Once again loneliness creeps in, although I keep telling myself staying at home is no big deal. At least this time there are the television broadcasts haha.
One year back I hoped that I would be happier in the year. Now that the year is gone and 2011 has arrived, I don't think I am what I hoped to be yet. In fact, I'm not too sure what it is that I hope to be. Therefore, in the new year, as I continue to find out more about myself, I hope I, and everyone around me, will be happy.
May the new year be a good one!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
the december winds
Oh my I realise I have not posted any entries here for more than a month.
In the entire year, December is one month that I always love and hate. Love because of the cooling weather, particularly the lovely winds from the Northeast monsoons; hate because of the end of year holiday season where loneliness will always creep onto me despite my best efforts to ignore it. Haha.
Then again, this month has not been entirely pleasant for me; after completing the project which we did over the summer vacation, we went back for a review after our examinations, and it turns out some changes are needed, and so I have been spending pretty much the entire holidays implementing them. Time is running out for me to play my games before school reopens, so I hope everything can be settled soon.
Bought new furniture! Well my mother is obsessed with making the house look as spacious as possible, and she complained that the bedroom is too cluttered because of the two beds, a rather big study table, a computer table, and a television, not to mention two cupboards.
First off is a study table to replace both tables. The new table now houses both my desktop and laptop, has a decent area for me to read and write, but has a sufficiently small footprint.
Second is a double decker bed to replace both our beds, which my mother's one had already broke from wear and tear. Just like the motherland, since space is scarce, we expand vertically. Haha.
Photos next time when I'm done with the wiring. Wiring is always the bitch when setting up computers. Haha.
In the entire year, December is one month that I always love and hate. Love because of the cooling weather, particularly the lovely winds from the Northeast monsoons; hate because of the end of year holiday season where loneliness will always creep onto me despite my best efforts to ignore it. Haha.
Then again, this month has not been entirely pleasant for me; after completing the project which we did over the summer vacation, we went back for a review after our examinations, and it turns out some changes are needed, and so I have been spending pretty much the entire holidays implementing them. Time is running out for me to play my games before school reopens, so I hope everything can be settled soon.
Bought new furniture! Well my mother is obsessed with making the house look as spacious as possible, and she complained that the bedroom is too cluttered because of the two beds, a rather big study table, a computer table, and a television, not to mention two cupboards.
First off is a study table to replace both tables. The new table now houses both my desktop and laptop, has a decent area for me to read and write, but has a sufficiently small footprint.
Second is a double decker bed to replace both our beds, which my mother's one had already broke from wear and tear. Just like the motherland, since space is scarce, we expand vertically. Haha.
Photos next time when I'm done with the wiring. Wiring is always the bitch when setting up computers. Haha.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
happy 7th birthday
Its my blog's 7th birthday today! Happy birthday!
[Ok I cheated. I missed its birthday by one hour so I changed the posting date lol]
While the number of blog entries this year is set to be the second lowest ever [actually the lowest considering I started blogging in November 2003, and I chalked up 17 posts in 2003], rest assured that I will not be abandoning this any time soon. Over the years I [and this blog, and blogging in general] have seen the emergence of various new web technologies like Facebook and Twitter, but I feel that they are a tad too 'open' for me. I am still not quite comfortable with sharing my thoughts [and photos] on Facebook, and Twitter is worse; I don't like the idea of people 'following' me.
Interestingly blogs actually work the same way, but I guess I'm more comfortable because less people know about this.
********************************************
Interesting IVLE announcement of the week:
Hi all,
Something bad: the janitor collected your assignments on your behalf this morning and throw them into the garbage bin. Though I managed to grab them back, the lab assignments get dirty now. The hw3 survived because they were put at a separate clean location.
So only hw3 are available for collection now and I will suspend the collection of your lab assignments unless you have concerns about your grade.
Sorry for the inconvenience caused.
********************************************
Although exams are coming really soon, I was still attracted to this movie broadcast over television just now:
Here!
Touching movie; I like. Its a pity I have never quite experienced that in real life, but seeing it on TV is better than nothing.
[Ok I cheated. I missed its birthday by one hour so I changed the posting date lol]
While the number of blog entries this year is set to be the second lowest ever [actually the lowest considering I started blogging in November 2003, and I chalked up 17 posts in 2003], rest assured that I will not be abandoning this any time soon. Over the years I [and this blog, and blogging in general] have seen the emergence of various new web technologies like Facebook and Twitter, but I feel that they are a tad too 'open' for me. I am still not quite comfortable with sharing my thoughts [and photos] on Facebook, and Twitter is worse; I don't like the idea of people 'following' me.
Interestingly blogs actually work the same way, but I guess I'm more comfortable because less people know about this.
********************************************
Interesting IVLE announcement of the week:
Hi all,
Something bad: the janitor collected your assignments on your behalf this morning and throw them into the garbage bin. Though I managed to grab them back, the lab assignments get dirty now. The hw3 survived because they were put at a separate clean location.
