A Touch of Classic

I've never owned an mp3 player in my entire life. So yesterday, I thought to myself, "Why not get one?"

And just as I logged online to check out the prices, I saw these 2 links right on Digg's front page.

Apple's iPod Touch gets official

Apple announces the 6th gen iPod!



The whole selection.


When I first saw that, immediately I wanted to get the iPod Touch. But then after further reading, the 8 and 16GB capacity really put me off. I mean, $300 USD for an 8GB capacity? Once you put in your music, there's no more space to put your videos and movies. And so what it comes down to is that what you're really paying for, is the coolness of the new interface.

So, being the pragmatic person that I am, the next logical choice was the iPod classic. It's 80GB for $249 USD, and comparing that to the iPod touch, it's definitely a much better deal compared to the iPod Touch.

But then again, that iPod Touch is so damn cool. Haha.

Well, I'm planning to visit an Apple store this weekend, which means that I'll either come back with a new iPod classic, or a pre-ordered iPod Touch.

Manchester United's Early Struggle

So the 2007/2008 season of the English Premier League has finally started. Being here in the United States though, I haven't been able to watch much of the early season action due to the fact that the coverage here sucks ass. They show mid table clashes that no one is really interested in and the times they do show the big matches, it's always at a time that I'm unavailable.

Anyway, Manchester United have been struggling to find their form early this season. After all that spending, you'd expect them to go flying off blocks, but that hasn't been the case.

I finally watched them labor to a 1-0 against Sunderland on Sunday and immediately it became apparent to me why they've been struggling.


1) Loss of key players

The loss of key players is bound to hurt any team at any level. The experience of Gary Neville at the back and the attacking edge given by Park Ji-Sung, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney have been sorely missed by the team. On Sunday, Park's hard running, Ronaldo's cutting runs and Rooney's strength up front would certainly have helped against an organized and hard working team like Sunderland.



The oldest form of defending: Putting men behind the ball.


2) Changing a winning team

One of the oldest sayings when it comes to sports is, "Never change a winning team". And history has proven that to be true. Just look at famous "tinkermen" like Claudio Ranieri, Rafael Benitez and Sven-Goran Eriksson. In this case though, Sir Alex Ferguson has been forced to make numerous changes to his team due to the loss of key players so early in the season. He would have wanted to bring new signings Nani, Anderson and Tevez slowly into the team by putting them on as substitutes as the season progressed. Instead, he's been forced to throw them right into the thick of the action much earlier than expected.



If you can't score, you can't win.


This was probably a key factor behind their derby loss to Manchester City. 3 players in the starting 11 had never played in a Manchester derby before. When it comes to derbies, this plays a role because players who have never experienced an English derby are usually either overwhelmed by the occasion and play badly or don't play with enough passion and tenacity as those who have.


3) New signings

Sir Alex Ferguson's 4 new signings haven't impressed at all despite their hefty price tags. The reason? They're still adapting to the English game. Traditionally, players from other leagues always take time before they adapt to the English league. The English league is much quicker, more physical and aerial in style compared to the other leagues in Europe. The league's legendary players like Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp took a while before their real talent showed. Cristiano Ronaldo finally shone last season after learning that doing 2000 stepovers a minute doesn't get you past defenders. And just look at Michael Ballack, who still hasn't justified his £121,000 a week salary.



The adaptability of the new signings will be crucial.


Nani and Anderson were signed from the Portuguese league and let's be honest here, the Portuguese league is full of diving, useless flair and play acting. Just look at FC Porto, their national team and how Ronaldo played when he first signed for Man Utd. Against Sunderland, watching Nani and Anderson struggle with a defender clipping at their heels before they got the ball was a clear indication of that. Not given time to hold on to the ball and do their fancy party tricks, they simply faded as the game progressed. Carlos Tevez may have played for West Ham last season, but after watching him on Saturday, I feel that he still hasn't adapted as well. On top of that, this season he has to adapt to Manchester United's style of play which differs very much from West Ham's. The English game's aerial nature and Tevez's 5'7, 1.7M stature, may be the stumbling block to overcome before he finally adapts.


It's still early in the season and while there may be still more twists and turns to come, falling behind this early is not an option a team going for the Championship can afford. Manchester United will be boosted with the return of Ronaldo from suspension and the international break coming up, Sir Alex Ferguson will be hoping his players will come through the matches unscathed.

Growing Old With You

Happy Birthday to my ultra super lovable girlfriend!



A very happy birthday, I wish my super lovable owner.


It sucks that I'm on the other side of the world right now, but I'll make up to you when I get back. =)

Genesis 2.0

Genesis Take Two

1. In the beginning GOD created the Bit and the Byte. And from those he created the Word.

2. And there were two Bytes in the Word; and nothing else existed.
And God separated the One from the Zero; and he saw it was good.

3. And God said - Let the Data be; and so it happened.
And God said - Let the Data go to their proper places.
And he created floppy disks and hard disks and compact disks.

4. And God said - Let the computers be, so there would be a place
to put floppy disks and hard disks and compact disks.
Thus God created computers and called them hardware.

5. And there was no Software yet. But God created programs; small and big...
And told them - Go and multiply yourselves and fill all the Memory.

6. And God said -I will create the Programmer; And the Programmer
will make new programs and govern over the computers and programs and Data.

7. And God created the Programmer; and put him at Data Center;
And God showed the Programmer the Catalog Tree and said -
You can use all the volumes and subvolumes but DO NOT USE
Windows.

8. And God said - It is not Good for the programmer to be alone.
He took a bone from the Programmer's body and created a creature that would look up at the Programmer; and admire the Programmer; and love the things the Programmer does;
And God called the creature: the User.

9. And the Programmer and the User were left under the naked DOS and it was Good.

10. But Bill was smarter than all the other creatures of God.
And Bill said to the User - Did God really tell you not to run any programs ?

11. And the User answered - God told us that we can use every program and every piece of Data but told us not to run Windows or we will die.

12. And Bill said to the User - How can you talk about something you did not even try? The moment you run Windows you will become equal to God. You will be able to create anything you like by a simple click of your mouse.

13. And the User saw that the fruits of the Windows were nicer and easier to use. And the User saw that any knowledge was useless - since Windows could replace it.

14. So the User installed the Windows on his computer; and said to the Programmer that it was good.

15. And the Programmer immediately started to look for new drivers.
And God asked him - What are you looking for?
And the Programmer answered - I am looking for new drivers because I can not find them in the DOS.
And God said - Who told you that you need drivers? Did you run Windows?
And the Programmer said - It was Bill who told us to !

16. And God said to Bill - Because of what you did, you will be hated by all the creatures.
And the User will always be unhappy with you.
And you will always sell Windows.

17. And God said to the User - Because of what you did, the Windows will disappoint you and eat up all your Resources; and you will have to use lousy programs; and you will always rely on the Programmer's help.

18. And God said to the Programmer - Because you listened to the User, you will never be happy. All your programs will have errors and you will have to fix them and fix them to the end of time.

19. And God threw them out of the Data Center and locked the door and secured it with a password.

20. GENERAL PROTECTION FAULT

(Via Digg)


I can't believe someone was able to come up with that. Hilarious stuff.
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Separation and Reunion

I went to a funeral yesterday. One of our church members passed away on Monday. I didn't know him that well, but I knew him. I had seen him around in church and shook his hand on a few occasions. He was already an old and ill for a long time, so his wife and family were prepared when it happened.

As I watched him laying peacefully in his casket, I felt my mortality more than ever. Death comes to all. You are born, you live and then you die. From dust we were made, to dust we shall return. That's the cycle of life.

The sorrow I felt didn't come from his death; he had lived a full life and he was in now in a better place. It was when I would put myself in his son's shoes.

Separation is always hard. When I was young, I used to dislike airports for the reason that it always reminded me of that dreadful feeling of separation. The last hugs, sad goodbyes and final farewells.

When I was older, I came to realize that the airport was a place of reunion as well. What the departure was to sorrow, the arrival hall was to joy. People waiting with anticipating faces, which at the first sighting of their loved ones, would break out into a bright, wide smile accompanied with a frantic wave. It's a wonderful feeling which I'm sure everyone has felt.

When separation like this happens, as it eventually will in everyone's life, I believe that what separates those who are sad and those who are the most sorrowful, is the promise of reunion.

The promise that the separation we're experiencing is not permanent, but merely temporary.

The promise that in the life after this one, we will see each other again.

Action and Disbelief

I went to watch Live Free or Die Hard yesterday. I'd been wanting to watch it ever since I saw the trailer and I have say, it was AWESOME.



No matter how good you are, it always helps to creep around corners.


It was everything that an action movie should be. It certainly got my adrenaline going and there scenes that were so explosive, I could hear people in theater gasping once the action scene was over. And not to mention, Mary Elizabeth Winstead was looking gorgeous as usual in the movie. Just remember though, that I saw her first. Haha.



"What good is a damsel if she's not in distress?"


But I don't want to spoil the movie for you, I won't say anything more except, simply leave reality behind and enjoy the movie. I give it a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Talking about realism in movies, I'm sure everyone has heard this line, "That's so unrealistic, that would never happen in real life."

Sometimes I get a little annoyed when I hear that. It's because when I go watch a movie, I go there to be entertained and to escape reality for a little while. If I want to watch something realistic, I'll go watch a documentary on National Geographic. Don't go and watch an action movie and then say, "There's no way a car could flip like that in real life."

Going to the movies with uptight people who have no suspension of disbelief just ruins the whole experience.

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Video of The Day #18

I apologize for the lack of entries recently. I've been trying to find time, but lots of things have been going on the past week. For example graduation ceremonies and parties, since it's the end of the school year over here.

An entry is halfway through. Not long before I complete it.

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Conversation of The Day #8

He stood in front of the tables, waiting for assistance, but no one seemed to be around.

"Hmm, where is everybody?" a voice behind him said.

He turned round to face the voice and saw her standing there with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

He knew her, but not by name. Nor did she know him. He saw her every time he passed by her work bench on his way towards the fermentation lab. She was wearing her white lab coat as usual but he couldn't help noticing that she was wearing heels today. He never saw anyone wear heels at work before. The nature of their job involved a lot of standing and walking, and wearing heels would be extremely uncomfortable. Perhaps she had a date later.

"I don't know. I've been waiting here for a while. I guess they're busy," he said, visually scanning the place once more. "What are you looking for?"

"Well, I just wanted to check the freezers over there," she said, pointing to one just a few meters away. "To see if we have enough supplies for our prep tomorrow."

"Go ahead and check. I'm sure they won't mind."

"No! They might think I'm stealing or something," she said in rather hushed tone.

"No way," he said, nonchalantly shaking his head. "With that cute face of yours, they're not going to suspect a thing."

She smiled at him for a moment, then they started laughing.

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Accents and Conversations

At work, people have been telling me that they like my unique accent. I was rather surprised when I heard that and since I haven't seen a video or heard a recording of how I speak, so I have no idea how my accent sounds now.

Ever since I got here, my accent has unconsciously changed. It's quite inevitable really, because to in order to communicate effectively, the other party has to understand what I'm saying. So naturally, I changed the way how I say and pronounce certain words in order that other people can understand me easily.

What has changed is that I pronounce my Rs now and I emphasize my end consonants like Ts and Ds. For example in words like "that" and "did". Also, speaking in proper grammatical sentences is something I've found easy to adapt, probably because I always scored well in English back in secondary school.

My co-worker, Mia, who's white, surprisingly asked, "How come you speak such good english?" To which I shrugged and said, "I don't know, learnt it in school?"

She continued, "I like your accent. It sounds unique. I can't seem to place it to a particular country."

I laughed and shrugged, "Well, I guess it's become a weird hybrid now after I got exposed to the accent here."

When I speak with my brother though, we always speak Singlish. It's a pretty cool because over here, it becomes like another language. It's a good way to secretly communicate too.

For example, "Wah piang eh, that person damn smelly sia."

But of course when we're with friends, we'll speak proper English because it's rude to leave others out of the conversation.

Another thing I've gotten used to, is having short conversations with random people. You know, like small talk. Well, you know how western people are,make long enough eye contact with them and they can start talking about you about anything under the sun.

So at first when random people started having short conversations with me, especially at work, I felt awkward. I wasn't used to it. Over time though, I've slowly gotten used to it, and sometimes I even look forward to having those conversations. It's quite fun just talking to someone and getting to know them better. Sometimes with many people the whole conversation can go out of control and we all just burst out laughing.

For sure I'll be writing about those conversations in future entries.

It's time to end this entry though, I've had the flu since Monday and now the damn headache is coming back again.

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Video Of The Day #17

I've been wanting to write an entry, but work has been pretty crazy these past few days and I've been clocking lots of overtime. (Not that I'm complaining, x1.5 pay! Haha.)

So in the meantime, here's another cool video of the day.





What can I say? You just got served.

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Champions Of England

YEAH! Hail the Champions of England, Manchester United!

It's been an excellent season for Man Utd and today it's finally produced some silverware.

But the defining moment was really last week, when Chelsea drew with Bolton, and Man Utd came from behind to beat Everton 4-2. That was the ultimate turning point in the title race.



The goal that won it for Man Utd.



The goal that lost it for Chelsea.


I'm glad that Man Utd won the title because they've finally taught Chelsea some humilty and shoved their arrogance down their ass. I'll be honest. I like Chelsea. I like Jose Mourinho. I admire his self-belief and the way he has instilled that champion mentality into his team and backed it up with silverware. But this season, they've gone over the line. When Drogba and Essien started claiming they're the best even before the season was halfway through, self belief turned into arrogance. Mourinho's constant whining about penalties and insults of Ronaldo and his family was totally unprofessional and I'm glad Sir Alex Ferguson responded by putting Mourinho's comments into perspective.


An excerpt from the article:

Mourinho's comments about his fellow Portuguese in turn upset Ferguson, who said on Friday: "Everyone is entitled to have a comment or opinion. That doesn't mean to say they are liars."

And Ferguson added: "Mourinho is on about us changing the regulations. I would like to know who is doing it? Is it us? The FA? The Premier League? Uefa?

"I really feel he has been let off lightly with those comments.

"The biggest fear for us is that by citing the fact we are not allowed to get penalties at Old Trafford, it puts a terrible pressure on the referees."

Ferguson also pointed to several decisions that he felt had gone against his own club.

"Does he remember the goal Paul Scholes had disallowed for offside when we played against Porto in the European Cup?" said the United boss.

"We didn't like it and we complained. But we didn't go to war on it.

"Or should he be pointing to the fact Tottenham were forced to play on a Easter Saturday morning, a day and a half after their previous game, to allow Chelsea to rest before their European tie?

"We have to play Manchester City at 12.45 on a Saturday after a European tie in Milan next Wednesday. Is that fair? We don't think so but we are not going to start accusing the Premier League of carving things up with Chelsea."


But I know, most of all, I'll be laughing at one guy. John Obi Mikel. For those of you who don't know the story, he signed for Man Utd, then made an about turn and said that he was "pressured" into signing the contract and that he wanted to sign for Chelsea instead. What a bastard. In the end, it was settled by Chelsea buying him from Man Utd for 12 million pounds without him ever kicking a ball.



I guess that was how he was pressured.

Well, I say thank you John Obi Mikel, for the 12 million pounds because we don't need scum like you to win the Premiership title.

Now for everything to be perfect, we just need to beat Chelsea in the FA Cup to clinch the double, and for AC Milan to beat Liverpool in the Champions League final. Milan simply need to play the way they did when they beat Man Utd at the San Siro, and they'll have no problems beating the boring, long ball, lucky penalty shootout kings, Liverpool.


Now, the Premiership trophy is finally back where it belongs.


Stand up, for the the Champions.

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Video Of The Day #16

This is one of funniest things I have ever heard.

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6 Points

It's weird, that whenever I'm here in the United States, I can't seem to find any motivation to blog. Instead of writing an entry, I'll procrastinate and tell myself, "I'll do an entry tomorrow", but when tomorrow comes it never happens.

Ever since I started work, every time the idea of writing an entry pops into my head, I start to feel sleepy for some reason. Perhaps after a day of work, my brain just wants to kick back and relax. Not that my work requires lots of thinking, but for some reason that's just what happens.

It's been close to 2 and a half months since I've started working and I have to admit, I've been enjoying it. There's a lot to write about my many different experiences at work, but I don't intend to write about it in this entry.

Anyway, Aaron tagged me to this mini questionnaire, so here it goes.


Each player of this game starts off by giving 6 weird things about themselves. People who get tagged need to write in a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state the rules clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.

(Weird is a rather relative term and I don't find anything about myself that's weird. Well then, here are 6 points about myself.)

1) I listen to Techno when I'm in the mood.

2) I have to drink coffee before I take an exam or else I'll fall asleep halfway through.

3) I need an average of 6 hours of sleep in order to function properly.

4) If man lived according to logic and reason, obese people shouldn't exist.

5) Sometimes, I'll say certain things or act in a certain way just to see how people react.

6) If I find someone attractive, the first thing I'll do is to make an analysis of why I think so.



I tag no one. This chain ends with me.

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Hired

I've been here close to 2 weeks now and I'm happy to say I've fulfilled my goal of finding a job.


It all started when my friend, FadeAway told me about an opening in his department. After talking to his supervisor, she gave the green light for me to apply. Since it's only a temporary position, so there was no need to conduct an interview. All I did was to drop by the agency, complete the relevant paperwork and take a drug test.

Anyway, today was my first day at a biotechnology corporation as a cell product technician. And to be honest, I was as lost as a sheep. Most of the time I was with FadeAway and my other friend, Ion, trying to learn as much as I could without losing my way around the labs.

Not long after I had started though, our supervisor informed us of a meeting at 9am, which turned out to be a review meeting for our department's performance in the past year. There were lots of doughnuts, coffee and orange juice, which I gladly filled my empty stomach with.

What I found out from the meeting was that our corporation is the top in the market of competent cells; the product that our department develops. And this market isn't just the American market, but the global market. In my opinion, that's a pretty cool statistic to have.

I'm looking forward to working at this corporation. From what I heard from Ion, they play football Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at the nice lawn grass field right next to our building.

FadeAway told me that usually leave slightly early because once our projects are done, there's literally nothing to do. And since us temporary staff don't need to log in and out, so long as no one looks for us, we're good.

For now though, I shall end here as I'll be starting work at 6am tomorrow. It's time to get some sleep.

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Shit Happens #2

That would be a really crappy way to start the day.

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Chill In The Air

It's cold. And I hate the cold.

I'm really more a hot person than a cold one. Meaning to say if I had a choice, I'd rather melt to death than get my balls frozen. Unfortunately, it's the winter season right now and even though the weather here in southern California is supposed to be the best in the United States, it's still as cold as a polar bear's ass. What's more, it rained yesterday making it even colder, not to mention wet as well.

Coming from a tropical island, one of the first things I always feel as soon as I step out of the airport into the open air is the lack of humidity. That's the reason why you hardly feel sticky when you're over here; because all your sweat dries up so quickly. That's the good part about the weather here.

What really gets to me though, isn't the low temperatures, but the chill that's in the air.

When you breathe normally it's not too bad, but as soon as you start running and panting, the cold air starts filling your lungs like ice cold water in a cup. After that you start to feel as if there's not enough oxygen going in and that your lungs are being constricted.

But of course, there's nothing constricting your lungs. It's all a matter of getting acclimatized I guess.

Now that I'm here and I'll be staying for a while, I want to get a job. Rather than sit down in front of my laptop and do nothing all day, I'd rather earn some money and keep myself occupied. At least when I bring back to Singapore, it'll multiply at least 1.5. My friend of mine says his company is currently hiring, so I'll probably check it out next week.

Man, I'm starving. It's time to go scavenge around in the kitchen.

Video of The Day #15

It doesn't matter if you've never played Street Fighter or Mortal Kombat before; enjoy the action.

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Touchdown

So, I've finally arrived.

The 2nd part of my flight went rather well and quick. I was given an aisle seat, the first seat on the first row. It turned out to be the seat I ever got. It was right in front of the lavatory, right in front of the video screen and most of all, it had lots and lots of leg room. Trust me, in long flights, leg room makes a huge difference in comfort. I had so much space I could even stretch my legs right up against the wall in front of me.

When I reached home, I found out that the youth group from church had prepared a surprise welcome party for me. As I opened the door and saw everyone there, I said to myself, "Oh no. A welcome party."

You see, I don't like being the center of attention; especially when it comes to parties. Everyone comes up to you, trying to make small talk. And they ask so many questions. That's why I never organize any birthday parties. When it comes to celebrations, I like to keep it small and simple.


Anyway, now that I'm back, I'm glad to once again see my super cute dog, Rainbow.



"Please give me some food."


He was a bit cautious wondering who I was at first, but once he remembered, he started following me all the around the house.

Earlier on at the party, some people were asking me if I was feeling jet lagged, but I'm not feeling any jet lag at all. It's most likely to due my irregular sleeping times back in Singapore which messed up my internal clock.

Still, I guess I should be going to sleep now. After a long flight, nothing beats a nice, comfortable bed to sleep in.

Transit

(As stated in my previous post, here begins the first of my backlogged entries. This one was written manually on my notepad as I waited in the airport for my connecting flight.)


I'm at the airport in Manila right now, waiting for my connecting flight to Los Angeles at 8:30pm. That's right, once again I'm on my way to the United States again to visit my family.

I'm having a 4 hour stopover, which really sucks, but there wasn't much choice in picking my flight. Most of the dates were either fully booked or cost too much due to this being the holiday season. So after all that searching, this flight is the best I managed to get. A Philippine Airline flight from Singapore to Los Angeles with a 4 stopover at Manila.

I've been walking around for the past hour or so and there's really nothing much in this airport. All they have in this area in front of the gates a duty free shop, a Delifrance outlet, some small counters selling sandwiches and drinks, and a massage outlet. I've been text messaging my friend back in Singapore and he says it's quite empty because this airport is newly built.

So after walking around I've come to find myself seated on a table in front of the Delifrance counter, with my sandwich and a can of coke, writing all this down.

I don't know what everyone else does, but when I've really got nothing to do, I just people watch. I like to try and read people. You know, like to try and tell how they're really feeling, read their body language, find out what really goes on in their head when they're interacting with other people.

Look close enough, and you'll be able to find all those feigned acts of interest like patronizing smiles and fake laughs. If you really want to read someone though, look at their eyes. In spite of their facial expressions, whether they're offended, awkward, pissed off, tired, lying... you can tell from looking straight into their eyes.

Likewise, if you can control your gaze, it's hard for people to read you. The ones with the straight, stoic eyes are the ones hardest to read. Or you can just cover your gaze, which is pretty much the reason why people wear shades when they play poker.



"I'm all in."


When I hide my feelings though, I don't usually use go for ice cold, stoic gaze. For me, I simply use my eyes as the primary outlet to convey the feelings that I want to. It works much easier for me.

Hmm, an old man just requested to seat at my table. Don't get any weird ideas, all the other tables are occupied that's why.

I guess I'll end here. It's better to give up this table to others who need it since I'm done with my sandwich. Besides, I'm not in the mood for some social interaction with strangers, so I'd better get away before this old man talks to me.

Another long flight over the Pacific but somehow, I'm not dreading it at all. I think I've gotten used to it and I'm starting to enjoy the long flights by myself.

Delayed

Damn it, I've really got to update this blog.

Actually I've got a whole backlog of entries written on my laptop, but never got to uploading, because my laptop was not working for a short period of time and when it was fixed, I still didn't get down to it.

Which explains the weird date of this entry (even it's currently March 31st) because January 21st is of the date of the first of my backlogged entries.

However, I shall delay a little longer. It's been a long day at work today and I can barely keep my eyes open as it is.

So, until then.

Nokia Aeon

Everyone's going crazy over the iPhone ever since it was announced. It looks really cool and that new touch screen interface is what impresses me the most.

When it comes to mobile phones though, I'm really a Nokia kind of person. You could say I'm loyal to the brand now after using it so long. Because I'm no technology expert, my reasons for picking and sticking with Nokia were simple.

1) It was the first mobile phone that I ever owned.

2) Its interface was easy to use.

3) Compared to other phones, it's SMS interface was the easiest and fastest to use.


Reason 3 is the key reason for my preference for Nokia phones. I used a Motorola phone for a while and I tell you, their SMS interface sucked big time.

Anyway, I was surfing through Digg as usual and I found out about the new Nokia Aeon. And I must say, it looks damn good.









It's still a concept and undergoing research and development though, so there's nothing definite for now. But if it does get released, you can be sure I'll be getting one.

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2007 and Disciprine

Once again pardon the long absence of entries. Initially, I was writing an entry on New Year's Day about Saddam Hussein's execution but I found myself writing and wandering into more complicated issues like the death penalty and the justification of America's war in Iraq. But I got sleepy and distracted, so right now that entry is half written, in the drafts folder, which means it's unlikely that I'll complete it because that's what happened to all my other incomplete entries. Perhaps I'll get down to finishing those entries one day.

It's 9 days into the new year of 2007. I don't know if everyone made new year resolutions but if you did, I bet you've probably broken them by now. I certainly didn't make any. I've never had much of a thing for new year resolutions. I've always felt that if you sincerely wanted to make a change in your life, you wouldn't need an occasion to make that change.

To make that change, it all comes down to discipline. When I was younger, I never realized the value of self discipline until now. When you're a last minute person and procrastinator like me, you really need self discipline to push yourself get things done.

On the topic of discipline, here's something from South Park about discipline that I find really meaningful.





Disciprine aside, I really recommend watching South Park. There's usually a theme in every episode and creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker's imagination to come up with such hilarious crap while enforcing those themes is something I admire and enjoy.


Here's a clip from the episode "Miss Teacher Bangs A Boy".




And from "You Got F'd in the A".






Here's website with lots of South Park episodes. NICCCEEE~~.


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Shit Happens #1

Damn. That last moment of enlightenment sure didn't last long. Like they say, common sense isn't that common after all.

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Damn The Rain

It's been raining for the longest time now. Every single day.

I don't like the rain. When it does, the skies get all dark and cloudy and it rather dampens the mood. If you're outside, you have to seek shelter and once you find it, you're stuck indoors, unable to get anywhere without getting wet. And even if you have an umbrella, there's always the inconvenience of carrying it around afterwards. Personally, that's the reason I'd rather walk in the rain than carry an umbrella. Which also explains all the damp clothes currently in my laundry basket. I missed the last bus home these past 2 days, so I ended up jogging home. I must say though, it's pretty comfortable jogging in the rain.



I hate slippery surfaces.


When it rains as well, every indoor location on Orchard road gets crowded. What annoys me more though, is people standing at the entrance doors wondering what to do. Come on, a little rain won't kill you. It's not as if you're made of paper.

Like I mentioned before, crowded places annoy me. That, coupled with the rain, makes Orchard road the number 1 place to avoid this festive season. Oh, and if I were you, I'd avoid Vivocity on New Year's Eve as well. That place is packed like maggots on a dead body during the weekends and holidays.

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Boxing Day

I'm a little late, but nevertheless, Merry Christmas! =)

My Christmas was a nice and simple celebration with my super lovable girlfriend and her family. I like my celebrations like that. I'd rather have it with my close friends than a huge party with people that I hardly know. It's the people who you celebrate with that make it meaningful.


The Christmas spirit here in Singapore is rather lacking, don't you think? Of course for those of you who haven't spent Christmas anywhere else you wouldn't understand what I mean, but I'm sure for those who have, you'd agree with me.

What defines the Christmas spirit? Well, it's in the little things. Like looking someone in the eye with a warm sincere smile as you say, "Merry Christmas". Greeting and wishing random strangers while complaining how dreadful last minute Christmas shopping is.

Perhaps this guy sums it up better than I do.


"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys."
- Charles Dickens


So once again, have a Merry Christmas everyone.

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Conversation Of The Day #7

Mr Brightside says :
then after that my com technician came down

Zen|th says :
again?

Mr Brightside says :
dunno what my cb brother do

Zen|th says :
I know what.
P
O
R
N
Hahaha.

Mr Brightside says :
CB~ 70 GIG OF PORN

Mr Brightside says :
ALL GONE

Zen|th says :
wah. 70GB? That's a lot.

Mr Brightside says :
wait, there was bleach, games, programs and lots more other stuff.. so actually not that much as 70GB..

Zen|th says :
Then how much?

Mr Brightside says :
I think around 60GB.

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Video of The Day #14 And Stuff

The music in this video is just right for the weekend. =) And Andy McKee has some crazy guitar skills.




Anyway, I'm not sure if most of you out there have heard of this site called Digg. For those of you who don't know what Digg is, here's a little help from the omniscient Wikipedia:


"Digg is a community-based popularity website with an emphasis on technology and science articles. It combines social bookmarking, blogging, and syndication with a form of non-hierarchical, democratic editorial control. News stories and websites are submitted by users, and then promoted to the front page through a user-based ranking system. This differs from the hierarchical editorial system that many other news sites employ.

Readers can view all of the stories that have been submitted by fellow users in the "digg/All/Upcoming" section of the site. Once a story has received enough "diggs", depending on the calculations performed by Digg's algorithm, it appears on Digg's front page. Should the story not receive enough diggs, or if enough users report a problem with the submission, the story will remain in the "digg all" area, where it may eventually be removed."


So in a nutshell, Digg's front pages are filled with news stories that are submitted by users, and approved by users.

My whole point in bringing up this subject is this: Digg is one of the best sites on the internet. Lots of times the information that I get from this site is reprinted in the papers two days later. Topics like James Kim and his family's disappearance, the boy with the severed head, Wiimotes breaking television screens. Alright, they may not be ground breaking news, but it's information that's interesting enough (at least the papers think so) to read. And that's where I get lots of my videos too.

So the next time you're looking for the latest on technology, news stories or videos, you know where to go.

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Windows To The Soul

Oh well, since I'm pretty bored right now, here's another quiz.

Your Eyes Should Be Green

Your eyes reflect: Striking attractiveness and danger What's hidden behind your eyes: A vivid inner world

What Color Should Your Eyes Be?

Green eyes, that's pretty cool. What's more important for me though, is the shape of the person's eyes. Some people just have this gaze that can suck you in once you make eye contact.

That's why I always say what attracts me to a woman the most is her eyes. It's through the eyes that you make a connection with someone. 94% of communication is non verbal and I'm pretty sure that out of that 94%, a large part of it is through the eyes.

You can always tell a lot by looking into someone's eyes as they communicate. Whether they're angry, sad, feeling tired, lying or being sincere, trust me, it's all in the eyes.

That's why the eyes are the windows to the soul.

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Tarot Cards

You are Strength

Courage, strength, fortitude. Power not arrested in the act of judgement, but passing on to further action, sometimes obstinacy.

This is a card of courage and energy. It represents both the Lion's hot, roaring energy, and the Maiden's steadfast will. The innocent Maiden is unafraid, undaunted, and indomitable. In some cards she opens the lion's mouth, in others she shuts it. Either way, she proves that inner strength is more powerful than raw physical strength. That forces can be controlled and used to score a victory is very close to the message of the Chariot, which might be why, in some decks, it is Justice that is card 8 instead of Strength. With strength you can control not only the situation, but yourself. It is a card about anger and impulse management, about creative answers, leadership and maintaining one's personal honor. It can also stand for a steadfast friend.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

(Via Cowboy Caleb)

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Weekend

I played 2 football matches on Saturday and Sunday. And both games got me pissed off.

The first game was with my former colleagues in DFS. It ended in a 1-1 draw and although I scored, what really pissed me off was that I missed 2 clear cut chances to win the game. I sort of twisted my ankle in a challenge early in the game and from then on I was playing in pain all the way. What added insult to injury really, was that the other team sucked. Real bad. They were probably around 20, much, much ayounger than our team (which probably had an average age of 34) and still, they couldn't outrun or outpass a group of old men.

The second game pissed me off too. Why? First, my ankle was still injured and I couldn't walk properly. Secondly, we lost 4-2 to a team that sucked real bad. Again. And once again, I was playing with old men against younger opponents. All my team mates had families already. The other team were a bunch of JC students which couldn't even pass the ball properly.

Honestly, when it comes to football, I really hate to lose. But then again, I guess when playing with team mates twice your age, defeat is something that's bound to occur more often.

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