New Year Resolutions

Well, since it's the last day of the year, I thought I'd make some new year resolutions (items 2-4 are of equal priority):

1. Draw closer to the Lord - top priority
2. Practise up and finish the last 3 keys.
3. Improve on my chord reading/playing.
4. Try to push up my grades.
5. My sight reading has come back to haunt me. Better settle this unsettled business if possible. - Last priority

Prayer: May the Lord help me =)

I'm So Dead...

My results are finally viewed (well, not 'out' because they were out for some time already, and I didn't dare check it. And just as I did... I almost died). Well, my grades have dipped by 2 levels this sem from a 2nd class upper to a 3rd class. Sigh. Well, with a burning passion, I dare say...

ihateengineeringihateengineeringihateengineeringihateengineering
ihateengineeringihateengineeringihateengineeringihateengineering
ihateengineeringihateengineeringihateengineeringihateengineering
ihateengineeringihateengineeringihateengineeringihateengineering
( x infinity ^ infinity ^ infinity ^ infinity ^ infinity... the list goes on for infinity)

Hmmm, I wonder what's gonna be my future. Music? Business? Arrrgh, I'm soooo dead! I hope this minor depression doesn't lead to a bigger one in gloomy times ahead.

Thought: ihateengineeringihateengineering...

An Interesting KL Trip

Although this blog entry is about my KL trip cum retreat (hmmm, I wondering... if this were in a ancient china kind of setting, would it be held up at a mountain of some sort since the word 'retreat' usually refers to some grand master going up a mountain to refine his theory/skills/elixir/whatever?), it wasn't so recent in the sense that it didn't take place this week. Rather, it took place about 2 weeks ago. Anyway, here are some highlights of trip:


A Crappy Subconscious
Yup, this has been a blog title before. But since this title has resurfaced, yup, my crappy subconscious has tried to be funny with me again. While I fell asleep in the bus as it was on its way to KL, it stopped over some place where people could visit the toilet, get tidbits and stuff alike. It was then when I suddenly realised that everyone had left me behind on the bus to get something. Well, I was wondering if I should get down the bus as I felt that I didn't really need to go to the toilet, and that I wasn't hungry or thirsty. After some thought, I decided to take a walk anyway since I've been sitting down for about an hour or so in the bus. It was then that I awoke, only to realise that everyone had left the bus without me when the bus stopped over at some place.

Thought: Hmmm, I wonder what would have happened if I chose not to get down in my dream. And why does my crappy subconscious have to replay reality when it could have simply terminated my sleep mode and hence save me another duplicate decision making process? ... ...


Operation Black Chicken
Primary objective: To blanket party a targeted member.
Secondary objective: To have no casualties. Time: Between 12 midnight to 2 a.m.

Team members: 4
Weapons and payload: 1 blanket, 3 pillows (unlimited ammunition @ 30-60 rpm)

Terrain analysis:
Terrain: The two hotel rooms are connected through a door.
Entrance/Exit: There is no possible/easy entrance or exit out of the two rooms in the event of an engagement.
Lighting: Dark.
Final rendezvous point: Back in our rooms.

Target callsign: Chicken Little
Target state: A seemingly asleep unit.
Enemy support: 1 possible companion.
Enemy armaments: Possibly none.
Threat: Generally unknown, possibly neutral to hostile.

Mission plan: Given a point man, 2 flanks and a rear man, the point man will pie the pathway connecting both rooms to secure the target's location. After that has been done, the entire team will take their positions around the target and initiate the blanket party protocol, pull out of the area and seal the path connecting both rooms.

Mission Debriefing:
Primary objective: Failed
Secondary objective: Failed
Mission overall status: Failed

Debriefing: Upon the point man's insertion into enemy territory (ie. the other room), he spotted an enemy, and the entire team pulled out to prevent detection. However, the enemy came through the doorway linking both rooms and detected the team. Although there was no engagement, the target was being alerted. At this, the team's decision was to immediately strike the target hard and fast. Upon surrounding the target, the target retaliated and hence the blanket party protocol could not be carried out. An initial pillow fight took place between a team member and the target before the rest of the team came to provide assistance. As this led to nowhere, the team decided to abort the mission and to pull out.


Some Interesting Stuff (But Without Pictures)
1. Since I'm not really a shopping kind of person (OK, to be exact, I'm not a shopping person), and I happened to tag along (as always, as usual, and would probably always be) in a shopping centre, well, as usual I would be looking around my surroundings and observing stuff. As I was walking, I noticed something really interesting. Perhaps, it was the uniform for promoters. Or perhaps it was a stack of warnings that was being issued. But, but, when I came out of my rationalization/guessings/theory-formulation/whatever, this was what I realised: A security guard, in his security uniform and cap, was giving shopping pamphlets out to shoppers. Hmmm... perhaps the same occupation differs even in two seemingly similar places of different cultures after all.

2. At Giant supermart, we were shopping for foodstuffs. And somehow I came across a section where a collection of different toys/collectibles... etc. were there. Well, you must be wondering what's so interesting about some collectibles. Do you still remember Mr Ramly's burgers at pasar malams? Well, so great, so phenomenal, so national-pride-stirring was his success that, that... they actually had a set of Ramly's Collectibles (limited edition) up on the shelve!

