Muse Mania?

070309 Update

2009-03-07T20:41:00.002+08:00

Xx 070309 Update xX

Shall just do a quick update.

I finished my BSLC about 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately, I've been posted to the dreaded ASLC. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to end up in Echo company. If I were to end up in Charlie company, I don't think I'd be able to last very long.

So far, ASLC has been pretty ok. I've already passed the course, in essence that is, since I've managed to clear my SOC in 9m20s. As long as I don't fall sick for too long or miss the stupid field camps. Speaking of field camps, I'll be spending 7 days out in the fields of Thailand. I'll be there for 3 weeks, and the thought of it is really daunting.The CO of SISPEC said it's not gonna be hot, but DAMN hot. But, I believe I'll be able to pull through.

In any case, the 3SG rank will be mine!!! Hiah!!! And the good news is, 80 lucky souls from my batch will be chosen to return to the sunny island of Tekong! Slacker life, here I come! =D

That's about it.
Wait for my next post...

P.S. 32km route march bundled with navigation, ATP and river crossing is on this coming week. Worst of all, it's gonna be on Tekong, where the roads are really f-ed up... Die!

2009 New Year Resolutions

2009-01-01T17:02:00.002+08:00

Xx 2009 New Year Resolutions xX

As quickly as it came, 2008 is now a thing of the past.
Looking back, 2008 was quite a milestone for most of us. We completed our 3-year study at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and began to go our separate ways. It's a pity, but it's the ineveitable.

For the girls who aren't so fortunate to make it to universities have begun their careers in this big capitalist world. For those who manage to further their studies embark on another paper-chasing journey in hopes to embellish their resume with another "endorsement".

For the "unlucky" bunch of us who are born in Singapore with an extra "appendage" have to go through the rigors of National Service (or National Servitude as I would put it). We are now into our 4th or 7th month of service, and I daresay there's still a long road ahead.

In any case, let me set some goals for 2009.

1) Use less vulgar language! ***
I know I've this bad habit of shooting off profanities at whim. From this day on, I shall try to refrain from using such language. And if I do, I probably didn't really mean it.

2) Maintain/ Improve my IPPT results
I managed to attain Silver standard for my IPPT during a recent categorization test. My scores aren't that fantastic. I barely made the Silver timing for 2.4km run and shuttle run. Guess the only exercise that will help most is the exercise that I dread most: Running. Well, I can only suck thumb and do it. =(

3) Survive all the stupid courses and get promoted to 3SG
BSLC so far is still quite manageable. From there on, I really hope that I do not get into ASLC. As mentioned in the previous post, I'm not sure where I'd really like to go, but at the end of everything, I really do want to survive and earn the chevrons.

I guess that's about it for my New Year Resolutions. It should be reasoably attainable. Guess we just gotta wait another 365 days to find out!

Cheers! Au revoir!

Bye BMT, Hello SISPEC

2008-12-27T17:55:00.007+08:00

Xx Bye BMT, Hello SISPEC xX

Hey guys (whoever bothers to come here still), here I am finally, updating what's going on in my life.

Firstly, I finished BMT and graduated from the super-sunny-and-hot Pulau Tekong about 3 weeks ago. Being a Leopard recruit was definately enjoyable, plus it was very much THE welfare company. Basically, our field camp wasn't much of a big "tekan session"; we didn't have to crawl through the shithole (almost literally) in the Battle Assault Course; we had many Friday bookouts; and other small perks that are simply too much to count. Most of all, I kinda miss training with my BMT bunkmates, whom I recently went on a Hong Kong trip with.

Now, I'm moving on to the next phase of my NS "journey". I've been posted to Kilo company of SISPEC. SISPEC basically trains "Specialists", which are more commonly known as Sergeants. Kilo company, so far, has not exercised any welfare benefits. How I wish I was in Golf or Hotel (which many people say it's almost practically a hotel). Anyway, the SAF has come up with a new "rank" for soldiers training to become Specialists. Officer Cadet School have their Officer Cadets, so naturally School of Infantry Specialists must also have their Specialists Cadets right? My batch, the 50th BSLC, shall be the pioneer batch to be bestowed the rank of SCT.

Basically, the new rank is just half the Sergeants' chevrons pinned on the right sleeve. Along with this new rank, is the incredible allowance of $490. The money is secondary to where I will want to be posted to after BSLC. I haven't actually thought of where I want to be, but I really do not want to advance to ASLC or even worse, Recce troopers. Anyway, my fate shall be decided in 8 weeks time, provided I survive BSLC.

So, I guess that's about it. So far the training is still manageable, but I have a feeling it's gonna be kicked up several notches faster that I can even say "What the..."
Till next time, Au revoir.

Back From Tekong

2008-09-29T17:17:00.002+08:00

Xx Back from Tekong xX

Alright. So my 16 night confinement just ended yesterday. FYI, I had the longest confinement amongst my friends. Boohoo. Anyway, nothing exciting to talk about here. Basically just training everyday. Shall be booking in on Wednesday night. Sian!

Went for the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix last night. It was pretty good. Taking photos was damn difficult. Had to shoot through the fence and panning photos aren't easy. Posted some shots on Facebook. Here are some, if you're too lazy to visit FB.

Argh! Nothing much to say. Shall go do something else. BMT really makes one lose his intelligence. Haha!

BMTC

2008-09-12T00:12:00.002+08:00

Xx Apocalypse xX

Will miss my room. And my new bed, which just came on Monday. Zzz.

Redang 2008

2008-08-31T15:44:00.007+08:00

Xx Redang 2008 xX

Just came back from Pulau Redang on Friday. I'm not gonna post too many photos since some of it is already on Facebook. I took like 200 over photos over the 4 days.

Anyway, Redang's a good place to relax. The sand is really fine; waters are pristine; skies are clear. I guess I enjoyed snorkelling the most, despite having to "siam" the damn jellyfishes.

Blue Sand

I'm such a stud. LOL!

Devil

Shot through the heart. Credit goes to Shaun.

That's about it for the Redang trip. I apologize for the lack of any further description for this trip. Kinda lazy to put things into words. Check out my Facebook for more photos!

Took a shot of this sign before heading off to Redang. It kinda set me thinking, when will I ever reach the point on the other side of this sign? And I do not mean this literally. No matter how many times I was disappointed, I always manage to find a reason to forgive. I'm quite tired of this waiting, frankly. In fact, I am also aware that waiting will still get me nowhere. And yet, knowing myself best, I still wait. Shall see how this goes. Sigh.

Bye Sulzer

2008-08-25T16:26:00.008+08:00

Xx Bye Sulzer xX

It was my second "Last Day" at Sulzer last Friday. I guess I won't be going back there for at least 5 years. Anyway, I could've ended my stay on the 29th of this month. But I decided to leave a little early for several reasons (that shall only be known to myself. =P)

Had a few "Farewell" meals. Had dinner with my team at Ma Maison (again) last Monday. It was a treat from the boss, Jiaping. Anyway, it was quite an enjoyable night... Though it would be great if work issues could've been dropped from the conversations. Then again, what else can we talk about? Haha.

Oh yeah. They bought me a shirt and a cap as part of my birthday and farewell gift. Yongwei said the cap would definitely come in handy soon (I'm sure you know when). I was about to buy a cap anyways.

May Mong decided to give me a lunch treat on Friday at Crystal Jade. I didn't expect anything from her, since she's totally from another department. Maybe it's 'coz I talk too much crap with her.

Lastly, I had dinner with Francis at Holland Village. We went to a place called Tapas Wine Bistro. The food's pretty good and the place has great ambience. I felt kinda bad as it was quite a hefty bill (plus another dinner at Billy Bombers last month). Usually I'd return the treat with some drinks, but his stomach was acting up again. Anyway, told him I'd return him the treat next time.

Francis

Yong Wei

Hadrian

Poh Khim

Dyna

Alicia

Boss - Jiaping; Sales GM - Mr. Chan

Mostly Chemicals Group I people =)
Well. It was a great experience working with such great colleagues. I hope I will have the same luxury when I do eventually step out into the working world.

"National Servitude" is up next. What a fucking waste of time. Think of all the productive man hours lost. Stupid idea. Sheesh.

I guess that's about it. Redang trip tomorrow! Whoot!
Auf wiedersehen.

Happy Birthday 2008

2008-08-14T17:26:00.007+08:00

Xx Happy Birthday 2008 xX

Okay. So I've been celebrating the demise of my 1- age prefix.
First things first. Here's what I received from my really great friends!

Zara T-shirt from NP Classmates. Ikea stuff (lol?) from Red Cross Gang. Sheaffer Pen from Francis.

Yep. That's my name engraved on the pen.

Went to celebrate with my NP classmates last Friday at Monster Mash Cafe, somewhere in Holland Village. I read some good reviews online, so I thought we could give it a try.

Somehow, "pervert" always seems like the best word to describe Alex.

Hmmm... Like some sort of politician. WJ, if you do become a politician, please do everyone a favor and not join PAP (unless you intend to scrap NS).

*Sulk*

Bangers and Mash

Well. It wasn't THAT fantastic. I found the sausages (or "Bangers") a little too salty. The Mash potatoes were pretty alright. Shaun ate some Burger, but I wasn't too sure which. Anyway, sad to say, I don't think I'll be returning there anytime soon.

Subsequently, I kinda fell sick the following day. I don't know if it was the beer or the sausages, but I really felt like crap. Nauseated, had a bad headache and slight fever. I doubt 1 pint+ of beer will give me a hangover that bad, so I'm thinking it was the food. Even thinking of the sausages now, gives me the jitters. Eugh. Didn't go to work on Monday (the day of my birthday itself) 'coz wasn't feeling too well again.

Spent my Tuesday night at Hougang Plaza's Suki Sushi with the Red Cross gang. Haha. I got there really late, 'coz of the stupid freaking long queue of 161 from Woodlands. By the time I sat down, they had already apparently stuffed themselves full. So I was pretty much the only one stuffing my face with sashimi, sushi and what-not. It was good fun. All the lame jokes, as usual.

Had dinner with Dyna at Ma Maison. Dyna's just a colleague, don't get too excited. Haha! It's a Jap-French restaurant located at The Central, Clarke Quay. The ambience was really good. Sort of cozy, like a home. Ma Maison mean My Home in French, I think. So that explains the "homely" feeling. The staff is really friencly and service is pretty good. Food's quite alright and affordable as well. Will be returning there next Monday (to make use of the 20% discount Ladies Night promo) for my "Farewell" dinner from my work groupmates/ colleagues.

That's about it for this year's birthday. Another year older already?! Hmmm. Wish I could stop growing old at maybe... 27? Haha. Oh yeah, all the photos you see are taken by the DSLR my eldest bro gave me (sort of). He wasn't using it since he already has a new one. Here are some other shots I took randomly the past few days. I'm no photographer, but they look pretty decent to me. Auf Wiedersehen!

Somehow this badly taken shot looks quite good.

Horoscopes

2008-07-30T22:49:00.006+08:00

Xx Horoscopes. How true? xX

Hmm... Was feeling kinda bored, so decided to check out this astrology website one of my bosses introduced me to. Heres its' take on me:

***
Sun and Moon in Leo

You were born with both the Sun and the Moon in the sign of Leo. There is harmony between your feelings and your actions. You appear as a commanding, powerful, dignified, generous, strong-willed, and reliable individual. You view life very clearly and you have a natural ability for leadership and for designating authority. You're usually cheerful and fond of games and amusements. You have a tremendous amount of vitality, which you would like to share at times with others.

How very flattering. But I guess it's true to some extent...

The key word to your temperament is positive pride. You feel that you have an important mission and that the petty matters that affect others do not refer to you. Because of your sense of pride and frankness, you will very often feel unappreciated when you do not receive from others the open-handed treatment that you yourself give. In love you are whole-hearted, very affectionate, and passionate. You try to bring happiness and protection to those you love. In affection you may become too patronizing.

Damn freaking uber bloody true.

The secret for a better integration of a Leonian personality is to be aware of your limitations and to acquire some humility.

Ascendant in Scorpio, Mars in the Fifth House

At the time of your birth the zodiacal sign of Scorpio was ascending in the horizon. Its ruler Mars is located in the fifth house.

Your life will be marked by your shrewd, secretive, obstinate, clever, and reserved disposition. You remain an enigma: with these traits, your life events could be either very tragic or very fortunate. To which category of Scorpio do you belong? There are two types, the extremely emotional, attracted by those pathological aspects of biological relationship, or the highly mystical, concerned with spirituality.

You are a person of extremes, very sensitive and desirous of attachment. There is some attraction to the occult or to psychic phenomena. You are active in the sense that there is a psychological struggle going on inside you between the positive and negative poles-those of affirming and satisfying or rejecting and repressing. You are very intense in your feelings and remain passionately attached to the person you love. Similarly, when you dislike someone you are very fixed in that feeling. However, there is room for optimism in that: whatever type of Scorpio you may happen to be, there exists a desire deep in your inner self for psychic regeneration.

Touche.

At some point in your life, after the occurrence of a major dramatic event that will affect you deeply, the goal and entire expression of your ego may alter entirely. The intensity and profundity of your passion, however, will always be constant. You have a tendency to go into the shadows and secretly plan the course of action you will take, reluctant to let others know the exact nature of your mood or feelings. In your sexual affairs you are full of passion and strong attachment.

Holy crap! Major dramatic event?!
I gotta admit, the second part's true

Exert more control over your passions; don't be so resentful of others. Use your strong will and character for favorable and beneficial things.

You have a strong inclination to be involved in medicine, perhaps even surgery. You are attracted by research and investigation in general.

At first glance we can tell you that your life is going to be geared in essence to, firstly, participating in speculative affairs, and secondly, to leading an intense and varied love life.

You are going to be attracted to potential lovers with too much force and enthusiasm and your over-ardent nature may lead you into unfortunate situations. You should be most successful in love affairs but at the same time, you may suffer many disappointments and frustrations. You are assertive in love; you are closely possessive, and can become angry if your attentions are not gratified within a reasonable length of time.

It does sound like me.

Saturn in the Second House

Saturn is found in the second house at the time of your birth. This is not a very favorable astrological circumstance for the general course of financial matters in your life.

It might be difficult to maintain a relatively fair position because of financial losses. You might also take financial matters too serious, and burden yourself with worries about them.

Hmmm... I tend to be pretty loose with my spending hand. Must keep it under control!

Your arduous and dedicated work might produce little for you financially, but it does help to strengthen your self-worth and your appreciation of other values. Therefore, do not be discouraged. Saturn often grants a fairly normal financial status at an older age if one exerts oneself in this direction.

If you make an effort to acquire greater enthusiasm in business, coupled with more liberality, life will change by the same degree.

Venus in the Eighth House

Venus was found in your eighth house at the time of birth. This is a favorable position regarding the possibilities of financial gain through businesses owned by your partner or by associates.

Psychologically, you are going to find many harmonious conditions in your sexual relationships.

Can I say "Woohoo!" without sounding too much of a pervert?

If your inner growth is such that your vital energies are oriented toward spiritual rather than material pleasures, then you will arrive at gratification and happiness through inquiry into the mysteries of life and death.

You should have some excellent opportunities for progress in your financial and social condition during your middle age or when you finally stabilize your life through marriage or any other type of close relationship.

Moon in the Ninth House

The Moon was found in the ninth house at the time of birth. Your higher mind has the potential to expertly reflect the teachings of elevated knowledge that you may receive throughout your life. You will have an ability to quickly adjust to varying conditions.

You are endowed with a clever and resourceful imagination, and a mind which is receptive to ideals, higher thoughts, and perhaps even metaphysical matters.

Throughout life you are going to solve many critical situations by your ingenious and highly inventive mind which has an abundance of new and humane plans and ideas.

Sun in the Tenth House

The Sun was in the tenth house at the time of birth. The Sun here promises honor, success, and prestige in adult life. Publicly you appear as a vital, proud, powerful person. Your individuality has the need to manifest itself publicly and often to foist its energy on others. You have come to life with a satisfactory physical and moral heredity and you are going to acquire the favorable disposition of many persons of power to assist you in your ascent through life.

Your liabilities include an exaggerated pride, arrogance and a tendency to rely too much on your own resources.

*Nods aggressively*
***

Hmmm. Pretty interesting huh? But oh well, it's better to take horoscopes with a pinch of salt. Visit here, here, here if you'd like to give it a go as well. You need to know your birth time though. Hint: Birth Certificate.

Perturbing

2008-07-19T21:02:00.002+08:00

Xx Deeply Perturbing xX

I've been pretty "free" at work for quite some time now. Inquiry levels are down so low, and many projects have kinda gone "stale".

So anyway, went out with my friends last night to catch Batman: The Dark Knight. WJ pointed out that I looked "stressed". Hahaha. Don't I always? Anyway, I was thinking of some things that I learned at work that day, which disturbed me. I always thought the intentions of people in Sulzer were "pure" and "genuine". What I heard really made me reconsider my point of view. I accept the fact that the end result was inevitable, but the steps undertaken in reaching such a conclusion made me feel very disappointed.

I'm not sure how much of what I heard is true, but then again, the graveness of such a matter doesn't seem to warrant it as a joke. I don't know if the "losing" party knows what actually happened "behind-the-scenes", but from as far as I can tell, I don't think so. Deeply perturbing! Sigh.

Anyway, we watched the movie at 11pm. Bad idea. I dozed off occasionally, but it was during the chatty parts. I cannot believe WJ actually fell asleep at the last part of the movie, and missed all the action along with it. Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker deserves praise. Him in the nurses' uniform was particularly funny.

Shaun drove Lynette and I home. Thanks man! Frankly, I wish I could drive. Hahaha, but I seriously suck at it. I wonder if I can finish everything by the end of this year. My instructor says the utmost soonest test date he can get is 4 months from passing FTT. Speaking of which, I failed that goddamn test once, and I shall be going for it again this Monday. I better pass it this time! Urgh.

June 2008 Update

2008-06-28T13:03:00.002+08:00

Xx June 2008 Update xX

So I haven't been blogging for this month, time for some updates.

Work's been pretty mundane. Nothing exciting. Always structured packing projects, no tray projects. Boring. Now that there're new engineers to help out the team, I'm more relieved of my duties. I've only committed one day of OT this month, which can be good or bad. Bad being I will have lesser money to spend next month. Good being... Uh I don't know? Haha.

I think I should have more faith in something (not religious faith). Sometimes I just can't help but wonder if this is just superficial or below skin-deep. Maybe it's just me.

Harvard (or Baldilocks) got his first reprieve from the clutches of SAF yesterday. Went for some drinks at The Jewel Box at Mount Faber as part of Lynette and Ya An's birthday celebration. Whoo. The view is not bad, and it's pretty breezy. But, don't go there unless your pockets are adequately lined with cash.

Attended the Sales departmental outing last night as well. Dinner at Grand Shanghai. Food was really good, and there's wine too! Haha.

Shih Wing's going in next. We're still waiting for your house warming, you know? Said he'd like to go to Holland Village for dinner and drinks. Shall let him decide. After his turn, we're next on the chopping block.

That's about it I guess. Nothing exciting.
Till next time, Auf wiedersehen.

End of this 3-year road

2008-06-01T21:36:00.018+08:00

Xx End Of This 3-year Road xX

Hello all! Well, as the title implies, this post shall be the concluding chapter of the "adventures" I had at Ngee Ann Polytechnic during my study.

Let's start off with the LSCT FOC camp. Frankly, I can't remember much details about this, but I sure do remember it was a hell lot of fun. Haha. Rolling and crawling through mud; being forced to roam the LSCT blocks where the GLs dressed up as monsters ambushed you; singing songs at the closure of camp. It was one of the best experiences in Poly.

Psylocke!

Next, the first day of school, 24th May 2005. I could very well remember climbing up the bloody steep hill that led to LT 70+. Had my very first lecture at 8am, Engineering Mathematics 1. It was really boring, as far as I could tell. The very first "friend" I made was with *drum roll* Gerard Chen. Haha. I only remember he decided to pontang IPC lab 'coz generally there isn't any lab sessions on the first week of school.

Fast forward to the very first class trip - to Bintan. It was held at the end of the first semester and was organized by the school. It was the only time most members of the class went on a trip together. We had a great time climbing Bintan mountain, star gazing, spotting 20 over shooting stars, and not to forget, unanimous dread of the "retro" bus. Fantastic time.

The next class event was the chalet held at Changi Aloha. It was your typical class chalet I guess. Night riding was pretty memorable. We rode on the road alongside the Changi Airport runway, hoping that we could eventually find our way to Changi Airport. Turns out that we couldn't as we had to get on the highway, which is illegal, so we had to turn around and cycle back to where we started. I can tell you all of us were really "shagged" at the end of the ride. Had BBQ on the second night, with Mr. Mirko Stoll as our guest. I guess the BBQ was pretty alright. We were more like feeding the mosquitoes than feeding ourselves.

