CXX—Avatar & everything else

120

Well, went to watch Avatar with some of my secondary school friends a few days back, and seriously, there is hardly a word to describe how wonderful this movie is. How corporate greed leads to racial—as in human-alien—betrayal and the such...well, if you have not watched it, I suggest you do, or your holidays may have simply gone to waste. ;) It is definitely one of the best films of the year. James Cameron should give himself a pat on the back!

In other news, school's starting soon, and if you're in a quandary over what to do over the New Year Weekend, too bad. Mine at the very least is filled, though not to the brim. Bryan's New Year party will feature quite a fair bit over the next 2 days. That means lots of XBOX360 (Halo at least), people, mahjong and of course, the annual movie marathon which we all love. Saturday's empty on my schedule, but Sunday evening me and the other choir people will be celebrating Moses' and Bryan's 18^th!

Still, that would mean the last term of my school year would arrive. Huzzah. Just hope I can land that facilitator job. :D

Thus with this post I wave adieu to this tumultuous decade that has been marked in blood, fear, empty pockets and the great surf surge (which means the internet domination). Since there is no word that can collectively describe these 10 years adequately (and since "Naughties" seemed, to quote a man of prominence, "silly"), I will aptly leave this aside.

Goodbye, decade with no label. Not that people need labels for this anyways, for it's just too...memorable. :P

Oh, and a happy New Year too!

Till then!~

P.S Happy birthday, Dad (:

CXIX - Joyeux Noël.

119

As I type this we herald what all people, regardless of who we are and where we're from, have been waiting for. Something maybe perhaps worth keeping note in a not-too-good year.~

It's cold right now. Perhaps it's to keep to this spirit so many are familiar with.

Christmas. What more is there to say? Fir trees, presents, Santa. We all love it no?

Well, nothing to say now, so before I sign off:

Joyeux Noël. Merry Christmas. (:



Till then!~

CXVIII - Holly-DAZED.

118

This holiday has proven itself much tougher to endure than I have initially thought.

It can get quite boring and routine, and multiplied with my siblings' rowdiness (sometimes I can't stand how immature they can become), it simply starts to turn out being quite disappointing.

However, these few weeks can redeem themselves yet.

Firstly, credit to Wen Xin for finding websites like MLIA to help me kill time. How much more average can my life get? Otherwise it would seem that Facebook is my only constant companion—maybe it really is. It becomes your friend when no-one else seems to have time for get-togethers (or for you), and after several hours refreshing your homepage and profile-hopping, it becomes a real bugger. So Wen Xin, thanks (:

Next, and no prizes for guessing, is Forza 3. –Graeme, this is a lil' taste-test for you.

It has given me hours of artificial adrenaline-fuelled racing in cars I hope, but not really expecting, to get. The fastest I've come to? In a Veyron, the thousand-horsepower legend, on the Le Mans straight—396km/h, 11km/h off the mark. It's the closest to actually driving it, as the tyres screech, the engine screams and whines, and the landscape passes in a blur of colour. To top the icing on this delight of a game is how your vehicle interacts with the environment—barricades, opponents, grass, everything. Trying to knock another car off the track when you're doing 300km/h, even on a straight, can yield disastrous results.

Or does it? The Rewind utility is there to mend every wrong you make when doing speeds even the traffic police would be afraid of. However, abusing this utility (or using it at all) could result in you cheating and winning races on its back. Sure, you can use it all you want when you're practicing, just to make sure you get a good feel of the track, but NOT when you race just to win—that's cheating.

Also in is the cockpit view, where you 'drive' in the driver's seat itself, with detailed...details of the car's interior (unique to each and every car) which adds to the realism. But, the view from there is poor, so those less comfortable with racing only being able to see some of the track ahead of you could try the bumper or hood view for a change.

See? I forgot all about my holiday blues already! :D

Anyways, Christmas is coming, so yeah. Hope to at least be merry with my friends around and NOT just have me sitting in front of some electronic device or console and burning my eyes out. That would really suck.

Happy holidays!

Till then~

CXVII – Yesterday’s everything.

117

It's a review, recollection, and result, all rolled into one convenient post.

Let's start with the review first.

New Moon

So I've been told, this show was only meant for sissies. And so I tell them, speak for yourselves.

Ok, let's move on.

The rough synopsis is as such: Bella is growing older; Edward isn't. When he and the Cullens leave Forks for her safety, she seeks solace from her painful depression through committing dangerous stunts and in spending time with Jacob, an old friend. However, something happens to him as well, and at the same time something/one is out baying for her blood (no prizes for guessing who, really). Through some miscommunications, Edward ends up going to Italy to have himself killed by an ancient coven, but is stopped just in time—not before a quick fight, though. They eventually return to Forks, and Bella, desperate to stay 18 forever, has to make a choice that could break an uneasy truce and cause...bloodshed.