3. Well, perhaps it was good that I found this out only after the supper that some guys brought back to the hotel room. I was given an account of what was done in preparation for a particular fish. A man was scraping a fish over an old black drain cover (the old kind where 3 thick rounded bars over a drain was its cover). Not many meters away, som e guy poured away used oil into the drain. Ewww... =X


Pictures
Although shots were taken, you wouldn't find me in any of them because, well... (1) A quirky side about me is that I feel that I look weird in pictures (comparatively speaking/typing, with the mirror as a reference). And yup, all pics that I take are a form of an obligation with varying magnitudes. (2) It would be weird with me trying to describe something in a picture with my face beside/in it. That feels like some cheezy advertisement or some role playing, acting, or some pictorial description in some project where one wants to introduce/point to something specifically.

Also, before my trip, my dad told me something like, "Don't need to buy anything back. Whatever you can get from KL you can also get from Singapore". Somehow, this statement wasn't 100% accurate as you would notice later on, though most of it was. Anyway, here are the interesting stuff (to me, that is) that I noticed:

A Christmas Design

Well, the design's red, it has green pine trees, and somehow with those cookies being thickly glued together (yup, they glued those edible-but-seemingly-unappetising cookies, but it's not so clear from here. And they're hollow because someone [not me though] exerted a force/pressure greater than the yield strength of the cookie, and it structurally failed [ie. crumbled] at that particular region) below it, I guess it's a christmas design to give a Christmas mood/feel to the hotel. Hmmm, maybe it's just me, but, the red framed picture somehow interestingly resembled a middle eastern carpet that my dad bought some time ago. Culture does interesting stuff to designs, it seems.

Water, Anyone?

Check this out. If you're thinking that this is merely some mineral water of some sort, think/look again... hey, it's Batik Drinking Water (due to the design on its plastic cover)! Hmmm, does one drink this to gather inspiration for Batik designs, or is this some collected water after a hard day of batik artwork, and somehow it's drinkable? Hey, perhaps I could come up with a christmas/china/construction/lego/prada/whatever drinking water, and enter the bottled water industry somewhere...

Knock, Knock!...

If you thought that this picture was taken to snap memories of one of the hotel rooms that we stayed in, think again. Look closely at the picture. In fact, if you were to look closely enough through the door scope/peephole at that time, you would be able to see the contents of the room. Well, someone (It's someone else in the group, though it's not me again) with itchy hands unscrewed the device and screwed it back the other way round to disturb the poor victims (ie. 2 members in our group. He couldn't possibly pull this stunt without entering the room) in this room.

Erm, Whose Tie Shop Is It?

Well, as usual, I wasn't exactly shopping. As I walked around, I was reading the titles of the shops that I pass by (hmmm, this sounded obvious. How do I read shop titles that I do not pass by? Hey, I could - through the directory. Hmmm, before I digress any further...). Well, this one caught my attention as I was thinking: Is this supposed to be read as my tie shop? If those are my ties, what are they doing there? And why do I have to buy ties that are already mine? On the other hand, if the owner is saying that it's his/her tie shop, does it mean that he/she is selling her ties (ie. 2nd hand goods) and he/she set up a shop to do that?

How Much Is That Chocolate In The Window, Cough, Cough...

Well, the coughing part wasn't exactly referring to a sore throat as a result of eating too much chocolates. When I was at the supermarket, this sight caught my attention. I was thinking, "Hey, what kind of chocolates are those, such that it's actually behind the counter and that one has to ask for assistance to get it. Upon a closer look, hey, those aren't chocs. In fact, they are cigars. Hmmm, perhaps portraying cigars as chocs is one good way to attract chocophilic/chocoholic customers to pick it up?

Make A Guess...

Well, it was lunch at a japanese restaurant and two drinks were ordered. Make a guess as to what my drink was (ie. the drink on the left) =) Well, here's a clue: Both drinks are non-carbonated. Here's another clue: The drink on the right is ice lemon tea. Well, here's a final clue: It's a japanese restaurant. You might be thinking what kind of a clue is "it's a japanese restaurant", but hey, this was what they gave me when I asked for japanese green tea! And if you're wondering what's my problem, take a closer look: There are ice cubes in my green tea. And that was probably the worst green tea I've ever drunk in my life.

I Thought I Saw A...

Initially, I thought I saw a huge span of an advertisement. But when I saw people's heads and torsos popping across (and I do not mean these are decapitated parts floating in mid-air. If that were the case, I would have died of shock or be in danger of a similar fate, much less relate it) the advertisement, I realised: Hey, it's a bridge within the train station!

Transit Links?

Nope, this has got nothing to do with our bus service. Well, notice those links in white? Initially, I had no idea what they represented. But since we needed to travel from the red line to the pink line in order to reach the twin towers through that link, I thought I'd wait and see what that link was. Some thoughts came across my mind: A LRT-like kind of train? An internal shuttle? A monorail? A super long escalator? Well, it turned out to be something quite unexpected: We had to exit the station, walk about 10 over minutes to the next station, buy another ticket and continue taking the train from there. Hmmm... not very exciting huh?

The Dare-dev... (oops, I meant...), The Cicak Man

FYI, cicak means lizard in malay I think. Hmmm, this superhero has an uncanny resemblance to the DareDevil so much so that I almost thought there was a mistake in the title. Well, (1) The costume parts look similar: Their mask look about the same in general, both are totally covered except the eyes and jaw region, both wear some belt of some sort, both are red in colour... etc. (2) Both appear to be superheroes (well, I didn't watch that show [who would, anyway?] but it seemed obvious enough to me). (3) Both have a disability. The Daredevil is blind (Come to think about it, why does the DareDevil bother to pop two holes in his mask when he couldn't see anyway? Was it to protect his identity [so that they do not start arresting and interrogating blind people in the city]?), whereas the Cicak man... well... if you were to observe his mouth, you would notice that it's crooked. So, I guess he might well be hemiplegic (ie. stroke victim), the corresponding disability paralleling the Daredevil's.


Quotable Quotes
Hmmm, come to think about it, surely a quote must quotable, for it to be defined as a quote. Why do they bother to call these quotable quotes in the first place anyway? Oh well, here they are nonetheless:

"Could we keep it in the (hotel room) safe?" - Ivan, whenever someone mentioned if there was any space in [area in hotel room] to contain the [item being mentioned. Examples: guitar, munchable munchies (a known term GC uses to describe his favourite flavour and type of tidbits from Muchy's), drinks... etc.].

"Then could we keep the safe in the fridge?" - GC, so as to ensure that his munchable munchies would still be cold even when in the safe.

"No, then we might be fined for littering." - Kelvin Lim, at the suggestion of smashing Melvin thru the wall to create an opening to link two side-by-side shopping centres so as to reduce the walking distance, and leaving a bloody mess.

"Can you imagine the amount of trouble we would be causing to the cleaners???" - GC, an additional response to the above suggestion.

"Ditto!" - Kelvin Lim, whenever it was his turn to comment during rounds of sharing of answers/opinion.

"I've been dittoed!" - Kelvin Lim, when someone finally dittoed his answer for the first time after his dittoing streaks, and at some other instances.

"Since they have no complaints of fatal accidents so far, it must be safe." - Kelvin Lim, when his opinion was asked regarding some seemingly dangerous activity that we were about to engage in.

"Then he'll be ruthless!" Aaron, when this question was asked: "Can you imagine what would have happened if Boaz didn't marry Ruth?"

Thought: Hmmm, I wonder how exactly a full-strength (in terms of numbers) SIC account of a trip would be like.

The Cookie's Book Of Records

As of today, the number of times I went out shopping (OK, I wasn't exactly shopping, but was merely tagging along) numbered 3 for this month. This is an all-time high record for as far as I could recall from memory.

Shopping Event No.1: KL trip (an upcoming post about the trip is underway. Thus, it shall not be elaborated here)

Shopping Event No.2: After some ntu cell fellowship, it was dinner at Vivo city where I learnt about some $88,000 watch which made me feel that a good $20 functional watch seemed trash in comparison. Nothing much that was interesting other than 3 of us trying to leave Shannon sleeping at the dinner table as we left...

Shopping Event No.3: This took place at Vivo city again =) Read below for more details.

Highlights Of Shopping Event No.3
- I noticed a choc advertisement from Chocolate Factory that looked more like a chocolate battery than an edible chocolate product (hmmm, this might sound confusing, since a chocolate battery is a form of a chocolate product. Simply, it looks like it's advertising a battery with chocolate wrappings).

- We (ie. the 2 shoppers and 1 tagger - me. Names will be mentioned later) went into a queue for movie tickets, only to step out of it after some time, upon realising that there aren't really any good shows this season.

- Here's something else that I noticed. Well, forgive me for my bad sense of art and/or appreciation of art (hey, I've failed/barely passed art since primary school. And, should there be any 'master piece' that I felt deserving of an 'A', it would usually be downgraded by one or two grades or given a failure cause I misinterpreted what the teacher wanted. So, what could you expect, right?), but... Well, although this is supposedly an artistic pool of water flowing down some rounded cobble path into the middle, I just couldn't help but feel that it simply looked like a toilet bowl being flushed for a never-ending length of time.



- As Adnama (Not her real name. This name has been changed in order to protect the identity of this person. OK, it's a bad job. But still, technically speaking that's not her real name), Matthea and Glass Cookie (GC) came across a section with lots of those baking cups, the following took place:

Adnama (enquiring sweetly): Will you eat something that I bake, if I were to bake for you all?

GC (asking politely): Will I be compensated? (ie. in the event of a disaster)

Adnama: %#&$&! (GC can't recall what she said, but whatever was said sounded quite like it)

[Adnama violently attacks poor GC, who could only raise up his right arm in defence as he was taken by surprise. Not that he was ambushed, but he was apparently stunned by the reaction]

Adnama (seeking comfort from Matthea, enquiring sweetly): Er... will you eat it?

Matthea: Of course I'll eat it.

Adnama (apparently comforted): Yay... (GC couldn't remember what else she said)

[GC stares at Matthea in disbelief]

Matthea (with a finger over her lips, to indicate silence): Shhh!!! (ie. don't give me away)

[GC couldn't help but laugh non-stop for a period of time, squatting]

Thought: I think I've had enough shopping trips for this month already.

Cockroach Defeated

Cockroach has been defeated. You gain 1 exp and 0 gold pieces.

Congratulations, you have gained a level.

+1 Courage
+1 Attack
+0 Defense
+0 Strength
+0 Dexterity
+0 Intelligence

Oh well, that serves that spastic cockroach right for trespassing the bathroom and trying to take cover in my used (Nope, my clothes did not become rags. Rather, they're used in the sense that I've already worn it for the day, since most - if not all - of my clothes have been worn [and hence, used] before) clothes, and for refusing to budge out of my clothes until I had to flip it here and there for 5 over minutes with a housefly swatter. It was such a gross and freaky business back there. And yup (just in case you're wondering. But hey, since I've mentioned that it's a freaky business, what's there to wonder about?), I'm somewhat (it's hard to explain this, so I shall not attempt to do so lest I should confuse anyone) freaked out by roaches, hence the level up, since I killed it.

Thought: Man, I really hate cockroaches.

Phew, I'm Saved!!!

