reeves was pretty much in his element. It's the kind of role that he was made for. I know many people have said how similar this show is to the Matrix. Frankly, I don't think there are many similarities other than having Keanu in both both films. The effects were well done and I think this is one of the best angel wings effect that I have seen. For those who have not watched it, remember to stay to the end of the credits. It reveals a little something which gives a nice touch to the story.
If all's well tomorrow, I hope to watch Howl's Moving Castle. I've been so looking forward to that!
Disappointing Finale
I was a little disappointed with The Amazing Race 6 Finale today. First off, I thought this season was a little boring when the last few teams were made up of all the 'pretty faces'. It's just a little more fun to root for the underdogs, like old couples, or handicapped people.. or plain-looking-ordinary people. Secondly, the last leg of the race was really a letdown. I mean, the thing that really decided who won was the flights from Honolulu. So, basically, whoever won the earlier leg, would simply go on to win the finale. And the last challenge was a big joke.. after seasons where we see people eating obscene amounts of caviar and other weird stuff... what did the final 3 teams had to do? Eat half a SMALL size deep dish pizza! That's sooooooo difficult!
Yeah, so basically, I didn't think the ending was very fun. Just wanted to rant a little cause it's as if I'd wasted my time watching all the earlier episodes.
Yeah, so basically, I didn't think the ending was very fun. Just wanted to rant a little cause it's as if I'd wasted my time watching all the earlier episodes.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Happy Rooster Year!
Once again, after 11 long years, I am able to celebrate the year of my chinese Zodiac animal! I think the Rooster is one of the best animals in the Zodiac. Let's see.. rat, rabbit, tiger, dragon, buffalo, monkey, snake, horse, goat, dog, pig... I wouldn't mind Tiger or Dragon.. but that's like very aggressive. But (my apologies to some of you) I really wouldn't want to be like a rat, or rabit or snake or monkey...
So anyhow, I did a quick search on the Internet and saw the following write-up for my Chinese Zodiac:
So anyhow, I did a quick search on the Internet and saw the following write-up for my Chinese Zodiac:
Rooster is often seen as the original strong silent type...... Most people consider them quite eccentric. Sad to say, relationships with other people are often strained. They are quite moody and can be too outspoken. They are often self-centered, but can be quite brave when the situation calls for it. On the other hand, Rooster People are quite talented and capable. They are always devoted to their work and have a reputation for being the hardest of workers. Rooster People are deep thinkers and are pioneers in spirit. They can experience the greatest of joy in complete solitude. Even though often alone, they rarely experience loneliness. Instead, they enjoy their own company and feel solitude helps them in their quest after knowledge.
Heh.. so for those who know me... how accurate do you think this is?Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Toes Touchdown!
My toes can touch the floor today! I know that sounds stupid, but it is cause for celebration for me. You see, when the gout attack hits, my foot pretty much swells up, including the sole. So when I place my foot flat on the floor, my toes don't touch the floor. So, as the swelling goes down, one of the things that tell me it's better is when my toes get to touch the floor. So... yeah.. I'm glad my toes can touch the floor today!
Today was quite fun. Some 1Q guys and the Sec 4s dropped by after school and we had a fun time fighting it out on the Gamecube and Xbox. It certainly helped to pass the time but more than that, it was great to thrash TC.
This year's quite different for me. Not cause I'm stuck at home but for the first time ever, half my family are travelling during the Chinese New Year period! My mom left for Israel on a Holy Land Tour last weekend and my sis and her husband are leaving for New Zealand today. That pretty much leaves my brother, his wife and me in Singapore. So for the first time, I don't have a reunion dinner to go to on CNY eve. Well, not that I don't have one at all, we kinda had it a couple of days ago when I was able to hobble about abit. Well, that also means no visitations this year! That's good news. I dunno. I know it's important to retain our culture, but I really find visiting relatives whom I don't see for the whole year a chore. And there's all the meaningless small talk. 'Oh what have you been doing?', 'Not married yet?', 'Still teaching is it?', and the list goes on and on. Sometimes, I just don't feel like answering cause I wonder just how much do the questioners really want to know the answers. I'm so tempted to give really stupid answers.
'Oh what have you been doing?' - I have been in drug rehab for about six months.
'Not married yet?' - Oh not yet, but my girlfriend is pregnant and we hope to get married soon.
Heh... wouldn't these answers be fun?
Oh well, it shall be a nice quiet CNY this year.
To everyone reading this blog, hope you have a good time over the next few days and may your angpows be more than last year!
Today was quite fun. Some 1Q guys and the Sec 4s dropped by after school and we had a fun time fighting it out on the Gamecube and Xbox. It certainly helped to pass the time but more than that, it was great to thrash TC.
This year's quite different for me. Not cause I'm stuck at home but for the first time ever, half my family are travelling during the Chinese New Year period! My mom left for Israel on a Holy Land Tour last weekend and my sis and her husband are leaving for New Zealand today. That pretty much leaves my brother, his wife and me in Singapore. So for the first time, I don't have a reunion dinner to go to on CNY eve. Well, not that I don't have one at all, we kinda had it a couple of days ago when I was able to hobble about abit. Well, that also means no visitations this year! That's good news. I dunno. I know it's important to retain our culture, but I really find visiting relatives whom I don't see for the whole year a chore. And there's all the meaningless small talk. 'Oh what have you been doing?', 'Not married yet?', 'Still teaching is it?', and the list goes on and on. Sometimes, I just don't feel like answering cause I wonder just how much do the questioners really want to know the answers. I'm so tempted to give really stupid answers.
'Oh what have you been doing?' - I have been in drug rehab for about six months.
'Not married yet?' - Oh not yet, but my girlfriend is pregnant and we hope to get married soon.
Heh... wouldn't these answers be fun?
Oh well, it shall be a nice quiet CNY this year.
To everyone reading this blog, hope you have a good time over the next few days and may your angpows be more than last year!
Sunday, February 06, 2005
I've discovered how to do something today. It has brought a very silver lining to my otherwise dreary days at home. Today, I learnt how to burn divx files into DVD and CD formats!
See... the point is, I've got a friend who has been supplying me with ENTERPISE episodes which I had missed. But they are in Divx format, so the only way I can watch them is on my computer monitor. Considering that I have a 17inch monitor, it really isn't a bad thing. But... somehow, I just hate the experience. It just feels horrible to sit in front of your computer to watch a show for 45 mins.
Well, today, for some reason, I decided to see if I could convert these Divx files into a VCD or DVD format so that I can watch the episodes using a conventional DVD player and my normal TV. The results were more that wonderful! Heh heh. It takes about 30 mins to convert and burn the whole episode into a VCD or DVD. Then I get to enjoy the episode in the comfort of my armchair and nice big TV. Wow.. pure bliss. So, most of my day today was spent doing that. Watching an episode while another was being burnt.... SHIOK.
OK.. I know this sounds hypocritical, but I really don't support piracy. If these episodes were available in the market, I would gladly buy them. Unfortunately, it's probably gonna be years before they are released. So...yeah... I'm in somewhat of a dilemma... but... for those of you whom I've been 'suan-ing'.. gimme a break... I'm in pain... :-P
Oh yah.. the pain today seems to have gone down a notch. Hopefully, like I said in my last post, yesterday was the peak of the pain... if it doesn't get worse from here, it should take another couple of days for it to clear up. I'll miss going out with some friends over the Chinese New Year, but I guess that can't be helped. Will have to make it up to them after I recover.
Well, this week is almost like a one week break for everyone... so enjoy it!
See... the point is, I've got a friend who has been supplying me with ENTERPISE episodes which I had missed. But they are in Divx format, so the only way I can watch them is on my computer monitor. Considering that I have a 17inch monitor, it really isn't a bad thing. But... somehow, I just hate the experience. It just feels horrible to sit in front of your computer to watch a show for 45 mins.
Well, today, for some reason, I decided to see if I could convert these Divx files into a VCD or DVD format so that I can watch the episodes using a conventional DVD player and my normal TV. The results were more that wonderful! Heh heh. It takes about 30 mins to convert and burn the whole episode into a VCD or DVD. Then I get to enjoy the episode in the comfort of my armchair and nice big TV. Wow.. pure bliss. So, most of my day today was spent doing that. Watching an episode while another was being burnt.... SHIOK.
OK.. I know this sounds hypocritical, but I really don't support piracy. If these episodes were available in the market, I would gladly buy them. Unfortunately, it's probably gonna be years before they are released. So...yeah... I'm in somewhat of a dilemma... but... for those of you whom I've been 'suan-ing'.. gimme a break... I'm in pain... :-P
Oh yah.. the pain today seems to have gone down a notch. Hopefully, like I said in my last post, yesterday was the peak of the pain... if it doesn't get worse from here, it should take another couple of days for it to clear up. I'll miss going out with some friends over the Chinese New Year, but I guess that can't be helped. Will have to make it up to them after I recover.
Well, this week is almost like a one week break for everyone... so enjoy it!
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Sadly, the pain has gotten worse today... not much pain in the knee, but the the pain on my foot is pretty unbearable. I'm kinda hoping that this is the worst... and that it will only get better from here on. I've been trying a different medicine, but it appears that it's not too effective.
Today has been tiring. Maybe cause I had to deal with the higher levels of pain. Can't even rest any weight on it. Sigh. To make things worse, the lunch & dinner at the dining hall was quite unappetizing. For lunch, we had boiled slices of sausage and some cabbage. It was quite miserable. For dinner, we had sweet and sour fish and two other kinds of veggies... I think cabbage again and some green ones. But the fish was totally fishy... I took a bite and basically decided it was not worth eating.
It's sad when you are cooped up at home and yet have to eat really crappy stuff. Doesn't really lift the spirits.
I've been playing Paper Mario on the Gamecube. It was supposed to be a super fantastic, highly rated game. Personally, I think it is kinda over-rated. Having played for quite a few hours, I find that parts of the game are becoming more of a chore than fun. It's quite different from 'Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga'. That game was quite similar but it was really addictive. I couldn't put that game down! I might give up on it soon... getting quite boring.
Today has been tiring. Maybe cause I had to deal with the higher levels of pain. Can't even rest any weight on it. Sigh. To make things worse, the lunch & dinner at the dining hall was quite unappetizing. For lunch, we had boiled slices of sausage and some cabbage. It was quite miserable. For dinner, we had sweet and sour fish and two other kinds of veggies... I think cabbage again and some green ones. But the fish was totally fishy... I took a bite and basically decided it was not worth eating.
It's sad when you are cooped up at home and yet have to eat really crappy stuff. Doesn't really lift the spirits.
I've been playing Paper Mario on the Gamecube. It was supposed to be a super fantastic, highly rated game. Personally, I think it is kinda over-rated. Having played for quite a few hours, I find that parts of the game are becoming more of a chore than fun. It's quite different from 'Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga'. That game was quite similar but it was really addictive. I couldn't put that game down! I might give up on it soon... getting quite boring.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Today, the swelling seemed to get better. I managed to hobble my way to my doctor with my crutches. My mom drove me there. Nothing new actually, I've been having these gout attacks for so many years that I kinda know what the doctor will say. But what to do, still have to see the doctor or I can't get my MC.