Semesters 3 and 4 were pretty mundane. No class trips, no class chalets. I wonder whatever happened. Hahaha. Although, I remember it was this period of time when we were skipping classes like crazy, just to enjoy 1-for-1 movie discounts at the Cathay ('coz Alvin had free access to the movie vouchers when he was working there). I also remember photography classes and the stupid I&E module (not to mention my fantastic "will-get-struck-by-lightning at pool competition" team members).

Semester 5 was, well, my industrial attachment at Sulzer Chemtech. I could very well recall being rejected by Exxon at the last minute 'coz of my color deficiency. Bullshit la really. Anyway, in hindsight, I'm pretty glad that I was rejected. If not for that, I wouldn't have learnt so much about distillation column design that would eventually help me ace my Final Year Project. In any case, I did enjoy most my stay over there, despite the OTs and "living under your shadow" issue. It was the time when I learned most about myself and others, I guess.

The final semester was pretty stressful. CPTC was a fresh experience. It was more of a fun session than a training one I guess. The best parts were the firefighting lessons, the 12-hour shifts, and maybe purging the flare stack with steam. (I wonder which plant purges their flare stack)

FYP saw many people forsaking sleep and entertainment to produce the best work in their 3-year poly education. Groups who had high-flyers in them went the extra mile to make their report stand out; those with the not-so-good individuals struggled to grasp whatever knowledge and information they could to piece together a decent report. I really applaud the efforts of these individuals. It made me change my impression of their lazy, can't-be-bothered attitude. As for me, I'm really proud (not in the bad way) of my work for the "Distillation Column" section of the report. It was a fantastic collective effort amongst the 4 of us to produce such an outstanding report, and I really appreciate it. Drinking sessions were also part of what made Sem 6 special. I can still remember me not being able to walk straight after drinks at Wala Wala.

I had a really good time at the Phuket trip. Though it did cost us all quite a bit, but I guess it was worth it.

To conclude this 3-year chapter was Graduation on the 29th of May 2008. In some eyes, it was a waste of time. I beg to differ. Putting our differences aside (awards or not), it was very much a celebration of everyone making it through this course of study. My classmates and I took a whole lot of photos, none of which we were not smiling.

1st Batch of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Graduates from NP!

3AO7, Class of 2008, with Mr. Mirko Stoll and Dr. Vivien Lim
Like Harvard said, I'm sure Mr. Stoll will find this by googling his name. Ha!

My clique

My bestie at the LSCT Freshman Camp, Yongkang.

Pose

Jump!

Weijie and his signature "stick out tongue" move
Lucky I managed to catch it in photo.

*Tug*

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do
Just nice lei!

Hit this award winner I don't mind,

but why hit this one?! =(

Out of our gowns

Graduation Dinner at the Grand Copthorne Hotel, provided by Ngee Ann, was a pretty fun event as well. Had a chance to catch up with MingSheng and Eugene as well. Haven't seen them for a long while, really.

Eugene Chua and I

Horny Mingsheng put his arm around my waist... =/
Remember "cheap thrill"? Haha!

Well... That's about it I guess. I think, I enjoyed every day I had in NP. Would I do it over again? Don't think so! Haha!

So now I have a few months left to spare before I'm off to becoming a statistic in the SAF's "I have a big army (of 18 - 20 year olds); Come invade me if you dare." number game. Back to working at Sulzer Chemtech to earn some extra cash. Though I believe I'm getting paid a little bit higher than my friends, it isn't exactly easy cash to earn. There are just days when I'm mentally exhausted and extremely unmotivated to work, but then again, who am I to say that when my colleague should feel even worse. In any case, it's just a mere 3 months of freedom left. I want to go to Bangkok with my classmates right before we enlist. Hopefully, this can be realized...

Anyway, I've accepted this option.
Really wish I could choose the last one. Sigh.

Till next time, Auf wiedersehen.

Later Friend!

2008-05-18T21:57:00.004+08:00

Xx Later, Friend! xX

Alright. So some of you have been asking about my enlistment date. It's the 12th of September 2008 alright? It's not something I'm really excited about, so I'd just let it lie, if you will.

Had a lunch treat from a colleague/friend as a form of "farewell" today. He joined Sulzer maybe a week or 2 after I did (when I was an intern). He keeps saying I'm his Senior. Haha. I'm not lo, Gerald. Frankly, I'm just a quotation machine over there. I just help handle inquiries when the other engineers don't have the capacity to. I don't have to specialize in any applications (except Air Separation); don't have to meet with the customer directly; don't have to fly over to other countries (though I half-hope I can); can almost take leave whenever I want to (at my own expense). I do have to say I will need to take quite a few leaves the next week.

Anyway, to be straight forward, I don't think I'm enjoying this job as much as I used to (despite the rather satiating pay raise). I don't know if it's just this period of time, or the major sales organizational overhaul that's going on. Chemicals Group 1 (the group I work in) is extremely understaffed, to the extent of handing me the Air Separation application (during this "transition" period). New staff are coming in the first week of June, but new staff takes time to train. CG1 is in a big mess right now. Boss doesn't really care about past projects from CG1 (except a few), and isn't really ready (seems to me) to handle his new Biofuels team. It's understandable if he doesn't give a hoot about new CG1 projects, but sometimes it kind of makes my blood boil when he ignores projects he had been handling prior to the "cultural revolution".

Though we are friends on a personal level (I think. Stress the word THINK. There are some things that make me doubt this friendship, but it's not all that important.), I'm in no position to comment on his method of handling things. So I shall keep quiet and just let things go with the flow. I am concerned about his current health situation though. Hey, if any of my friends were sick, I'd be terribly concerned too. I'm not that apathetic or "emotionless". Right Pika? Lol. You didn't tell me you were sick lo! And then say I heartless. Boohoo.

Talked about my plans for the future today, briefly. I really think I am still very much the "engineer", though accountancy may probably line my pockets fuller. I'll try hauling my ass over to Australia someday. Jiaping told me to get a scholarship to Australia first before letting my parents know. The thing is, I may very well not return to Singapore if I do find myself living well there. That's the thing that has been denying the "stamp of approval" from my parents. My folks are conservative people. They don't like the "western" way of living. And I don't know why, they have predetermined me to "take care of them when they're old". Not trying to push responsibility around here, but shouldn't that be the eldest son's job? Take care of my elderly parents? Fine by me. But if I have to exchange what I think will make me happy for that, I'm sorry but I've got to be a little selfish here.

If the solution is to ask them to move over with me, you can forget it 'coz it's not gonna happen (for the reason stated above). It's been bugging me for some time now and I've been pushing it aside hoping it'd all go away. I need to change my approach. I have been doing it the Leo/Dragon/pseudo-Taurus way. I need to change to a soft, persuasive approach to make this happen. Damn. Tactics, I need tactics! Shall start off by applying at the seminar next weekend.

Anyway, that's about all I guess. Next update will probably be a 3 year overview of my life at NP, with "Graduation" as the concluding event. Till next time, Auf wiedersehen!

Uni Acceptance? + NS is bullshit

2008-05-04T23:00:00.005+08:00

Xx University Acceptance? + NS is bullshit xX

Pika said I haven't updated in quite a while. Guess I just didn't feel like it, or was too occupied with Assassin's Creed. I love that game and it's ideas about religion. No wonder it was intially banned in Singapore. MDA probably thought it will turn us all into heretics. Hahaha!

Anyway, I have been offered the courses as pictured below. I really haven't got a slightest idea on which to accept. Should I step out of my comfort zone and begin a career in a totally different course? Or should I end up somewhere in between Civil Engineering and Chemical Engineering? Don't get me wrong, environmental engineering still very much belongs to the respected discipline of engineering.

Anyway, I still have some time before I make my decision. Let's KIV instead (though I believe I will just end up making a last minute decision).

Received my NS enlistment notice a couple of weeks ago. Some are overjoyed, while others are "Oh fuck this shit." I definately belong to the latter.

As most of the people who know me, I'm a firm believer of the total removal of National Service (Servitude, in my eyes). Yes, let's face it. Who isn't "afraid" of being drafted into the military?

Besides, teenagers like us are hardly military material. We have spent too much time "indulging in the excessess of civil society". Do you really think we could last that long till our "dearest allies" come to our rescue?

The threat today isn't another country invading us! The hype is with terrorism, and probably us offending our neighbour, who might just conveniently turn off the tap and send us to our very dry graves.

Surely NS "teaches important lessons in life"? Look, how does military skill and knowledge help in this civil world? How to flank your business clients and stab him in his back (literally)? What's the point of wasting 2 years when it could be put to better use (i.e. further studies)? Remember. NS isn't a bond of 2 years. It's a 20 year term, where you will be called back for reservist every now and then until you're 40.

For you overzealous fruitcakes who "think that to serve his country is an honour and a duty, an act of patriotism, an opportunity to prove their love for their nation." Please wake up your bloody idea and see what you're getting yourself into. Read the links provided, unless you fear that it will change your love for "our nation".

In any case, I refer you to further reading in the links below. Link 4 is particularly interesting.

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4
Link 5
Link 6

Sweet!

2008-04-10T18:28:00.001+08:00

Xx Sweet! xX

I was never this happy to receive letters from Ngee Ann. Anyway, Graduation's on the 29th of May 2008.

Went to Kimberly-Clark for an interview today. That place is so horridly far, right at the end of Tuas. Anyway, the interview was lame and the "Aptitude Test" was quite ridiculous. I've informed Sulzer of my interest to return to work there. Shall press for an $8.50 per hour pay, though I think K-C offers a higher pay.

Anyway, that's about it. Cheers!

P.S. I believe that CE braggart will probably have 2 pages worth of awards. Lawls.

Dreams

2008-04-04T17:09:00.004+08:00

Xx Dreams xX

I had a dream today. In this dream, we talked. It wasn't much, and it wasn't of any great importance. This was the 2nd time in the past 1 month. I think my brain has too much idle power.

Anyway, I received NUS' offer to Environmental Engineering. Great!(Sarcastically) Even Accountancy doesn't want 3.85 students. I'm not gonna accept that offer yet, though I believe I can predict NTU's offer. Silly me, choosing a double degree from NTU. I wager I'll get thrown into Chemistry and Biological Chemistry. Well, in a glimmer of hope, my mum did say "Nan guai jiang duo Poly de xue shen qu Au Zhou lian shu", or in other words, "It's no wonder that many Poly students end up studying in Australia". I wonder if she's conceding defeat. Meh. I'm half-hoping NTU gives me CBC, then again, I'm hoping it gives me something better.

Alvin asked me to apply for a 3-month lab job in Tuas. Pay is pretty decent and both Alvin and Weijie have "confirmed". Right now I'm kinda waiting for Shih Wing to return from the US of A (lucky bastard. ha.) so we can send in our applications together. Hopefully there's still space (they're hiring 35). Anyway, I'm sure we're more qualified than some "Mother of 4" or "Electrical Engineering diploma holder".

All right. That's about it I guess.

Jack Johnson - Go on
[View Lyrics]

Phuket Trip 2008 + Final Sem Results

2008-03-20T21:50:00.023+08:00

Xx Phuket Trip 2008 + Final Semester Results xX

Alright. Shall not wait for the photos from the others. I'm actually missing a lot of photos because I was kinda lazy to bring my camera around, and most of the trip is on Havard's videocam. Will post interesting shots from their cameras soon. I'll try to just post the pictures in order.

Update 1: Select photos from Harvard's camera have been posted under their respective days. Still to come - Videos and photos from Shaun's cam.

Day 1

Happy people

Feels kinda abstract with all that motion blur

Close up of Alvin's "hardly-ever-used-nowadays" *krakk-krakk* wind-up underwater camera

Heading towards the gate

Happy people on the opposite aisle

Happy people on the aisle behind us (Shihwing missing from picture)

Happy people on my aisle

Oh. Yes please!

View outside the window (I felt kinda "chink" taking these shots. Lol)

On our way to the hotel

Our hotel... is the building on the right side, not the one in focus.

Bargaining for the ATV tour package

Alex's alter ego, as shown in the front page of the brochure

A small view of what Patong Beach has to offer

Singha beer in a very pretty Smirnoff Vodka styrofoam warmer (or cooler)
Wanted to bring one of these warmers back home, but missed the chance

"VR man sei!"

VR man fans. LOL!

*What you didn't see from Day 1

Phuket has more caucasians than you can ever imagine
We had a fantastic eat-all-you-can barbeque dinner. Owners of the place were some really nice Danish people. I think Harvard has a video clip of the place.
There was this street we had to walk through to get to Patong beach. Shihwing named it Street Of Sluts (SOS). We totally dread walking through that street, 'coz an entire horde of Thai girls will just come up to you and go "Hello! Massage~". Shihwing got tickled by one of the girls! Too bad I didn't see it 'coz I was walking in front.
Bangla road. Probably where all the soliciting occurs. Thai trannies roam the streets "like free".
My roomies smelled like indians 'coz we bought shower cream that smelt of roses.
Late-night 9-player game of Bluff and Donkey.

Day 2

Quote "See what shit?" Lols.

Quad-bikes a.k.a. ATVs

Sua gu. Never see important officials zoom past in flashy vehicles before. =P

I'll give you $5 for each eye you gouge out. Hahaha!

Get ready for the fearsome parasailing Parasailormoon Alvin! That sailormoon thing was random. =D

5 foolhardy fools preparing to ride the bananaboat. We managed to fight against the boat driver's attempt to throw us off the bananaboat. Though we did fall off twice, compared to the other 4's triple wipeout. =)

Uber-lobster that cost us SGD25 each. It was great though.

Crazed Shaun ate Topless 5 on his own. The Swensens there is pretty cheap ya.

Day 3

Paintball battleground

As usual, they discriminate the Blue team by the lack of photos. Anyway, presenting the suited Red Team.

Really really tired after the skirmish
Check out the bruise on Lynette's arm from Day 2's Bananaboat experience

Warmonger's essentials

Central Festival, where Harvard and Shih Wing had their hot-rice-that-make-you-cry.

Apparently I'm Guur to the Thai people.
How do you even read Shihwing's name? Saint Wiry?

Alex, Alvin, LYNETTE, Elena
Lynette had the honor of "Most Deformed Name"

Alex on the trolley at "Dua C" (Big C, which is a Thai supermarket)

Harvard bought this shirt, which should seriously be the international flag of Phuket.

*What you didn't see from Day 3

I got paintball paint in my mouth
Alvin and Lynette choosing big boxes of Thai instant noodles to bring home
Late night Texas Hold'em. I had the "fengshui" spot in Harvard's room, and lost it when we moved to Elena's room.
Harvard drinking milk and the rest of us drinking beer. So guai(1).

Day 4

View from the hotel on our floor
Taken as we were leaving

Part of NP CBE 3A07, Class of 2008

Checking in at Phuket International Airport

Boarding pass issued at Phuket International Airport
It's handwritten. Unique.

Getting ready to get off the plane. Budget airline seats aren't as bad as what they say! (Unless you're flying for like 5 hours.)

Shot of the plane in Singapore

I guess that's about all for the Phuket trip. Will post the remaining photos and videos, so watch this same space.

Final Semester Results

OK. Really pissed with WISP. Must be 'coz of that d**n lecturer. My classmates under other lecturers scored at least a B (I assume the quality of work is the same). Graduating with a GPA of 3.85. I estimate it to have a 90% probability outside the Top 10% threshold. "Happy happy" to those who'll be receiving Diploma w/ Merit.

Pika doesn't want to join my "frustration and anger relief" scheme to bring rotten cabbages and bad eggs to the graduation ceremony. Plan B is to go "hit small people". Anybody else who's interested, please drop me a tag. Lol. I'm serious! (In thought, at least. Haha)

Till next time, Auf wiedersehen!

Bye NP

2008-02-23T12:05:00.004+08:00

Xx Bye Ngee Ann xX

Spent my last day (as a student) at Ngee Ann Polytechnic yesterday. 3 years have been quick. It seems like yesterday when I attended my first lecture at NP, which was Engineering Maths 1 by the way. Hahaha.

Anyway, the standard few of us went to 'celebrate' the demise of our student status. Hahaha. What better way to celebrate, than to play Texas Hold'em at the Padang. Lol. It felt like we were insulting the supreme court as we gambled in front of it. I lost a grand total of... $1.20. High-stakes game okay! You win big, you lose bigger. Lol.

Just cleared the clutter of notes, tutorials and 'rough' paper filled with my countless 'works' of mathematical lingo. Now I'm just waiting for my new PC to fill that empty space. Meheheh. I can't wait till the IT fair comes! It's a too damn long time to wait! Ughhhh! Me want WoW!

Alright. That's about it for now. Shall be off Alvin's place next Wednesday to plan the itinerary for the Phuket trip. But I think we'd just end up gambling again. @#%&()*^%#$@! Auf wiedersehen!

Local Uni Application

2008-02-18T23:33:00.007+08:00

Xx Local University Application xX

I decided to do my university applications today. I felt quite sick in the stomach as I was doing it. I was thinking, "Will this completely lock out my 'proposal' to study overseas?" I admit it, I don't have the guts (yet), to directly put forth my "formal application" to study at an overseas university to my parents. All along, they have been hints and remarks, which were unfortunately put down faster than you can say "Overseas".

In any case, what's done cannot be undone. I will present (and fight for) my "wish" in time to come. I just need to come up with a better justification. Otherwise, there'd be major changes to my future plans. Then again, my "future plans" are rather short-term and haven't been given sufficient "viability studies". Sigh. Growing up isn't that great after all. With all these decisions to make, it really tires the mind.

I'm still waiting for Mr. Wong's reply on my cumulative GPA. It should be roughly 3.85, if I'm not wrong. Damn NUS needs it for application. Actually, I'm not very keen on going to NUS. Yes, I fear the extreme competition there (though I believe NTU also has a 'Survival of the Fittest' classroom model). We shall see what happens.

Shall mail in my applications tomorrow. Can barely meet the closing date of 21st February. The stupid envelope is too big for my printer to print on. Shall get my Mum to use her ancient typewriter then.

Anyway, here are my choices.
Nanyang Technological University

Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Accountancy
Environmental Engineering & Economics (Double Degree)
Chemistry and Biological Chemistry
Materials Engineering & Economics (Double Degree)

National University of Singapore

Chemical Engineering
Business Administration (Accountancy)
Environmental Engineering
Science (Chemistry/ Applied Chemistry)
Materials Science and Engineering

So there, my choices. I value engineering above sciences, that's why I placed Environmental Engineering above Chemistry. That's what I think la, but I seriously hope I don't regret that.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Will know the results late May or something. Let's see what happens then.

Shall be sitting for my last paper (hopefully) in Ngee Ann Polytechnic on Friday. Drinking session tentatively planned on that day, and I wasn't the one who suggested it. Harvard and Shih Wing mentioned it on the bus, and Alex talked about it at Suntec. See, I'm not an alcoholic okay? Hahaha.

Cheers! Auf wiedersehen!

I don't know what to call this post

2008-02-11T14:39:00.000+08:00

Xx I don't know what to call this post xX

Lab test is screwed because of process control. This whole semester in fact is pretty screwed, because of my deep distaste for Process Control. I blame no one, but myself. I believe that that issue has been a major factor in this semester's poor performance.

I have sincerely bid goodbye to the Diploma W/ Merit since the last post, now there's nothing left on the plate, I can study at whatever pace I want (which is close to non-existent). Prove it? I've been asking Shih Wing a lot of questions before and during tests. Shows how much is really in my head.

I don't know, but I think I only feel motivated when I feel good. But I'm guessing it'll be a pretty rare situation for a guy who, possibly, suffers from an inferiority complex. And this semester's average scores aren't doing much to help either, especially PCON. PCON PCON PCON, The most cursed module ever.

Anyway, last 2 weeks before I officially "complete my Diploma studies". After that, I don't know what I'll be doing. Haven't even given Uni application a single thought and Uni application closes before the last paper. How fantastic.

Now, I'm going to hate this Thursday to the core.

Silly Cupid. Die!

Anyway, I hope you'll have a great day with your date. Don't get too knocked up in bed. Haha! Guess there isn't anything much I can do for you.

Guess that's about it. I'm quite into a few of Chevelle's songs. Pretty hardcore, but still below the "Metal" threshold. I don't know what the heck Vitamin R is about, but it's got a pretty nice tune to it. Cheers!

Chevelle - Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)

Fighting a battle that's already lost?