As for today and tomorrow (ie. friday), I shall be in a mode of rest (and nope, I'm not referring to hibernation like bears or terrapins during winter). Now, you must be wondering why on earth I'm stating that when it's the holidays and I'm not taking any jobs that are part time. Well, that's because I recently accepted an adhoc thingy (ie. a performance) as some of you know, and it was cancelled (well, it wasn't exactly cancelled. That thing is still on but they wanted Christmas carolling instead. And if you're asking me to sing... hey, I'm wondering if singing in front of an audience is comparable to the-phobia-greater-than-Phaseolusaureusphobia, hmmm... Still, singing is out of the question nonetheless.) just yesterday, and I'm so glad about it.

Erm, just in case you're wondering if I went mad during the holidays such that: I was preparing and practising hard for something and just as it was cancelled at the last minute, I was happy about it - Nope. I'm not crazy. In short, although this was a somewhat juicy adhoc thingy that pays $200/0.5 hour for 1 hour in total = nett $400 (after GST, and split among the team), I have not much idea as to how many more people (ie. tech. crew) would be in the team since it's only me playing the keyboard and a another singer. Scary. And also, as usual, as always, and will always be...

idislikeperformingidislikeperformingidislikeperformingidislikeperforming
idislikeperformingidislikeperformingidislikeperformingidislikeperforming
idislikeperformingidislikeperformingidislikeperformingidislikeperforming... (x100,000)

I'm saved! Yay! No more the-phobia-greater-than-Phaseolusaureusphobia effects of any kind although I have been suffering those symptoms mildly at the thought of having to perform. And also, there wasn't any practise that took place even up till yesterday, when I was notified about the cancellation. Perhaps that explains why those mild effects I suffered seemed to increase in intensity as the dreadful date (ie. today's date) drew nearer. Ahhh, rest time at last =)

Conclusion: I must not frighten myself again like this...

25 Questions =)

Well, yesterday I was reminded of something I could blog about for fun, something different from the usual. And so, here it is:

1. Height? From 1.74-1.76 m. And that's not because I shrink or stretch randomly over time. Well, you see... all P.E. teachers seemed to have trouble standardizing the measuring tape distance from the ground.

2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Well, I do not know how to smoke a salmon, let alone smoke heroin.

3. Do you own a gun? If buying a gun means owning it, yup, that would be my favourite carbine in my CS games with friends. But if not... hey, are they referring to that little water pistol I used to have when I was 3? As for owning that water pistol, well, not anymore.

4. What do you think of hot dogs? Well, the sausage simply doesn't look like a dog. And also, a cooked (and hence, hot) dog looks nowhere near a sausage. Why do they call it a hot dog anyway, and not a hot cat/rhino/buffalo/elephant/giraffe/komodo dragon/Loch Ness/t-rex... etc.?

5. What’s your favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night. Ooo, Christmas is round the corner. Hmmm, do they have right angled walls in the dimension/corridors of time?

6. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Hmmm, any emulsion or mixture in water that I would prefer to drink. Hmmm, did I answer the question?

7. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? Well, since this question stated favourite, that would be a 50 carat diamond necklace in platinum setting, not that I wear one or own one.

8. Do you like painkillers? This sounds dangerous... like some drug abuse or a mental case. Then again, I'm pretty sure masochists hate painkillers but the supposed opposite of masochists (ie. sadists) hate painkillers too. Hmmm... I guess victims of sadists would like painkillers. And since I'm pretty safe from harm, nope, I don't like it.

9. Do you have A.D.D.? What's an A.D.D.? I could add though. 1 + 1 = 2. Not satisfied? Okay, how about... 182.64 + 275.194 + 9375.215 + 92656.34301 = 102489.39201. Happy?

10. Middle Name? Well, both my real name and internet nick do not have a middle name. Thus, this question is invalid.

11. Name the last 3 things you have bought: Hmmm, let me see. My lunch, my lunch, and my lunch.

12. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Considering the most regular of drinks, that would be distilled water from home, not so distilled water from home (ie. from the tap when I brush my teeth or rinse my mouth), and probably some other water containing various amounts of different ions/metals/minerals/whatever from outside home.

13. Current worry? I'm worried that I'm not worried about having something to worry about and not worrying about it when I should worry about it though I'm taught not to worry about it.

14. Current hate? Hmmm, I'm quite sure I'm OK with blackcurrants. Or are they referring to electric shocks? Yup, I'm sure I hate that.

15. Favorite place to be? Heaven, though I have no intention of going there anytime soon.

16. Least favorite place to be? Erm, that would be quite the opposite of Question 15.

17. Where would you like to go? Erm, no thanks. I'm pretty home bound. So, I'd just like to stay where I am (ie. home).

18. Do you own slippers? Technically speaking, I do not own them since I did not buy them, but I do have a pair that I call mine.

19. What shirt are you wearing? I'm currently not wearing a shirt. Shirts are used when I'm serving. And it's crazy to wear that formally at home. I'm wearing something nonetheless =)

20. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Erm, you mean something was meant to get me as a child? To be exact, I feared fear. Well, that's because I thought something would come to scare me at night as a child, not kidnap me or something.

21. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2. But since computers can be converted to television sets via a PC card, that would be 2 + 4 potential TVs.

22. What is your favorite book? That would be the Bible =)

23. What song do/did you want played at your wedding? I'm not married. So that leaves with what song do I want to play at my wedding. I'm not getting married yet. Ask me again when that time comes =)

24. What is your pet peeve? Huh? What I love to be irritated at? That sounds confusing, and this seems to be in the class of mental illnesses like masochism and sadism. And since I'm normal, nope. I have no pet peeves.

25. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Oh, that's obvious: "Is it time to wake up now?"