So only hw3 are available for collection now and I will suspend the collection of your lab assignments unless you have concerns about your grade.
Sorry for the inconvenience caused.
********************************************
Although exams are coming really soon, I was still attracted to this movie broadcast over television just now:
Here!
Touching movie; I like. Its a pity I have never quite experienced that in real life, but seeing it on TV is better than nothing.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
catching up
Alright after neglecting this blog for a very long time, I finally have some time for a little entry.
As mentioned earlier, this semester had been a hectic one, mainly because of the projects. There was a web based system for CS2102 Database, a game for CS2103 Software Engineering and various random stuff like oral presentation and proposal writing for IS2101.
The rest of the modules weren't exactly a breeze either; CS2106 lectures taught the concepts well, but we had to figure out the implementation ourselves when we did the lab sessions. 'man and Google are your best friends.' kept popping up in our lab documents. Am a little lost in MA2213 and ST2334 after neglecting them a little too much, so there is a hell lot to catch up.
Despite all the rush, I found time out to have a look at this year's CS1101S Sumobot contest, 2010 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix, attend my secondary school's mooncake festival celebrations, and a trip to the Singapore Flyer.
***********************************************
CS2102 project was to whip up a web system that demonstrated our knowledge of databases. I formed a team with some friends who first knew each other partially through me [not bad I think I do a good job bringing people together haha], and our team was allocated the task of a job database.
Having some confidence in developing web systems after my stint during the summer vacation, I thought it would be a piece of cake, and told my friends upfront I would do the entire system myself, while they just had to take care of the project report. I was very wrong. It turned out I needed more time than I thought I needed.
Also I started this project too late, which was another bad decision. While my zai friends from other teams had at least two zai kias coding the system out, I was the only one in my group who had prior experience, and of course I was nowhere near any of their zai-ness. My mistake was that I should not have started coding at the same time as them.
Well end result wasn't that bad. I had no time to implement AJAX queries like the zai teams, but our system was alright I guess. In my opinion it was too much work for 10%.
I felt kind of disappointed when the entire project ended on a very low note. Project demonstration was a simple 5-to-10 minute meeting with a tutor in a tutorial room, and all he did was ask some questions, what the system could do, jotted down some marks on a piece of paper, and we were done. After we stepped out of the tutorial room, my friends and I bidded goodbye to each other, and that's it.
Zzz.
***********************************************
CS2103 was a much more enjoyable experience. Teams could develop either a game or a task manager, and had a choice of C++, Java or C#. I was in a team of awesome friends, and I had a blast of a time developing this. I think the fact that we were developing a game instead of the task manager [or other systems] made the whole development process more fun. [The lecturer said that before the module was revamped entirely, students had to code a clinic management system. Omg.] Not to mention the freedom to choose the language helped as I am much more comfortable using C++.
The only thing I hated was writing the project manual heh.
Doesn't look too bad huh? Its a pity we didn't have time to code the three corner tiles. One of them was supposed to launch a simple casino hehe.
***********************************************
I really hated IS2101. I am glad its all over and done with.
***********************************************
This year's CS1101S robot contest was much more fun. Last year when I did this module, we used Lego Mindstorms to build robots that drew curves. This year the students used Lego NXTs to build robots that fight each other. Loads of fun I say.
***********************************************
After missing out on attending the Formula One race weekend in Singapore for the past two years, I decided to go this year with a friend.
Went for the Friday walkabout on 24th Sept, because it was the cheapest, and for $38 it was totally worth it. I was initially worried whether I could see anything, because after several experiences with the NDP fireworks and the Marina Bay New Year countdown, I thought there would not be enough standing space for everyone.
Turned out I was wrong. In fact I was able to stand right next to the track [well, almost], and all the noise from the engines and their braking especially was pure exhilaration.
One thing I realised was that there was a hell lot of angmohs there, and I think a large number of them came to Singapore specially for the race. Hardcore fans.
The photos I uploaded were the best my old point-and-shoot could do. That night my camera's ability to handle fast moving images under low light conditions were tested to its limits again haha.
I hope I can go again next year. Woohooooo!
***********************************************
My secondary school held a mooncake festival celebration on Sept 17, and invited the alumni back. Having not gone back for a really long time I attended with a few friends.
Some familiar faces were still around, although not all teachers could remember our names anymore. A little regret was that I could not talk to all the teachers I wanted to see.
***********************************************
Went on the Singapore Flyer with a friend when there was a weekday promotion for students, at $10. Nothing much actually haha.
Do hope I can go back again once all the on going constructions are done. And at night too where all the lovely lights are up.
***********************************************
Now that all my projects are done and submitted, soon I will have to hit the books as examinations near.
As mentioned earlier, this semester had been a hectic one, mainly because of the projects. There was a web based system for CS2102 Database, a game for CS2103 Software Engineering and various random stuff like oral presentation and proposal writing for IS2101.
The rest of the modules weren't exactly a breeze either; CS2106 lectures taught the concepts well, but we had to figure out the implementation ourselves when we did the lab sessions. 'man and Google are your best friends.' kept popping up in our lab documents. Am a little lost in MA2213 and ST2334 after neglecting them a little too much, so there is a hell lot to catch up.