2008-02-04T11:57:00.000+08:00

Xx Fighting a battle that's already lost? xX

Friday's UnitOp CT2 was okay, I guess. Got the 1st question totally wrong; "bullshit"-ed my way through theory (the questions were pretty bull anyway); Rushed through Q2 in the last 15 minutes (but I think I got it correct). Ain't gonna be a pretty sight for this paper.

Anyway, pika made me realize that I was probably fighting a losing battle for the Diploma W/ Merit. Assuming there are 14 Dips W/ Merit to be given out and half to each CBE level 3.1/3.2, there'd only be 7 spaces to fill. 7 spaces can be easily filled, and so far I have already thought of 3 names (based on conservative estimation) that will "die die" appear on the list. Pessimistic (not optimistic) estimation obviously came up with more than 7, and I can assure you my name wouldn't be there.

There, another personal goal unaccomplished and lost forever.

University application is now open, I think. Frankly, I haven't given a single thought about it. There's just too much to think about, and too early to commit. Honestly, I've been trying to avoid thinking about it as much as I can, but it'll still come haunt you sooner or later. Argh. Damn crossroad, or rather more like a roundabout with infinite exits.

Sigh. Haven't started studying at all. There's nothing left to fight for. It's a dog eat dog world, and I've just been eaten. Perhaps I was made to be another cog in a giant machine.

Reflections

2008-01-26T01:06:00.000+08:00

Xx Reflections xX

Next week is the last week of lessons in school. Final exams come after CNY. Come to think of it, 3 years have gone by really quickly. I guess it's time to think about where and in what to further my studies. I think I'm the only one who's been talking about considering Australia for further studies. Giving it some thought, it doesn't seem very viable. It'll probably be really financially taxing for my parents as well.

I know my GPA has got quite a decent chance for entry into local Uni's Chemical Engineering. But I have my reasons for wanting to study overseas. I don't want to be selfish to my parents but well, if only it were so simple to explain. It hurts me when they just simply put down my not-so-subtle hints of wanting to study overseas. Worse yet, they are the ones dropping me hints to study locally. Then again, I sometimes find myself questioning if I could handle the pressures of being independant. In fact, do I even want to do Chemical Engineering? Sigh.

I'll be quite frank on this. Thursday night's dinner made me a wee little uneasy. I don't blame you for that, but it isn't an easy time for me as well. I think someone would very well understand what I mean. All I can say is I'm deeply sorry, but please do move on with life. I know this is a very lousy way to break this to you, but I really appreciate you as a good friend.

Someone commented that the music I like varies with the mood I'm in. I think you'll be able to see that perhaps I'm recovering (I hope I am). Right now, I'm really into the amazing song below. =)

Anyway, I guess this should be about all I have to say right now. Can't wait for the Phuket trip with my classmates. Hurrah! But exams first. =/

Mandy Moore - Someday We'll Know (feat. Jonathan Foreman)

Ninety miles outside Chicago
Can’t stop driving I don’t know why
So many questions, I need an answer
Two years later you're still on my mind

Whatever happened to Amelia Earheart?
Who holds the stars up in the sky?
Is true love just once in a lifetime?

Did the captain of the Titanic cry?

Oh, Someday we’ll know
If love can move a mountain
Someday we’ll know
Why the sky is blue
Someday we’ll know
Why I wasn’t meant for you...

Does anybody know the way to Atlantis?
Or what the wind says when she cries?
I’m speeding by the place that I met you

For the ninety-seventh time...Tonight

Someday we’ll know
If love can move a mountain
Someday we’ll know
Why the sky is blue
Someday we’ll know
Why I wasn’t meant for you...
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Someday we’ll know
Why Samson loved Dalilah?
One day I'll go
Dancing on the moon
Someday you’ll know
That I was the one for you....

Open up the world
I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow
Watched the stars crash in the sea
If I can ask God just one question
Why aren’t you here with me tonight?

1st 2008 post

2008-01-16T21:45:00.000+08:00

Xx 1st 2008 Post xX

Well now. 16 days late. Anyway, I've been really busy with FYP the past 2 weeks. Basically just typing formulas and other engineering lingo into Word 2007 until 3-4am for 7 or 8 consecutive days. Submitted the 230-page report this Monday. I don't know if it will score us an A, but it's definately some effort put in, despite some mistakes that were overlooked. Well, that's what you get for last minute work.

It's been 1 year since the MUSE concert! Ahaha. Concert ended exactly 1 year ago. Heh. Anyway, I haven't got much to say. Been doing a little bit of thinking for my future. I don't know what to make of them. Obviously, as with all plans, there are some trade-offs. But I just don't know which is the better deal for me. Shall give it some more thought, some other day.

Sometimes, I just wish that all my troubles could be "gone with the wind". Sadly, that never happens. Alright alright. Shall give this post a very abrupt end. Auf wiedersehen!

"Should I be happy because you're happy? Or should I be sad because you found bliss?"

An End To 2007

2007-12-24T11:13:00.000+08:00

Xx An End to 2007 xX

Well, I guess it's about a week too early for this post to be due, but who cares. So many things to say, yet equally as much I wish I could express.

2007 has been a very painful (if I may say so) year for me, though it wouldn't be fair to say there hasn't been any positive periods. Let's start out with all the negativity. Before you wander below any further, I'd like to warn you that certain points may be offensive (not visually) to you. Please take heart.

The death of Oreo last year has been really upsetting for me. Looking back now, I regret having spent so little time with him. In any case, I do hope he's doing well, wherever he is now. Early this year, my family gained a new "member".

Bongo wasn't meant to be a replacement to Oreo. His personality is totally different from Oreo. Very playful, and "sticky" as well. Ha. He'd always place his paws on your lap, or come really close to lean on you. I know my parents aren't keen keepers of pets, for they have expressed some views of giving him away when the time is right. I can understand their perspective, with the recent addition of a new real family member, my nephew Ashton. Anyway, I really do hope it doesn't come down to that. In a nutshell, it sucks.

February 2007, I officially became an uncle. Funny though, I wasn't excited or really "feeling it" at all. You could say the absence of my ability to find babies "cute" disturbing, but that's just me. I never had a soft spot for babies. Perhaps I just fear handling these helpless creatures, or maybe it's quite annoying that they don't understand anything at all (besides the gibberish such as "orh-orh", which supposedly meant sleep). In any case, I'd still like to express that I find children okay, as long as they can understand what I'm trying to put accross to them.

The bulk of this year (almost 7 months) was spent attending to my Industrial Attachment at Sulzer. I think that to many of my classmates, I had a really wonderful time at Sulzer. Great colleagues, loved my "job", learnt quite a handful of useful stuff. It's true, only to a limited extent, if I may say so.

During my stay there, I really believed I was part of them. I thought I was appreciated. Did my job to the fullest extent of my capabilities; Didn't complain or whine when I did OT, extending to 3 or 4am on several occasions. Quote the BD&T General Manager's comment to me, "Siao ah!" Touché. Yes, it was stupid. I could see what he meant now.

After leaving Sulzer due to the obligation to attend CPTC training at Jurong Island, I realized I was just like any other student to them, though I firmly don't believe this applied to Jason THK. 6 months after leaving Sulzer, he's still the hot topic there. The thoughtfully constructed photo album made especially for him proves it. The comment directed in my face telling me to not expect one left me rather speechless. Perhaps it was a classic case of "言者无意, 听者有心。" I don't even want to mention (again) what happened when they were thinking of people to invite for the Sulzer DnD.

You can tell me to stop comparing myself with others, but when people juxtapose you with someone of superior capability, you can't help but to doubt yourself. Yes, I'm guilty of doubting my own abilities, but you people are equally guilty for spilling comments like "You should learn 'whatever the heck is his name'" and "Whoa! 'whatever the heck is his name' is the only student who achieved 'X figure' of sales." If it was you who heard that, I really doubt you wouldn't feel a pinch.

Sometimes I still wonder, what am I lacking that left me here today? The 3 possibilites I've come up with: I don't pay lip service (very frank), I'm not as charismatic (not charming), and my apparent 'fierce' disposition (chao bin) is repulsive.

For people who don't know me well, I'm not one who wears a grin on my face everyday. I do believe that I have a pleasant side to me, and I 'pray' that my friends can attest to that.

Anyway, it's too late to change anything now. If I'm not as good as he his, there's really nothing I can do about it. I rest my case.

Since June, I have been shifting between depression and perhaps, mild ecstasy. I broke down completely mid-June, and that's when I spilled my thoughts to a confidant. I might have gone insane, if I didn't do so.

Limerence, I believe many has been through that. Limerence isn't your everyday infatuation. It's a poison that lingers in your system for a very long time. I reached the crest of my depressive state throughout October and November. I broke down several times, suffered a fair share of sleepless nights. A heart really does feel heavy when it's broken. Not a very good feeling.

Despite the glaring fact that it was never possible for us to begin anything together, there's always this sliver of hope within me (that I desperately wish it'd die out). You never really officially knew, but I believe you aren't dense enough to realize what's going on. The lack of casual communication post-"event" has been leaving me really jaded. In any case, I just want to maintain a friendship, but I don't know if this will hurt me even more. Anyway, I do hope everything turns out right for you, if you believe that that's your happiness and comfort.

Frankly, I turned to booze because of this. Though I never drank myself to a fucking stupor, the company of a few good friends, nice live music and mind-numbing alcohol comforted me. It wasn't the healthiest way to seek solace, but it works.

"Most things break, including hearts.
The lessons of life amount not to wisdom, but to scar tissue and callus."
- Wallace Stegner
This isn't something that I freely express. If I remain tight-lipped on this, please do forgive me.

I haven't been doing so well at school as of late, majorly because of that above. My competitive edge has been dulled considerably, even though I still want to achieve a Diploma w/Merit. You (not the "you" from above) told me not to be disheartened should I not get it. I'm pinning all my hopes on it, really.

In a race, who'd remember who came in second? Despite coming in ahead of the bulk of the crowd, he'd still be behind the first, and as equally recognized as the bulk of the crowd. I think you should be able to get my drift. If you think this is about remembering who's first, you're too shallow, go deeper.

Process Control isn't as bad as I think it was. I just need to spend a little more effort on it. PED is in a mess and nobody is doing anything about it. WISP and PC Tech presentations are still at step zero. Everyone is busy celebrating Christmas.

What's so great about festive seasons if you gotta celebrate it alone? Fuck Christmas, in my humblest opinion. Oh. It's the season of giving and whatever cliches, bla bla bla. Pfffttt. Jog on! Still, don't be surprised if you get a Christmas message from me tomorrow.

Moving on, I realized I haven't got many friends. I hardly communicate with my Secondary school friends anymore, besides the occasional Hi-Bye chit chat. My Poly friends have been pretty much my company for the past 2 years. Sigh. Haven't really got much to say here. I don't know why I'm in such a miserable state anyway.

Now, there hasn't been much positive events in my life this year. I would like to say I had the best birthday celebrations this year. Celebrated my birthday at the office, with my Poly classmates and of course, the Red Cross gang. Oh yeah, got a special treat from Dyna as well. Haha. Big thanks to all you people! =)

Thanks for the special effort!

Now what holds in the year 2008?

My final months at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Last chance to grab that elusive Dip w/Merit. Then, off to NS, I guess. I could never understand what's in the minds of those who are dying to get into NS and "serve the nation". I believe you could say that these are the successful results of the 10+ years of brainwashing via school-distributed propaganda-imprinted National Day freebies (pens, pens, pens) and countless hours of Social Studies lessons.

Let me 'serve the nation' and get me the hell outta there. Frankly, I'd like to see myself living well somewhere in Canada, the USA or Australia. I don't really want to live here anymore. I really wish it'd come true in 10 years time. Must find a way to make it happen!

I'm still considering what course of study to take in the future. The important thing now is still to secure that accreditation. I'd like to study overseas (as a first step of getting out of here), though that idea has been promptly put down by my parents several times. It's not that I don't like Singapore, it's just that I seek a, shall we say, less restrictive culture.

I guess this is should be most of what I have to say. I forgot quite a huge chunk of what I intended to write, but anyway, the gist of it should be in here. Not a very exciting year, and definately not a very cheerful one. Hopefully there are better years ahead. Cheers!

Lifehouse - Blind

I was young but I wasn't naive
I watched helpless as he turned around to leave
And still I have the pain I have to carry
A past so deep that even you could not bury if you tried

[Chorus]
After all this time
I never thought we'd be here
Never thought we'd be here
When my love for you was blind
But I couldn't make you see it
Couldn't make you see it
That I loved you more than you'll ever know
A part of me died when I let you go

I would fall asleep
Only in hopes of dreaming
That everything would be like it was before
But nights like this it seems are slowly fleeting
They disappear as reality is crashing to the floor

[Chorus]

After all this why
Would you ever wanna leave it
Maybe you could not believe it
That my love for you was blind
But I couldn't make you see it
Couldn't make you see it
That I loved you more than you will ever know
A part of me died when I let you go
That I loved you more than you'll ever know
A part of me died when I let you go

Quick Update Sakura Buffet

2007-12-16T15:07:00.000+08:00

Xx Sakura Buffet xX

Okay. Just a quick update. Nothing much going on the past few weeks. Finished CTs with the horrid Process Control paper last Wednesday. Really bad, I tell you. Think I was the only one who didn't know how to do the bonus question. Why's there a bonus question in the first place?! Urgh! You could apply the principles of "The rich gets richer; The poor gets poorer" scenario here.

Together with a few classmates, we went to Sakura at Orchard for the dinner buffet that night. The food wasn't that fantastic anyways. But the thing with buffet is, once you start, you can't stop. Haha. Totally gorged ourselves.

Anyway, we're thinking of heading off to Phuket, Thailand for holidays after "graduation". Hopefully can convince a handful of classmates to go.

Year end is approaching. Watch out for the year-end roundup post. I don't know how it'll turn out, but I'm guessing it'd be leaning towards the 'emo' side. Cheers!

Poorly dissected Shishamo.
Lynette: "Why's the Shishamo always pregnant?"
Me: "'Coz it's a horny slut."

Clueless. *Snickers*

Alex's "brain so small".
He seems to be enjoying it though.

I don't know what we're doing to Harvard in this one.

A Bad Dream

2007-12-11T09:58:00.000+08:00

Xx A Bad Dream xX

Process Control Common Test tomorrow. Totally hate this bloody module. Reaction Engineering was far easier than this, I tell you. 6 credit units. Cannot afford to lose out on this module. Hopefully, I'll still (or rather, I must) be able to grab a borderline A for this.

Been into Keane's songs these few days. I really like the song "A Bad Dream", especially the chorus. Even though this band seriously lacks a guitar, they're still quite good to listen to.

Wish I could wake up from this bad dream as well. Sigh.

Keane - A Bad Dream

[Chorus]
I wake up, it's a bad dream
No one on my side
I was fighting
But I just feel too tired
To be fighting
Guess I'm not the fighting kind
Wouldn't mind it
If you were by my side
But you're long gone
Yeah you're long gone now

Incompetence

2007-11-28T21:09:00.000+08:00

Xx Incompetence xX

Am I stupid? I can never forgive myself for achieving such a pitiful score. Perhaps I was never cut out to do engineering work.

The other issue has been a constant pain to me. I'm not afraid to admit that I broke down today when you came to talk to me. I'm glad to have you as a confidant, really. Sorry, I know sometimes I bother you with all the minor details, but you've never been impatient with me. I haven't given up on my quest for Dip w/ Merit, and you told me not to. It'd be a pity to lose it just because I didn't give a damn about it.

I guess no one can understand what I'm going through right now.

Insomnia

2007-11-26T12:38:00.000+08:00

Xx Insomnia xX

I lost sleep again. Didn't sleep a wink till around 5am, thus decided to skip today's IS lessons. Been trying to climb out of this downward spiral for quite some time now, but didn't expect it to be this difficult.

PTEC common test tomorrow. Lecturer said it's gonna be mind bending (in my own words). Ha. Shall start reading up soon. Like seriously, how tough can it be? Ok, it's still to early to say since it's his first time setting a paper.

I'm getting sick of PED already. Kinda feels like OBC is putting up airs ever since he became Course Manager. Somehow, the very respectable aura that used to be around him has turned into something really ugly. UNITOP lecturer (you know who he is) has kindly requested us to nominate OBC for some lecturer award. Ha. He's so not getting my vote. To be fair, we did vote for OBC when he was teaching TPHM last year. Somehow, it didn't materialize.

Christmas is coming, and I dread it. Seems like everyone is kinda jolly during this time of the year, probably due to the annual bonus or something. To me, it just signifies the end of another year; a time to think about our actions in that fleeting year.

Sigh. Might come up with a long post to sum up this year. Depends on how much I'm willing to write though. I've learnt my lesson: "How much is too much to know?"

Till next time, Auf wiedersehen.

1st Wala Wala

2007-11-17T15:27:00.000+08:00

Xx 1st Wala Wala Night Out xX

Alright. Last night was the night I got high on alcohol. Wing, WJ, Alex and I made a trip down to Wala Wala at Holland V. Shaun joined us later on. Anyway, it was a tight squeeze at the second floor, but that's where the band was playing. Gotta go there like really early, otherwise it'd be fullhouse by ~8.30pm and you'll be left standing.

The band playing during the Happy Hour period was pretty good. 'twas a Fillipino group that played those really old school, typical Class 95FM songs. The solo played by the classical guitarist was quite jaw dropping.

Beer during Happy Hour goes 1 for 1. Totally awesome. Hahahaha. Think I drank at least 3.5 pints last night. The pizza was quite well done, but I think Timbre does it better. EIC played last night's second set, from 9.30pm onwards. Quite a "pop-ish" band. Plays the typical mainstream songs la. Still pretty good though.

We left at around 11pm. I was pretty tipsy and couldn't really walk straight. Couldn't stop giggling either. It wasn't a really horrible feeling though. In fact, it felt strangely pleasing. Hahahaha.

Anyway, that's about it for last night. Oh ya, Harvard went for a date with his pgf last night at Holland V's Sushi Tei. Damn! We totally forgot to loosely stuff some condoms in his wallet, so it'd fall out when he opens it up to pay for dinner. Muahaha. Evil plan! Meh-heh.

PED's progress is pretty good, I guess. With the motherlode, everything can be accomplished. Then again, it's still too early to say if our efforts will reap an A (AD) for this. Ha.

Guess that's about it. Shall go work on our calculation spreadsheets for PED. Till next time, Auf wiedersehen!

Constricted

2007-11-03T20:17:00.000+08:00

Xx Constricted xX

Never thought I'd do what I did on Monday morning. Stupid, I guess. Perhaps, ignorance really is bliss. I don't know when I'll pick myself up again. I need my dose of alcohol. Not the healthiest way to deal with it, but the best given this situation. Why is it that at the end of every year, my life's so miserable?

Been really sluggish the past week. I let the tutorials, reports and assignments pile up. Now, I don't even feel like touching a single one of them.

2nd Brother has gone to the States to work for 6 months. Mum says he's anxious and depressed 'coz he doesn't wanna stay there alone. Sis-in-law took a month's leave to accompany him and hopefully, he'll settle in. Mum says if he's still having problems, we might have to fly over next March to join him. I'd love to visit the States. But for a month, with my parents? Hmmm... I just don't know if I'll enjoy it.

I need a bigger desk!

Look at what's in the fridge. I didn't buy that. My mum did, for me. Ha!

Bottle Up

2007-10-26T18:18:00.000+08:00

Xx Bottled Up xX

Guess this is just gonna be another "emo-core" post. I should really focus on my studies instead of thinking of this matter/ these matters. Am actually contemplating to drop Advanced Engineering Math, but then again, it'd be hypocritical to tell someone to finish what they've started when I myself can't accomplish that.

This week's lessons were really draining. Process Engineering Design, or FYP, really tests what I've learnt the past 5 semesters. Even the thought of Process Control & Instrumentation sickens me. I felt really jaded today by the onslaught of thoughts in my head and the fast-piling work. It feels like I'm losing my sanity, or perhaps I already have.

I guess Juneau (and Creep, to the left) is quite a fitting song. Have a listen, or at least skim the lyrics. I have no idea what the Juneau video is about, doesn't really make sense to me.

Funeral For A Friend - Juneau (Acoustic)
Tied to the testing of wills, where my heart breaks and spills
Left to the sight of the sky, in your arms I'm defined
Thrown to the wolves in the minds of your enemies,
in the minds of your enemies
And I'm stone in the eyes of your foolishness

If this is what I'm meant for, no longer interesting
Fall forward to even the score
Just a thought to you

Tied to the testing of wills, where my heart breaks and spills
Left to the sight of the sky, in your arms I'm defined
Thrown to the wolves in the minds of your enemies,
in the minds of your enemies
And I'm stone in the eyes of your foolishness

And I'm nothing more than a line in your book
Yet I'm nothing more than a line in your book
Yet I'm nothing more than a line in your book
Yet I'm nothing more than a line in your book
In your book, in your book

If this is what I'm meant for, no longer interesting
Fall forward to even the score
Just a thought to you

(Just a thought to you)
(Just a thought to you)

Yet I'm nothing more
Yet I'm nothing more than a line in your book
Yet I'm nothing more than a line in your book

11 Oct Timbre Outing

2007-10-18T13:23:00.000+08:00

Xx 11 October Timbre@The Substation Photos xX

Cheers!

The Real Beer Tower

Mashers & Bangers (or at least something like that)

Super-thin Crust Pizza
Delicious!

Grilled Kebabs

Elena & (a very retarded/maybe "high") Shaun

=| and a pseudo-pig
Harvard & Ya An

See No Evil; Hear No Evil; Speak No Evil

Alvin & Karen

No. 1-5 Retarded Pose
Harvard & Jun Ru

3A07 Roxxorz!

A lot more photos at Harvard's Blog.

Bye CPTC

2007-10-12T20:31:00.001+08:00

Xx Bye CPTC, Hello Drunken Days xX

The 6 weeks of training has finally come to an end today with a "graduation ceremony". Went home with the "Excellence Award" thingy. Sheesh, it was based on marks, and what Ibrahim (my group trainer) said to me was a little offensive. It wasn't a big insult though, like maybe a sand grain in your mouth or something. I guess it wasn't intentional. Haha. Anyway, it can get really boring at times over there, but 'twas pretty fun towards the end. 12-hour shift training and firefighting were probably the best parts ever.

Had the final exam yesterday. It was tougher than mid-term, in my opinion, but I was quite sure I could still pass. And I was the only one in my group that did. Haha, so bloody hao lian. Again, pulled this stunt off with only 4 hours of study.

Anyway, it's been a good learning experience I guess. Get to see the real things in action instead of learning them in theory only. It's been fun climbing the structures and equipment as well. Haha.

From left: Wagner, Me, Weijie, Alvin, Karen, Alex, Lynette
Wagner seems like he just saw the "beast". Ha!

NP Group 6.
Trainer Ibrahim in the brown PPE, looking stupid. Haha.

Secretly taken in the middle of the night at around 5am. =P

View of the plant, or Kerosene Distillation Unit, or KDU from Process Plant Street. Aforementioned in previous post, C-100 is the tall pipe-like structure on the right. Remember climbing to the top and feeling it sway in the wind? =)

***

Alright. A few of my classmates and I went to Timbre@Substation last night. Damn, it was quite entertaining. Good company, good food, and most importantly - good booze. Ha. We went during Happy Hour(s), so there was a 1-for-1 offer for Erdinger Pint. Who could pass up such a fantastic offer? Haha. I think most of us drank till we were pretty high. I started "heh heh"-ing (for no reason) like Elena did when she was high during last year's class chalet. Aha. The chalet videos sure brought back some fun memories. It was quite scary to see WJ drink like a fish. Alvin was like "WJ, drinking beer got no AD one."

Blew away $60 just like that. Haha. I shall never drink any cocktails forever! (Goddamn Chocolate Cocktail!) What a waste of money. All the cocktails that we ordered tasted similar - like crap. In fact, they all tasted like cough syrup gone really really wrong. We waited for the band to start at 10pm. It was quite disappointing. I really hated the singer's voice - raspy. Plus they were playing songs that none of us have ever heard before. Not our cuppa tea, I guess. Left after ~15 mins after they started playing. I think we took quite a hell lot of pictures as well. I don't have it right now, but shall post it once I get them.

Well then, it's back to school next Monday. Final ~18 weeks. Gonna try to give this final semester a good kick in the butt. Ha. Advanced Engineering Math, seriously hope I can cope with it. I know I probably won't make it to be the top graduate of CBE, unlike "Wonderboy", but I'll still push for the Diploma with Merit. *Fingers Crossed*

Guess that's all for now. Watch out for the photos to be posted (provided they are good la)! Auf wiedersehen!

The end is beginning

2007-10-09T11:31:00.000+08:00

Xx The End Is Beginning xX

Training at CPTC is coming to an end soon. Going for shift duty (again) tonight. Sunday night was pretty exciting. We did plant troubleshooting that night. "Column flooding!" "Vessel empty!" "Why no flow?!" "Jia lat. Interlock already." "Furnace tripped. GG." That was probably the best time ever at CPTC.

Anyway, CPTC final exam this Thursday. Same story, haven't studied a single bit. Going back to school next week. It's the beginning of the final semester. The fact that 2.5 years have passed is quite startling. How fast time passes (sometimes even when you're not having fun).

Went for drinks with a friend last Tuesday. I realise my past 2 posts have been about drinking. Haha. Damn. Anyway, talked a bit that night. I wondered why I ever worked so hard at Sulzer for. Was it worth staying till the middle of the night? What did I get out of it? Maybe a little sense of project ownership, but other than that, zilch and zero. It dawned upon me that no matter what I did, I'd still never be able to edge "Wonderboy" off his idolized status over there. There was once when they were discussing who to bring along for Sulzer DnD. Obviously, "Wonderboy" was the prime selection of the millennium. So, I'm cheap rotten meat along Bargain Aisle? How very flattering.

The biggest "fuck" was the photo album made especially for him. "Do you want to write anything inside?" For fuck I want to write anything inside. I haven't even seen that fella once. I vaguely recall this comment made by someone on the train. "You don't expect to get one ah." Wow, so I'm not worth the effort la. Even if you didn't have the intention to make one, I also did not need to hear that. It kinda seems you guys were also pretty half-assed about writing a few lines in the card for Ai Wei. Whatever happened to the "我们会买个礼物给她的。"

I'm officially letting this one out because I don't want it to bug me anymore. It was a stupid mistake (mistakes) on my part. Call me competitive or attention-sucking. It's just me. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm sorry if anyone is offended by this, but I'm just saying what I feel. Ha. One more lesson learnt from Sulzer. =) Well now, this is one less beer to drink for.

Anyway, off to write my CPTC logbook. Auf wiedersehen.

Agony and Rapture

2007-09-29T17:47:00.000+08:00

Xx Here's Agony, but where's Rapture? xX

I've been having periodic urges to consume alcohol recently. In fact, I just downed a bottle of beer that I secretly bought while my parents were out. I know one bottle isn't alot, but it's quite comforting. My mum saw my empty bottle of Corona from last week and said I was becoming a 酒鬼, alcoholic in other words. I think it shall be the last time I secretly consume alcohol, makes me feel guilty instead of better.

Don't get me wrong. I may be beginning to appreciate the taste of beer, but that doesn't mean I drink till I'm in a fucking stupor. Quote Wikipedia, "Initially, alcohol generally produces feelings of relaxation and cheerfulness, but further consumption..." You don't have to know the rest, I don't and will not drink until that state.

Yes, I am going through a bumpy patch right now in my life, but I'm still able to function well. If not, I'd already have jumped off Platform 9 of C-100. In layman terms, C-100 is a distillation column at the training plant and Platform 9 is at the very top of it. Jumping off the top of really tall things = death = not good.

It kinda seems I'm making myself miserable, perhaps. But I guess it's just human nature. I've lost many good friends and I shan't hide it. Yes SG, I don't know how you feel about this, but to me, it kinda seems like I no longer know you anymore. I'd still Hi to you on the streets, but I might not ask you "Got time for some catching up?" It's not too late to salvage this friendship, but I have a slight hunch you wouldn't do anything about it. Don't get me wrong, this isn't what's upsetting me. Ho.

Anyway, we all gotta move on. Meet different people along the way on our lives. Right now, I think I'm pretty much stuck in the mud.

Thanks to You (I think I better not put out your name, haha) for listening to me. I'd probably have crumbled by now if I kept it inside. But, thinking back to the first conversation, it kinda seems you got yourself tangled into my mess. Haha.

Thanks Francis, for understanding. Simple. Wait, he doesn't have my blog address anyway. Ha.

Thanks to my Poly classmates and friends. Special thanks to Harvard, Shaun and Reuben. You guys are great. Wagner, thanks for visiting my blog. Ha!

Thanks to all unsung heroes. You know who you are. If you don't, the only qualification needed is "having made my life better in any way."

This is it. Till next time, Auf wiedersehen!

P.S. Harvard! When's our outing at Timbre gonna be? Ha.

Funeral For A Friend - History (Acoustic)

Dear friends of this academy
Romeo is bleeding to death
To see a friend bleed to death, what for
Some kind of metaphor that I cant see?
So I'll drink until I see it.

This sky will make me sick
So I'll give up on you
I'll give up on this
This sky will make me sick
So I'll give up on this
I'll give up on you

Archers in your arches
Raise your fingers for the last salute
And bleed this skyline dry
Your history is mine

So you want to hold me up and bring me down
Yes, you want to hold me up and break me down
I don't care for your sweet scent
Or the way you want me more than I want you
I don't care for your sweet scent
Or the way you want me more than I want you

Archers in your arches
Raise your fingers for the last salute
And bleed this skyline dry
Your history is mine

Archers in your arches
Raise your fingers for the last salute
And bleed this skyline dry
Your history is mine..

It's all mine...

Drinking at Harry's

2007-09-22T03:02:00.000+08:00

Xx Drinks? xX

Alright. End of Week 3 at CPTC. 3 more weks to go! Come on! Anyway, Thursday's test wasn't good but it wasn't bad for 4 hours of studying as well. I think I'll be able to get at least 65 la. Ha.

We initially wanted to go to Timbre for drinks(and to eat). But the queue was so long! (The pizza smelt "Woots!" from outside. Grah!) So we decided to come back another day, during the weekdays. I think it'll most likely be in 2 weeks time. The rest day before our 12-hour night shift at the plant. =/

So we headed down to DXO instead, but it was full as well. So we finally settled for Harry's. It was Shaun's birthday so we treated him to drinks. But he drank so little, chey! Lol. Anyway, we "psycho"-ed him to drink a flaming B-52 shot. He was freaking frightened la. Haha. But he did drink it anyway and it was really "shiok" according to him.

Alex, monkey see monkey do. Decided to drink a flaming B-52 as well. And then, our Mr. Weijie also another copycat. Hahahaha. But he was a little deviating la. He ordered an "Orgasm Bailey's". The waiter tried to light it but he gave up. "Die la, I think this one cannot light." So... he ended up with a really hot shot of "Orgasm".

Anyway, I think that's about it. Till next time, Auf Wiedersehen.

P.S. Check out the time this was posted. Hahaha. I'm a little woozy right now.. Sleep....

Who knew you could get an "Orgasm" at Harry's for only $11.21?
Does anyone still need a prostitute now? Ha.

Shaun drinking his flaming B-52.
You can't really see the blue flame, unless you peer really hard into the picture.

Alex follows suit.

Weijie (a.k.a. Asian Tintin, haha) and his "Orgasm".

Ya An tied this cherry stalk with her mouth.
Total queen of La Ji (French Kissing). Haha!

Stoned Lynette to the left.

Alvin, Harvard, Shaun.
Hmm... Shaun looks odd.

My bottle of Corona which I brought home.
Thought the design was pretty nice, so I kept it. =)

CPTC Mid Term Test

2007-09-16T21:41:00.000+08:00

Xx Mid-Term CPTC Test xX

CPTC mid-term test this Thursday (or was it Wednesday?). Haven't studied a single bit for it. Just wasn't in the mood for it. I simply no reason why as well. Just didn't have the motivation to open up the madly scribbled lecture notes.

I really feel it's quite (not fully) a waste of time over there. Anyway, I don't feel the panic of being unprepared yet. Another thing I learnt at Sulzer is to take things slow. The more you rush, the worse job you do. I think back of all the rushed quotations I've done. When the customer comes back with queries to your proposal, you'd think why you overlooked it in the first place. So if you see me having this "Heck Care" attitude, it's not that I don't give a fart about it. I just don't see the need to panic, yet.

Oh yeah, regarding the Industrial Attachment results. I've put it behind me. I just remembered what my colleagues stressed to me. You can't stop others from comparing you, but you should know where to set the level and work towards it. True, I'm really disappointed that I didn't get an A+ for this, but I shouldn't have compared myself with others. There just isn't a point in doing so. So what if I've beaten you, or you beat me. I don't need this to reflect my brilliance or amplify your "superior-ness". (Haha, what a snobbish line.) So yeah, I may not have obtained my desired grade from working at Sulzer, but I've definately learnt a lot of life lessons there.

Wonder when I'll start revising. Hmmmmm.
Cheers!

On the sidenote, whatever happened to these 2 beside me? I guess it's time to move on and find a new clique. I hope I'm not wrong to feel this way. I'm not abandoning this friendship, I've just left it out in the open. I think I've tried to save this friendship, at least.

P.S. I look so swollen (not that I'm not now) in the past! And damn, wish my facial skin was still as good as back then. =(

Sem 5 Results

2007-09-14T08:36:00.000+08:00

Xx Semester 5 Results xX

Totally not what I expected. But it's alright. Free GPA 4.0 and 25 credits in the bag. That brings my current Cumulative GPA to... 3.845. I know Francis didn't award me the full 50%, at least I'm pretty sure he didn't. He didn't give Jason 50, so since I'm supposedly not as good as he was, I doubt I got 50.

Those who got 50 have unrealistic supervisors. You people say you;ve worked very hard for the 50. Don't give me that bullshit. I worked 32 hours OT in July and until 4am on multiple occasions. I even went back to work at 8.30am the next morning. Who's working harder. Ha! Not "Just Kidding". Sorry Wagner, I just had to say this.

Anyway, that's about it. Content but not satisfied. What to do? Life sucks.
Damn you,黑母狗.

"I wanna push you around" - Matchbox Twenty

CPTC

2007-09-04T21:55:00.000+08:00

Xx CPTC xX

Last Friday was the end of my stay with Sulzer. From yesterday onwards to mid-October, I'll be receiving training at the Chemical Process Technology Center at Jurong Island. Damn, it's just so boring there. And what a bloody waste of time. Takes about 1.5 hour to travel there and back.

Took some safety test today. Sheesh. It's such a no-brainer, I don't know why we had to sit through 6 hours of safety lectures. Pretty sure my class finished the test in under 5 minutes. We sort of "stunned" the trainers. They kinda went "huh?" when we submitted our papers. Quote Reuben: "Our class is a bit aggressive with tests ah." Touche.

Anyway, I hope these 6 weeks really pass by quickly. I'd rather be in school than here. At least I don't have to travel this far. But Alvin had a point. Go back to school; spend 5 months there; graduate. He says he'll feel so old. Haha. To think of it. 3 years really passes by quickly. And that's the end of my diploma education.

What's the next step to take? (Besides the very obvious NS enlistment, which I'm very openly not looking forward to, and refuse to give a damn about it.) That's something Francis (no longer my Boss, haha) told me to think about. Actually, I'm not even sure if I'm a friend to him, despite him telling me quite a lot of things about himself and his past. I certainly do hope I am. Ha.

Coming back to the next step. There's a lot of things to consider. To me, I'm definately heading to further my studies. But, whether it be still the same course of study or location of study, is still very much a big question mark. Ergh. This is too much too handle! Sigh. Shall push it aside for a moment and come back to it soon.

Anyway, I guess this is about all for now. Let the 6 weeks fly by real fast!
Till next time, Auf wiedersehen.

Last day at Sulzer

2007-09-01T12:20:00.000+08:00

Xx Last Day at Sulzer xX

Yesterday was the end of my 7 month stay with Sulzer Chemtech. I really had a great time working there (as an Applications & Sales Trainee Engineer, Ha). In fact, I'm kinda glad that ExxonMobil rejected my application just for my "color blindness". Waste my time with the stupid medical check up. Sheesh.

Treated the Sales department to cakes. Hahaha. It was affordable la, and I'm not a miser anyway. Heh. Anyway, I've learnt and gained a lot there. I really believe my stay there has helped me developed personally.

Boss treated me to dinner last night. I treated him to drinks later on. Had a long (maybe not very long, ~2.5 hours?) chat with him. It was quite relieving after talking to him, maybe 'coz I was partially intoxicated. Haha. I really hope I don't regret the decision to have that chat with him. I told him my personal belief: "Whatever decisions you make, be sure that you don't regret it." Let's just see if I can fulfil this belief of mine.

In any case, I was told I really need to think about which step to take next. Life isn't fair, and I guess he's right. I do need to think about where I wanna be in the future. He offered me 2 options. The 2nd option isn't as favorable as the 1st. But the 1st has too much to sacrifice, too much repercussions to face. I really need to weigh them out or find alternative solutions.

Okay. Some pictures of the team I've worked with there. I wish Chemicals Group I big success in the entire Sales Dept.

Till next time, Auf wiedersehen!

A&S Engineer - Adrian

A&S Engineer - Yu Zhen

A&S Engineer - Gerald

A&S Engineer - Poh Khim

Chemicals Group I Manager - Francis a.k.a. Boss

Oil & Gas Team Manager - Gabriel

Chemicals Group I
(Missing from picture: Snr. A&S Engineer - Jiaping)

Photo blog

2007-08-13T20:54:00.000+08:00

xX Photo Blog Xx

The Birthday ~~Boss~~ Boys - Francis and I.

I don't know how to describe my look. Ha.

Sulzer Sports Day. I'm somewhere in there.

Scoundrel!

Frankly, my fave Disney character is Pluto. Haha!

Minnie and Mickey Mouse

Happy Ninteenth

2007-08-12T11:40:00.000+08:00

Xx Happy Ninteenth xX

First off, Thanks everyone for your well wishes and gifts. I really appreciate it. I'd like to say I've had the best birthday celebrations this year.

Thanks to my NP classmates, for the "random" birthday cake on Wednesday. Haha. We celebrated at Yoshinoya, can you believe it? Lmao. It was "random", so one can't expect much right? Haha. Thanks!

Big Big Thanks to my colleagues at Sulzer, for the fantastic cake and gift on Friday. It was a pleasant surprise. =)

Thanks to the Red Cross gang. You know who you are. Haha. It was a nice dinner. And the gift was really interesting! Haha. Special thanks to Jo as well, for the gift, even when I told you not to bring any! Thanks for the company as well. Making fun of all the "leis" and "worx". Hahaha.

I feel I've not only grown physically older, but mentally as well. The chat with you has imparted upon me valuable lessons in life that cannot be learnt in school. I respect you for the ability to remain in control despite the pressing situation, stemming from multiple internal and external sources. It'd be a pity if I lost contact with you in the future.

Anyway, off to writing my report now. Shall post pictures when I feel like it. Ha. Auf Wiedersehen.

Troubles

2007-08-09T18:01:00.000+08:00

Xx 烦 xX

My Industrial Attachement with Sulzer Chemtech is officially scheduled to end tomorrow, but I opted (or rather offered) to extend for another 3 weeks, right before CPTC starts. Anyway, there are a few reasons why I chose to extend my stay.

Firstly, I probably would waste my day away at home. Might as well have something to do. Secondly, the people there are really nice to work with. Thirdly, I get paid (more). =) Finally, some reasons which I will not disclose, but you don't have to know either way. Ha.

Anyway, was beginning to ponder if I made the right decision to extend.

Working there for 6 months, to tell you that I don't feel any sort of attachment to my team would be downright lying. I always thought my team was a cohesive one. Until yesterday, I realized that this might very well not be true. It really upsets me to see (or more often, hear) arguments between the 2 major parties. As a neutral observer (caught between the *possibly one-sided* crossfire), I get to hear things that aren't put directly through to the other party (for certain specific reasons). I care about both sides, and I don't want things to degrade even further than it already is. I want to help, but I don't know if I will make things worse. This matter has been floating around in my head yesterday and I just got reminded of it a few hours ago. The more I learn, the more troubled I get. Yet I still want to help. This cheese has too many holes to plug, if I may put it this way.

Second thing is, I really feel inferior to someone else. I thought, maybe if I were more friendly to everyone, I'd leave behind a better impression. Take this analogy, picture yourself, slapping a wall as hard as you can, hoping you'd at least peel some of the paint off. You smack it with all your might. You hurt, but the wall remains the same (maybe even mocking you if it was sentient). People jumped at the chance of inviting him to the company DnD. Even that particular somebody whom I thought thought well of me. What about me, you ask? I think I was just a fly on the wall.

There. I spilled out (some of) my thoughts. I wouldn't even be mildy surprised if some things don't turn out the way I'd very much like it to.

Goodbye, fucking cruel world.

Facade

2007-07-21T13:50:00.000+08:00

Xx Facade xX

It's common to associate smiles with emotions of joy and euphoria. Yet the smile may just be a facade, subtly concealing one's underlying troubles.

I really wish I knew what's going through your head. Is your superficial expression reflecting what's really going on beneath the skin?

The more I dig, the more I uncover, the deeper I get sucked into this pitfall. Sometimes, I wonder if just being totally ignorant would free me. But, is it really possible to find bliss in ignorance?

In any case, time is running out. I have a gut feeling I will probably leave this unresolved. I know I often tell Elaine, no matter what decisions we make, the most important thing is to not regret it. Perhaps, sometimes there really isn't any option but to resent certain decisions we have made in our lives.

Unhappy things aside, for now. Went for Sulzer's Sports Day yesterday. Whoa. Got this dreadful feeling when I received the email from the Recreations Committee. There was no way of escaping this event. Anyway, it was held at Yishun Safra Club. Activities were Slab Wall Climbing, Air Rifle Shooting and Water Telematch.

I didn't climb the wall, 'coz I was feeling too "Sianz-ed". Shot at the Air Rifle Range. It wasn't that bad. Last was the Water Telematch. I don't know what got into me (I think it was the heat), but I decided to join this event. It was pretty fun actually. Haven't got into a swimming pool for a very long time. Anyway, I screwed up at one of the 4 games la. (At least I did contribute to winning the first round ok?! Heh.) In the end, my group (Green) got tied with Red for 1st place. But because Red got into "1st Place" more times than we did, they won the overall event. Grah. Stupid!

Anyway, I hope the other team mates don't have any hard feelings on me. Jia lat, scully I get a rubbish bin thrown over my head and get beaten into oblivion on Monday when I return to office. Tee hee. Anyway, I haven't claimed my prize yet from the RC. It's a thermos flask, I think.

Shall post photos if I do get them. Till next time, Auf Wiedersehen!

My December

2007-07-12T23:13:00.000+08:00

Xx My December xX

Linkin Park - My December

This is my December
This is my time of the year
This is my December
This is all so clear
This is my December
This is my snow covered home
This is my December
This is me alone

And I
Just wish that
I didn't feel
Like there was
Something I missed
And I
Take back all
The things I said
To make you
Feel like that
And I
Just wish that
I didn't feel
Like there was
Something I missed
And I
Take back all the
Things I said to you

And I give it all away
Just to have somewhere
To go to
Give it all away
To have someone
To come home to

This is my December
These are my snow-covered trees
This is me pretending
This is all I need

(Chorus)

This is my December
This is my time of the year
This is my December
This is all so clear

And I give it all away
Just to have somewhere
To go to
Give it all away
To have someone
To come home to
***

Been quite busy this week. Perhaps I delayed the projects on hand a little too much last week. In any case, workload should be pretty ok tomorrow.

That issue is still lingering in my sea of thoughts. To Aiwei, this isn't about J anymore. I'm over it already. To he/she who knows it better, I've somewhat given up already, despite having yet to learn the full picture of the situation. Although like you said, some people really don't have a choice but to pick the second option.

Oh well, life isn't always what we want it to be. Gotta move on, someday.

-Mentally exhausted; Emotionally spent-

Impressionless Presence

2007-07-04T23:10:00.000+08:00

Xx Impressionless Presence xX

With the recent leaving (I don't mean death) of a friend, albeit a relatively short time frame of interaction, it dawned upon me the inappreciable amount of her presence she has left behind. Is this really what she deserves? Is this the treatment the subsequent ones should receive?

Perhaps I'm just too selfish or sympathetic, but I really don't feel it's right. The reason for the card was for everyone to pen their thoughts down, at least there's something to remember from. I would've sent it with only my writings if I had forseen this. Granted, time is a constraint. Flashy and intricate memorabilia are probably way out of the question. But, what's a sole present going to do? How much of a person can you remember from a gift?

Spending time on the roof has given me some space for thoughts. Should I even try so hard? Why am I placing myself next to him? Is this my innate nature or was I brought up this way? The thought of me liking my work for the reason that my presence was appreciated are simply delusions and naivety on my part. I'm just someone that's replaced every six months. Existance hardly imprinted except on several quotations or such.

Dyna knew what was going through my head just from that single line I said to her on the roof tonight. Hearing comments such as "You should learn ...", "Wah, ...'s work (Followed by some positive comment here)" is analogous to having your heart sucked to the bottom of your stomach (though I haven't actually physically experienced that).

I don't want to fall too hard on my knees when my time is nigh. I don't want to kick up a big sandstorm either. I guess it's time to back off and disconnect a little.

The Fray - Vienna
[View Lyrics]

Field of Innocence

2007-06-24T20:42:00.000+08:00

Xx Evanescence - Field of Innocence xX

I still remember the world
From the eyes of a child
Slowly those feelings
Were clouded by what I know now

Where has my heart gone
An uneven trade for the real world
Oh I... I want to go back to
Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all

I still remember the sun
Always warm on my back
Somehow it seems colder now

Where has my heart gone
Trapped in the eyes of a stranger
Oh I... I want to go back to
Believing in everything

[Latin hymn:]
Iesu, Rex admirabilis
Et triumphator nobilis,
Dulcedo ineffabilis,
Totus desiderabilis.

Where has my heart gone
An uneven trade for the real world
Oh I... I want to go back to
Believing in everything
Oh, Where

Where has my heart gone
Trapped in the eyes of a stranger
Oh I... I want to go back to
Believing in everything

I still remember.
***
That issue has had a big drain of energy on me. It still is though. I just can't let it go, though I'd eventually have to. Yet, there's longing that things will turn out well. Would it have been better if I lived another life? At least, someone knows what's going through my mind. It's not easy listening to others' problems. Most often, we just simply don't want to.

Anyway, I'm actually quite surprised you didn't find it silly or stupid when I truely do. I don't know if you're just saying "It's fine" to make me feel better, or whatever. But yeah, it really did make me feel a little better. Thanks. Ha. Am I Thanking you too much already? Lol.

Well then, that's about it. This song really has a deep meaning. I know it takes forever to load, but please, please do spare some time giving it a listen.

Drowned

2007-06-16T21:58:00.000+08:00

Xx Drowned xX

The past week has been a really low point in my life. There comes a time when one reflects on what his life is about.
"Why's life this way? Is life exceptionally hard on him? Is this how he's gonna live his life? What does he really want?"
The list goes on.

Confidants are the rarest gems these days. Most are so busy living out their lives, they simply aren't interested in what others are going through. Others just can't be trusted. I hope I can gladly say I've found one today. Thanks, I deeply appreciate it.
I hope I can get over it, but I don't wanna lose that either.
Ultimately, nobody can spend his life in solitude.

Still, the road ahead is full of uncertainties.
Who knows what's gonna happen next?
There's only this cliché to offer: "Only time can tell."

2007-06-02T22:04:00.000+08:00

Xx Sulzer Sales Group xX

Sulzer Applications & Sales Department

These are the people I work with, and they are truely the most remarkable people ever. =)

Spaghetti Monster

2007-05-22T22:44:00.000+08:00

Xx Pastafarianism xX

Creation of Adam?

I found this quite humoring. And no, I don't think I need to be absolved for this. =/

More info here: [Clicketh Me!]

The Eight "I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts"

I'd really rather you didn't act like a sanctimonious holier-than-thou ass when describing my noodly goodness. If some people don't believe in me, that's okay. Really, I'm not that vain. Besides, this isn't about them so don't change the subject.

I'd really rather you didn't use my existence as a means to oppress, subjugate, punish, eviscerate, and/or, you know, be mean to others. I don't require sacrifices, and purity is for drinking water, not people.

I'd really rather you didn't judge people for the way they look, or how they dress, or the way they talk, or, well, just play nice, Okay? Oh, and get this into your thick heads: woman = person. man = person. Samey = Samey. One is not better than the other, unless we're talking about fashion and I'm sorry, but I gave that to women and some guys who know the difference between Teal and Fuchsia.

I'd really rather you didn't indulge in conduct that offends yourself, or your willing, consenting partner of legal age AND mental maturity. As for anyone who might object, I think the expression is go f*** yourself, unless they find that offensive in which case they can turn off the TV for once and go for a walk for a change.

I'd really rather you didn't challenge the bigoted, misogynistic, hateful ideas of others on an empty stomach. Eat, then go after the b*******.

I'd really rather you didn't build multi million-dollar churches/temples/mosques/shrines to my noodly goodness when the money could be better spent (take your pick):
1. Ending poverty
2. Curing diseases
3. Living in peace, loving with passion, and lowering the cost of cable
  I might be a complex-carbohydrate omniscient being, but I enjoy the simple things in life. I ought to know. I AM the creator.

I'd really rather you didn't go around telling people I talk to you. You're not that interesting. Get over yourself. And I told you to love your fellow man, can't you take a hint?

I'd really rather you didn't do unto others as you would have them do unto you if you are into, um, stuff that uses a lot of leather/lubricant/Las Vegas. If the other person is into it, however (pursuant to #4), then have at it, take pictures, and for the love of Mike, wear a CONDOM! honestly, it's a piece of rubber. If I didn't want it to feel good when you did it I would have added spikes, or something.

Au Revoir!

P.S. Sorry if the list above looks really screwed when viewed on Internet Explorer (slightly screwed on Firefox). Can't be half-assed to fix it anyway. Please go get yourself a decent internet browser (if you're using IE, that is). This page is "designed" on Opera afterall.

Sweet iPod

2007-05-13T22:59:00.000+08:00

Xx Sweet iPod xX

Just got my iPod yesterday at Sim Lim Square. Was a really great deal compared to the Apple shop standard price. =D Now all i need is a decent casing. =/

*Looks at the tiny advisory*
To Apple: "Yeah. Try harder."

Metal plate backing

Awesome-o earphones. Cost me quite a bit.
But obviously doesn't burn a bigger hole in
anyone's pocket compared to Shure's products.

Freeze Frames - n

2007-05-09T21:38:00.000+08:00

Xx Freeze Frames - n? xX

Alright. Was lazing around today at work. Haha! The Japanese side has suddenly gone very quiet. No inquiries have been received for the past 2 weeks, though last week was their Golden Week. Great opportunity to complete my Interim Report. Speaking of the Interim Report, Dr. Aradhana aka "Ali Baba" aka "Abracadabra" really doesn't know what she wants from it. She's so rigid! Come on, flex a little! Think I'm gonna lodge a complaint against her soon to Dr. Lim. Meheheheh!

So anyway, I was bored. Miss Tan Aiwei came up with the bright idea to go walk around the company premises. She was bored too, obviously. BUT we only ended up ransacking the pantry upstairs and taking photos from the roof. Ha. Here are some shots of the day, if I'm allowed to say so. Sorry if it's only from one angle, 'coz the other shots are really have no object of focus.

ExxonMobil's Refinery at Pioneer Road along the horizon.

The road to...
Sulzer's fabrication workshop and warehouse.
Hahahaha!

Check out the columns!

Miss Sulzer Chemtech presents...
(Lol. Like those models on the corny game shows.)

That's about it. Till next time, Au revoir.

P.S. Still wondering if I should tag along for the technical clarification meeting with some customers tomorrow. Hate wearing that super ugly "formal shoes" of mine. I should really complete my formal outfit. Ugly belt too. Fuck!

Btw, I didn;t come up with the nicknames. My manager did. Tsk, same birthdates, same minds - great minds. Rofl!

Almost there

2007-05-05T17:55:00.000+08:00

Xx Almost There xX

Alright. 10 weeks into attachment, I think. 14 to go. Not that I really dread working at Sulzer, in fact I think it's quite fun working there. Great colleagues, nice managers, pretty interesting job scope. I really have learnt a lot this past 10 weeks. It's prepping me up for the Final Year Project.

FYP will come under the module of Process Engineering Design. I've been told the FYP Design Brief for this semester. 2 classes will be designing the distillation column while the other 2 will design the condenser. Damn. Sulzer doesn't deal with condensers! Have been evaluating columns all this while. It's alright, 14 weeks left to squeeze out as much knowledge as I can, from my colleagues of course. They are like walking tomes of knowledges (Not that I literally see them as books!). Meheheh. I hope I kena column designing though. Hahaha.

Oh yeah. Just realized P&ID actually has quite an influence on the grade. I need a P&ID / AutoCAD expert! Wagner, sounds like a job for you. Mutual assistance ya! Can consider, eh?

On the topic of distillation, I really wonder, how many theoretical plates does it take to seperate 99.9% of the hydrocarbon components from a human body, provided it can be fed into the column as a liquid/vapor. I guess you'd need anti-fouling trays for this application. Wouldn't want chunks of flesh plugging up the tray sieve holes. Hahaha! Morbid. Maybe they should set this as the FYP Design Brief for next semester. Lol.

FYP sounds exciting, but I really do hope I can work with the people I want though. Class reordering / random team assignment is the stupidest idea ever. Meh.

That's about it. Till next time, Au revoir!

P.S.

"Sulzer Chemtech Ltd, a member of the Sulzer Corporation, with headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland, is active in the field of process engineering and employs some 1800 persons worldwide.

Sulzer Chemtech is represented in all key industrial areas of the world and is a technology leader in the field of mass transfer and static mixing, with its advanced and economical solutions."
- Sulzer Chemtech Website

P.P.S. Very obvious (maybe shameless) self-promotion,no? Hahahaha! Now, what's your offer? Rofl. Jez' Kidding.

Long Needed Update

2007-04-14T21:55:00.000+08:00

Xx Long Needed Update xX

Alright... Haven't updated for a long time. Nothing much to touch on anyway. Maybe with the exception of how Dr. Aradhana is such a rigid person. Industrial Attachment weekly summary? Can I just write what I did in the first few weeks and "Ditto" all the way? I really doubt that she realizes how pointless writing that weekly summary is. Newbie lecturer. *Shrugs* One more thing, she really resembles the taxi driver that serves my company. *Sniggers* Oh yeah, to hell with the "You know you are not allowed to go on leave, right?" crap. Why don't you not go on leave then? Slug!

Hmm... What's next? Oh yeah, Dr. Lim hasn't answered my email (though I think she's read it)! Shall spam her mailbox then. Hahaha. I'd tell her to remind that "Nubcake" that the sheets of "weekly summary" can be put to better use as toilet paper. Then again, it'd make my bottom hurt. Hahaha.

Company outing this Wednesday. Who knew I'd be so art-sy. We're going for the Phantom of the Opera. $90 tickets. Second-most kiam-siap seats. Does it matter anyway? At least $70 is paid by the company. Hehehe.

That's about it. According to Weijie, it's already the 7th week of work. Sorry, I'm not the eng type, so I don't have that much time to go count the days. Whoops. I've just shot you haven't I? =P No offence.

Till next time, Au revoir!

P.S. It's nice to listen to "less-heavy" songs once in a while. Rob Thomas has done it again.

My First Paycheck

2007-03-18T23:59:00.000+08:00

Xx My First Paycheck xX

Wee hee! Bought a PSP with my first paycheck! Don't have to borrow my brother's one anymore!

My very own PSP! =D

Alright fine... It isn't exactly time for my first paycheck yet. Expected to come in a weeks' time. My brother bought it before I told him to. -.-" Didn't actually want to spend money before it lands on my hands, you know? Oh well, what's done is done. I'd get it sooner or later anyway. Hopefully, Harvard gets one too. So then, we can play when the final semester starts. Ha.

Anyway, went out with my classmates last Friday. We went to Settlers Cafe again. This time round, I don't know why, it wasn't the same as the first time we went. Somehow, it wasn't as mad as I expected it to be. Maybe it's just 'coz we're kinda bored with the games already.

We then headed to Al Azhar at Clementi for supper. Seriously, anyone can go pull the "No Pork" stunt at that shop and I wouldn't give a damn about it. Why? $1.50 for a strip of cheese on pan fried dough isn't exactly what I'd call "fair enough".

Spot the cheese!

Lastly, we spent the night at Partyworld KTV at Shenton Way. I can't believe I went. It was mostly due to the reason that there were no bus services at that hour. I shall never step into another KTV again! Ha! But I still sang a few English songs la. Call me Kantang would you. Lol! WJ was the one that wasted his money there. He sang only one song la.

Sing WJ, Sing!

Anyway, left Partyworld at 5.30am. Shared a cab with Shaun and got home at 6am. That's about it, I guess. Work tomorrow. How utterly boring. Ha!

Till next time, Au revoir!

2007-03-14T21:12:00.000+08:00

Xx Semester 4 Results xX

Didn't expect B for French. I suppose if I got B for this, the Business students in the same class would have gotten D. TPFF, was disappointing. Those who claim they really "buang", turn out to get A+. (Ha. Very direct hor, Lid Yinn! Lol.) I expected A+ initially, yet in the end still A+ after moderation. EM3 was also another letdown. So much for "EM3 being easier than EM2". They just had to kick up the difficulty a notch this sem. How unfortunately coincidental. The rest are well within range of acceptance la. Ha. Sigh. Please let me get an A for IAP. =)

P.S. I only know Yingjie from 2A05, the equivalent of Weijie from my class, achieved GPA 4.0. No offence intended, WJ. =P

First week at work

2007-03-02T21:34:00.000+08:00

Xx First week at work xX

Just started attachment this Monday. The first few days were pretty boring, but as you kinda start talking to your colleagues, then well, it's a different case.

Generally, the people are Sulzer are really friendly, especially the bunch of people I sit with. Anyway, they poke fun of me la, sometimes. They make fun of everyone, so it's not an IA-student exclusive. Ha.

I've been told I speak to people like I talk to my Ah Pa. They say that I reply to their questions like as if "Your Ah Pa talking to you, but you're lazy to reply, so you just 'Orh. Hm. Ok.'"-kind of way. It's kinda true though, when I think of it. Ha. You can call the boss (with the exception of the "bigger" shots) by his name, which is pretty surprising. Ha.

By the way, I've been given work to do since Monday. Unlike most of my other classmates. Ha. Basically, what I've learnt in the past week is... Counting hardware. Lol. Pretty lame, but at least there's something to do. My colleague gave me, like, 12 diagrams of some plant (Not the greens) components and taught me how to count the hardware. The diagrams were damn complex, but I finally finished it today. He was expecting me to finish them next week or something. Ha. Apparently, they need to know the number of hardware to estimate a part of the cost. So stressful! First day already give me this kinda job. I can't take a picture of it 'coz it's supposed to be confidential.

But, I did take a picture of my workspace. Ok, it was my workspace, which was in front of the Project Manager's cubicle, until they asked me to move again today. I moved thrice already! Now I'm sitting in the front, right outside all the major managers' office. I'd rather sit at the back la! Everytime I move, I have to shift the PC with me. Stupid lah!! Ha. Anyway, I'm probably gonna be stuck there for the rest of the 6 months. There's nobody to my left and right, some new guy arriving next monday to my left back diagonal, and the NUS IA student behind me. Aiya! Hopefully still can have a good time there, but it's gonna be quite hard, 'coz the 'hip' crowd has been relocated behind. Want to do some mindless chatter also can't. Damn! =/

The company had its annual Chinese New Year lunch today! Ha. Can go Lo Hei (Toss Yu Sheng). We went to a restaurant nearby. I heard that it was better than last year, but it's probably most likely due to the presence of some guests in the company. Ha. The food was alright la and it's free for us, so what can we say. Ha. There were big scallops though, and 3 for each person! Great! =D

Ok la. That's about it. Probably not gonna have much updates over the IA period.
Till next time, Au revoir!

P.S. Sunburn, Best song ever! =D

My beloved "previous workspace". Sigh. Had to tou pai. Cannot be too obvious, you know.

Lo Hei Seafood Lunch! Wootz!

Attachment starts soon!

2007-02-23T11:53:00.000+08:00

Xx Attachment starts soon! xX

Man... Holidays just started last Friday and ends today. My attachment starts next week. Apparently, I'm not attached to Croda. Which is half-good 'coz I don't have to travel into Jurong Island! Yes! Mehehe. Bad thing is, I still have to travel to the West side of Singapore. Drats! I've been attached to Sulzer Chemtech Pte Ltd. Aiyaiyai.

It involves project management, which equates to thinking and presenting (Die!), which equates to stress, which can also equate to bad results and probably lots of report writing. =( Oh ya! There's also no leave to take. Damn damn damn! I wanna go Hong Kong! I just wanna take August 10th off since 9th August is National Day and this attachment ends on August 11th (My birthday!). Damn it!!!
Grah!!! I hope I can survive this 24-week gauntlet.