A Crappy Conversation

Today, we (ie. the NTU cell) had a fellowship week (well, not the entire week really, but merely one day out of the week. It's funny why they call it a fellowship week to begin with. Or perhaps people used to have cell group 7 days a week and when the time came for the cell members to take a break from lessons, they had a fellowship week. But that sounded pretty unlikely. Anyway, back to the topic...). And so, we were at Billy Bombers (Hmmm, I wonder if Mr Billy's ancestors were fighter pilots, and they piloted a bomber aircraft specifically, for if someone's surname is Smith or Poulier today, their ancestors might well be swordsmiths/blacksmiths or butchers respectively.) having lunch and chatting. And of course, from the blog title, you could tell that it's about a crappy conversation that took place, and it caught my attention (Hmmm, this sounded obvious. Why would I [or anyone in particular] blog about anything that didn't get my attention? OK, I think I've been distracted too much. Once again, back to the topic.).

Well, it all started when someone mentioned that her boyfriend would be picking her up later to some place to celebrate her birthday, but the location was not revealed to her. On top of that, she has been guessing the location for a week already but without clue as to where that place would be. And as such, two crappy responses from her boyfriend (when they meet up later) were suggested:

[Disclaimer: These are crappy responses. If you ever decide to use them in future for any situation, you agree to the terms and conditions that you will not hold the author of this post liable for any damages caused physically or mentally, externally or internally, any forms of monetary losses, implicitly or explicitly, or any other forms of damages caused resulting from the usage of such materials.]

Response 1: OK, let's go to that food court over there...

Response 2: So, where do we go to eat?

But as usual, as always, my crappy mind generated some crappy responses:

Response 3: I thought you were bringing me somewhere to eat?

Response 4: Huh? I actually mentioned last week that I'm taking you somewhere to eat???!!!

Response 5: Erm... pardon me, but... what are we meeting today for?

And of course, not forgetting the ultimate crappy response:

Response 6: Hey, I've had my dinner already. Have you had yours?

Thought: These responses had better not be any of my response in future (ie. in any similar situations) lest my walk on earth should be cut short prematurely.

A The-Only-Word-That-Means-And-Sounds-Exactly-Like-'Dilemma'

OK, it's a dilemma alright. I'm not crazy, just bored. As to what that dilemma is, it's simply this: although I longed for the holidays to come so that I could practise up my piano, it has become a dry, boring thingy beyond the 2nd hour and I'm getting restless. And I'm quite tired mugging in the keys of B and Ab.

Hmmm... perhaps I shouldn't be too impatient about completing these two keys asap, since Rome wasn't built in a day (but considering the other saying: All roads lead to Rome, does it mean that Rome was really huge and accessible, so much so that all roads lead to it? And for such a large scale project (ie. building Rome), it would take decades/centuries. And so, does: Rome wasn't built in a day = Rome took decades/centuries = "Hey, forget about getting it done in less than a decade/century"? Hmmm...). But then again, if I were to intensively mug it, I should be able to accomplish my goals. Yet, with such intensity, boredom seemed to be the limiting factor. But hey, I love the piano, and I would want to accomplish certain goals I have with regards to it. Since it's the holidays, I should accomplish it asap. But then again, perhaps I shouldn't be too impatient about completing... etc.

Oh well, back to more piano before I start getting crappy (and yup, this is a hint/clue that it has yet to hit late at night).

A Packing Some-Other-Word-That-Also-Means-Dilemma

OK, before I start blogging proper (well, that does not mean that I'm blogging improperly. I mean, how does one blog improperly to begin with? Hmmm, perhaps with cryptography? Aha, I got it! With c-h-i-n-e-s-e, haha... whatever. Rather, this should be interpreted as "Before I start the topic...". But hey, how does one say/type that when one has already started the topic? Hmmm, this is confusing. Anyway, back to the topic before I go into a long discourse about some totally unrelated topic.), some of you might be wondering what on earth I'm doing with the usage of 'Some-Other-Word-That-Also-Means-Dilemma' (SOWTAMD) when I could have used the word 'Dilemma'.

Firstly, I've seen a similar title in another blog entry with the word 'dilemma' just today, and I do not want appear to be parroting that blog. It causes me to feel as if I have no mind of my own (But hey, it sure is difficult and freaky when such things happen from time to time) and blogging based on another blog. Secondly, I'm too lazy to go to a thesaurus to get that some other word. Thirdly, as much as reading this statement gives the impression that it's another point (until now) I'm making, nope, there is no 'thirdly'. That's because I can't think of anything else. But hey, these two reasons are more than enough, right?

Anyway, back to the topic for the second time. I'm in a packing SOWTAMD, ARRRRGH!!! Actually, that's about the gist of this post. But I'm quite sure this would sound quite anti-climax if I were to end here. So, I shall elaborate on how it's a SOWTAMD. Well, although I have the following:

(1) School bag packing experience since primary school

(2) School bag packing experience since secondary school

(3) School bag packing experience since JC (come to think about it, it was more of a worksheet packing thingy in JC rather than book packing as compared to before JC since the study materials were mostly worksheets of all colours, folding [this includes accidental crushes since a crush seem to be made up of hundreds and thousands of folds, and accidental because I'm not crazy/lazy enough to stuff crushed/unwanted paper in my bag], pen colours, fonts and what-nots rather than books. And I remember that for a given subject, I would have more mass from worksheets than from its respective total books. Then again, there's an exception: Chinese, as the dictionary is big and thick, and worksheets... well, let's not go into that detail, shall we).