Despite all the rush, I found time out to have a look at this year's CS1101S Sumobot contest, 2010 Singtel Singapore Grand Prix, attend my secondary school's mooncake festival celebrations, and a trip to the Singapore Flyer.
***********************************************
CS2102 project was to whip up a web system that demonstrated our knowledge of databases. I formed a team with some friends who first knew each other partially through me [not bad I think I do a good job bringing people together haha], and our team was allocated the task of a job database.
Having some confidence in developing web systems after my stint during the summer vacation, I thought it would be a piece of cake, and told my friends upfront I would do the entire system myself, while they just had to take care of the project report. I was very wrong. It turned out I needed more time than I thought I needed.
Also I started this project too late, which was another bad decision. While my zai friends from other teams had at least two zai kias coding the system out, I was the only one in my group who had prior experience, and of course I was nowhere near any of their zai-ness. My mistake was that I should not have started coding at the same time as them.
 |
| From CS2102 + CS2103 + CS1101S Sumobot |
 |
| From CS2102 + CS2103 + CS1101S Sumobot |
Well end result wasn't that bad. I had no time to implement AJAX queries like the zai teams, but our system was alright I guess. In my opinion it was too much work for 10%.
I felt kind of disappointed when the entire project ended on a very low note. Project demonstration was a simple 5-to-10 minute meeting with a tutor in a tutorial room, and all he did was ask some questions, what the system could do, jotted down some marks on a piece of paper, and we were done. After we stepped out of the tutorial room, my friends and I bidded goodbye to each other, and that's it.
Zzz.
***********************************************
CS2103 was a much more enjoyable experience. Teams could develop either a game or a task manager, and had a choice of C++, Java or C#. I was in a team of awesome friends, and I had a blast of a time developing this. I think the fact that we were developing a game instead of the task manager [or other systems] made the whole development process more fun. [The lecturer said that before the module was revamped entirely, students had to code a clinic management system. Omg.] Not to mention the freedom to choose the language helped as I am much more comfortable using C++.
The only thing I hated was writing the project manual heh.
 |
| From CS2102 + CS2103 + CS1101S Sumobot |
Doesn't look too bad huh? Its a pity we didn't have time to code the three corner tiles. One of them was supposed to launch a simple casino hehe.
***********************************************
I really hated IS2101. I am glad its all over and done with.
***********************************************
This year's CS1101S robot contest was much more fun. Last year when I did this module, we used Lego Mindstorms to build robots that drew curves. This year the students used Lego NXTs to build robots that fight each other. Loads of fun I say.
 |
| From CS2102 + CS2103 + CS1101S Sumobot |
 |
| From CS2102 + CS2103 + CS1101S Sumobot |
***********************************************
After missing out on attending the Formula One race weekend in Singapore for the past two years, I decided to go this year with a friend.
Went for the Friday walkabout on 24th Sept, because it was the cheapest, and for $38 it was totally worth it. I was initially worried whether I could see anything, because after several experiences with the NDP fireworks and the Marina Bay New Year countdown, I thought there would not be enough standing space for everyone.
Turned out I was wrong. In fact I was able to stand right next to the track [well, almost], and all the noise from the engines and their braking especially was pure exhilaration.
One thing I realised was that there was a hell lot of angmohs there, and I think a large number of them came to Singapore specially for the race. Hardcore fans.
 |
| Singtel Singapore Grand Prix 2010 Friday Practice |
The photos I uploaded were the best my old point-and-shoot could do. That night my camera's ability to handle fast moving images under low light conditions were tested to its limits again haha.
I hope I can go again next year. Woohooooo!
***********************************************
My secondary school held a mooncake festival celebration on Sept 17, and invited the alumni back. Having not gone back for a really long time I attended with a few friends.
 |
| 中秋园游会2010 |
Some familiar faces were still around, although not all teachers could remember our names anymore. A little regret was that I could not talk to all the teachers I wanted to see.
***********************************************
Went on the Singapore Flyer with a friend when there was a weekday promotion for students, at $10. Nothing much actually haha.
 |
| Singapore Flyer |
Do hope I can go back again once all the on going constructions are done. And at night too where all the lovely lights are up.
***********************************************
Now that all my projects are done and submitted, soon I will have to hit the books as examinations near.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
mid term amusements+
CS2102 Mid Term Test: 5 MCQs on a 50-option Optical Mark Sheet.
CS2103 Mid Term Test: 80 MCQs on a 50-option Optical Mark Sheet.
******
CS2103 Mid Term Test:
Choose the appropriate answer
70) Software engineering is cool
(a) of course. It is awesome.
(b) It is not cool. Please give me 0 for this midterm.
******
CS2106 Mid Term Test:
MCQ. For each of the question below, choose the most appropriate answer and the corresponding letter (A, B, C, or D) in the box provided.
If none of the answers provided is appropriate, put an X in the answer box.