After seeing the doctor, I went home (as in home and not boarding) for dinner. Half my family (ie my mom and my sis) will be away this Chinese New Year, so it's pretty much going to be a nice quiet time. Works out well since I'll probably be recovering form my gout attack.
Must thank 1Q guys for the nice gift.... If any of you are reading this... THANKS! I shall watch the VCD tomorrow. It's pretty unexpected but I think Spongebob will be a welcomed distraction to the pain.
What pain? Well, for those who are curious (I don't know why.. but since you are reading this, you probably are curious), the pain is quite unlike a sprain. First of all, the part that is affected kinda gets swollen. Then, it kinda feels warm to the touch. The 'best' part, the affected part kinda throbs with pain... yeah.. 'throbs' is probably the best word I can think of. You see, in a sprain, if you don't put any weight on it, you probably won't feel anything. With gout, the pain is there no matter what position you try to put it in. Sometimes, even the touch of a piece of cloth on the affected region can bring a scream. heh..
If you are still curious.. you can see a pic here: http://www.medicinenet.com/images/illustrations/gout.jpg
This time, my gout started from the knee... went down to the top part of my foot and right now, I think it's around the big toe (somewhere like the picture above). Sigh. It's just one of those things I have to learn to live with.
After seeing the doctor, I went home (as in home and not boarding) for dinner. Half my family (ie my mom and my sis) will be away this Chinese New Year, so it's pretty much going to be a nice quiet time. Works out well since I'll probably be recovering form my gout attack.
Must thank 1Q guys for the nice gift.... If any of you are reading this... THANKS! I shall watch the VCD tomorrow. It's pretty unexpected but I think Spongebob will be a welcomed distraction to the pain.
What pain? Well, for those who are curious (I don't know why.. but since you are reading this, you probably are curious), the pain is quite unlike a sprain. First of all, the part that is affected kinda gets swollen. Then, it kinda feels warm to the touch. The 'best' part, the affected part kinda throbs with pain... yeah.. 'throbs' is probably the best word I can think of. You see, in a sprain, if you don't put any weight on it, you probably won't feel anything. With gout, the pain is there no matter what position you try to put it in. Sometimes, even the touch of a piece of cloth on the affected region can bring a scream. heh..
If you are still curious.. you can see a pic here: http://www.medicinenet.com/images/illustrations/gout.jpg
This time, my gout started from the knee... went down to the top part of my foot and right now, I think it's around the big toe (somewhere like the picture above). Sigh. It's just one of those things I have to learn to live with.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
2nd day blues
MC for another day. I think I might be stuck in my lodge for at least a week. Sigh.
My right knee's a kinda swollen and my right foot is hurting. Not sure what triggered this round of gout. Might be my lack of drinking water. Stress? Possibly, since it was pretty tense until after PI. Thank God the attach didn't come before PI.
Started watching Last Exile... another Anime which I had bought but not watched. So far, not terribly exciting. Might give up after a while. Let's see how it goes.
Luckily I'm not missing too many lessons, especially with the Chinese New Year break coming.
My right knee's a kinda swollen and my right foot is hurting. Not sure what triggered this round of gout. Might be my lack of drinking water. Stress? Possibly, since it was pretty tense until after PI. Thank God the attach didn't come before PI.
Started watching Last Exile... another Anime which I had bought but not watched. So far, not terribly exciting. Might give up after a while. Let's see how it goes.
Luckily I'm not missing too many lessons, especially with the Chinese New Year break coming.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
SSDD. Those who've watched 'Dreamcather' know what that stands for. I was stuck at home the whole day as I've kinda gotten a gout attack. This time round, it's around my right knee, making it really painful to bend or position my knee in any way. So, I basically vegetated in bed and in front of the TV.
Spent the time really wisely... finished watching Chrno Crusade! The ending wasn't bad but I thought it could have been a little more heart-wrenching. Overall, it's a lovely piece of storytelling with enough twists and turns and emotional rides. If you like Anime, don't miss this.
Also caught up with some gaming... played some Pirates!. It's a real time sucker cause a big part of the game is travelling on the seas. Even the ship battles aren't exactly fast moving. I like the fencing bits and the wooing of the ladies bits. Quite fun.
This doesn't feel like a full attack so I might be up and about tomorrow. If not, I might be cooped up for a whole week. With CNY around the corner, I guess it's not too bad. Don't really mind staying home during that time.
Well... just means more time to blog! haha....
Spent the time really wisely... finished watching Chrno Crusade! The ending wasn't bad but I thought it could have been a little more heart-wrenching. Overall, it's a lovely piece of storytelling with enough twists and turns and emotional rides. If you like Anime, don't miss this.
Also caught up with some gaming... played some Pirates!. It's a real time sucker cause a big part of the game is travelling on the seas. Even the ship battles aren't exactly fast moving. I like the fencing bits and the wooing of the ladies bits. Quite fun.
This doesn't feel like a full attack so I might be up and about tomorrow. If not, I might be cooped up for a whole week. With CNY around the corner, I guess it's not too bad. Don't really mind staying home during that time.
Well... just means more time to blog! haha....
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Here's the Tapwave Zodiac. It's a palm-based pda with a ATI graphics chip! I know I just bought a PSP... but I really couldn't resist the offer. It was $750 for a Tapwave AND an iPod. I found someone who wanted an iPod so we ended up buying the bundle together. In tehe end, I saved almost $150 from the actual price and he saved about $170 off the iPod! It's a cool machine, no?
Monday, January 31, 2005
Wow... almost a week since I last posted. Not that I didn't want to post, but it's really been quite busy leading up to the Investiture.
Last week was pretty much taken up with doing up the backdrop with the prefects. We estimated that it took almost 175 man-hours to do the backdrop. That's calculated by taking the number of people working on the backdrop and multiplying it by the number of hours we took. Some people wonder why spend so much time on something that is used for less than an hour! I dunno. Personally, it's just the sense of satisfaction I get. I think the backdrop added a big element to setting the overall atmosphere of the whole event. On top of that, I'm sure the prefects who spent the time doing the backdrop also got to enjoy working together. Was the end result worth it? I certainly think so!
Last Saturday was the rehearsal. Before that, I found this irresistable offer for a Tapwave Zodiac. Rushed down to Funan Centre to get it before returning for the rehearsal. You can see the Tapwave in the next post. Anywaez, rehearsal was long... tiring... and then we spent almost 6 hours completing and putting up the backdrop!
Sunday was block orientation. I kinda felt bad that I wasn't more involved in the planning this year. But with PI the very next day, I really didn't have much energy to think of much else. The Block Council put up a pretty interesting programme with a video intro + ending somemore! It was very funny. The Block Dance was also quite cool. It was really weird with all kinds of unorthodox steps (including some from FRIENDS!!!) but it all came together very well.
Which brings us to today. It was really quite fun. From the intro to the dance, it all turned out quite well I think. To the prefects, thanks for putting in all the time to practice and make sure everything came together so well. I've heard of prefects who were really practicing the dance steps very very very very hard so that they won't let the board down. I think it all paid off in the end. Hope everyone enjoyed the post-PI party. I know swimming is not everyone's cup of tea. Hope everyone (swimmer or non-swimmer) enjoyed themselves anywaez.
Now, it's back to concentrating on some school stuff (and playing a bit of Pirates!).
See my next post for my beautiful Tapwave...
Last week was pretty much taken up with doing up the backdrop with the prefects. We estimated that it took almost 175 man-hours to do the backdrop. That's calculated by taking the number of people working on the backdrop and multiplying it by the number of hours we took. Some people wonder why spend so much time on something that is used for less than an hour! I dunno. Personally, it's just the sense of satisfaction I get. I think the backdrop added a big element to setting the overall atmosphere of the whole event. On top of that, I'm sure the prefects who spent the time doing the backdrop also got to enjoy working together. Was the end result worth it? I certainly think so!
Last Saturday was the rehearsal. Before that, I found this irresistable offer for a Tapwave Zodiac. Rushed down to Funan Centre to get it before returning for the rehearsal. You can see the Tapwave in the next post. Anywaez, rehearsal was long... tiring... and then we spent almost 6 hours completing and putting up the backdrop!
Sunday was block orientation. I kinda felt bad that I wasn't more involved in the planning this year. But with PI the very next day, I really didn't have much energy to think of much else. The Block Council put up a pretty interesting programme with a video intro + ending somemore! It was very funny. The Block Dance was also quite cool. It was really weird with all kinds of unorthodox steps (including some from FRIENDS!!!) but it all came together very well.
Which brings us to today. It was really quite fun. From the intro to the dance, it all turned out quite well I think. To the prefects, thanks for putting in all the time to practice and make sure everything came together so well. I've heard of prefects who were really practicing the dance steps very very very very hard so that they won't let the board down. I think it all paid off in the end. Hope everyone enjoyed the post-PI party. I know swimming is not everyone's cup of tea. Hope everyone (swimmer or non-swimmer) enjoyed themselves anywaez.
Now, it's back to concentrating on some school stuff (and playing a bit of Pirates!).
See my next post for my beautiful Tapwave...
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
I can finally play Pirates!
After some emails to both Atari and Securom, they finally sent me a patch which has solved the stupid CD-Rom problem. The game now loads smoothly. Ain't email cool?
But, it's gonna be a few days before I start to really play it. With Prefects' Investiture round the corner, thingshave been gaining momentum these last few days. But to be honest, things are going quite ok. It doesn't seem to be as... panicky.... as the last two years. Maybe I've kinda gotten used to the routine... it is after all the third time I am doing this. But on the other hand, I think the people taking charge of the PI have also been putting things in place quite nicely. So maybe that's why things are less worrisome.
By the way, here's a riddle for you.... 'In basketball, where does le ball go?' ('le' as in classy french slang)
Give up?
Answer: le ball goes to le net! LOLZ
Don't get it? Nvm...it's really quite funny.
I haven't been watching any movies. So sad. Have been wanting to watch stuff like Aviator but there just aren't any free afternoons these couple of days. Must try to catch it before I go into withdrawal symptoms. I'm also looking forward to watching Constantine (starring Keanu Reeves). The trailers just started on TV the last few days. Doesn't look too bad, though I must admit it looks very much like Matrix! haha... guess Keanu Reeves really does have a very limited acting range.
After some emails to both Atari and Securom, they finally sent me a patch which has solved the stupid CD-Rom problem. The game now loads smoothly. Ain't email cool?
But, it's gonna be a few days before I start to really play it. With Prefects' Investiture round the corner, thingshave been gaining momentum these last few days. But to be honest, things are going quite ok. It doesn't seem to be as... panicky.... as the last two years. Maybe I've kinda gotten used to the routine... it is after all the third time I am doing this. But on the other hand, I think the people taking charge of the PI have also been putting things in place quite nicely. So maybe that's why things are less worrisome.
By the way, here's a riddle for you.... 'In basketball, where does le ball go?' ('le' as in classy french slang)
Give up?
Answer: le ball goes to le net! LOLZ
Don't get it? Nvm...it's really quite funny.
I haven't been watching any movies. So sad. Have been wanting to watch stuff like Aviator but there just aren't any free afternoons these couple of days. Must try to catch it before I go into withdrawal symptoms. I'm also looking forward to watching Constantine (starring Keanu Reeves). The trailers just started on TV the last few days. Doesn't look too bad, though I must admit it looks very much like Matrix! haha... guess Keanu Reeves really does have a very limited acting range.
Friday, January 21, 2005
Good guys dun always win
I am SERIOUSLY irritated.
After thinking long and hard, I decided to buy a new PC game. I don't buy many PC games cause they can get extremely addictive.
Anywaez, I bought the new Sid Meier's Pirates cause I thought I'd try something different then the usual RTS-type stuff. The reviews were also pretty good.
After happily unpacking the disc, going through the whole installation process... imagine my horror when I tried to start the game and a stupid message like 'Please insert ORIGINAL disc...visit (some stupid securom site) for more details.' appeared on my screen.
It's totally irritating. After almost an hour of searching for answers, I found out that there's this stupid copy protection software by 'securom' in the CD. Unfortunately, some DVD drives have problems reading this copy protection thing. Hence... it thinks my disc is a fake! Ironically, if I had bought a pirated game.. I might not have had this problem. SIGH. Now, I have to wait for the techinical support to get back to me... and hopefully, the problem will be solved.
Can't believe this. So much for supporting copyrights....
After thinking long and hard, I decided to buy a new PC game. I don't buy many PC games cause they can get extremely addictive.
Anywaez, I bought the new Sid Meier's Pirates cause I thought I'd try something different then the usual RTS-type stuff. The reviews were also pretty good.
After happily unpacking the disc, going through the whole installation process... imagine my horror when I tried to start the game and a stupid message like 'Please insert ORIGINAL disc...visit (some stupid securom site) for more details.' appeared on my screen.
It's totally irritating. After almost an hour of searching for answers, I found out that there's this stupid copy protection software by 'securom' in the CD. Unfortunately, some DVD drives have problems reading this copy protection thing. Hence... it thinks my disc is a fake! Ironically, if I had bought a pirated game.. I might not have had this problem. SIGH. Now, I have to wait for the techinical support to get back to me... and hopefully, the problem will be solved.
Can't believe this. So much for supporting copyrights....
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Reunited
Reunited and it feels so good
Someone found you and he did some good
He returned you to me
My nokia, precious baby,
My life is com-plete a-gain
'cause we're reunited, hey, hey
(adapted from the song 'Reunited' by Peaches and Herb)
----------------------------------------------------------
Yepz, someone's found my phone! I must admit some mixed feelings.
I'm glad cause my phone's back. But I'm a little sad cause I was all prepared to go buy a new phone today! Looks like I might just have to delay my plans for a new phone.. sigh...
Someone found you and he did some good
He returned you to me
My nokia, precious baby,
My life is com-plete a-gain
'cause we're reunited, hey, hey
(adapted from the song 'Reunited' by Peaches and Herb)
----------------------------------------------------------
Yepz, someone's found my phone! I must admit some mixed feelings.
I'm glad cause my phone's back. But I'm a little sad cause I was all prepared to go buy a new phone today! Looks like I might just have to delay my plans for a new phone.. sigh...
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Good bye dear phone...
Today is a sad day. Today, I have lost a dear friend. A friend who has been by my side (especially my ear) for more than a year. My dear friend called Nokia 6800.
Funny thing is, I don't even know how I lost it. Was it stolen? Did I drop it? Sigh.. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.
Well, this seems like an excellent opportunity to write another gut-wrenching poem.... in memory of my phone...
-----------------------------------------
RING RING my phone rang
With every ring, my heart skipped for joy.
BEEP BEEP my phone sang
I was glad for I knew there was something there to read.
But now, there is silence.
RING RING my phone rang
Is it my family? My collegues? My friend?
Beep beep my phone sang
What message or news await my eager eyes?
But now, there is nothing.
The silence is deafening.
Where there were rings, there was now silence.
Where there were beeps, there was now silence.
My phone is gone.
Gone where? I know not.
Good bye my phone.
I hope you won't rot.
With love
Go to the phone heaven above.
Good bye trusty friend.
Until we meet again.
-----------------------------------------
*sniff*....
Funny thing is, I don't even know how I lost it. Was it stolen? Did I drop it? Sigh.. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.
Well, this seems like an excellent opportunity to write another gut-wrenching poem.... in memory of my phone...
-----------------------------------------
RING RING my phone rang
With every ring, my heart skipped for joy.
BEEP BEEP my phone sang
I was glad for I knew there was something there to read.
But now, there is silence.
RING RING my phone rang
Is it my family? My collegues? My friend?
Beep beep my phone sang
What message or news await my eager eyes?
But now, there is nothing.
The silence is deafening.
Where there were rings, there was now silence.
Where there were beeps, there was now silence.
My phone is gone.
Gone where? I know not.
Good bye my phone.
I hope you won't rot.
With love
Go to the phone heaven above.
Good bye trusty friend.
Until we meet again.
-----------------------------------------
*sniff*....
Sunday, January 16, 2005
An Ode...
I've been looking at some blogs, and it seems that there are quite a few poets going around...
Lest I be branded shallow, I've decided to post a poem of mine own.
Enjoy.
------------------------------------
Dark.
The night is.
Sleepy I am now.
Why can't I sleep?
Is it because of you, my computer?
Or you my TV?
Or you my magazines?
Damn you!
'Damn' again I say.
Your images seduce me.
They move and attract me.
I am unable to sleep.
Why don't I sleep?
Do I not need to wake up
in the morn for school?
Do I not need to teach
those who try to act cool?
Yes I must!
Yes I shall!
Sleep come quickly.
I shall sleep now.
Amen.
------------------------------------
Hope the poem moved you.
Thank you.
Lest I be branded shallow, I've decided to post a poem of mine own.
Enjoy.
------------------------------------
Dark.
The night is.
Sleepy I am now.
Why can't I sleep?
Is it because of you, my computer?
Or you my TV?
Or you my magazines?
Damn you!
'Damn' again I say.
Your images seduce me.
They move and attract me.
I am unable to sleep.
Why don't I sleep?
Do I not need to wake up
in the morn for school?
Do I not need to teach
those who try to act cool?
Yes I must!
Yes I shall!
Sleep come quickly.
I shall sleep now.
Amen.
------------------------------------
Hope the poem moved you.
Thank you.
Sleep & Eat & Sleep & Eat...
I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again. I do love the 5DWW.
During the school week, it's kinda hard to get anything more than 5 hours of sleep a day. In fact, I think my average probably works out to around 4 hours. Once Saturday sets in... it's luxurious to have 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
Got up today at 11am... after a blissful sleep of about 9 hours. Slacked around in bed, watching some TV and then decided to rest a little more. Crawled into bed, and next the next time I opened my eyes, it was already 1.30pm. Decided I needed to eat some lunch, so I kinda dragged myself outta bed to cook some rice and heat up some frozen meal. I love those microwave rice-cookers. Takes about 13 minutes to make a nice plate of freshly cooked rice. I think the smell of the fresh rice is almost heavenly. Together with the Teriykai Chicken, I would say that lunch was pretty satisfying.
After lunch, I watched about 3 episodes of CSI. Great show. But somehow, I still felt kinda tired. I think I might be coming down with something. Body aches like the onset of flu and my stomach's acting up a little. Sigh.. can't afford to fall sick now. Next two weeks are gonna be 'exciting'. So, I took some Vitamin C and crawled right back into bed. heh. Slept for another hour before going out for dinner with my tutors.
Had a delicious meal at Fiesta Sushi restaurant in Toa Payoh. Really like the variety of sushi they serve there. The set meals are pretty good too. Had a Chicken cutlet curry set together with a smorgasbord of sushi (none of the raw stuff.. hate those.). Pretty much stuffed!
Well, it's almost 2am so it's like time to sleep again. Hope the flu-ish feeling will not get worse.
Sounds like a fruitful day eh?
During the school week, it's kinda hard to get anything more than 5 hours of sleep a day. In fact, I think my average probably works out to around 4 hours. Once Saturday sets in... it's luxurious to have 8 to 10 hours of sleep.
Got up today at 11am... after a blissful sleep of about 9 hours. Slacked around in bed, watching some TV and then decided to rest a little more. Crawled into bed, and next the next time I opened my eyes, it was already 1.30pm. Decided I needed to eat some lunch, so I kinda dragged myself outta bed to cook some rice and heat up some frozen meal. I love those microwave rice-cookers. Takes about 13 minutes to make a nice plate of freshly cooked rice. I think the smell of the fresh rice is almost heavenly. Together with the Teriykai Chicken, I would say that lunch was pretty satisfying.
After lunch, I watched about 3 episodes of CSI. Great show. But somehow, I still felt kinda tired. I think I might be coming down with something. Body aches like the onset of flu and my stomach's acting up a little. Sigh.. can't afford to fall sick now. Next two weeks are gonna be 'exciting'. So, I took some Vitamin C and crawled right back into bed. heh. Slept for another hour before going out for dinner with my tutors.
Had a delicious meal at Fiesta Sushi restaurant in Toa Payoh. Really like the variety of sushi they serve there. The set meals are pretty good too. Had a Chicken cutlet curry set together with a smorgasbord of sushi (none of the raw stuff.. hate those.). Pretty much stuffed!
Well, it's almost 2am so it's like time to sleep again. Hope the flu-ish feeling will not get worse.
Sounds like a fruitful day eh?
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Party's Over
We had JRIC today. A few things crossed my mind:
1. Sec 1s appear to be very happy.
2. The lit-up badge was very cool.
3. The break-up badge was also cool.
4. Sec 1s can't/don't cheer very well.
5. Short speeches are great!
6. Keep-on-moving dance is fun.
7. I'm getting quite good at pinning badges.
8. Soft music can mess up preceedings.
9. Some people do not know that DHM's name is spelt 'Magendiran' and not 'Maghendran'.
10. Party's over, lessons start tomorrow. SIGH...
1. Sec 1s appear to be very happy.
2. The lit-up badge was very cool.
3. The break-up badge was also cool.
4. Sec 1s can't/don't cheer very well.
5. Short speeches are great!
6. Keep-on-moving dance is fun.
7. I'm getting quite good at pinning badges.
8. Soft music can mess up preceedings.
9. Some people do not know that DHM's name is spelt 'Magendiran' and not 'Maghendran'.
10. Party's over, lessons start tomorrow. SIGH...
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Soccer mania?
Heh... Singapore beat Indonesia 3-1!
I think that's pretty significant. Why? Firstly, it's rare for Singapore's soccer team to reach the finals of any competition... sorry, it's sad but true. Secondly, it's the first time I've watched a full soccer match for a very very long time. I can't even remember when was the last time.
A long time ago, I was a fairly die-hard Singapore soccer supporter. That was when Singapore was still in the Malaysia League. I went to almost every home match. I actually travelled up to KL to support the Singapore team in the historic Malaysian League finals in 1994 where they won both the league and and cup double. It was an experience I don't think I will forget. But when Singapore was kicked out of the league, I lost interest. The S-league was just plain boring.
I enjoyed supporting the Singapore team. Maybe it was nationalistic pride, I don't know. But the truth is, I never understood how to support other soccer teams. Believe me, I tried. For a while, I tried supporting Newcastle but somehow, I couldn't find the same fervour which I had when I watched Singapore play against all the Malaysian teams.
Back to the point, Singapore won tonight! I was telling my brother before the match that it would probably be 'rigged'. I thought that with everything that is happening in Indonesia right now, the soccer team might be inclined to not try so hard to win. Yes, I know that's quite cynical of me... but no harm right? Who knows, if the opportunity arises, I might just decide to join the crowd at the National Stadium next week to support the Singapore team!
I think that's pretty significant. Why? Firstly, it's rare for Singapore's soccer team to reach the finals of any competition... sorry, it's sad but true. Secondly, it's the first time I've watched a full soccer match for a very very long time. I can't even remember when was the last time.
A long time ago, I was a fairly die-hard Singapore soccer supporter. That was when Singapore was still in the Malaysia League. I went to almost every home match. I actually travelled up to KL to support the Singapore team in the historic Malaysian League finals in 1994 where they won both the league and and cup double. It was an experience I don't think I will forget. But when Singapore was kicked out of the league, I lost interest. The S-league was just plain boring.
I enjoyed supporting the Singapore team. Maybe it was nationalistic pride, I don't know. But the truth is, I never understood how to support other soccer teams. Believe me, I tried. For a while, I tried supporting Newcastle but somehow, I couldn't find the same fervour which I had when I watched Singapore play against all the Malaysian teams.
Back to the point, Singapore won tonight! I was telling my brother before the match that it would probably be 'rigged'. I thought that with everything that is happening in Indonesia right now, the soccer team might be inclined to not try so hard to win. Yes, I know that's quite cynical of me... but no harm right? Who knows, if the opportunity arises, I might just decide to join the crowd at the National Stadium next week to support the Singapore team!
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Lovely, lovely sleep!
After 3 days of orientation camp, last night's sleep was a totally blissful experience. I dunno about you, but it's situations like this when the 5DWW makes total sense and is a welcome relief! It was wonderful to crawl into bed, knowing I wouldn't need to wake up early for some meeting or activity or whateva!
It was great getting to know the guys in my class. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the PSLs better. Personally, the two 'infamous' songs and the dance were my favourites. Always enjoyed a good mass dance... ever since my JC days! yes, yes, I know it was a long time ago. But I think the 'student-council-blood' in me is still going very strong! haha!
Talking about that, I think it's a hard fight to decide which was a more exciting time in my life; Seconday School or JC? Both were really interesting but in such different ways. maybe i shouldn't bore anyone with nostalgic moments. Ha... perhaps it's just the post-camp syndrome.
It was great getting to know the guys in my class. I also enjoyed getting to know some of the PSLs better. Personally, the two 'infamous' songs and the dance were my favourites. Always enjoyed a good mass dance... ever since my JC days! yes, yes, I know it was a long time ago. But I think the 'student-council-blood' in me is still going very strong! haha!
Talking about that, I think it's a hard fight to decide which was a more exciting time in my life; Seconday School or JC? Both were really interesting but in such different ways. maybe i shouldn't bore anyone with nostalgic moments. Ha... perhaps it's just the post-camp syndrome.
Monday, January 03, 2005
The new screen can also be rotated to portrait position. This means I can view an almost full-size A4 page while editing it! No need to scroll up and down to see the whole page anymore! Wow... my thanks to the people (or person) who actually tempted me to make this purchase. It is well worth to S$409 to get the 17 inch DVI LCD monitor!
Monday, December 27, 2004
Guilt-ridden
It is done. I have caved in and succumbed to the temptations of the pure (or semi-pure) evil one. I feel so guilty.... sigh...
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Temptations... again
I hate some people... I'm not naming them (or HIM), but I do hate them. It is evil to tempt others with lovely 17 inch monitors going at super-tempting prices. It is unkind to show others that 19 inch Ultrasharp LCD monitors are going at S$677. Sigh. I hate some people.
Meet the Fockers
MTF is a really funny show. Caught it today with my brother and it was hilarious. If you're looking for a comedy to start the new year, this should not be missed.
I also caught Kung Fu Hustle the other day. HIGH Points: Good effects. Undoubtedly, because of an American company backing him, Stephen Chow was able to put in a HUGE amounts of effect shots. And the standard of the effects was pretty good. All the swirling and jumping and kung fu shots were pretty well done and quite impressive. Was the show funny? Yeah... it had the requisite Stephen Chow moments: the sexy ugly gal, the nerdy guy, the obnoxious bad guys, the gay character.. There were also LOL moments. Quite funny. LOW points: I think Stephen Chow was so happy with the extra budget that I felt he went overboard with the effects. At some point, I started thinking 'Oh no... more of the same?'. The story was also weak. Not as interesting as Shaolin Soccer.
On the whole, KFH is quite good. Personally, I think Shaolin Soccer is a better movie.
With the new school term starting soon, KFH and MTF will help to bring the year to a hilarious end. Catch them if you can.
I also caught Kung Fu Hustle the other day. HIGH Points: Good effects. Undoubtedly, because of an American company backing him, Stephen Chow was able to put in a HUGE amounts of effect shots. And the standard of the effects was pretty good. All the swirling and jumping and kung fu shots were pretty well done and quite impressive. Was the show funny? Yeah... it had the requisite Stephen Chow moments: the sexy ugly gal, the nerdy guy, the obnoxious bad guys, the gay character.. There were also LOL moments. Quite funny. LOW points: I think Stephen Chow was so happy with the extra budget that I felt he went overboard with the effects. At some point, I started thinking 'Oh no... more of the same?'. The story was also weak. Not as interesting as Shaolin Soccer.
On the whole, KFH is quite good. Personally, I think Shaolin Soccer is a better movie.
With the new school term starting soon, KFH and MTF will help to bring the year to a hilarious end. Catch them if you can.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Christmas Chaos
Woke up today and decided to go watch Phantom of the Opera. It's one of my favourite musicals and I thought, what the heck, let's give the movie a shot, despite it getting like 1.5 stars or something from 8 days (or was is Straits Times? Nvm) Anyway, the movie started with some fake yellowish-old-film type scenes... and went on to show an auction scene in an opera theatre, pretty much like the musical. So, ho-hum... no big deal. But just as I was letting my apathy catch hold of me, the familiar PTO theme started playing. And the movie scene started getting 'colourised'. I tell you... I could feel chills down my spine. It was really quite good. The CGI together with the haunting tune really went along well. To cut a long story short, I did enjoy the movie after all. For those who've heard or seen the musical version of PTO, it's pretty obvious that the singing in the movie version can't match up to it, so don't even bother hating the movie because of it. Taken on it's own merit, PTO: the movie is not a bad musical movie. If you hate musicals, please don't watch this. You'll be bored stiff.
After the movie, I decided to take a risk and go down to Orchard Road to get some stuff and feel the Christmas atmosphere. I knew that transportation would be crazy and crowds would be scary but decided to try anyway. I wasn't wrong. It was a crowded mess. But I must say that STPB, together with the group of churches, did do a decent job of 'christmastazing' Orchard Road. The decor and the atmosphere, did feel a little more christmassy then usual. Of course, it was expected that the whole Christmas thing did feel more commericalized as well. Well, to all those who might read this blog, may the true spirit of Christmas touch your lives.
On my way back, I went past J8 and saw the Grant-a-wish booth set up by some students from NUS. I thought it was a very nice idea. They had collected wishes from children from different family service centres and then put it up on a board. We could then look at the wishes, then if we wanted, go and purchase the items to fufill the wish of the child. Interesting items. There were requests for Billabong wallets, school bags, an addidas soccer ball, discmans and gameboys. There was even a request for a 6-inch thick mattress for someone's baby. Well, maybe it was my conscience or something, but I decided to get some of the items for the children. There was another lady there who also decided to purchase bicycles for the children. Hope the few items I bought brought some christmas cheer to someone.
To everyone who reads or visits this blog, in the spirit of the season, here's wishing you blessed Christmas!
After the movie, I decided to take a risk and go down to Orchard Road to get some stuff and feel the Christmas atmosphere. I knew that transportation would be crazy and crowds would be scary but decided to try anyway. I wasn't wrong. It was a crowded mess. But I must say that STPB, together with the group of churches, did do a decent job of 'christmastazing' Orchard Road. The decor and the atmosphere, did feel a little more christmassy then usual. Of course, it was expected that the whole Christmas thing did feel more commericalized as well. Well, to all those who might read this blog, may the true spirit of Christmas touch your lives.
On my way back, I went past J8 and saw the Grant-a-wish booth set up by some students from NUS. I thought it was a very nice idea. They had collected wishes from children from different family service centres and then put it up on a board. We could then look at the wishes, then if we wanted, go and purchase the items to fufill the wish of the child. Interesting items. There were requests for Billabong wallets, school bags, an addidas soccer ball, discmans and gameboys. There was even a request for a 6-inch thick mattress for someone's baby. Well, maybe it was my conscience or something, but I decided to get some of the items for the children. There was another lady there who also decided to purchase bicycles for the children. Hope the few items I bought brought some christmas cheer to someone.
To everyone who reads or visits this blog, in the spirit of the season, here's wishing you blessed Christmas!
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Monday, December 20, 2004
Anime Overload
I've spent the last two days catching up on some Anime watching & DVD watching. Think my eyeballs are like tired from the visual overdose.
First, I finished watching through CSI Season 3 which I had borrowed. I realised that it was difficult to watch more than 3 or 4 episodes at one go. The stories were interesting but I think after 3 or 4 episodes, the gore just starts to get to you. It's just very depressing to watch murder after murder, autopsy after autopsy. Kinda makes me scared to visit Las vegas again. I've been there a couple of times and they've been quite fun. But CSI makes it look as if a murders happen all the time there. The cast of CSI are pretty good. I've tried watching CSI: Miami and I think it really pales when compared to CSI. I'm looking forward to watching CSI: New York. I think the cast sounds promising.
Next, I finally started watching some of the Anime which I had piled up. Started with RahXephon: The Motion Picture. I think this is a pretty interesting Anime with a SciFi/Fantasy element. Basically something to do with ancient civilizations, giant robots, music harmonics, alien possession, etc. Sometimes, makes you wonder how the Japanese can come up with these storylines! Anyway, I think the movie is pretty good. There was a lot of human drama, and the finale was almost tear-inducing. It was one of those 'OH NOOOOO!!! IT CAN'T BE!!!!! HOW COULD THEY!!!!' kind of endings. I've not started on the VCD TV series of RahXephon yet, that might be more interesting.