(4) Full battle order packing experience since Tekkong days

(5) 2 contact rates Ops packing experience ever since I was in my unit

(6) Miscellaneous packing experience for various trips overseas

I still feel something's inadequate in my packing. It seemed as though something is missing although I know that it is all that I would probably ever need, based on experience. But if I'm doubting my experience, is it truly based on experience when I'm packing? But hey, I do know what to pack about because I've done it before, so it is experience that I'm basing on. But hey, I'm doubting it... etc. etc. etc. loop. loop. loop. Hmmm, this is probably one funny situation where my subconscious tries to be funny with me. Arrrgh, before I go paranoid thinking more about it, I'd better end here.

Thought: I must not think too much about it. I must not think about it. Arrrgh, I'm thinking about it! =X I must not think too much about it... etc. etc. etc. loop. loop. loop

The T43 Interview Sequel

Well, it's the holidays. And since it's crappy condicive, and on top of that it's late at night...

Interviewer: Hi Glass Cookie's (GC) laptop! I believe we haven't met. Allow me to introduce my...

GC's Laptop (interrupting): Hey, where's that previous guy?

Interviewer (taken aback): Erm, well... as much as I could remember, he said he was pretty fine with this assignment a month ago. But just this morning, he called to say that he needed to go on MC. And come what may literally, he would not come to work. Weird. Even with the boss talking to him, he was adamant in not coming.

GC's Laptop: Hmmm, what a funny friend you have. Humans are funny.

Interviewer: Well, I guess that's how you see it. And as I was saying, allow me to introduce myself...

GC's Laptop (interrupting, again): Hey! Give me a name! [Looking eagerly at the interviewer]

Interviewer (getting puzzled, and trying not to be irritated at being cut off): Erm, aren't you called a laptop?

GC's Laptop: Yup. But I do not have a name. You don't really call another human friend 'human', right?

Interviewer (with that look that goes "Sigh, I guess we'll not proceed until I answer this question"): Hmmm, let me think...

GC's Laptop: Cool! [Looks more eagerly at the interviewer] Tell me! Tell me!

Interviewer: Hmmm, since from my friend's records, you're freqenty used for games. How about 'the gamer's haven'?

GC's Laptop: No way! That sounds like some pathetic LAN shop with similar counterparts that are inferior to a high quality product that I am.

Interviewer (raising an eyebrow): But I thought some of those Pentium 4 chips, though older than you are, could process stuff faster than you do, since they are desktops? [Trying to conceal a smile, resulting from satisfaction that he did his homework]

GC's Laptop: Oh, well... I'm smaller. What do you expect?

Interviewer (finding an opportunity to continue the interview): By the way, I have a series of questions for you.

GC's Laptop: Sure thing. What is it?

Interviewer (with a look that says "Phew, finally..."): How long do you work a day?

GC's Laptop: Hmmm, now that it's the holidays, I work about a few hours a day. It's lesser than during my master's school term.

Interviewer: Oh, is that because he doesn't use you to study for now?

GC's Laptop: Yup. I guess. But his gaming and blogging hours are about the same. A few hours a day or so. But when he initiated his personal mugger mode program, he cut off lots of it. They're all back now. It's funny that his gaming and bloging hours are about the same even though his trip is this monday.

Interviewer: Oh, OK. Hmmm... doesn't he have to pack?

GC's Laptop: Well, he was blogging halfway that he has yet to pack his bag. He was also crappily rationalising that since he has packed his school bag since primary school, packing a bag for a trip wouldn't require too much effort. So, he felt he could accomplish this on Sunday night itself. Then, he cancelled the post. Funny.

Interviewer: Hmmm, why did he do that?

GC's Laptop: I don't know. But based on his blogging records at night, I guess he felt crappier. As I said, humans are funny. You are funny too.

Interviewer (somewhat intrigued): Oh, and how am I funny?

GC's Laptop: Like other humans, you're terrible at giving names. That's funny since humans were empowered to name things since their creation time estimated around B.C. 4000-3070 or something, according to my internet sources. Aren't they supposed to be good at giving names since that many years ago?

Interviewer: What? You're still at it?

GC's Laptop: Still at what? That sounds undefined.

Interviewer (thinking it's wiser not to answer that question): OK, next question. So what do you do when your master's not using you?

GC's Laptop: It depends. It's good that he's practising the piano more often now, since that leaves a higher chance for me to rest. When he's practising the piano or off somewhere, two things could happen. He could be downloading stuff, or he could not be downloading stuff.

Interviewer (with the look that says "I'm trying not to insult you here"): Well, that sounded... obvious. So where does all that link to?

GC's Laptop (without the look that says "I'm trying not to insult you here". In fact, it was quite the opposite of that of the interviewer): Isn't that obvious? I'm either downloading stuff or none at all. [making a sound that sounded like a scoff]

Interviewer (irritated that the question wasn't really answered, and mumbling to himself): Oh, now I know why that joker refused to come to work today.

GC's Laptop: Hmmm? Can't hear you. I can't hear you.

Interviewer: OK, one last question. How do you find your master?

GC's Laptop: Man, he's a slave driver. Although he's only half a slave driver this holidays, he'll always be a slave driver to me. Can you imagine all the work I have to do? Run his games, play and rip his mp3s, update this and that, check his mail, let him do his blogging... etc.

Interviewer: But that's what you're for, right?

GC's Laptop: Yup. I'm the laptop for the job man. And hey, you better not tell him or else...

Interviewer (interrupting, before he hears any freaky threat that made his friend look pale after one particular interview): Don't worry about it. My lips are sealed. [suddenly trying to look urgent about something] Oh, I've gotta go now. Thank you for your time.

GC's Laptiop: OK. Bye bye.

[Interviewer leaves hurriedly, and looking glad that this is finally over]

OK, it's getting late now, so I'd better hurry to the place where their national anthem is Lalala (ie. Lala land) lest I cannot wake up in time for church.

Mugger Mode.exe

CookieSoft Mugger Mode Run-time initiated.

Command-line CookieSoft Mugger Mode Run-time v1.0 betaCopyright © CookieSoft, Inc. 1998-2006.

Please enter your commands:
Mugger Mode>open mugger mode menu

Please enter your password: *********

Password accepted.
Welcome glass_cookie. Please select and enter your choice:

1) Enter exceptions
2) Shut down mugger mode
3) Exit without saving changes
4) Exit and initiate mugger mode

Choice number: 2

Please enter the system password to disable mugger mode: ************

Note: This will shut down mugger mode. Do you wish to continue? Y/N: Y

System check... 100% completed
Processing system files... 100% completed
Removing restrictions... 100% completed
Shutting down mugging executables... 100% completed
Unloading system database files... 100% completed
Freeing resources from Lecture notes and tutorials... 100% completed

Mugger mode has been disabled. For the system to function properly, you would need to restart. Would you like to restart now? Y/N: Y

Please wait while the system is restarting...

Command-line CookieSoft Protected Mode Run-time v4.57.1008aCopyright © CookieSoft, Inc. 1998-2006.

C:\>compressprogram
Bad command or filename.

C:\>compress
Bad command: filename parameter not specified.

C:\>compress mugger mode.exe

Compressing program... 100% completed
'C:\Mugger mode.exe' has been compressed. In order to run this program properly, you will have to decompress it first.

C:\>move 'mugger mode.exe' 'C:\untouchables\condemned archives'
Move confirmation required. Are you sure you want to move 'mugger mode.exe'? Y/N: Y
Moving... 100% completed

C:\>rome total war.exe
Executing 'rome total war.exe'... no errors detected. Running...

A Cookie's Quirky Finance

Looking back, there was something quirky that I noticed about my expenditure such that there was a relationship between my money (well, in terms of cash. And this isn't referring to the cash cheque thingy. I mean solid [OK, it's not so solid after all since it's paper/plastic], physical cash.) brought to school and the amount of money spent.

Well, logically speaking (or rather, typing), if one were to bring a lot of money out, the chances of expenditure would be high, whereas should a person bring little or no cash out, the expenditure would be low. But for me, the following happened on a frequent basis:

- On days when I brought about $30 to school to last through the week, I spend about $30 - $40 (that's because I drew money. And usually the pathetic atm in NTU would only allow $50 notes. But it was a good thing as that $50 might well have limited my spending. Well, this doesn't make sense to you? Read on...).

- On days where I brought no cash to school, my expenditure was at $40 - $50 or so, which meant that I spent $40 to $50 over the amount of cash I brought.

- On rare days that I brought $100 to school, my expenditure barely made it across $20 - $25.

Thus, based on this pattern, one could deduce that the relationship between expenditure (E) and the money brought (B) could probably be estimated as:

E = abs( (B - 40) + -40 * Log(B + 1) / 5 ) , for B = 0, 40 or 100

where abs(...) = absolute; if the value is negative, make it positive.

Just in case you're wondering, yup, I tested the calculations and this function works. Hey, it's the holidays. What do you expect, right? And nope, formulation of such an equation goes to show that I do not have an idle mind, although it could well be quasi-transiently-idle. But hey, although it is mathematically correct, this equation only works for 3 fixed values (namely [or rather, numerically], B = 0 , 40 or 100. And if you were to try values above $100, expenditure would shoot up. Thus, I do not base my theory on this mathematical expression. It is just an illustration.

OK, back to the theory. Based on what I deduce, for every 3 times more money I bring, by expenditure would go down by a third. Thus, in order to bring down my spending to a negligible amount, to less than a cent, I would have to bring $100 * 3^20 = $348,678,440,100 to school. Hmmm, based on that figure, I must be richer than Bill gates and all the top 10,000 richest men in the world put together plus all the value of gold in the world (including that of King Solomon's), and bring that amount to school (hmmm, did I just mention it?), so as to avoid spending money. Although crazy as it may sound, it could well be true. Think about it - if I were to bring so much money to school, I would be fearing assassination, robbery... etc. attempts and as such, I wouldn't dare walk around, much less eat in the school canteen, nor would I have the appetite to eat anyway. And as such, my spending would truly be $0.

Conclusion: Seriously, I'd rather just bring $40 or $100 to school. It's too much trouble to save up and/or earn $348,678,440,100, much less bringing that amount to school.

Happy Realization And Holidays

Well, the holidays are finally here and I've finally come to terms with the realisation that the holidays are here (well, I'm not saying that only after 3 days into my holidays did I realise that it was the holidays. I don't think I'm that slow to begin with. More accurately, As of now, it felt like the holidays to me, and I've finally got rid of that oh-ya-!!! [the !!! cannot be pronounced, like the ! for Africans, where you make a click sound. This is merely an emphasis during the mini-realisations, and 'mini' because they keep repeating and are nothing in magnitude compared to this one]-it's-the-holidays thingy that resides at the back of my mind when I considered playing the piano/games/blogging... etc.).

Currently, I feel lost, as if not knowing what to do (note: it's a feeling) but I do know what to do because I have certain stuff that I want to accomplish during the holidays. And as the saying goes, an idle mind is a devil's workshop, so I wouldn't want to fall into that category of people with an idle mind. But then again, considering this phrase, is an idle mind truly an idle mind after it is idle? Since an idle mind = devil's workshop = tonnes of schemes and funny ideas = lots and lots of thought processes, I seriously doubt it is still idle. Yet, a mind has to be idle before it could qualify being a devil's workshop. Perhaps an idle mind should be described in a temporal form, like: transiently/temporarily/momentarily/briefly/not-for-long/soon-not-to-be-idle.

Thought: Hmmm, I wonder if such a post indicated the state of my mind: transiently-idle. But hey, it's a harmless post, so this disqualifies my mind being that. So, it's probably quasi-transiently-idle =) Who cares? The holidays are finally here (OK, not so finally since it was 3 days ago, but finally nontheless)!

Module Listings And A Rhyming Game

This post is a cut-and-paste of a purely crap conversation. Ignore this if you do not wish to feel "Arrgh, I've totally wasted my time reading crap. What nonsense is this?"

Well, it was one of those rare days when I crapped with a friend (Nope. There's no error with the usage of 'rare'. Although I do crap often on this blog, it's only me and the computer, and a computer is not a friend) of mine over msn (hmmm, sounded obvious. Why would I crap with people who aren't my friends. And to those who do not know me that well [and have not read my blog], I'm not crappy at all.). And somehow, the conversation started with him stating that has trouble preserving his sanity. And after these statements:

"I'M SANE I'M SANE I'M SANE I'M SANE I'M SANE"
"no la. You're [glass cookie's name]. Don't be silly." ...
"my sanity has been sucked into the engines of a Boeing 747" ...
"my sanity has drowned in a turbulent flow" ...
... ...
"at least yours had a body. Mine's a puff of smoke now after going through the engine"
... ...
"oh, so different smoke has different effects"...

The interesting thing is, we came to a point where we discussed about the funeral proceedings of 'sanity' and somehow it led to the creation of module names related to it (ie. sanity):

"I'm not sane. Where is sanity?"
"So you think you found your sanity? Think again"
"If you have found sanity, look again. It may not be yours"
"That's not sanity! Its insanity!"
"Why does sanity like going out through the window and not the door?"
"Physics of sanity - Momentum, Inertia and Reference Frames"
"Types of Window Structures that are Sanity-Permeable"
"First Aid - Emergency Resuscitation for Sanity"
"Sanity... Myth or Fact?"
"Sanity - Real or Surreal?"
"Sanity in a Globalized World"
"Sanity Explained in Mathematical Equations"
"Sanity - Are you ok? Mental health"
"Sanity - You are not ok. Mental distress"
"Sanity - What makes you think you're ok and when you're not? Mental confusion"
"Using Sanity as a Business Model"
"Sanity - can it survive in Modern Society?"
"Sanity - Organisational Behaviour With and Without it"

And it came to a point in our crapping where we went into a rhyming game:

NTU is making news all the time for all the wrong reasons. so cool
hahaha, yea man. hmmm, I wonder who's next... a professor who is not sane?
hahha
must be a jane then
hahaha
or that prof could be a bane
well at least he won't be a pain anymore
that's true, especially when a cane's nothing comparable to that bane
well, then make him grow a mane...
and walk him down the lane
to celebrate his newfound fame
even if he may be found to be lame
he'll still be a pretty crane
that is pretty tame
yup he'll live life as a grand old dame
with a big ole' cane and the whole world to blame
drowning them in shame and a pint of paint
with lots of fumes arising, making them faint
writhing on the ground in pain, shouting for rain!
and wondering if their mind is in the right frame
so that life can play its little game
and with it the miseries and troubles came
roaring like a giant plane
that is about to go up in flames
finding itself at the end of its lane
and nothing could save, even with all the brains
like all help was bound up in chains
and that all effort done was flushed down the drain
on its way to find a-drain
and ended up finding an iranian
who has a bomb planted in his cranium
containing traces of uranium
and some thallum that killed the ex russian spy
whose talent of hiding seemed errant
maybe he learnt it from a felon
whose ideas were mostly barren
like his brain had been scratched by talons
those should have been melons

Thought: This holiday is crappy-conducive whereas my previous semester was rant-conducive. As of now, I'd like to keep it as it is =)

Stage 1 After The Last Stage

My last paper is finally over, today. Although it was a difficult paper, I guess it wasn't too bad after all. I mean, it's merely 40 marks tha ares more or less a goner. What are 40 marks man? I'm sure there would be others out there like me. Oh well, in the worst case scenario, this paper would pull down my overall grade. But what's a grade anyway? It's merely a letter. Moreover, life's not all about grades, how much more in a*rospace. Who cares about grades anyway? And since there were people complaining about questions that cannot be done, and people having different answers, I guess everyone fared about the same as I do.... I hope... I suppose... I guess... I presume... I assume... I anticipate... I predict... I think... ... etc.

If the title of this post seemed contradicting to you, allow me to explain (and no, this is no computer game where you start at stage 1 after completing the final stage). The last stage refers to my final paper. As for the first stage... have I mentioned that I would very much not like to utilise certain information? Yup, you get the idea. Oh well, unfortunately, I'm not denying that I'm in denial now if you were to ask. Hey, this sounds contradicting. If I'm not denying about being in a state of denial, am I truly in denial? Usually, when someone is in denial and someone else tells him/her that his/her rationalization is 'off'/nonsensical/imaginary/fantasy/fairytale/only-possible-in-your-dreams, he/she would continue in that denial by brushing off whatever that was said as nonsense. So maybe I'm not in denial after all. But then again, I did rationalize (and still am) about that paper being not too badly done after all. Yet, deep down inside me I know it's really messed up (And no, I'm not schizophrenic. Don't start any funny ideas now...). Or perhaps I'm in partial denial. In other (newly created) words, I'm in fractional/hemi/demi/semi/partial/zero-point-five/half/unfinished/incomplete-denial.

Thought: Arrrgh, who cares? It's the holidays now. But hey, I do care...