This was not the most amusing. The most amusing was that questions came out in our tutorial to inform us this was going to appear, but I forgot all about it.
Why is it that Computing has all the weird papers?
CS2103 Mid Term Test: 80 MCQs on a 50-option Optical Mark Sheet.
******
CS2103 Mid Term Test:
Choose the appropriate answer
70) Software engineering is cool
(a) of course. It is awesome.
(b) It is not cool. Please give me 0 for this midterm.
******
CS2106 Mid Term Test:
MCQ. For each of the question below, choose the most appropriate answer and the corresponding letter (A, B, C, or D) in the box provided.
If none of the answers provided is appropriate, put an X in the answer box.
This was not the most amusing. The most amusing was that questions came out in our tutorial to inform us this was going to appear, but I forgot all about it.
Why is it that Computing has all the weird papers?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
being a human+
When I go, I want my epitaph to have just four words: "Here lies a man."
-- From an old man interviewed in The Straits Times Saturday Special Report 18/09/2010
Wah nice I like. Maybe I should do this too.
*************
This semester I am learning alot about relations between data and relations between objects: Relational model, Entity-relationship model and Unified Modeling Language. And also alot about interactions in operating systems: processes, threads, interprocess communication and scheduling.
I find it amusing I am learning all these when I don't think I know much about relations and interactions between humans.
*************
You know that in computer science, there is this data structure known as the binary heap? Important elements percolate up to the top, unimportant elements percolate down to the bottom. It is useful, because the element with the highest priority will always get retrieved first, in constant time.
From what I see, humans like to employ binary heaps too when it comes to relations with others. When people are lonely and want to find someone to talk to, there will always be some with higher priorities to whom they will talk to first. Those with lower priorities, unfortunately, typically don't get talked to first, since they are way down in their binary heaps, even though they are available too.
Only when those with higher priorities are not available, will these with lower priorities start percolating up to the top, and retrieved to get talked to.
Well as it turns out, I'm not that blind.
-- From an old man interviewed in The Straits Times Saturday Special Report 18/09/2010
Wah nice I like. Maybe I should do this too.
*************
This semester I am learning alot about relations between data and relations between objects: Relational model, Entity-relationship model and Unified Modeling Language. And also alot about interactions in operating systems: processes, threads, interprocess communication and scheduling.
I find it amusing I am learning all these when I don't think I know much about relations and interactions between humans.
*************
You know that in computer science, there is this data structure known as the binary heap? Important elements percolate up to the top, unimportant elements percolate down to the bottom. It is useful, because the element with the highest priority will always get retrieved first, in constant time.
From what I see, humans like to employ binary heaps too when it comes to relations with others. When people are lonely and want to find someone to talk to, there will always be some with higher priorities to whom they will talk to first. Those with lower priorities, unfortunately, typically don't get talked to first, since they are way down in their binary heaps, even though they are available too.
Only when those with higher priorities are not available, will these with lower priorities start percolating up to the top, and retrieved to get talked to.
Well as it turns out, I'm not that blind.
Friday, August 27, 2010
busy days ahead
School has started after the three month summer 'vacation', and this semester I am, for the first time, doing six modules, namely Database, Software Engineering, Operating Systems, Business and Technical Communication [zzz], Numerical Analysis and Probability and Statistics.
So far I'm barely trying to survive. Some modules have been more difficult than I thought they are. I hope I can make it till the end haha.
*************************************
Few weeks back there was a thunderstorm one night. Having taken rather unsatisfactory photos of lightning previously, I decided to try again.
Not bad huh? Hehe. A pity they were overexposed.
*************************************
Second tutorial of Business and Technical Communication was to act out a meeting, with the entire proceeding recorded and taken home for self evaluation.
Well lol I wasn't angry at him, and I definitely had no intentions of killing him. I was just trying to maintain eye contact while he was speaking; I guess I became too serious lol.
*************************************
I'm still trying very hard.
So far I'm barely trying to survive. Some modules have been more difficult than I thought they are. I hope I can make it till the end haha.
*************************************
Few weeks back there was a thunderstorm one night. Having taken rather unsatisfactory photos of lightning previously, I decided to try again.
Not bad huh? Hehe. A pity they were overexposed.
*************************************
Second tutorial of Business and Technical Communication was to act out a meeting, with the entire proceeding recorded and taken home for self evaluation.
Well lol I wasn't angry at him, and I definitely had no intentions of killing him. I was just trying to maintain eye contact while he was speaking; I guess I became too serious lol.
