Crossing Over

I can't seem to think of anything to blog for my last entry of 2004. I think it's mostly due to the fact that I'm feeling really sleepy right now. I won't have time to blog tomorrow so I wish everyone out there:

Happy New Year!!

See you in 2005. :)

Back To Bloody School

I've been sick for the past 2 days. It's the most sick I've been in a long time. Fever, headaches, cough and a sore throat. Good thing it only lasted for a couple of days.

So it's back to school again this week, but I'm in no mood to work at all. Come on, it's the holiday season! It's not right that anyone work during this period. Or for at least these 2 weeks of Christmas and the New Year.

Right now I'm reading this book:

Sense and Sensuality: Jesus Talks to Oscar Wilde on the Pursuit of Pleasure



Why would God create us with such strong appetites for pleasure if He didn't intend for us to indulge them? Oscar Wilde gets to ask Jesus Christ this question in Ravi Zacharias's fictional dialogue -- the second book in the dramatic Great Conversations series. Wilde, a witty author and conversationalist who committed his life to the pursuit of pleasure, is the ideal person to argue with Jesus about this perplexing issue. The two historical figures think out loud about beauty, Blaise Pascal, and the Bible in a sparkling interchange that will fascinate and enlighten readers.


For those of you don't know, Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet and dramatist whose reputation rests on his comic masterpieces Lady Windermere's Fan(1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Among Wilde's other best-known works are his only novel The Picture of Dorian Gray(1891) and his fairy tales especially "The Happy Prince".

It's a really interesting book that discusses topics like why we shouldn't fully pursue pleasure and what happens when we do just that, just like Oscar Wilde.

I mean why shouldn't we pursue pleasure? And if it's wrong, why God make it so good or that Man would pursue pleasure to such a painful limit?

Fascinating questions. Alright, I've got some work to do now. Update later. :)

The Christmas Story

As it's Christmas, I feel that it's only appropriate that we remember what Christmas is really about. A simple way of doing that is by finding out the origin of Christmas. So if you never knew why we celebrate Christmas, or never read the story itself, just read on.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. -John 3:16

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.1You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.”

“I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

The Birth of Jesus

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ[a] the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

(Source: Luke 1:26-38, Luke 2:1-20)

Merry Christmas everyone. =)

Just Another Day In School

Inventory Management. First of all, I don't know what's going on in the class because it's just so darn complicated. Who would have thought that managing a warehouse and ordering stock involved so much calculations? Anyway I went to Inventory Management class today with practically nothing. I haven't bought the notes yet and my laptop is sick. What's more, I made the ultimate mistake of sitting in the front row, near the tutor's desk when I arrived.

Sitting in the front row means you're always under the tutor's scrutiny no matter what you do, and bringing nothing at all for the lesson is always a recipe for trouble. Surprisingly I managed to survive the 2 hour tutorial lesson without much trouble. It's easy. Just follow the tips below.

10 Tips On How To Slack In A Lesson And Get Away With It.

1) With a 30 minute grace period before being considered absent, come 29 minutes late.

2) Put your hands on the table, look at the screen and knit your brows together as if in deep thought.

3) Have minimal eye contact with the tutor and if he does look at you, look him and nod your head slowly with a "Ah-Now-I-Understand" Look.

4) Take out any piece of paper and pretend to be writing something all the time.

5) Copy frantically when the tutorial answers are flashed. This makes you look like a dilligent student.

6) 10 minute toilet breaks. Take as many. Just as long as the tutor doesn't notice your absence.

7) Ask questions that make you look smart when in fact you know nothing and allow you to waste time. For example:

"Is that the only method?"

"'Cher, can explain again?" (to be used with number 2)

"Which formula should I use for that question?"

"Will this come out in the test?"

(After tutor answers question, use number 3.)


8) Use your friend's laptop to surf the internet.

9) Look at the pretty girl in the classroom.

10) Look at the pretty girl in the next classroom.


Easy enough for everyone to follow, isn't it? =)

The Eve Of The Eve Of Christmas Eve

Right now I'm feeling a bit screwed.

Tomorrow I'm meeting my Project Supervisor and I'm supposed to show him work, but how can I show him work when I haven't been able to do any? It's not that I don't want to do any work... Last week I was already getting into the momentum of doing my project only to have it stopped abruptly by a computer virus. I just hope that my supervisor will understand and not get pissed or anything. I'm guessing he's going to give me a long lecture on how time is tight and I need to keep my work on schedule. I'll be glad if I get through the weekend with just that.

Talking about the weekend, the streets have been really packed with people doing their last minute Christmas shopping. I hate the crowds. Well, I admit I haven't gotten the only present I'm intending to get yet, but since it's only 1 item, I think it's alright for me to get it at the last minute. I don't shop like a girl so I won't be hogging the shopping space. I'll be in and out in less than 20 minutes.

The main reason I don't get people much presents during Christmas is because I don't know what to get them. It's a real headache having to think on what to get your friends.. whether they'll like it.. whether they need it.. and all that stuff. So to solve this problem, I have decided keep my Christmas shopping as minimal as possible.

The only present I'm going to get is for my super lovable girlfriend. =)

Bloody Virus

My laptop is down. Infected with a virus that prevents me from logging onto Windows. It automatically logs out everytime I log in. Bloody hell. What really irritates me is that I'm going to lose a lot of data (including lots of my incomplete blog entries) and it's going to be real troublesome having to bring the laptop to the repair centre, wait for some time, and then collect it. After which, I'm going to have to install the programs one by one all over again. I still have to do a lot of things for my Final Year Project and my supervisor expects me to show him work, but how am I supposed to do anything if my laptop is down? Bloody crap.

Oh well, I'll just have to find a way to get over this crap.

Got lots of things to do so I'll update again when I have the chance to.

Update:

I don't know why, but pretty girls keep entering the empty classroom I'm in. Right now there are 4. Cool. =)

Men In Tight Pants

I haven't blogged in a week! Well, it's because I've been busy doing something else. Half of the time I've been spending on my Final Year Project. It's really troublesome because of the documentation. Even when researching websites I have to come up with a report of the information I've gathered and all. Really boring.

Christmas is coming soon. I still haven't bought any presents. I'm sure many people out there haven't also. I bet this weekend and this coming week the shopping centres are going to be bloody packed, so I'd keep away if I was you. Unless you're one of those last minute shoppers.

Right now I can't think of anything to blog but I found something interesting instead.

Why Cyclists Wear Black





Dang. I wouldn't want my balls sticking out like that. Besides, those tights are cutting off the circulation in that area. See that guy 2nd from the right? He looks like he's hallucinating or about to pass out from the lack of blood flow.

Trust me. Circulation is important. That's why most guys prefer boxers to briefs.

Got Friendster?

I'm blogging from the libray now since I have 2 hours to my next class and I have nothing to do. I can't borrow books or dvds because I haven't paid my overdue fines.

Right now there's this cute girl using the com beside me and when I looked at her, I couldn't help but notice her computer screen. She was checking her Friendster messages and most of their subject titles went something like this:

Cristiano: Hi

CaLvInBoY: hihi

David: hi

Andrew: wanna make fren?


Hahaha. Well that's what you get when you put up pretty pictures of yourself on Friendster. You may look really good but the downside is that you get weirdos sending messages saying how pretty you are and how they want to be your "fren". Even my sister got messages like as soon as she signed up for Friendster a few weeks ago.

Of course this applies to guys too. Just ask my good friend Donavon.



As soon as he put up pictures like that, he started getting pictures from guys who wanted to be his friends but actually just wanted to get "intimate" with him. I bet some of them stared at that picture and promptly started wanking off.

So what's the moral of the story? Don't put up pictures of yourself that are too pretty or you'll get weirdos wanting to be your "fren" and wanking off to your picture.

The best way is to put up pictures like this.







That's Jasper, a friend of mine who's gone back to the Philippines. A real funny dude but that friendster profile wasn't put up by him. It was put by my other friend, Chester. But my point is, if you put up pictures like that, you'll eliminate the trouble of weirdos dropping you a message and wanking off to your picture.

I mean, who wants to wank off to Osama Bin Laden?!



Hmm... Well... Maybe there are people who are turned on by him. I mean he's rich, evil, popular and a wanted terrorist. And there are peope who simply get turned on by bad boys. Like him.



Or is it her? Ah.. I don't know.

The Student And The Soldier

School's finally started but it hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. My timetable's much lighter but I'm supposed to use the rest of my free time to do my Final Year Project. So far my project hasn't encountered any problems. Well, that's because I haven't started yet.

I remember meeting my supervisor for the first time and he didn't look interested in taking me as his student all. Now I think he's trying to get rid of me.

On Monday I got this email:


Hi Zen|th,

This is to inform you that there is a change in project supervisorship for you.
You will be informed by Mr. V, the Project Tutor, about the change and the name of your new supervisor.

Here I am wishing you all the best to your final year project work.
Remember to work hard and do consistent work. This is the surest way of ensuring that you can cope and clear your final year project and hence graduate this semester (if all the other modules are cleared).

Regards

Mr. X
p.s. your new project supervisor will receive a copy of your TOR


---

But it was a good thing that that plan was thwarted by Mr. V:


Hi Zen|th,

Please ignore the email regarding a change in your supervisor.

You've already met Mr. X regarding your FYP. We think that it is best to have him as your supervisor. Please arrange to meet Mr. X regularly.

Thanks.
Mr. V


---

Then Mr. X sent me another email:


Hi Zen|th

Looks like you will now remain with me as my project student.

I am forwarding the information sent to my other project students to arrange to meet up with me this week.
It is important that you reply to my email to make an appointment asap.

Regards

Mr. X


---

In the last email, looking at the part, "Looks like you will now remain with me as my project student"; it's so obvious that he doesn't want me as his student at all. It almost sounds as if he's resigned to having me as his student. Actually, I don't really want him as my supervisor either because he doesn't provide any guidance at all. All the questions I ask him have been met with vague answers and I don't think it's going be any different from now on.

But any case, you have to make the best of what you have, and even if I have a crappy supervisor, so be it.

Moving on, I've just completed the best game of 2004!

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater






See that last screenshot? You can even eat the fish if you want to. Haha. The AI now is much smarter too. Your enemies no longer stand in the open and wait for you pick them off one by one. If they spot you, they'll hide behind trees, in tall grass and fight back.

Overall MGS3 Snake Eater is a great game with a solid storyline. In my opinion, together with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, these are the 2 best games of 2004.

If you have a Playstation 2, you just have to get this game. If you don't, go buy a PS2 and then get MGS3 Snake Eater! It's definitely worth your money. =)

Yeah! Posers Go Home

I've got 2 things to announce today. First of all, my visit pass has been approved for 1 month. So that means I can take my time to do my student pass. Secondly,

Sylvester did not win Singapore Idol!

YEAH!!! Finally the poser has been kicked out. WAHAHA. I mean did you hear Sylvester's sing Bon Jovi's, "It's My Life"? It was in tune as much as Banana Man's singing. As soon as I heard that performance, I knew he was gone. I think the judges didn't criticize him because they didn't want to spoil the market and tilt the balance in Taufik's favour.

But don't get me wrong either; I'm not a Taufik supporter. I'm just against people who are posers, in this case, Sylvester. That's why I voted for Taufik. If it was William Hung / Jerry Ong / Lemon Tree Man against Sylvester, I would still have done the same.

So finally Singapore Idol is over. I think you Sylvester fans should just wait for his Chinese album to come out while all the Taufik supporters should wait for his album to start circulating on Kazaa.

---

I went to Youth Park today to watch my friend's band, Soul'd Out perform, and they were great! Everyone present watched their performance intently and hardly looked bored (unlike some of the performances by other bands earlier). Here's a little info about them: Their genre of music is funk and they recently won the Singapore Battle Of The Bands 2004 competition. So if you ever need someone for a gig, you know who to contact.

School's starting tomorrow but I'm not really dreading it. I'm just dreading having to do work for my Final Year Project. I totally have no clue on how start doing it at all. I'm supposed to be a Multimedia Computing student with IT knowledge but I've never even properly done a website before. All my web design projects were in groups and we all just set about doing our own parts. Hopefully everything goes fine and I'll get this bloody project done.

So... Nothing much left to update for now, so I'll just blog hop before I go to bed.

Traveling And Good Things

It's been another day of traveling. Why am I traveling so much? Because of the application for my bloody student pass. I was on a Dependant's pass all the time that I've been in Singapore but I had to change it to a student pass because the Dependant's pass is no longer valid when I turn 21 next year.

It's been quite troublesome getting this Student pass done. You have apply and get the certain papers done, travel here and there to submit it, plus it doesn't help at all when your school takes a long time to process the papers too. My friend is already getting his student pass tomorrow because his school got everything done fast while I'm still stuck, having to ask an extension for my current visit pass which ends tomorrow.

I don't get it extended, I'll be an illegal immigrant when it's 12am tomorrow. I'll have to run to Malaysia and come back. So once again, it's another day of traveling tomorrow. Good thing my bus pass hasn't expired yet or else I'd be bankrupt from all the traveling now.

It's been pretty boring these holidays but now that school's starting next week, I wish the holidays were longer. I guess it's a common reaction; to appreciate something only when it's gone or in this case, when it's going to end. Like what Melissa said in one of her entries:

They say, good things never last. Or should I say, good things should by right, NOT LAST.

Why do you think sex is so addictive? The out-of-the-world, ecstatic orgasm that lasts for only an extremely short 30 seconds? It is precisely because of the shortness of it, the fact that it is transient makes it all so priceless.

Rainbows, drugs, childhood and life itself.

The fragility, the fact that life is so damn short, makes it all the more precious. Just imagine, if you can live forever - then this is will no longer be earth but HELL itself will it not?

We all should learn how to appreciate what we have, when we have it. If you only appreciate it when it's gone, then all you'll be filled with is regret.

So right now, it's time to enjoy the last 5 days of my holidays!