Anyway, sent Lynette and Lid Yinn off to their OIAP at Australia last night. Obviously, Lynette is the one that cried. Lol. Good Luck to them anyways. Ha.

Oh yes. Watched The Protege yesterday as well. It was a really good movie. It's quite "psycho", if I can use this word to describe it. I don't know if it will deter people from taking drugs, but the movie was rather impactful. On a scale of 5, I give it a 4.5. Must watch! Ha.

I caught Just Follow Law last week. It was quite humorous but still a typical Jack Neo film. Poking fun at local issues. This time, it's directed at the way a governmental/ business organisation operates. The funny factor was basically built upon the following: Poh-fessionals, "arrow-shooting", black & white to cover "ka chng", "Must write in and will take 3 working days to process", and perhaps Gurmit Singh and Fann Wong switching bodies.
Was quite an alright film. I'd give it a 3.5-4 on a scale of 5.

That's about it I guess. Feeling really Zzzzz-ed 'coz the horror is about to begin real soon. I shall live through these "Trials and Tribulations"! Ha!

That's about it. Till next time. Au revoir!

Huh?

I'm an uncle!

2007-02-11T00:08:00.000+08:00

Xx It's a boy! xX

Ha! I'm now officially an uncle. Well, at least for the past 6 days and 8 hours. Ha! I just didn't blog it out till now 'coz I was pretty darned lazy.

Anyway, me being an uncle thing, hasn't really got me excited. I dunno if I should do something about my reaction, or lack therof. Ha! I haven't exactly got a soft spot for babies. I'm "more than human"! Lol. I bet my parents are like over the moon. My sis-in-law didn't really fulfil her hopes of having a baby before 30. Ha. Doesn't really matter now, 'coz she just had one. Meh. =P

By the way, my nephew's name is Ashton Foo *something* Xi. Hahaha! I can't remember whats the other chinese character. I shan't comment on the name, though I do have my opinions about it.

Alright, that's it for the uncle thing. Industrial attachment issues. Chris told me I'm gonna be attached to Croda on Jurong Island. Ha! How cool is that? The company that everyone despises the most. I can't really confirm the authenticity of this arrangement 'coz it's just by word-of-mouth. I can't be half-assed to ask Dr. Lim either. She's had enough trouble with arranging students for IAP already, plus I don't really give a hoot anymore ever since Exxon dropped me from my attachment. They'll be giving me 550 smackers a month. Transport excluded. Equals 400 moolah every 28/31 days for 5 months. Lol. Whatever!

Exam period now. Just had Engineering Math on Friday. I probably lost around 20 marks, but I think I'll still be able to get my A. By the way, I seem to have lost my fire for studying. For the past 3 semesters, I used to be able to mug till 2.30am and still wake up at 6.30am for the exam the next day. Now, I'd count myself lucky if I got past the 11pm mark. After 11, I'd just start idling and stare at my notes. Just a few clicks on the laptop and the word "studying" is flung out of the window, not literally, faster than you can say "OhLaLa!" (I think I've only learnt this from all the French lessons). Yeeeyayayaa! How am I gonna get my Aces for this semester like that?! Too late for that now. Ha. Papers from Monday - Thursday. Oh, the Humanity!!!

Bleah. I think that's all for now. Anyway, here are some pictures of my new puppy, Bongo, and some other random freeze frames. Nope, no Ashton for you 'coz I don't have any photos of him yet. Ha! Pictures taken on my N80, which is a superb phone. But every phone has an achilles' heel, and the N80's the camera. The lens shutter is like retarded or something. I'd give it, at most, a 1/60 shutter speed. Because of this low speed, the pictures turn out like "fudgecake". Grah!

Alright la. That's all for now. Till next time, Au revoir!

P.S. Just changed MV again. I'd rather MUSE play this fantastic acoustic guitar song on that day than Soldier's Poem. I can't seem to play this song right. Damn. I really suck. =( By the way, there's a nice little trumpet solo towards the end.

As if losing patches of hair weren't bad enough. They just had to add insult to injury, huh? I took this photo while queuing up for the Muse concert.

Unauthorised decoration of the Bio Lab for CNY. Check out the paper-towel "Shuang Xi". Ha! The last time I checked, the "adornments" were still there. Lol.

What's this duck doing in front of the staff office?

Salut! Je m'appelle Bongo.

End of Year 2

2007-02-02T20:41:00.000+08:00

Xx The end of Year 2 xX

How time flies. Cliche but true. It's the end of another semester and the conclusion of my second year in NP. Another year closer to conscription, what a sinful delight (Not!). Semester exams lie ahead of me and I'm truely not in the "panic" zone yet. Wonder if I'll hit the "distress" button anytime soon. Lol. This time round, I can't tell if my grades are gonna "slip 'n' slide" or go "through the roof". Hopefully it's the latter though.

Anyway, ExxonMobil decided to drop me from my attachment position for being "Colour Blind" and for "fear that presence of CO2 or other gases in the refinery may trigger an asthma attack". Like please, I may have Red-Green colour deficiency but I can still see colours. In fact, I don't even know what colour I can't see. I can tell red from green, for "falalalas'" sake. I can see colours, goddammit. It's not like I totally can't see green, unlike Reuben. Lol. Like come on! As if the refinery has coloured knobs and valves covering the entire optical spectrum.

Gases that may trigger my asthma attack? First off, I've not had an asthma attack for 2 years and I have clearly stated that. Secondly, if "other gases" were allowed to leak into the surrounding atmosphere, the entire refinery would've been blown to kingdom come an aeon ago.

Grah! Whatever. It's just Industrial Attachment. No biggie. Put me in a place where I'd be bored to tears! Why couldn't they state earlier what they didn't want! Now I don't even have the chance to choose a company. Morons!

Bad things aside, I went to Settlers' Cafe with a few of my classmates yesterday. Played quite a few board games. It was a heck of a good time, really! Wish I had cooler secondary school friends though. I'm just saying what I think. I think I've had more fun with my polytechnic friends than with my secondary school friends. Well, it might be 'coz there's hardly any contact with them anymore. I mean, how many outings have my clique had for the past year and how many of those outings did we actually "have fun"? I'm sure I can count the former with my fingers and I might not even need any fingers for the latter. Just my frank thoughts, or maybe I'm just disconnected.

Anyway, the most entertaining game last night would have to be that 'Barn Animals' game called Snorta!. Hahaha. Totally hilarious. The main objective of the game was to get rid of the cards on your hand as fast as possible. Elena's reaction was so slow! Lol! The cards in her hand was maybe 5 times thicker than any of ours. The balancing game was pretty fun too, especially when you could use that "slapping stick" to smack the loser! Uglydoll was the other highlight last night.

That's about it. Nothing much happening the past 2 weeks. It's just clearing the deadlines for all assignments. Today's the last day of school. I didn't attend today's lesson 'coz it was just TPFF revision. I think I should be able to do the questions in the revision paper. Exam officially starts off next Friday with EM3. Horrible module! Hahaha. Alright la! I have to go complete the Lab PBL, yet I see none of my group members online. =/

Till next time, Au revoir!

"If you're not part of the solution, you're the precipitate."
-Chowdersaur

P.S. Chow can really come up with witty-assed one-liners'. This one even has a deeper meaning to it. Eh Chow, if you thought this up, I salute you! Otherwise, you're just a literary thief. Lol!

Muse Concert Disappointment?

2007-01-18T16:50:00.000+08:00

Xx MUSE Live in Singapore: Good Show, Bad Crowd xX

Word of notice:
1)This post might be generously peppered with vulgarities.
2)The term "M" and "m" is up to you to interprete. I will not directly point out to any particular group of people.
3) Use "Open in a new window" when viewing photos in full size.
4) Reader discretion advised. :)

Alright peeps. Concert was held on the 16th of January 2006. I had Joseph go in the morning to queue first, for the sake of getting to the front row. I had lab in the morning, so yeah. Haha. Anyway, shouldn't have turned up so early. Take this handy concert-going tip from me. People will cut queue, regardless of how hard you stare at them. So, don't go uber early, but do have the courtesy to not cut queue. I have pictures of the perpetrators, but I've decided not to paste their ugly, swine-like faces all over soft.com or on my blog. Oh yes, a thing to keep in mind, Ms' will always ruin gigs. They ruined my experience. Oh yes, groupies (or groupie-wannabes) with placards will always be present. Lol.

Anyway, moving on. The gates opened at 7pm. Managed to get into the 2nd/3rd row of the centre-left side. It was probably the 2nd best spot to watch the concert from. The "spot-of-all-prime-spots" was obviously in-front of the extended platform where Matt would do his solo pieces. But unfortunately, the queue-cutters managed to root themselves there. The concert didn't start on time. Music was played to "entertain" the crowd. Sounds fun? Not exactly when you have Ms' start singing (horribly) and moshing (actually, shoving would be more appropriate). Don't take me wrong, moshing is fine, but shoving is a far cry from that.

The gig started at 8.40pm. This is when the real terror begins. The shoving (not moshing!) becomes extremely violent, I tell you. People in the front row, including Jo & I, were just totally squashed. Packed even tighter than sardines in a can. I can swear on this, I tell you. Nobody could breathe easy at all. Elbows were like everywhere. Less than 1 minute in, the shoving claimed it's first victim. Girls started passing out and people were like begging for help from the security guards. If you fall, you're dead meat. A huge number of people requested to get pulled out by the guards. I couldn't take it too. Jo asked to be pulled out by the end of the 2nd song and I "tapped out" near the end of the 3rd song. Got pulled over the fence. I wish I've stayed on, 'coz the conditions kinda stabilized after half an hour. It's alright, we all know who were responsible for the shoving. :)

Anyway, that was the bad part. After being pulled out, Jo and I found ourselves an OK spot at the left side of the crowd. Wasn't really in the mood after what has happened. Joseph had no problems losing control of himself though. It was pretty scary standing beside him. It's like he was totally possessed and the only one moshing into people within a 3 metre radius. Lol. Tried to enjoy as much as I could, and that's all I could do.

Oh yeah, I read that some twats (British slang for CCB) actually threw bottles at Matt, and one bottle actually hit him while he was riffing. Like what the Fuck?! Are they retarded? Fuck you little twits. If people knew who you were, you'd probably have thousands of bottles shoved down every single orifice of your body. You know how fortunate it is already for them to come down and play for a pathetic crowd of 6,500 people? Tickets to the 90,000 seater Wembley Stadium got sold out in less than 1 hour and I tell you, from all the overseas gig videos I've seen, the entire crowd behaved much more mature than you did. Don't fucking give them a reason to not come back at all. It's as if MUSE are so bloody desperate to play here. We're the desperate ones, not them! Fucking retards!

___________________________________________________________________
This is the setlist, for those who are interested.

Knights of Cydonia
Hysteria
Map of the Problematique
Butterflies & Hurricanes
Supermassive Black Hole
New Born
Forced In (Instrumental)
Bliss (Extended)
Feeling Good
Sunburn (Piano)
Invincible
Time is Running Out
Plug in Baby

Encore:
Soldier's Poem (Acoustic Guitar)
Starlight
Riff + Stockholm Syndrome

___________________________________________________________________

Oh yes, Matt Bellamy unveiled a new guitar! But it was a pretty boring one. It's been named the Delorean Manson and it basically looks the same as the Silver Manson except it has a tremolo bridge and totally no integrated effects circuit at all. It was meant to replace the now-retired Silver Manson. If you ask me, the Delorean is a bland addition to his amazing guitar arsenal. Boring Boring Boring. This is just my honest opinion though.

There were fantastic bits, of course! Messing around with the Kaoss Pad on his guitar, pretty awesome solos, "Bliss" Balloons and who could ever forget this, Matt throwing his precious Manson guitar at the drumset. He ended the show, saying "See you next year!". I can only hope that it will come true. Frankly, I didn't think he had a good time either.

Anyway, photos are below. Rather blurry shots 'coz of all the shoving and erratic lighting. That's the limitations of an idiot-proof digital camera. An SLR would've done the job, but it'd most likely be smashed to pieces over there.

Show rating: 9/10 (-1 for not starting on time. Ha.)
My "experience" rating: 7/10
I would love to see them again next year, provided I'm not already a goddamned conscript (Recruit is too mild a word =P). Btw, my ears are still ringing. =/

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

The entrance. Lovely banner. =D

An Itch? He must hate me for this unglam shot. Ha.

Stage Setting

Matt riffing on his new Delorean Manson

Famous "Bliss" Balloons

Kaoss Manson, possibly the first guitar with a Kaoss Pad

Playing "Soldier's Poem" on the acoustic guitar

MUSE equipment box. Nice =)

New Delorean Manson. Image taken by who, I don't know, but what a bad facial expression on the right. Ha. =P

~2/3 of Supermassive Black Hole. Matt messes with his Kaoss pad at 1.13. And I love the way his M1D1 Manson reflects light into my camera at 1.46. =D
-----------------

P.S. The concert organizers should seriously start up like a M & m corner at all these rock gigs. It'll help a lot, seriously.

"How many M's can 'relac' in a round room?"
- None, 'coz got no corner.

Cheers!

Tomorrow!

2007-01-15T21:28:00.000+08:00

Xx Tomorrow! xX

Whoopee! The time is seriously nigh! Hahaha. Less than 24 hours to go! Must bring some extra cash to buy merchandise. Heheh!

Oh ya! Looks like I was wrong about tickets not selling out. It was sold out a few days ago. They just released a few more tickets today. Zut!!! Je n'aime pas des foules!

Anyway, Sistic is utterly disappointing. Come on la! Charge so much (an extra $2, lol) for all your tickets yet there's no effort to at least bloody design them.

Malaysia's ticket on top
Singapore's ticket below

Compare Malaysia's Muse ticket to ours. Like puh-lease! Ok, maybe their ticket is those cheapo paper-grade type as compared to Sistic's stiffer higher-quality tickets, but at least their tickets have more collectors' value. Va te faire enculer!

Ok. Nevermind. Tomorrow's show better be mega-fantastic. It should be, m'thinks. Ha. Got bloody lab work in the morning. Kar nee nar. Hahaha! Very vulgar today.

Anyway, shall end off here. Will be posting pics real soon (provided I can sneak the camera in). Damn you, Sistic!

Blew it

2007-01-11T21:45:00.000+08:00

Xx Blew it xX

Blew it. Blew it. Blew it. Not keeping my hopes up. Not.

1 more week!

2007-01-09T21:01:00.000+08:00

Xx 1 more week! xX

Wee Hee! One more week to go! MUSE a.k.a. "Band who sold 75, 000 tickets in 45 minutes", Live in Singapore! Mr. Matt Bellamy's awesome guitars and totally chaotic on-stage persona is set to blow everyone's minds.

The shiny M1D1 with an oh-so-cool Kaoss Pad

Wow. Singapore's gonna be the first show of the year for them. Wonder what new stuff they're gonna unveil! Hoho. Hopefully, they will be playing more old songs. :)

Having bloody practical next Tuesday morning though. Damn. Monsieur Joseph shall be camp-queuing then. Can't help it la, must go front row (or not more than a few metres from the barrier.) Besides, there are plenty of pesky, graduated Secondary school kids who have loads of free time on their hands. Damn you! School should start earlier! Or they should release O' level results on that day! Alright, I was once a "graduated Secondary school kid". Meh. Hopefully, I'd be able to sneak a camera in. Bloody bollocks Sistic. No photography at an open air concert, my bleeding balls. What kinda lame crap is that? Like hell, I'd listen to you.

Oh yeah. I don't think the tickets were sold out here. The market here is pretty small. Too many boring people. Hahaha! Just kidding (a little). Tickets in Malaysia and Indonesia sold quite well. If they're gonna base their next tour on ticket sales, Singapore might well be knocked off the list, so this is probably the only chance to catch them. Chowdersaur, you're gonna regret this! You sold out a night of orgasmic euphoria for a measly profit of $30!
Note: The term "orgasmic" was used for dramatization purposes only.

Ok. Guess I'm boring you already. Lots of things have changed in the past week.

First off, I got another dog! R.I.P. Oreo. Anyway, shall formally introduce him when I have time. Hahaha. Just plain lazy right now. His name is Bongo, for start.

Secondly (*Mundane stuff alert*), I've got a new phone! Nokia's sweet, sweeeeeet N80. Mehehe. Sold out everywhere, but I finally found it at Starhub's store at Raffles Place. J'aime le N80!

Now, I shall reveal my CT scores.

Electrical Technology: 94
Engineering Mathematics 3: 83
Transfer Processes - Fluid Flow: 56/65 (roughly 86)
Reaction Engineering: 100 (very common score for this module's CT)
Bioprocess Technology: 92

Hahaha. Pretty well done, I suppose. But obviously, there are more extreme scores when compared to mine. Heck, this might not even qualify for the top 5% in the cohort, and I'm not being humble or just joking.

Lastly, ExxonMobil interview this Thursday. I don't know how I should react to it. As of now, when I'm thinking of it, there's a slight pulse of nervousness and uncertainty. I don't really know what I should say during the interview. 16 people shortlisted, they're hiring 9. 2 persons per interview, so they're probably gonna take in around 1 from each interview. Well, that is unless they totally reject 1 pair la. It's like I've unwittingly joined "The Apprentice", except now, it's "You're rejected". If I don't get the job, then I'd lose all the confidence, albeit little, I ever had.

By the way, Reuben is probably quite pissed. He was promised an interview from Nestle company, but in the end, they decided to interview only 3 students. The 3 students with Über-fantastique grades. Pity.

Phew. This is quite a long post. Took me some time to type all these out. Ha.
Anyway, till next time. Au revoir!

Last day of 2006

2006-12-31T00:15:00.000+08:00

Xx Last Day of 2006 xX

Yeap. Today's the last day of 2006. There've been many good stuff and probably even more bad stuff that happened this year. Ha. Shan't make the "Best of" and "Worst of" list for this year. Too lazy to. And I'm getting a headache from spending too much time on the PSP.

Anyway, the mundane stuff... Wanted to change phone today, to the Nokia N80, but it was out of stock. Man... It's alright. No rush, I guess. Had a new pair of spectacles ordered as well. I was pretty surprised my myopic degree had decreased, considering how much time I spend staring at electronic monitors. Well, wouldn't make much of a difference. 750 to 675 degrees on the left eye. Still legally blind without corrective lenses. Hahaha. But that drop in myopic degree came with a "25 degree increase in astigmatism" price tag. Hahaha. Sounds like I'm bartering or some sort.

Anyway, joining Alvin and the others for the countdown at Marina Bay later on. Beats staying at home and "Appearing Offline" on Messenger to look like you have a bleeding life, which I suppose I very much have a bleeding one. Hmmm. Quite true, ain'it?

Oh yeah, had 2H gathering the past Wednesday. It was good speaking to people I haven't spoken to in a year or more. But of course, the repelling force was present as well. Meh. Whatever. Doubt anyone knew what the previous post meant. It'd be better to stay that way. If you are really smart and managed to figure it out, well then, keep it to yourself.

It's pretty sad to end this year of my life on a sour note, pretty much like having a C# in a C major scale. Hahaha. Bullcrapping, yet again. All right, it's like going to sleep with a mouth full of sour candy. Doesn't apply to you if you're a fan of those sick sour sweets(what an oxymoron). The only compensation I'm probably gonna have is the company of a few good friends approximately 23 hours later. Hahaha.

Anyway, it's the end of the 2006 chapter. What was your story like for this year? What's it gonna be like for 2007? Questions questions questions... Load of crap! Ahahahaha! I'm going mental, seriously.

See you next year (technically)! Au revoir!

P.S. I almost never fulfil any of my New Year resolutions. So there shan't be any for 2007! Meh.

P.P.S. I'm not a sheep.

Dead to me

2006-12-27T00:30:00.000+08:00

The title says it all. This can't go on anymore. It's been a good time.

-Glenn

P.S. This is not a suicide note. Thank You for your attention.

P.P.S. You're not the only one who's had fireworks for dinner.

MadTV

2006-12-23T22:07:00.000+08:00

Xx MadTV is mad! =D xX

I can't believe I'm spamming this many YouTube Videos on my blog. Anyways, if only we had programs like this in Singapore, people would be a whole lot happier. Lol.

You can choose not to watch any of the other videos in this post, but you seriously must watch this one below. "Have you ever seen such a kickass video before?"

This parody is really awesome! MadTV's thoughts on the original "Beautiful" video by James Blunt. I dislike that song, by the way. Biasness. Ha. Must Watch! Yes, that's a woman. Ho.

Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" MV Parody - Syphilis Girl

Sesame Streets' Big Bird is down with Bird Flu. Watch what happens to Elmo and Big Bird at the end! Hahaha!

Terminator parody. I warn you, this pokes fun at Christian faith. I am not anti-religious. I do not have any allegiance to any faith. Tethering on the edge of atheism-agnosticism. =/

MadTV forever! Cheers!

Change: The inevitable

2006-12-19T20:30:00.000+08:00

Xx Change: The Inevitable? xX

Alright. Common Tests have ended last Friday. Haven't been online much, mostly because I don't feel like it and my Final Fantasy XII calls out to me. Frankly, I don't know why people have really bad opinions on FFXII. Sure, it's been changed a lot. But change is something you have to adapt to, so quit whining, you bloody pussies.

Speaking of change, many people around me have changed a lot. They say Rome wasn't built overnight, but attitude adjustments don't seem to follow that "law". Ever since I talked to you that Tuesday, I don't seem to know you anymore. Frankly, I didn't want to go out with you guys that Sunday was partially because I was afraid (besides the fact that it was my Father's birthday).

Afraid of what? I don't have a clue either. It just seems like there's ice all around. It could be because of the lack of communication ever since we stopped Dota-ing. I'm sure most of you would've realized who I'm referring to by now. I guess I still need a little more time. I realize you've taken the first step to break the ice, but I guess I still need more time.

I was chatting with Harvard last Friday. We were talking about what we were going to do during the holidays when he asked "Your Clique lei? Disbanded already ah?" I replied with, "Partially disbanded, I guess."

Am I the one cut out? I guess so. I feel like the ground of common topic between us has been diminished. (Firstly, I wanna reinforce that "we" refers to the clique, not only 2 persons. Whereas "you" is a different thing.) Barely a year ago, we'd just walk up and down Orchard Road without a care in the world. Yes, I may not understand how you feel or your need to talk about it, but people have to move on. And I'm still trying. I know you don't ever read my blog, but if word ever gets to you, you'd know whats going on in my mind.

I don't know if what I'm doing is right, but I hope nobody reads this the wrong way. It's just a treasured friendship thing.

Anyway, I just got ill today. Nursing myself back to health. Hope I don't pass it to anyone tomorrow at the Sushi bar. Heh. My deepest apologies if I do. Lol.

Au revoir!

Breaking News

ExxonMobil wants to interview me first for attachement? With Weijie?! I'll be like utterly dwarfed, not in terms of size but in terms of quality. It's like small warlock see big warlock (literally translate to Mandarin). Hahahaha! Expect the worst. =/
P.S. Dr. Lim doesn't know how to spell my name. Sad.

Introducing Mute Math

2006-12-11T20:40:00.000+08:00

Xx Introducing Mute Math xX

Found a pretty lesser-than-average known band called Mute Math. They have really really good songs. Quite an energetic bunch, like Muse are. Energy is really important in a performance, I guess. That's probably why I'm such nutters over Muse. Ha. Anyway, trust me on this. They're not as heavy as Muse are but still quite amazing. Whoever told you music has to be as heavy as lead is wrong. But pop music (i.e Britney Spears) and techno is just wrong, and still I stand by that. Hahahaha!

Anyway, here's Mute Math. Give it a listen, you won't regret it.

Mute Math - Chaos
[View Lyrics]

By the way, his keytar rocks. Yeap, KEYtar. Enjoy!

Stressed! / Muse Ideal Setlist

2006-12-07T18:39:00.000+08:00

Xx Crunch Time! xX

It's crunch time... CTs are coming next week and I just started studying yesterday. Papers are from Monday to Friday, back-to-back. That really, really sucks! There's no study break as well, which totally kills everyone. Skipped a few lessons this week to create my own "Study Break period". Arhhh!! Really stressed!

Anyway, Thanks for those reassurances, people. I guess i still do have quite a good number of friends. =) Anyway, I really didn't expect Wagner to respond. Ahahaha! I'm surprised. =O

I should be studying right now, but I'm not. Why? I don't know either...

Anyway, bought my Muse ticket last Friday. Can't wait for January 16th! (Even though there's a lab test that morning...) Joseph's coming with me! Ahahaha! You better not mosh beside me, or I'll beat your head in. And you better wake up on time that day!!!! =D

Anyway, that's all for now. Mugging time! (After Dinner that is)
Till next time, Au Revoir!

Losing Friends

2006-12-02T16:36:00.000+08:00

Xx Losing Friends xX

How many friends have you lost? Where have the days of "crap-talking" been lost to?

Think about it. I have lost... everyone.

Edit: Thanks Elaine for hearing me out. =) I do hope life could return the way it was.

Final Reminiscence

2006-12-01T16:48:00.000+08:00

Xx Final Reminiscence xX

Just a few more thoughts to note down... Thunderstorms these few days had me in an urge to write this down.

It's the 2nd day you have left us. Emotions have somewhat settled. But when I think of you again, I just feel really upset.

Even though you only lived here for a mere two and a half years, You were like a treasure to us.

You were extremely afraid of thunderstorms. I could still remember you climbing onto my desk when I was studying for my O levels. O levels are held at the end of every year, so it was the time of a monsoon season. It made me really mad. I had to spend so much time trying to make you sit still for a single minute. If I had a chance to do that again, I would.

Thunderstorms at night. You would wake my entire family up with all your barking. You wanted to be let into the house where you could be near to people. Unfortunately (Then, that is), My parents and my brother had to work the following day, so I had to stay up to accompany you. 3, 4 ,5 am. We've been there. Yes, I wasn't very keen on staying up that late, but knowing that you relied on me, mostly, for comfort made it all worthwhile. Well, my Mum accompanied you sometimes instead. Heh.

My final thought is that I'm glad I taught you how to "Shake Hands". You even knew which was "left" or "right hand" for a moment (till eventually I was too lazy to continue asking. =X). We'd always make you shake "hand" for food. When we made you wait too long for food, you'd start to drool. You greedy little dog! Ahahaha! I simply love those moments.

Well then, now that you're gone, you're never gonna have a chance to taste them again. To think that we had just bought new snacks less than a week before your passing. I'm gonna stop here now, tears are gonna well in my eyes. If I've missed noting down anything else, I'm sure it's gonna be in the back of my head.

Rest In Peace, Oreo. I'll miss you.

Your food bowl and water dish; The toys that you played with.

The food that you'd go crazy over. Some were never opened.

In Loving Memory of Oreo

2006-11-30T12:55:00.000+08:00

Xx In Loving Memory: Oreo xX

Oreo
6 June 2001 - 30 November 2006

"Come take a look at Oreo!", my maid exclaimed, startling me out of my sweet slumber. I rushed down to find my dog lying motionless on the cold carpet grass. With my arms, I cradled him into the warm retreat of my home. It was all so surreal. I desperately called out to him, he never responded. Cold hard truth hit me, he was already dead.

My family members returned home as soon as they could. We mourned the loss of our family pet, our source of much entertainment and a friend who'd always be near to comfort me. It's really unfair. He's only 5 years old. Why can't he live to a healthy 12+ years like other dogs?

The people from the Pets Cremation Center came to collect his body at 12.30pm. That's the last time I'll ever get to run his soft fur through my fingers again.

I will always remember:
The way you'd welcome us home with your barks of excitement.
The way you'd find retreat into my room during a thunderstorm.
The way you'd hop about when you went for walks.
The way you'd chase cats, despite never being able to catch them at all.
The way you'd laze at your favorite corner.
The way you'd sigh when we ignored you. (Sorry)
The way you'd look when we gave you food.
The way you'd bring a smile to my face.
I'll miss you.

Wherever you are now, I hope you're happy.

Dedicated to my beloved pet, Oreo:

Muse - Endlessly
[View Lyrics]

2006-11-26T14:10:00.000+08:00

I'm so gonna die of a heart attack!!!

Casino Royale Review

2006-11-21T21:46:00.000+08:00

Xx Casino Royale xX

All right... There were no afternoon lesson today due to Staff & Students day. We were supposed to attend it 'coz lessons were cancelled for that sole reason. But as Year 2s, we learnt that the "supposed" only applies to Year 1s. So yep, after morning lessons (which ended at 9, 'coz there wasn't any Lab practical), we left to watch the much anticipated Bond movie: Casino Royale. Lynette and Harvard went to watch Step Up instead, but Harvard did join us for Bond later on. I would have gone home if we were going to watch that, despite it being critically acclaimed amongst my friends. Not a great fan of dance shows, if you will.

Casino Royale
First off, the plot is rather simple yet well-developed. It runs along the line of a simple task: To find out who's funding several terrorist groups. There isn't any big plots like world domination as opposed to most of the predecessive Bond films.

New man, Daniel Craig, hasn't exactly been received with much fanfare. He's barely tall enough and can't exactly drive. But his acting is pretty good. Really portrays the "newbie" Bond in this establishing movie very well.

If you haven't realized, Mr. Bond here has just been promoted to Double 0 status. In this film, he makes wrong decisions that would eventually turn him into the "Trust No-one" Bond we all know. The verbal war between Bond and his superior M are a fantastic play of words - A definite plus for me. Killings are aplenty here as well, since Bond hasn't learnt to control his eager trigger-happy fingers and tone down on his huge ego.

Action blasts off with a gripping chase scene between Bond and a bomber in a construction site in the city of Madagascar. This scene somehow gives a very vague impression of Rhino chasing Spiderman. The bomber's acrobatic stunts would totally wow you. This is just a taste of what's to come in the movie.

If you're a big fan of typical uber high-tech Bond weaponary and flashy gadgets, Casino Royale will disappoint you greatly. Well, that is unless you find the automatic drawers that holds his pistol and medical kit extremely appealing. I like this lack of technology really. Breathes a degree of realism into the story.

Bond's relationship with women in this movie aren't just purely sexual anymore. He actually develops love interest for Vesper Lynd, who is an accountant with the British Treasury and funds Bond the million dollar stakes at the Poker tournament.

Ok, I'll just rip the summary off some other online review. Too lazy to write on anymore. =X
"As if we didn't already know that the main goal of Casino Royale is to rebuild Bond and re-establish his character the film's amazing last scene had everyone in the audience clapping and cheering - at the same time the movie, just ends, with nothing really resolved, leaving you wanting more and waiting breathlessly for the next installment."

Casino Royale is a fantatic film to catch, the only gripe I have about this film is that it's a little draggy at some points.
4/5 stars! Go get your tickets already!

P.S. I totally digg the soundtrack. Lol.

Freezeframes III

2006-11-20T13:56:00.000+08:00

Xx Freezeframes III xX

All right. Been attending Photography lessons as an IS module the past 6 weeks. Today's finally the last day. Whoopee!! Anyway, The first 2 shots are Courtesy of Harvard. The rest are all mine. =)

I crush you with impunity, Alvin!

Poke Poke... Junru laughs with glee at the sight of her friend's torture. Muahahaha!

>.< \\n// =.= \m/

Fly away or be made into fried pigeons!

Fly-kebab.

"I'm a little piggy, here's my snout. Oink oink oink oink oink oink oink."
- Eric Cartmen, South Park Season 5 "Scott Tenorman Must Die"

Pretty in pink, Wet with dew.

That's about it! Just a photo update of sorts.
Till next time, Au Revoir!

P.S. Reuben, No offence to the "I'm a little piggy" thing. Lol. It just comes to my mind. XD

P.P.S. Some of the pictures aren't fully published and I'm too lazy to fix them. Didn't really affect much anyway.

P.P.P.S. I realized viewing photos on my blog can be quite annoying for IE users, 'Coz of the "Reader Discretion" warning popping up everytime you press "Back". So I suggest you right-click the thumbnail and "Open Link in New Window". Cheers!

Dull Weeks

2006-11-17T14:16:00.000+08:00

Xx Dull Weeks xX

The past 2 weeks have been really really dull... Work is piling up and it's starting to get tough. There hasn't been one day I'm not writing a damn report or doing assignments.

Anyway, Mr. Kyle has gone for reservist and has left a 3+ hour void on Friday lessons. Based on anything other than a "crappy reason", I skipped ELTECH lecture which is supposed to start in 50 minutes time. So here I am, blogging at home about the inane while my classmates are probably having fun with water at Jurong Swimming Complex (or any other swimming complex around the Jurong area).

For people who aren't really a fan of insignificant ramblings need to realize that not everyone can execute language with much finesse. Does littering your blog with shakespearean quotes make you an "intellectual writer"?

Bah! I'm off to entertain myself, not in any warped manner.
Till next time, Au revoir!

P.S. Abovetext in italics are ripped off an old post of someone else's blog, titled "orgasmic hamsters".

P.P.S. Her blog had this link here.
Here, Here, Here and Here.
It's a good read for patriotic & loyal citizens of Singapore. Change your perspective a little.

Week of skipping

2006-11-04T01:17:00.000+08:00

Xx Week of Skipping xX

This week wasn't really a good week for study. Basically, I (wasn't alone) skipped a lot of lessons. Actually, I'm just writing this to make myself feel better. Lol! Skipped important lectures like Reaction Engg., TPFF and ELTECH. One time was to catch the crappy movie, The Covenant.

Since I'm at it, I might as well just give this "thriller" a quick review. First off, the storyline was pretty OK but it was shallow and not well explained to the audience. Surprising, ain't it? Shallow yet underexplained. Frankly, I watched the entire movie with little clue of the characters' names. The people cast for this movie were starlets (better name for "sub-standard" actors). No bigshots here. The fighting scenes were extremely lame. It was basically like a scene ripped off from Dragonball Z, except with human actors and lots of computer effects. Come on! I'd expect people with powers of witchcraft to do better than shoot balls of qi, with pathetic accuracy, at one another.

The only plus point is probably the price we paid to watch this crap. My classmate works there, so he got his hands on like a whole stack of 1-for-1 movie vouchers. So the ticket was $3.50. I'm sorry? That plus point I mentioned had nothing to do with the movie, you say? Well, there wasn't any to begin with...

Alright, that was Thursday. Yesterday (technically, 'coz it's 1.30am now), I missed 1 hour lecture of TPFF 'coz we had to travel back from Jurong Point. Ate at Billy Bombers. I have successfully saved a meagre $4 this week. Lol! Anyways, I managed to catch the last hour of TPFF, which was spent daydreaming and talking to my classmates. Lastly, skipped the following lecture of ELTECH. Makes me wonder why I didn't just go home from Jurong Point, or hung out with Reuben, Shaun and Harvard. Those 3 nuts didn't go back to school at all. Ha!

All right, my resolution for this month is to not skip lectures for crappy reasons as similar to those abovementioned. Note: "for crappy reasons".
That's about it. Till next time, Au revoir!

Bro's Wedding Photos

2006-11-02T01:00:00.000+08:00

Xx Bro's Wedding Photos xX

Alright, Shall just post 2 photos. Really lazy to go through tons of them. Get over it! I don't smile in photos! It will look really unnatural, my face all squeezed up into a tight ball. =D

This is me, stoned.

Extended Family Portrait

South Park Mania

2006-10-23T00:34:00.000+08:00

Xx South Park Mania xX

Alright... South Park has got the better of me this few days. Just gotta love the toilet humour and great parodies in it, but sometimes it does touch on pretty important subjects. Found this great site that allows you to make your own South Park characters, so obviously I made a few.

It's supposedly me, but I somehow don't feel the connection. XD

You should have seen this coming. What less would expect from a Muse fan? =X

Matthew Bellamy

Dominic Howard

Christopher Wolstenholme

South Park is cool! They're on Season 10 now. Finished watching Season 9 just now and I'm gonna go get myself Season 8, 7, 6 and so on. Ha! Damn, I'm so gonna spoil my studies.
Alright, Till next time, Au Revoir!

First Week of Sem4

2006-10-20T00:53:00.000+08:00

Xx First Week of Sem 4 xX

Alright... The 4th semester has started this week. It's been pretty alright so far. Modules I'll be taking this semester are: Electrical Technology (which shockingly, has the highest credit unit this sem), Transfer Processes - Fluid Flow, Reaction Engineering (REng), Engineering Mathematics 3, BioProcess Technology and Exploring Photography & French for IS.

Exploring Photography is quite interesting, but meeting the photo quota for the day is slightly stressful. French, I'll be doing after Week 8 when Exploring Photography has ended. Electrical Technology is so much like Physics in secondary school. Hopefully, there won't be much problem there. I think I fear REng and EM3 the most. Guess they are pretty much my weak areas.

Watched Death Note today. It was interesting. It'll be great if it wasn't a 2-parter. 4/5 stars!

Anyway, I still haven't gotten the photos of my brother's wedding. Will post them, if i get them. For now, I shall throw the photos I took for the first lesson of Photography right at your face. =)

Till next time, Au revoir!

Breathe in deep, and cleanse away our sins
And we'll pray that there's no God
To punish us and make a fuss
- Fury, Muse

P.S. Ok there won't be any photos uploaded, until I get back my image editting software. Screw MS Paint!

Quick Update 09.10.2006

2006-10-09T22:51:00.000+08:00

Xx Brief review on Sam's Town + Quick Update 09/10/2006 xX

Alright... Just a fast update. Got my hands on The Killer's new album, Sam's Town, today. Shall give it a really quick review.

The Killer's style of music have evolved slightly towards being more vintage sounding, instead of the catchy upbeat styles heard on Hot Fuss, released 2 years ago. Being targetted at the mainstream audiences, their music is easy on the ears. Pretty catchy and straightforward lyrics. With the exception of live sessions, Brandon Flowers' singing is clearly still as smooth as it was in the last album. The inclusion of the piano is one of the most obvious experimentation in this album. Synth sounds are a major part of The Killer's music, and this album has no lack of it either. Frankly, the new tracks don't motivate me to learn how to play them and they mostly sound pretty much alike. Overall, this album is great for the typical MTV teenager, but hardcore fans of headbanging music should stay away.
I rate Sam's Town a 3.5 on a scale of 5.

Ok, next. My second brother had his wedding dinner last night at the Hyatt Hotel (he's already 28, so you can save the "Wah, so young get married" comment). It was quite typical, though I'm more involved in the process (and better dressed =D) as compared to 3 years ago when my eldest brother had his. Oh yeah, to my NCHS readers. If you can recall our Secondary 1 chinese teacher, Mdm Lim. Well, she's my Second Sis-in-law's Aunt; my Grandma's 10th floor neighbour; and also My Grandaunt's university senior! What an indescribable coincidence, eh? Anyway, will be posting pictures, provided I get them la.

School's starting next week. Oh, I dread that (though most of my friends will beg to differ). Will lose a lot of practice time on my guitar. And the thought of IS is really depressing. Well, at least I managed to get 5 of my classmates into the same modules and classes! We'll be doing Exploring Photography and French. =X

Anyway, that's all for now. Till next time, Au revoir!

P.S. If you wanna grab Sam's Town tracks from me, it'll have to depend on my mood. =)

My first electric guitar

2006-10-02T18:25:00.000+08:00

Xx My First Electric xX

Alright... Just bought my electric guitar today. I know some of you, or at least one person I know, will be quite critical of me. But hey, I know that my guitar isn't exactly a plaything, so I will give it my best shot to learn it well. Besides, I did a week or more of research on this guitar, and on tremolo bridges for that matter. Countless hours spent reading reviews, asking opinions on forums, contacting this American guy for help and trying it out for myself. I think this purchase is quite justified.

Anyway, moving on... My Plug-in Baby (in the tune of MUSE's Plug In Baby) is a Black Ibanez S470, with a ZR tremolo bridge. At least 9 of 10 reviews said this bridge is uber stable, even with tons of whammy abuse. Well, it's not that I'm gonna use it that often for now, but in the near future, Hell Yeah. Tuning the guitar is gonna be a bit of a headache, but well, people need to learn. And yes, some people may find the wavy fret markers annoying, but what to do? I like it. My amp isn't exactly worth mentioning (Heh), it's from Peavy, so let's move on...

Ok, I'm trying to get used to the feel of the electric guitar now. Holding down the strings on the electric guitar are like child's play compared to the acoustic guitar. The body is also a lot less thicker, even by normal electric guitar standards, but it feels pretty comfortable, I must say. Alright, enough of the ramblings already. Mugshot!

Nestled in it's soft humble abode

P.S. To the people who might be potentially critical, there's really nothing I can do to make you feel better. Let's just hope this doesn't affect our friendship at all, alright?

Results Level 2.2 2006

2006-09-15T12:08:00.000+08:00

Xx Results CBE Level 2.2 April 2006 Semester xX

This post is dedicated to "+ why u not in director's list"

Intimidating Aye?

From Muse, With Love!

P.S. Whoever you are, "+ why u not in director's list", you might (or might not) have beaten me. But still, posting a tag without a name proves you have balls the size of peas. Loser! By the way, to describe your command of the English language as pathetic is a total understatement. And no, your "prophecy" isn't exactly true, is it?