*************************************
I'm still trying very hard.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
人生就为一张纸
出生一张纸，开始一辈子；
毕业一张纸，奋斗一辈子；
婚姻一张纸，折磨一辈子；
做官一张纸, 斗争一辈子；
金钱一张纸，辛苦一辈子；
荣誉一张纸，虚名一辈子；
看病一张纸，痛苦一辈子；
悼词一张纸，了结一辈子；
淡化这些纸，明白一辈子；
忘了这些纸，快乐一辈子。
*******
嘴巴甜一点，脑筋活一点。
说话静一点，微笑露一点。
肚量大一点，脾气小一点。
诚实多一点，虚伪少一点。
快乐多一点，忧愁少一点。
欢笑多一点，眼泪少一点。
学习多一点，成长快一点。
毕业一张纸，奋斗一辈子；
婚姻一张纸，折磨一辈子；
做官一张纸, 斗争一辈子；
金钱一张纸，辛苦一辈子；
荣誉一张纸，虚名一辈子；
看病一张纸，痛苦一辈子；
悼词一张纸，了结一辈子；
淡化这些纸，明白一辈子；
忘了这些纸，快乐一辈子。
*******
嘴巴甜一点，脑筋活一点。
说话静一点，微笑露一点。
肚量大一点，脾气小一点。
诚实多一点，虚伪少一点。
快乐多一点，忧愁少一点。
欢笑多一点，眼泪少一点。
学习多一点，成长快一点。
Thursday, July 22, 2010
facepalm
I'm a little slow, but I just saw this only:
So I thought, wah not bad, clicked to find out more.
Huh???
More huh??????
...-.-...
Its like some company launching some software and saying it can only run on, for eg, Windows that are installed on, for eg, Dell computers. While I understand they make this exclusive for HTC users for three months before they open it up for all Android users, still the way they launch this doesn't quite make sense. Makes me wonder what they are thinking of in the first place.
And while I'm fine with it being a port from the iPhone app, please at least do a good job out of the porting. In the FAQ:
"Can I purchase Songs?"
Sorry. not right now. When the iTunes Music Store is available in Singapore, we will certainly add this feature.
So I thought, wah not bad, clicked to find out more.
Huh???
More huh??????
...-.-...
Its like some company launching some software and saying it can only run on, for eg, Windows that are installed on, for eg, Dell computers. While I understand they make this exclusive for HTC users for three months before they open it up for all Android users, still the way they launch this doesn't quite make sense. Makes me wonder what they are thinking of in the first place.
And while I'm fine with it being a port from the iPhone app, please at least do a good job out of the porting. In the FAQ:
"Can I purchase Songs?"
Sorry. not right now. When the iTunes Music Store is available in Singapore, we will certainly add this feature.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
who waits for me
Life is so fragile; I never know when I may be __(1)__ __(2)__ on the __(3)__ when some random __(4)__ __(5)__ me.
Answer Set A:
(1) 'driving',
(2) 'leisurely',
(3) 'road',
(4) 'tree',
(5) 'falls on',
Answer Set B:
(1) 'sitting',
(2) 'comfortably',
(3) 'upper deck of a public bus',
(4) 'crane',
(5) 'smashes into',
And the worst part is that I am already dead before I know what had happened to me.
我坐在床前
转过头看谁在沉睡
那一张苍老的脸
好像是我紧闭双眼
曾经是爱我的
和我深爱的
都围绕在我身边
带不走的那些
遗憾和眷恋
就化成最後一滴眼泪
Answer Set A:
(1) 'driving',
(2) 'leisurely',
(3) 'road',
(4) 'tree',
(5) 'falls on',
Answer Set B:
(1) 'sitting',
(2) 'comfortably',
(3) 'upper deck of a public bus',
(4) 'crane',
(5) 'smashes into',
And the worst part is that I am already dead before I know what had happened to me.
我坐在床前
转过头看谁在沉睡
那一张苍老的脸
好像是我紧闭双眼
曾经是爱我的
和我深爱的
都围绕在我身边
带不走的那些
遗憾和眷恋
就化成最後一滴眼泪
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
summer
Blogging activity has reduced in the recent days because, well there isn't much to blog about. The project has taken up the bulk of my summer vacation, but to be frank I'm not quite enjoying it; so even blogging about it seems more like a chore.
****
World Cup 2010: Hooked up a second monitor and I'm good to go! While my father did buy a 'rabbit' antenna, I decided to stick to online streams because the action is closer to me than the TV haha.
****
Went on a day trip to Johor Bahru with some JC classmates, which was a little less than enjoyable because the only "attraction" there we could go without needing a car was a shopping mall which the immigration complex links to. It doesn't help that when inside the shopping mall I felt like I was in a typical Singapore shopping mall instead. The little taxi trip to the eatery for dinner was nice though; the running scenes outside the window reminded me of the days in the past where my family used to visit my uncle's family up in Kuantan.
Just about the only thing that happened at the shopping mall.
The new immigration complex on the other side of the Causeway was impressive. Its a pity the disrupted construction of the bridge has spoilt the entire experience of travelling into Malaysia. Sometimes I wonder why both governments can't compromise a little for the better of all.
****
Went for my first ever In Camp Training with 484 SAR last week!
Wasn't a great experience at all actually:
1)report at the most western end of Singapore at 7.30am after the World Cup final ended at 5am,
2)spending hours waiting away but nobody was quite sure what we were actually waiting for,
3)not giving us our training schedule beforehand ultimately making us bring alot more things than what we really need,
4)feeling a sense of loss now that I'm in a battalion.