And finally, I finished watching episodes 9 to 24 of Full Metal Alchemist (xb, if you are reading this, shaddup). I've not been so hooked on an Anime since Evangelion. The story in FMA is really engaging and deals with some very thought-provoking and emotional themes. The animation is top-notch and the humourous parts really make you laugh out loud. I can't wait for the next few episodes to be released. However, I must say that the english subtitling is really bad; the grammar is terrible and the names keep changing. The main chracter is Edward but it's translated as Edowardo. Another character was named Siren (I think) and it wass translated as Thilian. heh. But well, it's better than no subtitles/mandarin subtitles.
Ok... less than two weeks to go before the start of the term... Must persevere and finish watching more stuff!
First, I finished watching through CSI Season 3 which I had borrowed. I realised that it was difficult to watch more than 3 or 4 episodes at one go. The stories were interesting but I think after 3 or 4 episodes, the gore just starts to get to you. It's just very depressing to watch murder after murder, autopsy after autopsy. Kinda makes me scared to visit Las vegas again. I've been there a couple of times and they've been quite fun. But CSI makes it look as if a murders happen all the time there. The cast of CSI are pretty good. I've tried watching CSI: Miami and I think it really pales when compared to CSI. I'm looking forward to watching CSI: New York. I think the cast sounds promising.
Next, I finally started watching some of the Anime which I had piled up. Started with RahXephon: The Motion Picture. I think this is a pretty interesting Anime with a SciFi/Fantasy element. Basically something to do with ancient civilizations, giant robots, music harmonics, alien possession, etc. Sometimes, makes you wonder how the Japanese can come up with these storylines! Anyway, I think the movie is pretty good. There was a lot of human drama, and the finale was almost tear-inducing. It was one of those 'OH NOOOOO!!! IT CAN'T BE!!!!! HOW COULD THEY!!!!' kind of endings. I've not started on the VCD TV series of RahXephon yet, that might be more interesting.
And finally, I finished watching episodes 9 to 24 of Full Metal Alchemist (xb, if you are reading this, shaddup). I've not been so hooked on an Anime since Evangelion. The story in FMA is really engaging and deals with some very thought-provoking and emotional themes. The animation is top-notch and the humourous parts really make you laugh out loud. I can't wait for the next few episodes to be released. However, I must say that the english subtitling is really bad; the grammar is terrible and the names keep changing. The main chracter is Edward but it's translated as Edowardo. Another character was named Siren (I think) and it wass translated as Thilian. heh. But well, it's better than no subtitles/mandarin subtitles.
Ok... less than two weeks to go before the start of the term... Must persevere and finish watching more stuff!
Went to Sim Lim on my weekly visit... (during the holidays, almost twice weekly), and I found two of the game shops displaying a PSP in their counter. I overheard them speaking to a customer who was examining the PSP and apparently, they were selling the PSP for over 800 bucks! I paid about 420 bucks for mine. Wow... talk about a price hike! Makes me even more glad that I bothered to line up for it in Japan.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Catching up on movies
I've been catching up on the movies which were released while I was away in Japan.
First, caught National Treasure at Suntec Eng Wah cinemas. I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: Digital Cinema is really great! As I sat there watching NT, I'm just awed by the sharpness of the picture, the cleaness of the image (no scratches or funny wriggly lines) and how vibrant the colours were. Even the subtitles are sharp! I don't know how anyone can choose to watch normal film over the digital versions. For those of you who aren't too sure what Digital Cinema is all about, you can take a look at this link: http://www.dlp.com/dlp_cinema/dlp_cinema_digital_cinema_101.asp
Back to National Treasure. Before I say anything else, I have to say, I enjoyed the film. It was nice to watch a treasure-hunter-type show pretty much in the same spirit as the Indiana Jones series. There was sufficient action and the special effects were ok. However, I find it a little hard to accept Nicholas Cage as an Indiano Jones type character. The downside of this film is that it's pretty obvious that it's a Da Vinci Code rip-off. It's trying to capitalize on the current craze over the Da Vinci Code book. There are references to conspiracies, cover-ups, and of course ancient groups of people like the Knights of the Templar and the Free Masons. It's all loosely tied together with a flimsy storyline, but like I said, it was all a pretty good package. Watch this film.
The other film I'd watched was Ocean's Twelve. I had high expectations for this film as I had thoroughly enjoyed Ocean's Eleven. With the same cast and the same director, I'd thought things would probably be at a similar standard to the first movie. On the upside, watching the cast interact was fun. This big cast really do have chemistry working together. You can see that they are having fun throughout the movie. I was however, disappointed with the story. It didn't have the slick heist in the first movie and the twist at the end of this one was really quite contrived. Kinda like an easy way out to tie everything together at the end. There wasn't really any major heist through this movie too. Just a few small ones which aren't really impressive to watch. Don't watch this film if you expect a smart storyline. Watch it to enjoy the chemistry of the cast.
That's it for now. I'm looking forward to catching Blade Trinity, Alexander and The Phantom of the Opera over the next few days.
First, caught National Treasure at Suntec Eng Wah cinemas. I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again: Digital Cinema is really great! As I sat there watching NT, I'm just awed by the sharpness of the picture, the cleaness of the image (no scratches or funny wriggly lines) and how vibrant the colours were. Even the subtitles are sharp! I don't know how anyone can choose to watch normal film over the digital versions. For those of you who aren't too sure what Digital Cinema is all about, you can take a look at this link: http://www.dlp.com/dlp_cinema/dlp_cinema_digital_cinema_101.asp
Back to National Treasure. Before I say anything else, I have to say, I enjoyed the film. It was nice to watch a treasure-hunter-type show pretty much in the same spirit as the Indiana Jones series. There was sufficient action and the special effects were ok. However, I find it a little hard to accept Nicholas Cage as an Indiano Jones type character. The downside of this film is that it's pretty obvious that it's a Da Vinci Code rip-off. It's trying to capitalize on the current craze over the Da Vinci Code book. There are references to conspiracies, cover-ups, and of course ancient groups of people like the Knights of the Templar and the Free Masons. It's all loosely tied together with a flimsy storyline, but like I said, it was all a pretty good package. Watch this film.
The other film I'd watched was Ocean's Twelve. I had high expectations for this film as I had thoroughly enjoyed Ocean's Eleven. With the same cast and the same director, I'd thought things would probably be at a similar standard to the first movie. On the upside, watching the cast interact was fun. This big cast really do have chemistry working together. You can see that they are having fun throughout the movie. I was however, disappointed with the story. It didn't have the slick heist in the first movie and the twist at the end of this one was really quite contrived. Kinda like an easy way out to tie everything together at the end. There wasn't really any major heist through this movie too. Just a few small ones which aren't really impressive to watch. Don't watch this film if you expect a smart storyline. Watch it to enjoy the chemistry of the cast.
That's it for now. I'm looking forward to catching Blade Trinity, Alexander and The Phantom of the Opera over the next few days.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Here's the queue which I joined at 5.00am on a cold Osaka morning for the PSP. This is taken at Yodobashi Camera Shop at JR Osaka Station. When I joined the queue, there were already about 200 people ahead of me. By the time the shop opened at 6.00am, there were probably about 400 people in the queue. I think the temperature was about 5 to 10 degrees celsius. It was freezing and I kept hands warm by holding on to a bottle of warm tea which I bought at the vending machine earlier. As the queue moved slowly forward, I must admit I was a little worried that all my lining up would be for nothing as I wasn't sure if there would be enough PSPs to go around. Well, thankfully, there were more than enough PSPs and I'm now the proud owner of one of the 200,000 PSPs that were launched on 12 Dec 2004!
And here it is... the Playstation Portable...aka.. PSP! It took me 2hours of lining up in the early morning but I finally got my hands on one and let me tell you... I think it's worth every cent (or yen)! The graphics are superb and the machine just oozes with coolness. Those of you who don't know much about the PSP (sigh... which planet are you from?) can visit www.gamespot.com to find out more about this awesome piece of equipment.
Here's something I'm really glad I found in a toy shop in Tokyo (at Ueno). They are different scenes from the old Mario Bros games for the Nintendo. I saw these in a magazine a while ago and wondered how to get them cause I thought they were cool. The squid, mario, mushroom are all magnetically attached to the scene so they can be moved around. They cost about 300 yen each (about 5 dollars), and come sealed in a box so you kinda randomly choose the boxes and hope you don't get the same ones. There are six scenes and luckily, I pciked 3 boxes and they all ended up being different. Phew.
Back from Japan with a whole load of meaningless stuff again! Japan is really full of cute stuff. I was reading somewhere that this has become some sort of an 'export' for them. I mean, everywhere you look, there is something 'cute' or 'kawai-i' associated with something. Anyway, I got suckered into buying these swaying flowers. They are solar powered and basically sway from side to side. Yep. That's about all they do. Cool, rite? One costs about 714 yen..about 11 dollars. I had to buy 3. Thought they'll look coller swaying together.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Tomb Raiding
I have this funny obsession with Tombs. Yesterday and today, my main areas of visit were tombs. Japanese Tombs. Maybe this is kinda ike a replacement for deciding not to go Egypt. So, instead of visiting Egyptian tombs, I'm visiting Japanese ones!
Yesterday, I went to Sakai to visit the tomb of Emperor Nintoku (hope I spelt it right). It's a huge key shaped tomb bigger than the largest pyramid and the Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb. The sad thing is that it's pretty much considered sacred, so no one can step foot on/in it. SO I could only stand from afar to view it. I then visited the Sakai museum to take a look at artifacts recovered from around the tomb and a mock-up of the tomb based on historical records... it was quite awesome. Funny thing is, I then realised that I've been to this museum abt 4 yrs ago! But I never realised that there was a tomb nearby.
Today, I travelled all the way to the outskirts of Osaka, to a place called Kiishi. I went all the way there, took a bus and walked through a park to visit the Chitsuka Asuka Museum..which basically is a museum about... TOMBS! heh.. The Museum is built at a mountain where there were many tombs all around it. The tombs were built around 6th Century (I think). This museum had even more artifacts and best of all, it had an English Language commentary! It was soooo good to listen to English. I then travelled another 45 mins or so further away from Osaka to another old city called Asuka which had plenty of unearthed tombs. There I rented a bicylce..yes, I can ride a bike... and went around to a few of the tombs and museums.
I think I've had enough of tombs for this trip.
Now on to more interesting stuff... the PSP is launching on 12 Dec. I know it is near impossible, but I am still hoping that by some miracle, I can purchase one here. I don't know how I'm gonna do that coz it seems that it will probably be sold out almost immediately. I don't think I am prepared to go and queue up overnight for it. Sigh.
I also found the SONY VAIO VGN-U750P here. For those who don't know, this is a beautiful full feature laptop which is just about 1.5 times the size of a paperback book. I'm so tempted to buy it coz it's so much cheaper here than in Singapore. The price back home is about S$3799 and here... it's only about S$2800. So much cheaper! It's such an extravagant thought... If I can get the Sony PSP... then I'll probably not thing so much about the laptop...otherwise... die lar!
Yesterday, I went to Sakai to visit the tomb of Emperor Nintoku (hope I spelt it right). It's a huge key shaped tomb bigger than the largest pyramid and the Emperor Qin Shihuang's tomb. The sad thing is that it's pretty much considered sacred, so no one can step foot on/in it. SO I could only stand from afar to view it. I then visited the Sakai museum to take a look at artifacts recovered from around the tomb and a mock-up of the tomb based on historical records... it was quite awesome. Funny thing is, I then realised that I've been to this museum abt 4 yrs ago! But I never realised that there was a tomb nearby.
Today, I travelled all the way to the outskirts of Osaka, to a place called Kiishi. I went all the way there, took a bus and walked through a park to visit the Chitsuka Asuka Museum..which basically is a museum about... TOMBS! heh.. The Museum is built at a mountain where there were many tombs all around it. The tombs were built around 6th Century (I think). This museum had even more artifacts and best of all, it had an English Language commentary! It was soooo good to listen to English. I then travelled another 45 mins or so further away from Osaka to another old city called Asuka which had plenty of unearthed tombs. There I rented a bicylce..yes, I can ride a bike... and went around to a few of the tombs and museums.
I think I've had enough of tombs for this trip.
Now on to more interesting stuff... the PSP is launching on 12 Dec. I know it is near impossible, but I am still hoping that by some miracle, I can purchase one here. I don't know how I'm gonna do that coz it seems that it will probably be sold out almost immediately. I don't think I am prepared to go and queue up overnight for it. Sigh.
I also found the SONY VAIO VGN-U750P here. For those who don't know, this is a beautiful full feature laptop which is just about 1.5 times the size of a paperback book. I'm so tempted to buy it coz it's so much cheaper here than in Singapore. The price back home is about S$3799 and here... it's only about S$2800. So much cheaper! It's such an extravagant thought... If I can get the Sony PSP... then I'll probably not thing so much about the laptop...otherwise... die lar!
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Aching Feet
My feet hurt.
It`s been a long day of walking, walking, walking. This morning, I went up to the Shin Umeda City Tower...where a lift brings you about 143m up to the roof top where you can see the whole of Osaka. Frankly, I`m not a big fan of heights. I`ll admit that I was grabbing on pretty tightly to the railing in the lift as it zoomed all the way to the top. It didn`t help that the lift was the see-through kind... to allow you to see yourself rising above the ground. The view was fantastic. But I almost wished I needn`t take the lift down again. Going down was funny. There was another couple in the lift ant the girl immediately squatted down with her head to the floor when she entered the lift... she was too afraid to look up. I guess I felt the same way, but couldn`t show my fear like that!
In the afternoon, I found out there was a Star Wars exhibition at the Osaka Maritime Museum. It was quite good. Pity I wasn`t allowed to take photos. They had many of the original costumes and props on show. It was a little expensive.. about S$25, but I think it was quite worth it.
Spent the rest of my time at Den Den City... the Electronics centre of Osaka. Sooo tempted to buy stuff but had to practice some self-control. Will write more later, my internet time is up at the cafe.
It`s been a long day of walking, walking, walking. This morning, I went up to the Shin Umeda City Tower...where a lift brings you about 143m up to the roof top where you can see the whole of Osaka. Frankly, I`m not a big fan of heights. I`ll admit that I was grabbing on pretty tightly to the railing in the lift as it zoomed all the way to the top. It didn`t help that the lift was the see-through kind... to allow you to see yourself rising above the ground. The view was fantastic. But I almost wished I needn`t take the lift down again. Going down was funny. There was another couple in the lift ant the girl immediately squatted down with her head to the floor when she entered the lift... she was too afraid to look up. I guess I felt the same way, but couldn`t show my fear like that!
In the afternoon, I found out there was a Star Wars exhibition at the Osaka Maritime Museum. It was quite good. Pity I wasn`t allowed to take photos. They had many of the original costumes and props on show. It was a little expensive.. about S$25, but I think it was quite worth it.
Spent the rest of my time at Den Den City... the Electronics centre of Osaka. Sooo tempted to buy stuff but had to practice some self-control. Will write more later, my internet time is up at the cafe.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Konichiwa!
I'm off to the Land of the Rising Sun... Japan for a couple of days. The two countries I love to visit most: USA and Japan. I admit it, I'm not really a nature kind of guy. I do like looking at mountains and fields, but frankly, if I see too much of them , I get pretty bored. I still need the excitemet of the city, of the high-tech stuff to keep me interested.
It's a tough fight between Japan and US when it comes to high-tech stuff. I love to wander through the electronics places and just see what are the latest gadgets and gizmos. In Tokyo and Osaka, there's the famous Akhihabara and Den-den town. In US, you have the electronics megamarts like Fry's and CompUSA. It's also very cool that I will be in Japan when the PSP launches on 12 Dec. I am soooooo tempted to go and queue up for it. But frankly, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak... very very weak. I don't think I can tahan queuing overnight with temperatures going down to around 5 degrees celsius. But it would be exciting to see the atmosphere at the electronics shops.
It's a tough fight between Japan and US when it comes to high-tech stuff. I love to wander through the electronics places and just see what are the latest gadgets and gizmos. In Tokyo and Osaka, there's the famous Akhihabara and Den-den town. In US, you have the electronics megamarts like Fry's and CompUSA. It's also very cool that I will be in Japan when the PSP launches on 12 Dec. I am soooooo tempted to go and queue up for it. But frankly, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak... very very weak. I don't think I can tahan queuing overnight with temperatures going down to around 5 degrees celsius. But it would be exciting to see the atmosphere at the electronics shops.
Friday, December 03, 2004
One down...
Just finished playing Sly Cooper and the Thievous Racoonus on the PS2. I know it's an old game, but I found it surprisingly good. It wasn't too difficult and it had enough variety and action to keep me hooked. And the levels were not too long, so they could be completed in a reasonable amount of time. The best part? I paid only S$25 for it! heh... Some games are really cheap in the US.
I read about Sid Meier's Pirates on Gamespot.com, sounds like a really fun game. I saw it at Funan today but I really couldn't bring myself to buy it. Firstly, I'm really worried I'll get hooked, and Secondly, if I'm not wrong, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth is coming out next week!
For those who know me, please don't think all I do is play games. I totally enjoy gaming, but unfortunately, I only have time to do it during the school holz. That's pretty much why I seem to be talking about games all the time. When the school term starts... sigh...
I read about Sid Meier's Pirates on Gamespot.com, sounds like a really fun game. I saw it at Funan today but I really couldn't bring myself to buy it. Firstly, I'm really worried I'll get hooked, and Secondly, if I'm not wrong, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth is coming out next week!
For those who know me, please don't think all I do is play games. I totally enjoy gaming, but unfortunately, I only have time to do it during the school holz. That's pretty much why I seem to be talking about games all the time. When the school term starts... sigh...
Thursday, December 02, 2004
Sunday, November 28, 2004
My brand new PS2! The picture really doesn't do it justice. I put the game case next to it to show you just how small it really is. But when you look at it in real life, you'll realise just what a great designer Sony is. I'm really glad I managed to get it from US. It costs only USD150 which is approximately SGD247. When it is finally released in Singapore, it'll probably cost around SGD300.
Saturday, November 27, 2004
Home sweet home
Phew... how time flies. It's been a week since I last posted and it has been a pretty fun week.
Continuing from my last post, I had a HECTIC time shopping after my course. I can't believe how much shopping I did in the 3 days after my course, before I flew back to Singapore. My BIG BIG thanks to my friends in Fremont who brought me around to the really great spots like Target, WalMart, ToysRUs, Fry's and Office Max. For those who don't know, these are really the places where the Americans go to do their shopping and where there are really good deals. I bought DVDs for as little as $7.50 US which is like $13 in Singapore dollars! I was also excited to get the Nintendo DS on the day it launched! Heh... sounds desperate, eh? I paid the standard US$150 for it and when I came back to Singapore, I found out that the shops are intending to sell it for almost US$235 in December. I just love shopping in the states. I came back with almost a whole luggage of DVDs! Anime... TV series... Scifi movies... SHIOK.
Coming back to Singapore, I had a busy time with a conference and a meeting. I've only started enjoying some of the stuff I bought and I'm pretty sure it's gonna take me the remainder of the holidays (and beyond!) to finish watching everything.
Dunno about the rest of you, but I think the holidays are great!
Continuing from my last post, I had a HECTIC time shopping after my course. I can't believe how much shopping I did in the 3 days after my course, before I flew back to Singapore. My BIG BIG thanks to my friends in Fremont who brought me around to the really great spots like Target, WalMart, ToysRUs, Fry's and Office Max. For those who don't know, these are really the places where the Americans go to do their shopping and where there are really good deals. I bought DVDs for as little as $7.50 US which is like $13 in Singapore dollars! I was also excited to get the Nintendo DS on the day it launched! Heh... sounds desperate, eh? I paid the standard US$150 for it and when I came back to Singapore, I found out that the shops are intending to sell it for almost US$235 in December. I just love shopping in the states. I came back with almost a whole luggage of DVDs! Anime... TV series... Scifi movies... SHIOK.
Coming back to Singapore, I had a busy time with a conference and a meeting. I've only started enjoying some of the stuff I bought and I'm pretty sure it's gonna take me the remainder of the holidays (and beyond!) to finish watching everything.
Dunno about the rest of you, but I think the holidays are great!
Friday, November 19, 2004
Work's Over! Play Begins! (or continues...)
Yep, the four-day course is finally over. Learnt many interesting lessons, met many interesting people. It's really refreshing to have a group made up of professional coaches, HR personnel, IT people and Executive VP of a college. It was awesome to hear and learn from them!
Well, tomorrow, it's back to San Francisco... and final shopping! Yeah! Can't wait to get back to Singapore and enjoy all the stuff I am buying!
Well, tomorrow, it's back to San Francisco... and final shopping! Yeah! Can't wait to get back to Singapore and enjoy all the stuff I am buying!
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Back to work...
Yeah... Fun's over... at least for the next couple of days. I'm currently in Sonoma, a little out of the way town in Napa Valley (north of San Francisco), attending the Leadership Challenge workshop. Today was the first of 4 days and 'phew' talk about tiring. we went all the way from 8am to 5pm and I must say it has been quite insightful doing an evaluation of my leadership style. It's very interesting to see what are other people's perception of what my leadership style is. Gives me plenty of opportunity to reflect. It's another three days to go.. then back to shopping in San Francisco! I think I am going to have a problem with my luggage at the airport... so many things to buy... so little luggage allowance!
Monday, November 15, 2004
Ho-hum...
Godzillafest was a letdown. I spent almost 30mins trying to locate the place (which was somewhere in Japantown) and finally found it at some small gymnasium at the Community centre. But... boy was it a disappointment! There were only like 5 tables selling lame Godzilla stuff and one projctor showing... nothing! sigh...
I spent the rest of the day on the public transport. Rode the tram from beginning to end... and to the beginning again! Sounds aimless... yeah... it was. But in a nice, relaxing kinda way.
When I got back, I was really glad to watch 'Adult Swim' on the TV. Relax, it's not some porn thing.. It's the mature Anime programming. It was totally shiok! I watch Full Metal Alchemist (although it's only the third episode, but the English version was really good) as well as half an episode of Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex... half cause I was so tired I kinda just fell asleep. It's so sad that Singapore has nothing like this. The closest is the new Arts Central one hour section showing some anime (which I wasn't able to watch before I came to US). Sigh.. to have a Sci-fi & Anime channel in Singapore!
I spent the rest of the day on the public transport. Rode the tram from beginning to end... and to the beginning again! Sounds aimless... yeah... it was. But in a nice, relaxing kinda way.
When I got back, I was really glad to watch 'Adult Swim' on the TV. Relax, it's not some porn thing.. It's the mature Anime programming. It was totally shiok! I watch Full Metal Alchemist (although it's only the third episode, but the English version was really good) as well as half an episode of Ghost in the Shell - Stand Alone Complex... half cause I was so tired I kinda just fell asleep. It's so sad that Singapore has nothing like this. The closest is the new Arts Central one hour section showing some anime (which I wasn't able to watch before I came to US). Sigh.. to have a Sci-fi & Anime channel in Singapore!
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Shopping Frenzy
Today was great. I spent the whole day at the Great Mall of the Bay Area. It's a really huge mall with over 200 shops. If I'm not wrong, it used to be a Ford factory. To get there, I had to take a BART (kinda like the MRT) to Fremont then look for the bus to get me to the Mall. Altogether, it took me about 35 mins by train and 25 mins by bus to get to the mall. It was kinda exciting, cause I relied on public transportation to get me there.
I LOVE the shops there. Although I spent close to 6hours there, I barely visited half the shops! But, I've got to the critical shops like BIG DOGs where I stocked up on new T-shirts. Also managed to get some shoes. I simply love the shoes here, BIG sizes to fit my BIG feet. I was spoilt for choices unlike back in Singapore where I had to hunt for size 13 shoes.
Tomorrow, I plan to go for this Godzilla festival.. sounds fun, eh!
I LOVE the shops there. Although I spent close to 6hours there, I barely visited half the shops! But, I've got to the critical shops like BIG DOGs where I stocked up on new T-shirts. Also managed to get some shoes. I simply love the shoes here, BIG sizes to fit my BIG feet. I was spoilt for choices unlike back in Singapore where I had to hunt for size 13 shoes.
Tomorrow, I plan to go for this Godzilla festival.. sounds fun, eh!
Friday, November 12, 2004
Raining in San Francisco
Finally here... San Francisco... It's been more than 4 years since I visited the US and I must say I was very excited about coming to the US after all this time. The long plane ride here was really quite bearable, thanks to the improved Krisworld system on SQ. Wow... I was quite impressed that we can now start the movie any time we like instead of following a fixed schedule last time. There were so many movies to watch and Nintendo Gameboy games as well. Must say this is quite an upgrade!
Visiting San Francisco is almost like going to a familiar place. I've been here so often that I find it quite easy to find my way around the place without even a map. Unfortunately, the weather has not been kind and I am getting a bit of jet lag so although it's only 6.20pm here, I'm pretty much ready to sleep.
I'm looking forward to visiting the Exploratorium tomorrow and I have to see how I can mak a trip to the Great Mall of the Bay Area... my favourite mall in California.
Well, think it's just abuo time to hit the sack. Nite!
Visiting San Francisco is almost like going to a familiar place. I've been here so often that I find it quite easy to find my way around the place without even a map. Unfortunately, the weather has not been kind and I am getting a bit of jet lag so although it's only 6.20pm here, I'm pretty much ready to sleep.
I'm looking forward to visiting the Exploratorium tomorrow and I have to see how I can mak a trip to the Great Mall of the Bay Area... my favourite mall in California.
Well, think it's just abuo time to hit the sack. Nite!
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Camps camps camps...
The CCAL camp was not too bad. Gave me the chance to get to know some other Sec 3 leaders instead of just the prefects. But I will be frank and admit that the lectures were a little overwhelming. There were many things which we wanted to do with the CCALs, but I think sitting through hours of lectures really makes it tiring and sleep-inducing. Well, it's the first time we're covering the Leadership Challenge model and I guess we're learning how best to teach it to the CCALs. I'm sure next year will be better.
Prefects' Retreat from 6 to 8 Nov was really fun. I had a good time there too. I think it was a nice balance of fun activities and serious ones. I think I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I really laughed until I had a bit of a throbbing headache! Generally, this batch of prefects are a really fun lot. Hope they really enjoyed themselves as much as I did.
Then we had PSL training today. I thought this year's training was pretty good. It was relevant and I think we covered more topics on how the PSLs can handle the new Sec 1s. I do feel sorry for the prefects... three camps in a row... CCAL, then Prefects Retreat and PSL. Phew.
Well, as for me, I'm finally off to my favourite country.... USA! I will be leaving on Thursday morning and will be staying there until 24 November. It will be fun for me to try and log on to talk more about my trip. Hope I can find some time and a nice Internet cafe to do it.
Hope everyone is findig time to relax and do things differently during the holz!
Prefects' Retreat from 6 to 8 Nov was really fun. I had a good time there too. I think it was a nice balance of fun activities and serious ones. I think I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I really laughed until I had a bit of a throbbing headache! Generally, this batch of prefects are a really fun lot. Hope they really enjoyed themselves as much as I did.
Then we had PSL training today. I thought this year's training was pretty good. It was relevant and I think we covered more topics on how the PSLs can handle the new Sec 1s. I do feel sorry for the prefects... three camps in a row... CCAL, then Prefects Retreat and PSL. Phew.
Well, as for me, I'm finally off to my favourite country.... USA! I will be leaving on Thursday morning and will be staying there until 24 November. It will be fun for me to try and log on to talk more about my trip. Hope I can find some time and a nice Internet cafe to do it.
Hope everyone is findig time to relax and do things differently during the holz!
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
I Hate Games.
Yep. You heard it right. I hate games.
I hate them cause I don't have time to play them.
I hate them cause when I play them, I don't have time to do other things which I am supposed to do.
I hate them cause when I start, it's so hard to stop.
The holidays have started and yet I haven't even turned on any of my consoles since then! Last Saturday, I actually tried playing a demo of Warhammer: Dawn of War and once I started, it was 2.5 hours later that I stopped! And that was only one level! Sigh. Where got time to play?
Sigh. I hate games.
I hate them cause I don't have time to play them.
I hate them cause when I play them, I don't have time to do other things which I am supposed to do.
I hate them cause when I start, it's so hard to stop.
The holidays have started and yet I haven't even turned on any of my consoles since then! Last Saturday, I actually tried playing a demo of Warhammer: Dawn of War and once I started, it was 2.5 hours later that I stopped! And that was only one level! Sigh. Where got time to play?
Sigh. I hate games.
Holidays? Heh... Not quite yet..
It's been almost a week since the 'holidays' started. Believe me, the quotation marks are well deserved. I can't believe how hectic it has been since the holidays started. Yeah, you heard it right... HECTIC.
On the same day that the school ended, I had to attend a meeting from 2pm to 6.30pm. The next day, I had to attend meetings from 8am to 12 noon then 8pm to 10pm. On Friday, guess what? Another two meetings! One from 8am to 1pm and another from 2pm to 4pm. Exciting eh? Meetings are fun. We LOVE meetings! Of course, on Saturday, there was the Parent-Teacher Meeting, which didn't go too badly actually. I was pretty much burned out on meetings.
This week hasn't been much better so far. With the CCAL camp going on, my first two days were spent taking part in it and burning late night oils to prepare my session for the camp. Not sure if it was interesting to the CCALs. Tried not to make it all talk talk talk... hope i was somewhat successful.
Well, another three days before Prefects' Retreat. I'm kinda looking forward to it cause it's supposed to be one where everyone gets to relax. I don't think things will ease up until the end of Nov.
On the same day that the school ended, I had to attend a meeting from 2pm to 6.30pm. The next day, I had to attend meetings from 8am to 12 noon then 8pm to 10pm. On Friday, guess what? Another two meetings! One from 8am to 1pm and another from 2pm to 4pm. Exciting eh? Meetings are fun. We LOVE meetings! Of course, on Saturday, there was the Parent-Teacher Meeting, which didn't go too badly actually. I was pretty much burned out on meetings.
This week hasn't been much better so far. With the CCAL camp going on, my first two days were spent taking part in it and burning late night oils to prepare my session for the camp. Not sure if it was interesting to the CCALs. Tried not to make it all talk talk talk... hope i was somewhat successful.
Well, another three days before Prefects' Retreat. I'm kinda looking forward to it cause it's supposed to be one where everyone gets to relax. I don't think things will ease up until the end of Nov.
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
The End...
YEP! It's finally here...
The End of the school year... no more lessons! But frankly, faced with meetings, camps and courses, school will pretty much will go on at least until the end of November. It has been a busy year. Interesting, but really tiring. I can't wait to really kick back and play some games!
The End of the school year... no more lessons! But frankly, faced with meetings, camps and courses, school will pretty much will go on at least until the end of November. It has been a busy year. Interesting, but really tiring. I can't wait to really kick back and play some games!
Monday, October 25, 2004
Distractions. Yep, with the end of the common tests, there have been many many distractions. It's been more than a week since I last blogged. I hang my head in shame. There goes my commitment to blog regularly. Well, I can always try again.
The common tests have come and gone. Some of you have been asking what I felt about the common tests. Like I said, I think there were some students who could have definitely done better. It was a little disappointing to see some students failing what I considered a reasonably easy test.
Rafflesian Spotlight was fun. I think the soloists were really really good. I know some students said it was unfair that Kaiyang won, but frankly, it was the students' votes which really decided everything... so the only people to blame are really the students themselves! The judges were also hilarious. Nothing can beat YH1 giving Kaiyang her extension number during the comments by judges.
Prefect Elections are over. By tomorrow the school will be informed about who the newly elected prefects. My hearty congratulations to those who have been elected. The worst part of the job is having to inform the nominees who did not make it. It really breaks my heart... I was also a little disappointed with a group of sec 3s who were apparently out to disrupt the whole elections. It's sad that they found it more meaningful to cast spoilt votes and try to spread the same sentiments to their batch mates.
The last thing I am going to write about is.... I've finally bought a new computer! Yeah! It's a Dell Inspiron 8400. Not the very best, but I think it's good enough. Pentium 4, 3.0GHz, 512 Mb ram, 160Gb hard disk.. Whoo hoo! Now I can play ALMOST all the new games!
OK, then, hope to blog a little more regularly. Until next time... Live Long and Prosper...
The common tests have come and gone. Some of you have been asking what I felt about the common tests. Like I said, I think there were some students who could have definitely done better. It was a little disappointing to see some students failing what I considered a reasonably easy test.