P.P.S. The results are there, it's not very hard to find.

Results Out Soon

2006-09-13T17:13:00.001+08:00

Xx Results Out Soon! xX

Exam results will be out on Friday. *Crosses Fingers*

Anyway, I'm feeling damn bored these few days. I was, and still am, so bored till I went to continue my unfinished Kingdom Hearts II. It's a game developed between the makers of the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy series, Square Enix, and Walt Disney. Dropped that game the last time 'coz it got pretty darn annoying. They talk too much and the things they talk about makes you feel no more intelligent than a three-year old.

Quote Sora, the protagonist of the game, "'Coz we're friends, and that's what being friends are all about." Oh puh-leasseeee... How much more naive can this get?

Basically, you watch the cutscenes of this game at the expense of your intelligence. Fortunately, there's a "Skip Scene" option. Kudos to the developer for thinking of that. Also, the enemy monsters are no challenge. It's just a matter of how fast you can mash the buttons.

Yeah, that just shows how bored I am. Been practicing the guitar a bit recently as well. But well, it gets really demoralizing sometimes. Anyway, that's about it. Till Friday, Au revoir and wish myself luck ('Coz I know nobody would post well-wishes on the tagboard XD).

P.S. Stockholm Syndrome MV is chaotic! Woot!

RIP Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin

2006-09-04T23:41:00.000+08:00

Xx RIP - Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin xX

CAIRNS, Australia - Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.

Irwin was at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of northeastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called "Ocean's Deadliest" when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous barb on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.

Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later, Stainton said.

-AP

That's really saddening news. Out of respect, I'm dedicating this post to the legendary Crocodile Hunter.

I used to watch his shows in the past and still do occasionally. He's always so full of life when educating the audience on the, undoubtedly dangerous, animals. I sympathise for his family. 2 young kids left without a father. Sigh, let's just hope that his legacy will live on through his work in the Zoo.

RIP - Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin
Born: 22 Feb 1962
Died: 4 Sept 2006

P.S. I have got no idea. I think Starlight is most befitting for this event, so I placed this video back on again.

P.P.S No, I do not want to hold him in my arms. I want to shake his hand if I could though.

Let freedom ring!

2006-08-25T21:32:00.000+08:00

Xx Let Freedom Ring! xX

Yes! Freedom is ringing! Exams have finally ended! Let's do a quick prediction.

Firstly, Analysis of Chemical Engineering Processes wasn't so bad, with the exception of the 61 I scored for CT2. So, I predict that I should be able to get a B+. Transfer Processes Heat & Mass is pretty steady, so I hope for an A in that. Environmental Technology better land me an A, otherwise I'm damn sure it's the stupid project work's fault. Occupational Health & Safety a.k.a. Bullshit-also-can-get-C module - Maybe a B or C+, I really don't know. Engineering Materials - Probably a B as well. Chemical Engineering Laboratory 2.2, I hope for an A in it. I&E: Event Management - It has got to be PASS, or my group will be the first to fail in 5 years. That's about it.

Calculating the predicted grades, I should get a GPA of at least 3.6. Nope, stop being an ass. I won't be able to get 4.0 this time. So the "Wa, GPA 4.0 lei" suaning can stop already. Results will be released on the 15th of September. Best of luck to me! =)

7 weeks of holidays are ahead. What to do with it? I hope I'll be able to keep my motivation up and practice my guitar. I still suck badly at it. Maybe I should draw up an objective plan or something. Yeah, that's about it. I'll also need to buy a new set of threads for my 2nd brother's wedding. Aiyo, ma fan lei. To Soo Guan, Jim, Sam or whoever, please accompany me. =D

Till next time, Au Revoir!

Frustrated, Underperforming, Unmotivated

2006-08-17T18:21:00.000+08:00

Xx Frustrated, Underperforming, Unmotivated xX

Final exams starts this Saturday with the 1st paper, AnChem. Yup, this Saturday. Why am I here still blogging away then? 'Coz I'm totally unmotivated and frustrated. Every time I start on a post-CT topic question, I'm stumped. I used to be able to blaze through 3 or 4 past year papers in a day. Today (and yesterday), I've barely ~~completed~~ attempted one, with tonnes of reasonable doubts with my answers. I seem to be lacking a goal, an objective.

Have I let my guard down? My driving force seems to have been broken down. Even the dissatisfaction in myself for scoring 61 in the last AnChem test isn't propelling me forward. Butterflies and Hurricanes ain't helping much either.

I haven't, and never will, completely give up. But it's also time to realize, staying up here ain't so easy afterall. I'll have my comeback, some other time.

"You're working so hard
And you're never in charge
Your death creates success
Rebuild and suppress"

- Ruled By Secrecy, Muse

18th Birthday

2006-08-12T00:28:00.000+08:00

Xx 18^th Birthday

Hey there! Had my 18th birthday celebrated with a few great friends less than a few hours ago. Firstly, a brief thanks to all who remembered my birthday! Alright, let's go through yesterday, technically, in a bit more detail.

Went to back to school today at 10am. For what? Just to play Battlefield 2 with my classmates. Lol. It's a really addictive game! Even though Alex and Weijie were introduced to it only on Thursday, they were the ones who suggested the idea of coming early to fight it out at the "in-school LAN shop".

Next, we met up with the rest of the class at the atrium as we were about to go on a "field trip" to a chemical plant in Jurong Island. Bah, the plant smelled like crap, literally. They use bacteria to treat their wastewater, thus the "crappy" smell. Well, the ester plant smelled like caramel though (Serious!).

We returned back to school at about 4.20pm. Then I headed to Plaza Singapura to meet up with Soo Guan and Sam. I wanted to buy a wallet for Elaine since her birthday was only a few weeks ago. But there weren't any shops that sold good looking wallets! Anyway, Elaine gave me a wallet for my birthday. How ironic! Lols. In the end, I didn't get her a gift, so I decided to treat her to Dinner later on.

Met up with Jimathan and Jiaqun later on at the Fish & Co. glasshouse. We were like half hour early and the girls, with the exception of Jiaqun, weren't even on their way yet. Anyway, we decided to go in to reserve seats first. Talked for a while inside while waiting for the others to show up. Then Jimathan decides to leave. I think it might be because he was afraid to miss the fireworks or something, I really don't know. Anyway, it was a bit disappointing, in what way I won't say, but I don't hold it against him though. Anyway, the girls - Elaine, Christabel, Shiying - showed up in like less than 1 minute after Jim & Jiaqun left. So anyway, we had dinner, payment courtesy of Yours Sincerely. Haha. Then we rushed down to the Esplanade to watch the fireworks, only to realize we had half hour to spare.

The fireworks display was pretty nice with a few "wow-ing" effects in between. After that, we just walked around like idiots without any aim. Lols. Finally decided to chill at Cheers (Yes, the convenience store and that of all places). Didn't have a choice since we were so tired, we'd settle for anything. Had some chit-chat till about 10.30pm before we decided to head home. Yup. That's about it for today!!

Now, the Thank You part. Again, Thanks to all those who remembered my birthday! Joseph, thanks for trying to make it down for dinner, but it's alright since you had something important on. Thanks to my classmates, especially to Leon & Elena, who bought me a great Billabong shirt. Elaine, thanks for the wallet! I wanted to give you a wallet too, ye' know? Haha. Thanks to Jimathan who gave me a wrist-rest to go with my mouse. I would have loved the guitar pick you promised me though (Just kidding). =) And many thanks to my Eldest brother, who gave me a Diesel watch. I feel bad for not saying Thanks to him verbally though. Oops? Lastly, Thanks to everyone who spent time with me yesterday evening. You guys are great!

That's about it, Au revoir!

My "bounty" for the day!

Hello World

Laptop still down =(

2006-08-03T20:35:00.000+08:00

Xx Laptop Still Down xX

Hmmm... My laptop is really on borrowed time... It's gone bonkers. Keeps switching between AC and DC mode. Must be something wrong with the internal power supply. Anyway, the "engineer", as the Acer helpdesk people call them, came down on Monday to replace my Motherboard and Cooling fan. Didn't resolve anything at all. This problem is really temperamental. Doesn't appear when you want it to show up, but amazingly pops up when you're doing serious work. Ergh!! They better fix it tomorrow!!

Anyway, I had TPHM, AnChem and OHS test the past 3 days. Man, TPHM was sort of OK with 80%, I guess. I really didn't think I deserved the 3 marks he gave for Question One, in which I did a "anyhow humtum one equation" move on. The equation was totally wrong, in relation to that question la. But oh well, that 3 marks got me hanging on the border of an A. What else can I ask for? =)

AnChem was horrible. I left a 30 mark Question blank, since Dr. Lim doesn't consider diagrams as part of the answer. Haha. I think I also have at least 5 other sub-questions blank or "anyhow humtum one equation". Lol... I only hope for a Pass for this paper and at best, a C.

Was chatting the night before OHS test. Totally didn't bother to read up on it. Who gets turned on by "The 14 Elements of Safety Management Systems"?! The test was pretty common-sensical and with a bit of bullshitting, I think I can pass it.

I think that's about it. Till next time, Au revoir!

P.S. Chow! Not fair sia! You have your father as sponsor for your RHCP collection. Bleah! =P

Laptop Gone Nuts

2006-07-24T23:36:00.000+08:00

Xx Laptop Gone Nuts xX

Hmmm... I would have seen this coming. It's just a matter of time. All Acer laptop seems to go Conk at some point. Mine's just a small problem. Rather irritating actually. At first, it was just the constant fluctuation of the brightness setting. I meddled with the stupid Power Setting program and it didn't help at all. Next, it would just spontaneously shut down or reboot.

I managed to get it running still, for now. I'm thinking it's the software mentioned above's problem. And fortunately, I have a removable HDD to backup all my stuff into. So if this laptop dies, I still have my work! =) Shall reformat the stupid HDD when I feel like it, or when it really fails on me.

Anyway, my Mondays are finally free from IS!! Don't have to see that bunch of inept BA students, who cannot textually differentiate Pool Centre from Swimming Pool, anymore. Well, at least until next semester. Peer Evaluation's left... Hmmm... It's gonna be real interesting.

By the way, went to cut my hair this morning. "What the Fuck" is all I can say (Sorry, I'm really pissed)... I have got no idea how to describe it. How did she mix up Jian Bao and Jian Duan?!?! She even asked me several times where I would like it to be trimmed (Jian Duan) and where it should be thin (Jian Bao). Damn... I'm never gonna let her cut my hair again. I'd rather have the fat Aunty-"Lian" cut my hair. Guess I won't have to cut my hair for like 2 months, to get it back to the previous length. That should give you an idea how short my hair is now. Lols.

That's all for now. Till next time, Au revoir!

Muse freak

2006-07-23T16:49:00.000+08:00

Xx Muse Freak? xX

Somebody else's Muse collection

I'm not a Muse freak. =X well, maybe crazed fan, yes. I'm nowhere near that collection. But someone, somewhere else, is crazier than I am. I wonder how much that cost the dude/dudette. Hmm....

Chondriac

2006-07-15T00:59:00.000+08:00

Xx Chondriac xX

Just a random title... Lol. Anyway, watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest on Thursday. It was a pretty alright show. Johhny Depp really does bring out the silly antics of Captain Jack Sparrow. I personally thought the way Sparrow walked was rather entertaining. The special effects were extremely well done too. Very intricate set of teeth on the monster. I feel a great urge to spoiler every single one of you reading my blog, but then again, I shan't be so mean. XD I can't decide between rating it 3.5 or 4 of 5 stars. You watch it and tell me, a'ight?

Bought the Hullabaloo and Absolution Tour DVDs on that day as well. Had to borrow money from Elena just to get them. =X Watched Hullabaloo already. Explosive performance! That is, provided you watch it on a proper entertainment system and not off some shit laptop with crappy speakers. (A PC ain't good enough either XD) Briefly scanned through the "Documentary" on Disc 2. Saving it to watch some other time. Well, let's say it revealed a little something naughty about the drummer. *Sniggers* And no, they don't show porn on Music DVDs.

Till next time, Au revoir!

P.S. Joseph! I have yet to go to your house to turn your guitar into a two-necked one! When?! *Taps feet impatiently* XD

A "Small" Fortune

You-Caption-It

Photo Update 772006

2006-07-07T00:57:00.000+08:00

Xx Photo-Update 7/7/2006 xX

Alright. Just a fast photo update. Finally, I have gotten all of Muse's CDs. $100+ spent in a week. I bought them to rip to 320 kbps mp3s and also for the nice album art too. Hahaha! Hell yeah, I'm crazy. But there's this EP left called Random 1-8 exclusive to Japan. Saw it at HMV last week... Tempting. Next up, Hullabaloo DVD. =P

Anyway, watched Superman Returns today. I fell asleep on & off a few times within the 1st hour of the movie. It was boring to me, or maybe 'coz I was too tired la. I give it 3 of 5 stars anyway. Too lazy to review it fully, but aiya. It's a typical Hero-Saves-The-Day movie la ah.

I don't have photos of the Ice-Cream stall yet. Lazy to get from my groupmates. Shall ask when I feel like it.
Till next time, Au revoir!

Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry, Hullabaloo, Absolution, Black Holes & Revelations

Ditto

Superman Tickets

Won't Be Singing For Absolution

2006-07-05T20:36:00.000+08:00

Xx Won't Be Singing For Absolution xX

Absolve: To pronounce clear of guilt or blame.
Taken from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Finally, my I&E: Events Management has ended! Selling Ice-Cream was the "event". Lol. I didn't want to change the decision since I'm kinda like the odd one out in my group. I'm the only CBE student while the others are all from BA. Managed to earn back about $256 in 13 hours, over 2 days. Still a loss overall though. I'd rather Pay for a Pass than to fail it. What's left is the presentation and some stupid assignments to fill up.

For the sake of manning the Ice-Cream stall, I skipped my tutorials today. Apparantly, this made Mr. Ong real upset. My classmates told me he will be looking for my I&E tutor and I think he's gonna give me a piece of his mind as well.

First of all, I skipped ALL tutorials for that day, not only his. So, I declare that I am not disrespecting him, if that is what matters, in any way and neither am I doing it on purpose.

Secondly, It is as if I am doing extremely badly for his module. Therefore, I do not feel that prioritizing the option of helping out at the stall above attending his tutorial as irresponsibility on my part as a student.

Thirdly, it was the last day of the "event" and I figured out that not helping out would bring about a bad impression of me in my groupmates' minds. That would inevitably affect my chances of Passing the module since Peer Evaluation is considered.

Lastly, I do not see what my skipping of one tutorial has got to do with my I&E tutor. The decision was made solely at my own discretion and I received no influence from the tutor in any way.

I am not trying to put myself out of blame here though. Yes, I realize skipping lessons are not right but under circumstances as elaborated above, I believe that making such a big fuss out of this puny incident is totally not worth it. If the unholy wrath of words are incurred upon me, I still won't be "Singing for Absolution".

Will be photo-updating soon, I think.
Till then, Au Revoir!

P.S. Loads of Thanks to all my friends who patronized my stall and understood what position I was in today. Tag any comments if you wish.
By the way, "Sing for Absolution" is a nice song. It's not a rock song which I usually post. I apologise if the video size is small, it was the best I could find. But please do give it a listen. Cheers =)

aMused

2006-06-30T21:00:00.000+08:00

Xx aMUSEd xX

Note: This is really a boring post. You are forgiven if you skip this post. XD

I think Muse's music has gotten the better of me. Haha. Went down to Town with my classmates for a walk. Reuben was waiting at Borders, so we went to look for him. Browsed the Music section for probably more than 40 minutes. Was considering buying Showbiz there, but it was like $24.95 for an album released 7 years ago. So I didn't get it there in the end.

We then went on to Far East to look for a gift for some particular reason. Couldn't find anything nice there though. Or rather, we thought the stuff there wouldn't suit the intended gift receiver. After that, I requested to go to HMV to hunt for the CDs I wanted. Showbiz retailed at $18.95 and Hullabaloo at $28.95. Lols. I have no idea if they left 1 Hullabaloo on the shelf with the intent to make it look like it was the last copy or what, but it sure was expensive. I got it anyway, since I don't have most of the songs on that album.

Anyway, I intend to get the other 3 albums one day. I got 'bankrupt-ed' instantly after the trip to HMV. What a rip-off! Lols. I saw Absolution and Origin of Symmetry at Borders and HMV. Both were the last ones on the shelf! Darn. Didn't have money to grab those 2 albums. I didn't see their latest Blackholes & Revelations though. Muse was also on the front cover of some music magazine at HMV too. At a whopping $10, I'll pass.

Argh!! Whatever la. I probably bored the heck out of you. Or rather, I doubt anyone would get this far. Haha!
Anyway, Till next time, Au revoir!

Showbiz & Hullabaloo

Sem3 CT results

2006-06-28T22:16:00.000+08:00

Xx Sem 3 CT Results xX

Got back a few papers today. Fantastic results really, at least I'm satisfied. 98 for TPHM; 90 for AnCHem; 88 for ENV. I didn't expect Mr. Ong to set such a straight-forward paper for TPHM. Anyway, he asked "Do you all find this paper difficult?" Gerard Tan replied with a Yes. And guess what he got in return.

Mr. Ong: "Don't give me that kind of crap when you got 98 ah."

Lols. That gave us a hell of a laugh. Frankly, I think he's kinda like the King of Bullshit. Ok, maybe he's second to Gerard Chen la.

Reuben topped (I think?) the class in AnChem with 92. It was really surprising. Considering how laid-back he is in his studies. Haha!

Will be receiving EMAT and OHS tomorrow. I'm daresay my OHS will suck damn bloody badly. Time will tell. Well, in 12 hours that is. Anyways, I'm outta here. Shall add in the results tomorrow.

Till next time, Au Revoir!

Update: I scored a spectacularly average 64 for OHS and a mediocre 79 for EMAT. Yup, that's it.

Einstein Says

2006-06-20T00:33:00.000+08:00

Xx Einstein Says xX

Hahaha! Just couldn't resist doing this. Pretty amusing! XD
It's just a joke, ya. Maybe unintended passive sarcasm at best, but still a joke! Don't take it too seriously! ROFL.

LMAO! Just a joke! XD

CTs over for now

2006-06-09T21:33:00.000+08:00

Xx CTs for 3rd Sem over for now xX

Damn. Had Occupational Safety and Health paper just now. It sucked, totally. I just bullcrapped past the whole thing. Lol. So much memorization work for 2 credits? I'll pass. Bye GPA 4.0. XD
Left the LT half hour early. Almost everyone in my class stepped out early. The others were probably writing a million-word essay or something. Anyway, it's over.

Hopefully, I did well for AnChem and ENV. Don't know the results yet, but I'd be real down if I don't hit what I expect. Eng. Materials was a waste of time. I guess I should be pretty ok for that one. Not exactly expecting a fancy grade for that 2-credit module as well.

What's left is Transfer Processes - Heat & Mass. TPHM is the killer, I tell you. Largely due to the fact that Mr Ong is setting it. He's, quote Miss Swan*, a "tricky dicky". Lols. No offence la. But the questions he sets are so twisted, you'd just fall into his trap almost everytime. Fortunately, the test is scheduled after the term break. Phew!

So for now, I guess I'll take a chill pill and relax. I really wonder if there's gonna be any games tonight. 'Coz it's the World Cup Season and I doubt people would skip an 'exciting' soccer match. I'm not keeping my hopes up.

Anyway, Till next time, Au Revoir!
* Miss Swan is just a little lady character from USA's MadTV. She does really funny skits. Check them out on YouTube! It's worth the time. Better than HardGay. XD

Oops?

2006-05-31T21:05:00.000+08:00

Xx Oops? xX

Mr. Charles Ong found my blog, by accident! What the heck! There, that wasn't a vulgarity. I did a word search on the front page of my blog and I only found 2 "f**k"s. So I'm not very vulgar, a'ight? And "orgasm" in "orgasmically stimulated" was just for dramatization la. Haha! Anyway, that's beside the point.

Skipped AnChem lecture this morning 'coz I didn't think I want to sit through the 3-hour break like a zombie. I wasn't alone, obviously. Only 3 from my class went to the lecture. That made Dr. Lim very disappointed. But hey, we all apologised to her later that day la. It was nothing personal la, the lecture-skipping. It's just that the long break was really unattractive.

Anyway, Common tests are next week. Not really feeling the "stress" yet. Well, that's me. I'd probably panic when the weekends arrive. Then I'll go into overdrive. Ok la. Shall go finish up the CEL worksheet.

Till next time, Au Revoir!
Note to self: Change back to the old [BoB] image when there's time. The current one sucks!