Luckily the presence of old friends, some of whom I have not seen for more than 2 years, sort of made up for all the downs.
****
The time has come again for me to decide what modules to take this semester. Now that I have cleared the foundation modules and thus unlocked a number of immediate modules, I am a little spoilt for choice and have not quite decided what modules to take.
****
Looks fake, but its real. From my camera, I like. Haha.
I love rain! I love rainbows!
****
I lay in bed in the darkness of night, with my phone in my hands, like I used to two years ago. Then I thought, "No I shouldn't." and I put it down.
****
World Cup 2010: Hooked up a second monitor and I'm good to go! While my father did buy a 'rabbit' antenna, I decided to stick to online streams because the action is closer to me than the TV haha.
****
Went on a day trip to Johor Bahru with some JC classmates, which was a little less than enjoyable because the only "attraction" there we could go without needing a car was a shopping mall which the immigration complex links to. It doesn't help that when inside the shopping mall I felt like I was in a typical Singapore shopping mall instead. The little taxi trip to the eatery for dinner was nice though; the running scenes outside the window reminded me of the days in the past where my family used to visit my uncle's family up in Kuantan.
Just about the only thing that happened at the shopping mall.
The new immigration complex on the other side of the Causeway was impressive. Its a pity the disrupted construction of the bridge has spoilt the entire experience of travelling into Malaysia. Sometimes I wonder why both governments can't compromise a little for the better of all.
****
Went for my first ever In Camp Training with 484 SAR last week!
Wasn't a great experience at all actually:
1)report at the most western end of Singapore at 7.30am after the World Cup final ended at 5am,
2)spending hours waiting away but nobody was quite sure what we were actually waiting for,
3)not giving us our training schedule beforehand ultimately making us bring alot more things than what we really need,
4)feeling a sense of loss now that I'm in a battalion.
Luckily the presence of old friends, some of whom I have not seen for more than 2 years, sort of made up for all the downs.
****
The time has come again for me to decide what modules to take this semester. Now that I have cleared the foundation modules and thus unlocked a number of immediate modules, I am a little spoilt for choice and have not quite decided what modules to take.
****
Looks fake, but its real. From my camera, I like. Haha.
I love rain! I love rainbows!
****
I lay in bed in the darkness of night, with my phone in my hands, like I used to two years ago. Then I thought, "No I shouldn't." and I put it down.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
baggage
Seeing my friend's photos of his mountaineering trip to India, coupled with reading about this backpacking thread in a forum, make me immensely envious of them. And then after a short moment of imagining myself in their shoes reality brought me back to earth.
"You see, everyone's got some baggage; it's part of life. But like anything else, it's easier when someone gives you a hand with it." -HIMYM S05E23
I have some baggage too, but not really the kind that people can give a hand with. Unless they have too much money and don't mind giving me some in which I wouldn't mind then haha. With that being next to impossible I hope I will be able to get rid of these baggage one day, and then I will be able to do what I hope to do.
Some people might think I'm giving myself excuses for procrastinating. Maybe I really am *shrugs*
"You see, everyone's got some baggage; it's part of life. But like anything else, it's easier when someone gives you a hand with it." -HIMYM S05E23
I have some baggage too, but not really the kind that people can give a hand with. Unless they have too much money and don't mind giving me some in which I wouldn't mind then haha. With that being next to impossible I hope I will be able to get rid of these baggage one day, and then I will be able to do what I hope to do.
Some people might think I'm giving myself excuses for procrastinating. Maybe I really am *shrugs*
Thursday, June 10, 2010
fun with drupal
So far so good! I was so happy when the queries returned the correct results woohoo!
I suspect my mySQL queries aren't pretty, but who cares for now. Haha.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
if only things are so simple
Click here, drop there, click there, drop here, and everything's done!
In other news,
I backed-up all my SMSes to my Gmail account! Through a neat little Android application.
I want a data plan! :(
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Saturday, May 08, 2010
marina bay sands + helix bridge + a dumb decision
I like the way the couple is being captured inside my photo, but the presence of their photographer, the crowd standing on the bridge, and the ledge itself, sort of spoiled the photo a little. And the couple is a little too small. Any expert can explain the scattering of the light at the top of the hotels? I have a sneaky feeling its my camera :(
This photo should look much better once the Art-Science Museum is complete.
Tried a long exposure shot to capture the light trails of vehicles travelling across the Bayfront Bridge behind this Helix Bridge, but obviously it wasn't successful :(
Taken outside the casino. The bright light at the bottom left was due to some ongoing construction, which was why I had to angle the camera so high up. End result wasn't too bad though.
Taken from Marina Barrage. Took a dumb decision to walk there from Marina Bay Sands. Lol.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
boomz
One type of photo that I have always dreamed of taking is that of lightning. Couple of evenings back I had a chance to do so, but unfortunately I was rather limited by my camera and knowledge on how to take good photos of lightning.
Zeus played a joke on me that evening as well. There were shots where I set the exposure to 25 seconds and not a single lightning bolt appeared during the 25 seconds the shutter was open. Immediately after the shutter closed beautiful lightning bolts shrieked across the sky. I ended up with a darn load of beautiful photos of the night scenery outside my house, and the only three with visible lightning bolts were among the worst photos I had taken.
From the colour change of the sky in the three photos one should be able to deduce how long I spent standing in front of my living room window. Oh well better chance next time.
***************************************
One thing that I try to be good in, is to be a friend.
Yes I know some people have principles to uphold, and I respect that. But I always thought that when a friend asks for help people can be a little more flexible towards standing by their principles and, well, help their friend. While of course there is no obligation to help, it can still be rather disappointing when I ask and people say 'no' right in my face.
I think persuasion is a skill that I suck at and need to learn. Luckily I was never in a performing arts CCA, or I will never be able to sell any tickets.
Zeus played a joke on me that evening as well. There were shots where I set the exposure to 25 seconds and not a single lightning bolt appeared during the 25 seconds the shutter was open. Immediately after the shutter closed beautiful lightning bolts shrieked across the sky. I ended up with a darn load of beautiful photos of the night scenery outside my house, and the only three with visible lightning bolts were among the worst photos I had taken.
From the colour change of the sky in the three photos one should be able to deduce how long I spent standing in front of my living room window. Oh well better chance next time.
***************************************
One thing that I try to be good in, is to be a friend.
Yes I know some people have principles to uphold, and I respect that. But I always thought that when a friend asks for help people can be a little more flexible towards standing by their principles and, well, help their friend. While of course there is no obligation to help, it can still be rather disappointing when I ask and people say 'no' right in my face.
I think persuasion is a skill that I suck at and need to learn. Luckily I was never in a performing arts CCA, or I will never be able to sell any tickets.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
times have changed
Some top student: "Lowering the weighting of mother tongue will benefit those who are good in other subjects, but are only weaker in MTL (mother tongue languages)."
Her mother: "I have seen how hard she worked for Chinese. Chinese is important but the way it is assessed now means those who really can't handle the subject are penalised."
When I never do well for my examinations or any subjects, I (and my mother haha) blame myself for not putting in more effort, not blame the system for whatever grading weightage that puts me at whatever disadvantage.
Can students who are weak in English, Mathematics or Science, but good at Mother Tongue, request for lesser weightage in the PSLE too?
I think everyone just wants their worst subject to be mimimised, or even better, excluded, when calculating whatever grading. Its unfortunate that Chinese is being made a victim here, and they make a feeble attempt to cover it up by using the term 'Mother Tongue' instead.
"Lowering the weighting of standing broad jump in IPPT will benefit those who are good in other stations, but are only weaker in standing broad jump."
"I have seen how hard she worked for standing broad jump. Standing broad jump is important but the way it is assessed now means those who really can't handle the jump are penalised."
Indeed times have changed. Last time if I had said that the PSLE Mathematics paper was difficult, my mother would have said that it was me who never worked hard. Now they write into the newspapers complaining that the paper is hard. When my Chinese teacher hit my hand with a ruler in Primary 2, my mother told me, "活该!" Now teachers can't even lay a finger on students.
Her mother: "I have seen how hard she worked for Chinese. Chinese is important but the way it is assessed now means those who really can't handle the subject are penalised."
When I never do well for my examinations or any subjects, I (and my mother haha) blame myself for not putting in more effort, not blame the system for whatever grading weightage that puts me at whatever disadvantage.
Can students who are weak in English, Mathematics or Science, but good at Mother Tongue, request for lesser weightage in the PSLE too?
I think everyone just wants their worst subject to be mimimised, or even better, excluded, when calculating whatever grading. Its unfortunate that Chinese is being made a victim here, and they make a feeble attempt to cover it up by using the term 'Mother Tongue' instead.
"Lowering the weighting of standing broad jump in IPPT will benefit those who are good in other stations, but are only weaker in standing broad jump."
"I have seen how hard she worked for standing broad jump. Standing broad jump is important but the way it is assessed now means those who really can't handle the jump are penalised."
Indeed times have changed. Last time if I had said that the PSLE Mathematics paper was difficult, my mother would have said that it was me who never worked hard. Now they write into the newspapers complaining that the paper is hard. When my Chinese teacher hit my hand with a ruler in Primary 2, my mother told me, "活该!" Now teachers can't even lay a finger on students.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
CS2100
Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from the damn zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero. Start counting from zero.
Friday, April 09, 2010
the hidden prophecy
UPDATE: Sorry for the poor choice of words. The lecturer gave us the breakdown, at the
same time writing it out for all of us to see, using the PDF Annotator, which is like the computerised version of the transparency.
The 'hidden prophecy' came about after he finished writing it [he didn't upload what he wrote so I simulated it on Paint] :
Can see now? Haha.
END OF UPDATE
During MA1521 today the lecturer gave a breakdown of the type and percentage of problems which are to appear in the final exam. On the computer screen he wrote, unknowingly:
same time writing it out for all of us to see, using the PDF Annotator, which is like the computerised version of the transparency.
The 'hidden prophecy' came about after he finished writing it [he didn't upload what he wrote so I simulated it on Paint] :
Can see now? Haha.
END OF UPDATE
During MA1521 today the lecturer gave a breakdown of the type and percentage of problems which are to appear in the final exam. On the computer screen he wrote, unknowingly:
| Difficult | 30% |
| Intermediate | 20% |
| Easy | 50% |
Monday, April 05, 2010
natural beauty
Hurray to the wonderful weather and the beautiful sunset!
[The sunset was much more beautiful in real life though. My camera couldn't capture the awesomeness in its entirety. :( ]
Monday, March 22, 2010
opera 10.51
After seeing its claim I thought I try it out haha.
After being so used to Google Chrome and its really neat and really simple interface, I was slightly overwhelmed when I first opened up Opera, even though it was also more or less neat and simple. I guess I'm just used to Chrome already.
Why still use IE?
Speed-wise, while Opera claims to be faster than Chrome, I thought the time difference was too little to be noticeable. I love the mouse gestures though! Right click + move pointer left to go back one page, right click + move pointer right to go forward one page.
Overall, not bad a browser, but I stick to my Chrome :D
********************************
I like how people bypass me when they ask questions. While sitting to the left (or right) of me, they direct queries to people sitting to the right (or left) of me, instead of me; makes me feel like I'm non-existent!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
travel happy
Mountain tortoise me have always thought that the Visa Travel Happy advertisement about a man holding the VISA credit card and travelling around the world dancing, is, well, nothing more than an advertisement.
Then I realise that its not that simple. Apparently before he was hired by Visa to do the ad, the man was an Internet celebrity who quited his job and began travelling around the world, because he "didn't want to spend two years of my life writing a game about killing everyone".
[This is his third video. He has two more with links from the website.]
I admire his courage to simply drop everything and do something he wants to do. I hope I can be like him too.
Then I realise that its not that simple. Apparently before he was hired by Visa to do the ad, the man was an Internet celebrity who quited his job and began travelling around the world, because he "didn't want to spend two years of my life writing a game about killing everyone".
[This is his third video. He has two more with links from the website.]
I admire his courage to simply drop everything and do something he wants to do. I hope I can be like him too.
Monday, March 15, 2010
another year nearer to the graves
What a pleasant surprise from Microsoft! Haha.
At my insistence I kept my birthday on a low profile; I appreciate all the offers and thoughts [thank you all very very very very much] but I really dislike the idea of people having to spend money because of me or putting me at the centre of attention, whether cake cutting or birthday song singing. Also I haven't been reciprocating after all the previous years' celebrations and presents and whatnot so I don't really deserve another one. Haha.
Birthday greetings are fine; they are free and won't make me feel awkward :)
Oh no I am autistic!
Monday, March 01, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Chingay Fiesta @ Tampines
No I didn't go to the actual festival at Central; the floats went past my house and there was a carnival opposite!
[ Apologies for poorly taken photos. Please don't click on the photos :( ]
Way before the floats came a small crowd was already forming at the junction.
Mata came to direct traffic!
Floats lai liao!
The floats stopped! The MPs dropped by the carnival, thus the entire possession stopped for a good 10 minutes.
Problem was that I didn't know that until they have stopped for quite a good while, thus I quickly chiong-ed downstairs to get a good look and hopefully some good photos [which didn't materialise unfortunately].
Many residents, like me, chiong-ed downstairs armed with cameras too.
My first of photoshopped photos. I'm beginning to like high contrast photos.
NUS float!
The Singapore Pools float which was so long, it had difficulty turning.
Celebrating 50 years of public housing by suggesting 14-storey flats to be built right in front of 13-storey flats!
The unsung heroes following behind the floats, which included an ambulance, a lorry full of spare tyres, and a recovery vehicle.
The crowd after the possession.
Since I was already downstairs I decided to stop by the carnival for a bit.
Magic!
While I was there...
[ Apologies for poorly taken photos. Please don't click on the photos :( ]
Way before the floats came a small crowd was already forming at the junction.
Mata came to direct traffic!
Floats lai liao!
The floats stopped! The MPs dropped by the carnival, thus the entire possession stopped for a good 10 minutes.
Problem was that I didn't know that until they have stopped for quite a good while, thus I quickly chiong-ed downstairs to get a good look and hopefully some good photos [which didn't materialise unfortunately].
Many residents, like me, chiong-ed downstairs armed with cameras too.
My first of photoshopped photos. I'm beginning to like high contrast photos.
NUS float!
The Singapore Pools float which was so long, it had difficulty turning.
Celebrating 50 years of public housing by suggesting 14-storey flats to be built right in front of 13-storey flats!
The unsung heroes following behind the floats, which included an ambulance, a lorry full of spare tyres, and a recovery vehicle.
The crowd after the possession.
Since I was already downstairs I decided to stop by the carnival for a bit.
Magic!
While I was there...
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