Rafflesian Spotlight was fun. I think the soloists were really really good. I know some students said it was unfair that Kaiyang won, but frankly, it was the students' votes which really decided everything... so the only people to blame are really the students themselves! The judges were also hilarious. Nothing can beat YH1 giving Kaiyang her extension number during the comments by judges.
Prefect Elections are over. By tomorrow the school will be informed about who the newly elected prefects. My hearty congratulations to those who have been elected. The worst part of the job is having to inform the nominees who did not make it. It really breaks my heart... I was also a little disappointed with a group of sec 3s who were apparently out to disrupt the whole elections. It's sad that they found it more meaningful to cast spoilt votes and try to spread the same sentiments to their batch mates.
The last thing I am going to write about is.... I've finally bought a new computer! Yeah! It's a Dell Inspiron 8400. Not the very best, but I think it's good enough. Pentium 4, 3.0GHz, 512 Mb ram, 160Gb hard disk.. Whoo hoo! Now I can play ALMOST all the new games!
OK, then, hope to blog a little more regularly. Until next time... Live Long and Prosper...
Saturday, October 16, 2004
Watched SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW yesterday with my class. I really liked the robots and vehicle designs. The fella is really creative. But, I didn't like the grey tone of the whole movie. Yeah.. I noe it's supposed to be like that, but I just find the whole movie so dreary. Nodded off a few times.
Today, I went out with two of my former students from my previous school. It's really nice to meet up with them again for a meal and a movie. I'm glad they've 'evolved' into my friends. It was nice to hang out a the cafe and just talk about rubbish. Oh yah, we watched 2046. Unless you are a diehard Wong Kar Wai fan, avoid this movie like the plague!!! It's so bad... the three of us kept wishing for the movie to be over. Really wish I knew what the movie was about! As a reviewer said...the director can spend minutes showing smoke coming out from a cigarette... oooooo... how exciting eh?
Today, I went out with two of my former students from my previous school. It's really nice to meet up with them again for a meal and a movie. I'm glad they've 'evolved' into my friends. It was nice to hang out a the cafe and just talk about rubbish. Oh yah, we watched 2046. Unless you are a diehard Wong Kar Wai fan, avoid this movie like the plague!!! It's so bad... the three of us kept wishing for the movie to be over. Really wish I knew what the movie was about! As a reviewer said...the director can spend minutes showing smoke coming out from a cigarette... oooooo... how exciting eh?
Friday, October 15, 2004
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
I've not blogged for a few days... not cause I'm particularly busy, but I think it's more cause I've been quite slack.. :-P It's the usual calm before the storm. As the students (or at least most of them, I hope) busy themselves with the common tests, I can take a breather and wait for my papers to come in on Wednesday. Then, as they unwind with their post-CT activities, I will pretty much be holed-up in my room, slogging at the scripts, trying hard to find that extra mark to give..heh heh.
Well, the weekend was quite uneventful. My friend's husband who just came back from Australia, helped me to buy a DVD which I had been searching for for a long time. It's the pilot for a new series 'Battlestart Galactica' which is based on a TV show of the same name which first appeared on TV about 25 years ago (yes.. I am that old... sigh). The new series is really good. They managed to work in many things about the old series into the new so there is enough connection for people like me who watched the original version. The 'Vipers' are one of the nicer space fighter crafts I've seen. Battlestar is very often compared to Star Wars as it came to the small screen very soon after Star Wars started. For those who are really keen, you can find out more at this site: http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/
I'm looking forward to the holidays. There are many DVDs that I have been stockpiling to watch. I've got Full Metal Alchemist and Rahxephon, two sets of anime which will take up a big chunk of my time. Of course, it'll all have to wait until the common test papers are marked. Sigh. One more day of freedom for me.
Well, the weekend was quite uneventful. My friend's husband who just came back from Australia, helped me to buy a DVD which I had been searching for for a long time. It's the pilot for a new series 'Battlestart Galactica' which is based on a TV show of the same name which first appeared on TV about 25 years ago (yes.. I am that old... sigh). The new series is really good. They managed to work in many things about the old series into the new so there is enough connection for people like me who watched the original version. The 'Vipers' are one of the nicer space fighter crafts I've seen. Battlestar is very often compared to Star Wars as it came to the small screen very soon after Star Wars started. For those who are really keen, you can find out more at this site: http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/
I'm looking forward to the holidays. There are many DVDs that I have been stockpiling to watch. I've got Full Metal Alchemist and Rahxephon, two sets of anime which will take up a big chunk of my time. Of course, it'll all have to wait until the common test papers are marked. Sigh. One more day of freedom for me.
Friday, October 08, 2004
It has been a while since I read a chinese comic. On Wednesday, I was at the comic shop in Thomson Plaza when I saw a copy of RAHXEPHON. Earlier on, I had read that the anime was very good so I thought the manga should be quite interesting. Furthermore, the whole series was only 3 volumes long. So, I thought, what the heck. In the end, I found that I really enjoyed the manga! It was similar to Evangelion in many ways but it was unique enough to be different (uh.. did that sentence make sense??). I quickly went back and bought the remaining two volumes and I've almost finished reading them. It was fun to read a serious story with the occasional 'funny-drawing'. Those of you who read japanese comics will know what I mean. Now, I'm really tempted to buy the anime. BUT, I think I'd better control myself. I still have two DVDs of Full Metal Alchemist to watch and not forgetting... the dreaded CTs will be coming in soon for marking... I think I can look forward to some holiday anime viewing!
I remember when I really loved japanese comics. The very first ones I got hooked on where the old Astro Boy comics! I remember reading them when I was in primary school. The next big series that I got hooked on was none other than Dragonball! Wow... that one was really good. I remember buying the whole set, almost 40 books if I remember correctly. It was a really good series, the action, the humour, the fantasy elements all came together very well. There were some other series, but for the last few years, I didn't really read any japanese manga but kept to american comics. Looks like it is time to start catching up again! Anyone have any good manga out there to recommend?
I remember when I really loved japanese comics. The very first ones I got hooked on where the old Astro Boy comics! I remember reading them when I was in primary school. The next big series that I got hooked on was none other than Dragonball! Wow... that one was really good. I remember buying the whole set, almost 40 books if I remember correctly. It was a really good series, the action, the humour, the fantasy elements all came together very well. There were some other series, but for the last few years, I didn't really read any japanese manga but kept to american comics. Looks like it is time to start catching up again! Anyone have any good manga out there to recommend?
Monday, October 04, 2004
Monday. I wonder why God made Mondays. Wouldn't it be cool if we skipped Mondays and proceeded on to say... Wednesday? Then it would only be three days before the weekend again! Actually, instead of a 5 day week, I'm actually more supportive of declaring Wednesday as a day off. Think about it... School on Monday and Tuesday, then break on Wednesday. Then School on Thursday and Friday and CCA on Saturday. Great idea, right? There can be a day to rest in the middle of the week!
Today's lunch talk was not too bad. Talk was so-so, food was good, company was fun. My heartfelt thanks to the cherry overload from the people at my table. I don't think I've ever eaten so many maraschino cherries at one go... talk about a sugar overload.
Today's lunch talk was not too bad. Talk was so-so, food was good, company was fun. My heartfelt thanks to the cherry overload from the people at my table. I don't think I've ever eaten so many maraschino cherries at one go... talk about a sugar overload.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
There must be something which the TV stations have against Sci-fi shows. The shows are always screened at weird times like past midnight or on a weekend afternoon when most people would prefer to be out of the house rather than inside. The stations then say there is no demand for such shows and stop purchasing them. It's a pretty vicious cycle. Enterprise is one of the victims. It's shown on Sunday afternoon at 1pm, when most people would probably be out for lunch. For the non-sci-fi lovers, Enterprise is the latest incarnation of the Star Trek series. I long for the day Singapore has a Sci-fi channel like in the US.
Anyway, I watched two episodes of Enterprise today (recorded last week's but did not have time to watch earlier). While the stories were ok, I can't help but notice they must start every episode with a massage scene between T'pol (the female vulcan) and Tucker (the hormone-raging male). It's quite funny. Really using sex to sell the series. I think it's just a really cheap and low-class way to get more viewers. But I guess as long as sex sells... they'll keep doing it.
If you're interested to find outmore about Enterprise, here's a site you can visit: http://www.saveenterprise.com/
Anyway, I watched two episodes of Enterprise today (recorded last week's but did not have time to watch earlier). While the stories were ok, I can't help but notice they must start every episode with a massage scene between T'pol (the female vulcan) and Tucker (the hormone-raging male). It's quite funny. Really using sex to sell the series. I think it's just a really cheap and low-class way to get more viewers. But I guess as long as sex sells... they'll keep doing it.
If you're interested to find outmore about Enterprise, here's a site you can visit: http://www.saveenterprise.com/
The prefects had a farewell gathering for the Sec 4s today. It's a little hard to believe, but I have already worked with two ripb excos... and been in the job for two years. Time really flies. Especially in our school. Each day zooms and sometimes, it's near impossible to stop to catch a breath. This batch of Sec 4s were only Sec 1s when I taught them when I first joined the school. Yep, 4 years since I joined. Like I said, time flies. The farewell was fun. Food was good and we basically relaxed and had a good time. Only 3.5 weeks to the holidays. Can you believe it!??
Saturday, October 02, 2004
It was nice to have a day off. After 4 days of conducting interviews, the day off was very much welcomed. I went to watch two movies, WHITE CHICKS and SAVED!. Met a student with his, uh, 'special' friend. Heh heh.. wat luck eh? Meeting a teacher when you are out on a date. :P
WC was ok.. not as funny as I had expected. But Saved! was really quite good. The only reason why it's rated M18 is becoz it's pretty much a christian satire. I think some christians might be offended at the way it makes fun of the christians in the movie, but seriously, I think christians should watch this movie to see how being a fanatic can really be a big joke! In the movie, the teenage girl decides to have premarital sex with her gay boyfriend becoz she thought she had a vision of Jesus (who was actually a pool attendant divinginto the water to save her)! It's quite silly, but I think it's a good reminder for christians to see how sometimes we can take our faith to a ridiculous level.
WC was ok.. not as funny as I had expected. But Saved! was really quite good. The only reason why it's rated M18 is becoz it's pretty much a christian satire. I think some christians might be offended at the way it makes fun of the christians in the movie, but seriously, I think christians should watch this movie to see how being a fanatic can really be a big joke! In the movie, the teenage girl decides to have premarital sex with her gay boyfriend becoz she thought she had a vision of Jesus (who was actually a pool attendant divinginto the water to save her)! It's quite silly, but I think it's a good reminder for christians to see how sometimes we can take our faith to a ridiculous level.
I've not been to Orchard Cineleisure for a long time. I generally dun like to go there coz it's often crowded and I dun really like the seats there. Well, I finally went there today coz the show I wanted to watch was only showing there. I saw this really nice statue of spider-man on the wall next to the escalators. Really quite cool. Have you guys seen it before? Noticed anywhere else with interesting statues? Tell me and I might make a trip there to take a pic!
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