On to the review. Surprisingly, it didn't contain very much action scenes—in fact it could possibly add up to not much more than 5 minutes of real fighting out the movie's 2-hour length—instead focussing on Bella's struggle with her feelings following Edward's departure. As such, it made for a, erm, rather dry plot which sees little character development (except for in Jacob's case, of course). Here however the feud between the vampires and local Indian tribes becomes much clearer.

Verdict: If you are a fan of the series, then good news: it could possibly appeal to you, though it could not be more appealing to teenage girls, as I found out in the cinema (yes, time to get Jacob's physique). However, if you are neither, well, just prepare for some disappointment.

Score: 3/5. Some reviews are far more critical of this, I promise you.

Other than the movie

My family and I had lunch at Billy Bombers which was, unsurprisingly, almost empty, yesterday. Who can deny that Orchard Cineleisure is a prime teen hangout spot, added to the fact that Billy Bombers is flanked by far cheaper fast food joints? Even then fast food can be notoriously expensive.

Had pretty good food, actually. Ribs were awesome, not to mention the oysters and the chicken, and the mixed grill (lamb, potato, chicken, whatnot), and the malt shake—see how much I ate? ;) I was pretty happy with the meal, though it burned a massive hole in my dad's pocket. After that was New Moon. Then we just went straight home.

Graeme and Sean had been telling me about Google Earth, and I couldn't help but try it out on my laptop.

I was astounded. I love it.

This is already the most basic tier, so don't expect much detail. As far as realism is concerned, only the lie of the land is. Buildings and structures are flat. Want to get more? You'll have to pay.

[EDIT]: After some tinkering, I realised that there IS 3D buildings utility, although it's quite unwieldy and slow (kills my processor when I go to cities like NY--massive lag). And weather. Don't know whether that's live, though.

Last, but definitely not least,

Results—not live from Prague

Ms Yeo has given us the most wonderful news: DmnChoir has gotten GOLD (2^nd in category) and BEST for interpretation of a song (Kasar)!! Best news I've heard in a while. Heard they're now headed for Dresden. Snowfights expected. xP So we're all happily awaiting their return on the 17^th. Flourish of cornets!

That's all for now. Quite a long post, this.

Till then!~

CXVI – HollyDaze!

116

EXAMS ARE OVER. Enough said.

Forza 3 shall soon be part of my console collection. This game has gotten rave reviews, and it could be the closest thing to getting an R8 or Veyron and travelling up to 350km/h on the streets without getting a speed ticket under your windscreen wiper. Can't wait!

Also, the choir is about to perform in a competition in Prague in an hour or so. Songs in the repertoire include O Magnum, Audete and 平安夜. Results should be out by evening there (which means past midnight here on Sunday). Prayers are with them! Ah, memories of winter 2005 are flowing back to me now, miss them.

Anyways, that's all I have to write for now. Three weeks of holidays!

Happy holidays. (:

Till then!~

CXV

115

I'm tired.

Next week's schedule is chock-full of exam papers. But on Friday I shall be set free.

Free to go wherever I please. Free to do (almost) anything without let or hindrance.

Or at least, that is how I hope it to be. After all, not everything can go your way, so I'll be happy with what the holidays can offer me. (:

Before I go on my week-long hiatus, here's a parting "gift", so to speak...hope you like it!

TO MY EXAMS

Well, it's time to part, adieu

Sayonara, goodbye.

Enjoy yourself while you can

But my exams, your end is nigh!

Tragic to think that you'll go so soon

But I'll laugh with vengeful scorn,

For when the time comes, so quickly

You'll disappear, vanish, be gone.

And thereafter I'll be thinking back,

What if you could feel?

Then when I realise that you CAN'T...

All I have to say?

Adieu.

Till then!~

CXIV

114

The controversy rages on.

Many say global warming is putting the Earth at risk, that the North Pole will have an ice-free summer by 2100, that if it isn't stopped, it will change the world as we know it forever.

And hardly anyone, least those who I know, disputes that.

However, there must be a form of balance in this dispute. That lies in climatology.

Haven't you noticed that all these things about the detrimental effects of global warming have been said, and written, by scientists, as well as influential personalities like Al Gore? Not that I am against their views, but what do the climatologists have to say? Isn't it that, as some say, asking a scientist about climatology is akin to asking a brain surgeon about the respiratory system? Maybe they would know a little of that, but nevertheless, that is not their specialisation.

Scientists talk of the human contribution to global warming, and mention little else of the other contributing factors. Climatologists, however, focus more on the latter, less-talked about facets of this aspect of their profession.

This increase in global temperatures, they say, is attributed more to the natural climate cycle, which states that such temperatures rise naturally before falling (like a balance) and causing a worldwide cooling, in which we know in the form of major ice ages of old, and other such phenomena than humans. And so our actions cannot be said to be conclusive of the detrimental effects of global warming.

In any case, what the scientists have stirred up has indeed brought about an improvement in the way we live. Green energy points to the future (although still in its infancy), and there have been pressure to reduce our carbon footprint in every way possible. In urban establishments, we enjoy fresher air and cleaner surroundings, and why not? Whether or not it would make a real impact in stemming global warming, at least for us living in towns and cities, we can breathe easy, literally.

The real debate between scientists and climatologists does not lie here. I only write about the two sides of this story, to make people aware that, in fact, there are people who believe this isn't our fault. After all, there will always be two faces to a coin.

Where is the debate, then? It could be in the international tribunals, numerous dialogues, or even simple arguments of loggerheads in a chatroom over the internet. The truth to that debate, however, lies in time.

One side has to be right.

Till then~

CXIII

113

Well, it's lost.

No more OC for me ):

Now I'm all for facilitator in the FOC/P! Sean supports me too, hope Jac succeeds as well! xD

School tomorrow, damn. But what the hell, holidays begin on the 12^th, so I'm just holding my breath. So quickly, this year has come, and now going...going...almost gone.

Come on Honour Roll, you're mine!

Ok that's all.

Till then!~

CXII

112

Hey guys.

I have well and truly run out of things to write on my blog.

Unless...

Anyways, I have gone for the SP FOC/P OC Interview just yesterday. Even though I stammered—not to mention quite a bit—my chances are, in opinion, quite good. I'm sure Sean and Jac have done well too. WE WILL GET INTO THE OC! :D:D

But, in the shock case whereby I DON'T, I shall not fret. Facilitator slots are up for grabs, and chances are competition will be low :S

And the rest shall be history.

Also, I will be busy this coming weekend with the YMCA Fencing competition in which my siblings are participating in.

(EDIT) JING XIANG CLINCHED THE BRONZE, AND I HAD A BLAST! WELL DONE BRO!!! :D LI-ING, YOU DID WELL TOO!

There, all there is to write has been written. Least for now.

Oh, and MSTs end on the 11^th of next month, with the time thereafter given free for me to enjoy the festive cheer. That leads to yet another thing: Freeman's New-Year party! That has been a tradition for most of us former choirboys (and gals). Won't miss it for the world (:

Till then!~

CXI

111

I'm watching Lethal Weapon 4 on HBO now, and it's really, really funny.

Swashbuckling kung-fu (ooh, ouch) and sarcastic humour—perfect for a Monday night. After a perfect dinner, of course.

Sarcastic, intelligent humour: what I like about British comedy. From Monty Python's Flying Circus in the 60s and 70s, Fawlty Towers in the latter decade, Blackadder in the 80s, A Bit of Fry and Laurie in the 90s, and Little Britain in the new millennium, Brit comedy has become a class of its own.

It also has a neat cast too, featuring but not limited to John Cleese, Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Tom Robinson, and they would give us what would be quintessentially British. This is what I think is cultivated during the Blitz, using humour to get them through their "Finest Hour". 70 years hasn't ruined that, has it?

Whee. Looks I'm addicted to that. :D

So if you're feeling down or out (not surprised if it's homework), watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn15BUFBvu8&feature=related – FAWLTY TOWERS, 1975
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iB8qh0-hGc – BLACKADDER, THE CAVALIER YEARS, 1989
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npjOSLCR2hE – MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, 1969

The rest? Discover them yourself! :D

Till then!~

CX

110

Cool weather, check. Nice breeze, check. Thunderstorms, ch-. Well, we can see that can't we?

Yes, the annual monsoon season is upon us once again, heralding temperatures as low as 24◦C, if you believe that is so. And I can safely say everyone loves it.

Perfect weather for sleep, for an afternoon indoors. And maybe perfect for a bad bout of cold, it's so cold at times!

Now, finally, I am finishing up the work meant to be done for next week, and I am proud of it. (:

And for IDEA, its Aston's for our experience presentation! That means root beer, mashed potato, and medium-rare sirloin steak! However, that would only come after Graeme and I conquer our CRS article assessment. Which means we're running out of time.

Also, it's only 2 weeks to the MSTs. Accounts is THE module to worry about, as everyone would agree.

So, with that:

Till then! :D

CIX

109

Ok, so I'm down with a bad bout of the cold.

Well, it isn't that bad, is it? Just my 3^rd bout in 3 weeks! Still, I feel absolutely pathetic.

Like I've grown...old. By multiples. It's aging, accelerated. I've even got white hair sprouting out! D:

Anyways, I've got work aplenty to complete, and here they are, in chronological order:

1. POA: Lab exercises 2-5, as well as Tutorial on Float, due Monday.
   
2. Critical Reasoning Skills: My article on Animal Testing, with a cross-reference to Graeme's "Life's a box" conformity article, to be tested on Monday.
   
3. Statistics: Tutorial on Chi-Square (wow), due Tuesday.
   
4. Economics: Tutorial 15 (so much for catching up), due Thursday.
   

With that in mind, I'll enjoy my Friday despite all the lectures. And maybe procrastinate just a tad bit (?!), before I delve in. MSTs looming over the horizon!!!

And on this "bombshell", enjoy your weekend!

Till then!~ (: