Ten§ai's Ramblings

牛，哪里去？(New Knowledge)

2007-06-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

Doctor 1: His heart broke. Damn it! We're losing him!

Doctor 2: Give him hope, six milligrams. Charge.

Doctor 1: Clear.

Doctor 2: Clear.

[Insert sound of body getting shocked, like er.. I dunno. Zap?]

Doctor 1: Nothing.

Doctor 2: Go again. Three hundred.

Doctor 1: Three hundred.

Doctor 2: Charge. Clear.

Doctor 1: Clear.

[Zap]

Doctor 1: Nothing. Doctor?

Doctor 2: Again, once more. Three fifty, charge. Clear.

Doctor 1: Clear.

[**SHOCK**]

Doctor 1: We’re getting something.

Doctor 2: Thankfully. At last, we’ve managed to revive Mr. Adi A. Ryat

Is Cai Min Jia a procrastinating bastard or what. I tend to think it’s the former. The above introduction was penned approximately 72 days, 3 hours, 8 mins n 48.265secs ago, but this entry was only completed and posted today, after an obscenely long hiatus.

No matter. Anyway, the dreaded exams are over and though I’ve (somewhat) fulfilled my first New Year Resolution, thus ensuring I won’t be joining the Dragon babies in LT 29 listening to how enzyme A catalyses reaction B and requires cofactor C and is inextricably linked to pathway D which has another dozen, no wait, make that hundred, enzymes which are all supposed to be committed to memory, my grades are still nothing short of abysmal. Sometimes I wonder why I’m in Med and not Maths fac. Well, at least the appalling results put me in the running for the “Most Improved Player” award. As the adage goes, “when you’re at the bottom, the only way to go is up”. Or you could remain at the bottom as well. But never mind.

Since it’s been like half a year since my last update, and it will probably be a year before my next update, I shall just flash random snippets of my life thus far.
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The death of someone we know always reminds us that we are still alive - perhaps for some purpose which we ought to re-examine. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Today, I learnt about the demise of someone. Someone I knew. I confess that he was not one of my closest bosom buddies, but neither was he someone on the street or a mere acquaintance. He was a friend. His passing on came as a bolt from the blue.

I recall just a few months ago, when a group of us were playing soccer on the Astroturf. He was the fox in the box, ready to pounce on any loose ball to slot in the goal. I remember when he scored that brilliant goal and began his trademark celebration. That scene will never be seen again.

He was my classmate in my lower secondary school days. Always the quiet and reserved person, he was a nice guy. A good man, as I always like to say. He was just like any typical student. But in Secondary 4, he was stricken with DVT. He pulled through but was visibly weakened physically by the ordeal. His zest for life never waned and nary a frown would be spotted on his face. Life continued as per normal after that, until the same ailment got him sent to ICU once again in JC. The next time I saw him in school again, there was a scar snaking up in the midline of his chest, just peeking out from the front of the collar. But the enthusiasm for life never left him. Though the pallor on his visage was apparent, so was the slight hint of vigour in his eyes, the spark of life, the willpower to overcome adversity and live on.

And so, he pressed on, living life to the fullest. The last time I saw him, he showed no signs of being in poor health. In fact, he looked fitter than me, no doubt due to my lack of exercise since entering Medfac. But suddenly, another attack descended upon him and on Wednesday, he left. A young flame extinguished just like that. Deaths are always tragic, but the end of a life so young is especially hard to take.

Indeed, this leads us to ponder about life. Precious, it is, but yet fragile. As such, I urge everyone to treasure and cherish life and the people around us. You never know when they might just be taken from you. Another lesson to take away would be to live everyday as if it were the last day of our lives, because for all you know, it may well be… As an old Indian adage goes, “The most amazing thing in the world is that we all live as if we will still be alive tomorrow”

He may have left us, but his passion for living and resilience will never be forgotten. As is the case with the memories shared. Ruihong, you will be missed, but your memory will live on in our hearts. Requiescat in pace, R!ng…
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Being a narcissistic photo whore, I shall post a recent photo of myself. Voilà!

Quod Erat Demonstrandum, Medfac makes you FAT.
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Looking at the tagboard, one can spot a rare visitor to this blog. An old friend from JC days whom yours truly has, regretfully, not really kept in touch with. Zhou dong! Memories of RJC come rushing back like waves beating on the shore.

The times spent shooting hoops on the basketball court. The times spent screwing around talking cock before S paper sessions. The times spent slacking around instead of taking Harmonica Club sessions seriously. The times spent playing UT in the com lab or soccer late at night after Astro. Those memories of life in RJ and RI. Those were the good days when people weren’t rushing to snag their favourite spot in the library to bury their heads in Guyton/Snells. Shall stop reminiscing.

Note to self: Must keep in touch with friends, as per New Year Resolution #6
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Assistant/Associate/Full Professor
Department of Chemical Biology, Madson, Nigerian Union of Schools (N.U.S.)

Applications are invited for academic positions in the Department of Chemical Biology, in a bid to replace incompetent current professors, including the likes of Jay-is-a-lan Cant-tell, Stiff Cheung, Hand-ry You and Tan Chee Bong. Anyone with a decent grasp of the field, common sense and basic pedagogy knowledge is strongly urged to apply. Interested parties, please contact our staff at 6-BIOCHEM (62462436).
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WARNING! CUTE GIRL APPROACHING IN
5
4
3
2
1
TADAH!

She's a lil girl I met on my trip to Taiwan last year and she's called Ashley. These snapshots don't do justice to her, but she's actually quite cute.

Lest you get mistaken, I categorically state that I’m nothing like a certain celebrity who shares my initials and is reputed to be a paedophile. I’m not a paedophile, I think. NO WAIT. I KNOW.
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COIN MATRIX

JAZZ ACES

All hail the greatest magician ever to be named CAIMINJIA, albeit the only one.
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Invitation to Join Ferrari Bloggers
From: Ferrari Bloggers (info@ferrari-bloggers.com)
You may not know this sender. Mark as safe | Mark as unsafe
Sent:
Sunday, January 28, 2007 6:09:28 AM
Reply-to:
info@ferrari-bloggers.com

To:
everyonecanfindme@hotmail.com

Dear blog author:
We recently came across your site, adiaryat.blogspot.com, while searching for bloggers who blog about Ferrari issues.
A small group of us have started a new site called Ferrari Bloggers . Our intent is to bring Ferrari bloggers closer together, and make a positive contribution to the Internet community.
Would you be interested in joining Ferrari Bloggers ? Please take a few minutes to have a look at what we are trying to do, and if you are interested, there is a sign up page to get the ball rolling. We would greatly appreciate your support in this endeavour.
If you do not feel that your blog would be a good fit for Ferrari Bloggers , but enjoy this subject area, come visit us and one of our member bloggers. You can also check our FAQ Section to learn more about Ferrari Bloggers .
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on Ferrari Bloggers .
Craig Cantin
Ferrari Bloggers
info@ferrari-bloggers.com
Please note: you will receive this email no more than twice. If you do not respond to this email, we will send out a second and final email in approximately 3 weeks time. If you respond, by joining or by declining the invitation, we will not intentionally send this invite a second time.
You can join or visit Ferrari Bloggers at any time, but we do not believe in spam, and will not intentionally send this invite more than twice. If you have any concerns regarding our anti-spam policy, please do not hesitate to contact us.

How cool. And all because I wrote a tiny 1/123164271 of an entry about how Michael Schumacher’s my favourite F1 driver. What a pity Ferrari’s lagging behind McLaren now though.
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From Chapter 11 “The Head and Neck” of Richard S. Snell’s Clinical Anatomy edition 7, Pg. 728

“Suicide attempts by cutting one’s throat often fail because the individual first extends the neck before making several horizontal cute with a knife. Extension of the cervical part of the vertebral column and extension of the head at the atlanto-occipital joint cause the carotid sheath with its contained large blood vessels to slide posteriorly beneath the sternocleidomastoid muscle. To achieve the desired results with the head and neck fully extended, some individuals have to make several attempts and only succeed when the larynx and the greater part of the sternocleidomasstoid muscles have been severed.”

Er… I wonder why this section wasn’t entitled “How to commit the perfect suicide”. Speaking of which, people cut their throats when committing suicide? That’s something new. New day, new discovery…
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Word of the Day for Friday, April 13, 2007

spoonerism \SPOO-nuh-riz-uhm\, noun:
The transposition of usually initial sounds in a pair of words.

Some examples:
• We all know what it is to have a half-warmed fish ["half-formed wish"] inside us.
• The Lord is a shoving leopard ["loving shepherd"].
• It is kisstomary to cuss ["customary to kiss"] the bride.
• Is the bean dizzy ["dean busy"]?
• When the boys come back from France, we'll have the hags flung out ["flags hung out"]!
• Let me sew you to your sheet ["show you to your seat"].

Spoonerism comes from the name of the Rev. William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), a kindly but nervous Anglican clergyman and educationalist. All the above examples were committed by (or attributed to) him.
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As Filippo Inzaghi took Kaká’s perfectly-weighted through ball in his stride, rounded Pepe Reina and slotted the ball home calmly, even the most ardent of Liverpool fans knew that it was “Game Over, please insert token to continue”. It was game, set and match and victory was made sweeter by the knowledge that revenge had been achieved against Liverpool, who had miraculously escaped defeat 2 years ago. This time, there was to be no fairytale ending, no twist at the end.

Johan Cruyff, former Dutch great once said of Pippo, “Look, actually he can't play football at all. He's just always in the right position." But here he was, scoring his second goal, earning the Man-of-the-Match award, and hammering in the last nail in the Reds’ coffin. The first goal might have been a stroke of good luck, but the second smacked of pure predatory instinct. And after all, luck does favour the prepared...

Despite not playing with their usual breathtaking pace and sublime skill, the Dad’s army had done just enough to see off the Englishmen. It was a night for celebration, not only in Athens but all around the world, where fans of the Rossoneri reside. The humiliation of Istanbul had been erased and the coveted trophy was once more held in the hands of the indefatigable Paolo Maldini and his journeymen. Viva Italia!
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Movies watched since term ended:
The Prestige
The Illusionist
V For Vendetta
Spiderman 3
Corpse Bride
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Books read since term ended:
An Artist of the Floating World---Kazuo Ishiguro
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber---Louis Cha
Inheritance of Loss---Kiran Desai

Books to read before next term starts:
Middlesex---Jeffrey Eugenides
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell---Susanna Clarke
Textbook of Medical Physiology---Guyton and Hall
Misc. M2 books

Somehow I have this feeling that eventually, I’ll end up not reading the last 2 items on my books-to-read list.
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Buddhism, also known as Buddha Dharma or Dhamma, which means the "teachings of the Awakened One" in Sanskrit and Pali is actually quite cool. It’s not just a religion, it’s also a philosophy and a way of life. I should go learn more about it or something.

Here’s an excerpt of just a miniscule fraction of what Buddhism entails.

The Four Noble Truths
According to the scriptures, the Buddha taught that in life there exists Dukkha, which is in essence sorrow/suffering, that is caused by desire and it can be brought to cessation by following the Noble Eightfold Path (Sanskrit: Āryāṣṭāṅgamārgaḥ , Pāli: Ariyo Aṭṭhaṅgiko Maggo). This teaching is called the Catvāry Āryasatyāni (Pali: Cattāri Ariyasaccāni), or the "Four Noble Truths".

1.Suffering: Birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.

2. The cause of suffering: The craving which leads to renewed existence (rebirth) (the cycle of samsara)

3. The cessation of suffering: The cessation of craving.

4. The way leading to the cessation of suffering: The Noble Eightfold Path;

According to the scriptures, the Four Noble Truths were among the topics of the first sermon given by the Buddha after his enlightenment, which was given to the five ascetics with whom he had practised austerities. The Four Noble Truths were originally spoken by the Buddha not in the form of a religious or philosophical text, but in the manner of a medical diagnosis and remedial prescription in a style that was common at that time. The early teaching and the traditional understanding in the Theravada is that these are an advanced teaching for those who are ready for them.
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If you blatantly ignore his semi-spastic looking expression, it's not too bad a performance of the piece.

*Add to "To Do List" for hols---> Start practising this piece and others in a bid to achieve a decent rendition and build a repertoire, which is a tall order given that I have scarcely touched the piano in recent months and everyone who knows me knew the acquiring of the Dip was nothing short of fortuitous.
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“天下无不散之筵席”. This marks the end of this edition of “MJ Speaks” See you again in 2008. I mean er…in the near future.

Finale

2006-12-23T04:07:00.000-08:00

And now you viewers are tuning in to the last edition of “Late Nights with MJ” for the year 2006. Well, since the last episode, Xiaocai has received countless fan mail and more recently anonymous letters threatening to silence this author or tie his hands together and lock him in a dark room until he pens another entry. To these people, I say “How can I get down to writing something if my hands are bound?” HAHAhaha. Ok, not funny. Anyway, the faithful readers will know that good things come to those who wait…patiently…in vain, i mean no..not in vain. This being the last entry for the year, unless I decide to pen another entry before the New Year countdown/ Christmas party/ Boxing Day match involving Tyson (CAIMINJIA, STOP LYING. U AINT GONNA UPDATE UR BLOG UNTIL NEXT YR) [shuts out voice at back of head], I shall look back on this year as a whole and perhaps jot down some New Year resolutions which I probably won’t keep to, but at least I can say I er.. thought about improvements to my life. That’s some start, I guess. So here goes…
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“Section…straight ahead…100..”
“OEI, CHUA. Talking to your girlfriend isit? Shout like a &#%^#^ guniang”
“Huh?”
“Huh what huh. Huh huh huh 1@nP@h”
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He stood in line, waiting for his turn, patiently, eagerly, yet with a tinge of fear, worry and anxiety. All around him were voices and footsteps, but all he could hear was the beating of his heart. After what seemed like an eternity, the people in the queue in front of him dissipated and finally, it was his turn.

He held his breath and waited…
.
.
.
.
.
.
“Min Jia, congratulations. You have done well…” his form teacher said in her trademark meek hurried cadence.

Stunned silence ensued as no one spoke. He just stared down at the flimsy piece of paper depicting the fruits of the effort he had put in over the 2 months from October to November. A wave of mixed emotions swept over him, mostly those of elation and relief. He wanted to leap for joy and give her a hug, but he restrained himself to just a handshake and a “Thank you”. The celebration would come later...
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“So, Min Jia, it seems that you have not made it to OCS. What do you think is the reason?” Mr. Flip Yo, ex. D*MOON chairperson

“Because I’m not garang or wayang enough.” came the reply, without a moment of hesitation and some might say without a moment of thought.

Peals of laughter erupt across the table as Min Jia maintains his calm façade.
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Dear CHUA MIN JIA,

ADMISSION TO THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
ACADEMIC YEAR 2008

Congratulations! I am pleased to offer you admission to the National University of Singapore (NUS) in academic year 2008 for the following course of study as you are now serving or have not been deferred from full-time National Service:

MEDICINE

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Darn. I just can't seem to find that photo of our whole OG in shihui's house. Well i guess, you shall just have to er..close your eyes and picture that sight. Every.single.member.of.Goldilocks.sitting.on.the.sofa.posing.for.a.picture. I'll er..make up for this photo by posting another photo in the future, though not to the extent that i'll be labeled a photo whore.
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(10:58 PM) * And so: yeah, well, whatever you do, dont date a Doctor.
(10:58 PM) * And so: or potential doctor, whatever.
(10:58 PM) * And so: because that would just be Freaky, okay?
(10:58 PM) * And so: haha
(10:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: ya
(10:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: coz they arent chio
(10:58 PM) * And so: haha! picky.
(10:58 PM) * And so: and Mean, too.
(10:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: e truth hurts
(10:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: oops
(10:58 PM) * And so: but yeah. i stand by the fact that it would be Weird and you would have awfully pressurized kids.
(10:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: juz kidding la
(10:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: im obviously lking for inner beauty
(10:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: yea yea wadeva
(10:59 PM) * And so: inner beauty, huh.

(10:59 PM) * And so: like we believe that!
(10:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: obviously
(10:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: i ll er..
(10:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: show u my gf next time
(10:59 PM) * And so: XD
(10:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: some day
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Ajay picks out MJ with another pinpoint cross and with 2 defenders closing him down, he lets fly with a scorcher of a volley. The ball soars into the top right corner, leaving the keeper totally rooted to the spot, stunned.

And with that, MJ completes his hat-trick, with 3 sublime goals of unparalleled beauty, the first a slight curler placed superbly at the bottom right corner of the goal, the 2nd a half-volley past the hapless goalkeeper and the 3rd, with what must surely be a contender for the goal of the season, sealing the win for the underdogs.
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I wrote a haiku
I know it's not very good
But at least I tried

So now here it goes
Just don't laugh at it too much
Though I can't stop you

"This is a haiku
Five syllables then seven
And five in the last"

Man, that really sucked
I shall not try this again
I HATE POETRY!

-Anonymous and for good reason
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30 second rule
2006-10-30
Have you heard of the 30 Second Rule?
Anyone who speaks to you for more than 30 seconds came into your life for a reason.
Sounds rather cool, but it's even more exciting if you actually apply it in your life. Talk to more people! After all, strangers are just family that you've yet to come to know. Get to know their names! They came into your life for a reason, at least get to know their names. You never know what magic will happen.
9:15 a.m. ::
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xbox or minds cafe! Message List

Reply | Forward | Delete
Message #221 of 221 < Prev | Next >

Re: xbox or minds cafe!

OK, either a) everybody's too lazy to reply, b) people are out of the country or c) THE MAD MEDICINE MUGGERS ARE CHIONGING FOR HEAD&NECK/RENALPHYSIO/IDUNNOWHAT'SNEXTFORBIOCHEM

Ahem..I apologise for that outburst, though I am inclined to think it might well be the last option.

Anyway, I regret to inform you that Xiaocai will be unavailable for whatever programmes you all have lined up for next week for he will be retreating to a humble hut on the top of Hua mountain to listen to the merry chirping of birds, soothing gurgling of the stream while chanting sutras in a bid to attain peace and enlightenment in his quest for the answer to the meaning of life.

If you didn't catch a single bit of that 72-word long sentence, the gist is that I'll be out of Singapore until 31st December. So I guess you all can have fun hanging out and playing library sports, i mean er...going to kbox/minds/settlers/zoo (though since taiyinxia isn't in s'pore that idea probably wouldn't be put forth, much to everyone else's delight, i believe)

Anyway, enjoy the last 2 weeks of your hols and I guess we'll meet in school, unless you all decide to organise something on the last week, which i probably won't mind going for.

-Ten§ai

--- In goldilocks06@yahoogroups.com, "Edwin" wrote:
>
> hey xiu...though u never mention my name(hai!), but i'm okay with
kbox
> or minds too...i prefer minds tho, but settlers even better! =)
>
>
> --- In goldilocks06@yahoogroups.com, "pinkpurpleorangex"
> wrote:
> >
> > heyhey.. anione interested in kboxing or minds cafe nxt wk?! =)
> choose
> > one! free on 26th? 2nd dae o christmas eh! hee. =) let's go sing
or
> > sth! we have been talking abt it for soo long.. zhiyong n
david!!!
> > damien n kailiang (kl still in sp? or go for retreat le?? i hav a
> > feeling it's e latter.. bleahhh)!! sing!! hahaa.. n to our xiao
cai:
> > try singing? haha. (oops. looks like i stated my preference.
> *winks*)
> > paise. super random of me to suddenly be so high abt singing. so
> long
> > never sing le.
> >
> > -xiu
> >
>
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New Year Resolutions
1. Study hard enough to pass 1st year of medicine decently without too much hassle, which is quite a tall order given my indolence
2. Convince people that Jon Tay’s not my gay partner (I mean obviously it’s Jinrong, I mean er.. NO! I’m heterosexual, I think. No wait, not I think. I know! Wait till I show you my chio gf that I’ll get soon enough)
3. Pick up some physics/cosmology book like A Brief History of Time and read it. Ok, maybe not just read it. Try to understand it
4. Delve a little into the world of philosophy, just for interest’s sake
5. Finally get down to playing Fantasie Impromptu and Revolutionary Etude. (stop procrastinating, you lil basket. That’s what you said you were going to do last year…)
6. Keep in touch with friends from sec. school/JC/army/misc. places. It’s a lil sad that the 4kers used to be close and now.. Must try to meet up sometime when they’re not stuck doing guard duty/meeting up wif pseudo-gfs (casts ice-cold glare at KOHZY)/doing other stuff in general.
7. Be a nice boy (Actually, this is quite a redundant resolution as I’m a nice boy as it is. Hey you in the corner, don’t give me that smirk)
8. Think of other new year resolutions to add to the list or something
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And with that, we’ve got to say goodbye. Thank you for tuning in the Coffee with Min Jia. See you next year. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here’s you favourite news anchor signing off. (Salute)

P.S. A new tagboard’s been installed and it looks er.. EMPTY. So do leave your footprints in the snow and comment on er.. stuff.

Hmm...

2006-10-25T03:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the MJ show! (Takes a bow amidst the thunderous applause) Due to technical glitches, I have been unable to post any new entries. So to my faithful reader(s), my sincere apologies. (yeah right, caiminjia, you’re just a procrastinating liar) Anyway, I have noticed that an anonymous stalker has been leaving a flurry of messages on my tagboard. And several well-wishers have expressed concern over the danger that this unnamed stranger could pose. Well, I say “Keep the fan mail coming!” (Dodges orange thrown from the crowd) Anyway, today, we shall continue with the misadventures of our protagonist and much-loved hero Xiaocai.
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“…And Bobo wins the tackle in the middle of the park, before quickly releasing the ball to Boji. A nice one-two there between Boji and Fan. And now here we see Boji picking out Hoon Kee on the flanks with a sublime through-ball. Hoon Kee’s deft stepover sees him getting past one defender before sending in an early cross. The lob is met by Biwei who flicks it on to Cai. Cai, with a jink and a shimmy, leaves the defender for dead and now he’s in a one-on-one situation with the keeper. The keeper’s holding his ground. What’s Cai gonna do? With the defender closing in, Cai tries an audacious chip which sails over the keeper. He’s just left standing. Oh and the ball’s dipping down just below the bar and it’s a G-O-A-..”

“Oei, ask you to study, you whole day sleep..” a booming voice resonates around the room, jolting Xiaocai awake. He gives a meek grin before diving back into the realms of Snell’s.
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Xiaocai comes to attention and gives a salute to 3SG J Y CHEE. Jychee, I only have one word to say.

“Respect…”
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“Their eyes met for a brief fleeting moment as they passed each other in the corridor. But he was immediately mesmerised by her visage. Her long silky hair, porcelain complexion, sharp defined facial features. But alas, that was but a momentary instant for the two hurried along to their respective destinations. How he wished he could freeze that moment in time, capture that picture-perfect moment… If fate decrees as such, they will meet again. He believes…”

The above scenario is a wholly fictional account and all resemblances to persons living or dead are purely intentional…i mean er…coincidental.
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OMG. That day Sara Loh brought her kindergarten photo to show us and seated in the front row 3rd from right was this damn cute boy. A little guang tou zai. I think his name was er… Chua Min Jia or something. He rocks.
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Random fact about CMJ: His favourite composer is Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin. (Whatever, who cares.)
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“I’m more superficial than you think I am” is a subtle (maybe not that subtle actually) and indirect (now that I think about it, not so indirect also) way to say someone isn’t particularly pleasing on the eye.
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“And now here we have 4 queens and in that turned-down set we have 4 jokers.”

“ER… I already saw you swapping the queens for jokers.”

Yet another botched attempt at showcasing magic tricks.
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So there was no fairytale ending for M. Schumacher, the Ferrari great. As his engine died on him once again during qualifying, he bade goodbye to the racing circuit as Fernando Alonso collected his 2nd straight world F1 title. Perhaps some critics will say he lacked sportsmanship at times, pointing to times when he deliberately initiated crashes to his benefit. Some detractors have further lambasted him for being aloof and distant. But those were just momentary lapses in his reign, little things that made him human…mortal…vulnerable.

In his years as an F1 racer, he broke every record there was to break. He set new limits and heights for future drivers to emulate. He was daring, moving from Benetton to Ferrari, which was then, in 1996, considered to be inferior. His move paid dividends and restored Ferrari’s prestige and spot at the top of the contructors’ championship. His never-say-die spirit was ever-present, as evidenced by this year’s showdown, where he never threw in the towel, despite trailing for the most part of the season. Yes, he was proud, but at the same time, he was respectful of his adversaries, conceding that Mika Hakkinen was a formidable foe. This season, he also proclaimed that he did not want to win by hoping Alonso retired in the last race. Furthermore, he had a heart for the less fortunate, often gracing charity events and raising funds for the needy.

On Sunday, he finished 4th in the last race of his life. He fought hard, he drove for the win, he never gave up. His continued quest for excellence has seen him perennially at the top of the game, while his rivals, like Mika Hakkinen, have fallen by the wayside. Unlike other competitors who stay on at the sports circuit way past their sell-by date, Schumacher has wisely chosen to step down to allow other young drivers to come to the fore. And for that, we respect him. Michael, you will be missed. Not for breaking all the records there were to be broken, not for your indomitable spirit, not for your heart of gold. Just for being you…
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(6:16 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: i thot u all watchin movie?
(6:16 PM) bleah [4K]l: who's we?
(6:16 PM) bleah [4K]l: i'm on duty in camp
(6:16 PM) bleah [4K]l: with access to inet
(6:17 PM) bleah [4K]l: i wanted to watch the prestige and the departed though
(6:17 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: oh
(6:17 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: hmm
(6:17 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: kana loh was askin me if i wanted to watch movie todae
(6:17 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: i thot he was watchin wif u or somethin
(6:18 PM) bleah [4K]l: yeah he would've if i was out of camp
(6:18 PM) bleah [4K]l: he watched with weixun last week
(6:18 PM) bleah [4K]l: maybe again this week
(6:18 PM) bleah [4K]l: you/
(6:18 PM) bleah [4K]l: ?
(6:18 PM) bleah [4K]l: not watching?
(6:18 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: he wanted to watch at 4+
(6:18 PM) bleah [4K]l: and?
(6:19 PM) bleah [4K]l: you clearly didn't go
(6:19 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: evidemment
(6:19 PM) bleah [4K]l: why
(6:19 PM) bleah [4K]l: mugging?
(6:19 PM) bleah [4K]l: lol
(6:19 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: i was watchin another movie wif kohzy n chiewwy
(6:19 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: n my parents
(6:19 PM) bleah [4K]l: ah
(6:19 PM) bleah [4K]l: which?
(6:20 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: some kok show
(6:20 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: which kohzy wanted to watch'
(6:21 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: how many shows r there arnd anw
(6:21 PM) bleah [4K]l: good shows?
(6:21 PM) bleah [4K]l: quite a few
(6:21 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: take a guess
(6:21 PM) bleah [4K]l: there was the french film festival
(6:21 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: er..
(6:21 PM) bleah [4K]l: there's the departed
(6:21 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: mainstream
(6:21 PM) bleah [4K]l: death note
(6:21 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: bingo
(6:21 PM) bleah [4K]l: and the prestige
(6:21 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: deathnote
(6:21 PM) bleah [4K]l: i watched scoop a few weeks ago
(6:21 PM) bleah [4K]l: yeah
(6:22 PM) bleah [4K]l: it's more like kohzy to drag you to watch that than any of the rest
(6:22 PM) bleah [4K]l: besides
(6:22 PM) bleah [4K]l: i thought it was your kind of movie
(6:22 PM) bleah [4K]l: about eccentric geniuses
---------------------------------------------------------------
And this marks the end of this edition of the semi-annual Tonight with Xiaocai. CAs are looming so I guess till then, it's farewell from MJ here in the studio.

*Chants to self "Must mug. Must mug. Must mug."*

The MJ Show

2006-09-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

At the request of a few unnamed acquaintances, I’ve decided to drop by this quaint little abode after a hiatus of approximately one fortnight. Anyway, while looking at the past few entries, something dawned upon me. This blog has metamorphosed into some sort of an update on my life thus far, quite a drastic change from the former caustic cynical social commentary I used to do. Which is a good thing, in some ways, though it makes for less interesting reading. Anyway, as promised, here are some of the highlights in my life since I last posted. Hopefully it won’t be as er.. mystifying as my last entry..
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Much to my chagrin, though it isn’t exactly something unexpected, medfac is full of med muggers (pun intended). As early as the first week, our og started having almost quotidian outings to the library. OUTING TO THE LIBRARY. OMG. Are these people androids who recharge by extending a cable and plugging it in to some power point?

“Di Di Di. Battery Low. Getting ready to hibernate.. Must look for electrical socket”

Someone save me from these people. No wait, they aren’t people. Save me from these robots!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D&D was yet again another expensive excuse for photo-taking, which I am not a huge fan of. It’s hardly surprising I have this sentiment. You would too if you don’t like to smile in photos and you get chided by half or more of the people who want to take photos with you. I must seriously go like try out smiling in the mirror so I can figure out which is the best pose to adopt next time when people say “Min Jia, let’s take a photo together..”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exercise gives you a high. It could be a game of soccer on a Saturday morning with ex-geppers or badminton with og mates. Exercise gets your adrenaline pumping and it’s quite liberating in a sense. At least it gets my mind off like other stuff, like cyborgs on the loose in medfac.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pool at YIH is what I call great value for money. You pay $1 PER GAME. Which is supremely brilliant coz when you’re having a showdown with noobs, chances are the balls are going to stay on the table for quite a while. Hence you can really stretch your dollar with such a pool game. And I am undoubtedly the master of defensive play. For the uninitiated, “to play a safety means that you are executing a "defensive" move, designed to hinder you opponent's offensive game, and to buy time for more careful planning of your own offense. Blocking an opponent's easier shots will wreak havoc with their mental game, demoralizes them, and may give you an edge you need to claim victory. Playing their emotions rigorously enough may cause them to make more mistakes. For you, this is a good thing.” I quoted the above verbatim from http://www.billiardsforum.info/pool-playing-tips/defensive-billiard-strategy.asp

Aside from making the brilliant albeit tyco play where the white ball is totally obscured from the ball the opponent intends to strike in the next turn, I’ve also learnt how to play mind games. “Y, it doesn’t matter whether or not how you position your cue stick. The result’s going to be the same.” “S, there comes a time when luck runs out… Now is that time” “Y, it’s not the cue stick or the positioning. It’s the player.” Contrary to popular belief, these “antics” so to speak are actually calculated moves intended to disrupt the opponents’ calm. And the occasional shot gone awry is obviously another devious ploy to lull my adversaries into complacency. Of course winning has also got to be attributed to the fact that my fellow amateurish players have an uncanny knack of making hitherto never-seen-before shots like jumping the white ball into the pocket. To that, I can only say “UP”.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I must salute my og. They’re still quite bonded and hang out together, much unlike my JC og. I would say it’s coz I rock, but that’s probably not the ONLY reason. (Cue innocent look)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jychee’s passing out next week or this week. From GCC. If he decides not to like geng or OOC and passes out with that khaki/sandbag beret, I have only one thing to say. “Respect.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kohzy, the reason I posted 浪漫手機’s lyrics is not coz I’ve found some cute girl in medfac to go after. It’s just coz it’s a nice song. (looks around furtively for accusatory glances). Seriously. Unless YOU are gonna intro someone, I shall just be content being an amoeba/a paramecium. Count down 724 days to next binary fission.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bizarro is underrated.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/Prof H(e)nry Yu is misunderstood. I am here to redress his grievances. First, he's just a poor little Hongkonger who came to Singapore as a lecturer to make a living. We ought to welcome foreign talent. Second, it's not his fault he has a strange accent coupled with a lack of humour. We should like applaud his efforts for trying. Last, but certainly not least, he does stuff for the greater good of the medicine cohort. Though he's much-maligned for adhering to the saying "a picture says a thousand words", we should look at the reasons behind him opting to do so. He could well have chosen to give us lots of notes with like keywords underlined. Instead, he has decided to use illustrations to ensure we understand the concepts behind these figures and hence truly comprehend the foundations. This despite potentially incurring the wrath of students and his superior who'll hit the roof after seeing his abysmal ratings. And he often delves into the depths of each topic, for e.g. during tutorial, he tends to encourage us to think deeper on stuff outside the syllabus, which enhances our critical thinking skills and tests us on our understanding of the topic at its most basic level. H(e)nry Yu, you the man.

You can choose to take the above comments as being wholly heartfelt or absolutely sarcastic and cynical.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I’ve tried to incorporate a sitemeter and some midi file into my blog. Hope it like er.. works. Tech-savvy is the way to go. Till next time, au revoir, mes amis. The MJ fornightly column, which hopefully won’t degenerate into a monthly column, will be back. Soon enough.

Scene and Heard

2006-08-21T06:04:00.000-07:00

浪漫手機
作詞：方文山　作曲：周杰倫
輕輕放　我就是卸不下對你的喜歡
原來愛會慢慢增加重量
想關上這城市所有的燈光
黑暗中專心聞你的髮香
這夜晚　讓暗戀很有畫面感　回想
與你約會過的地方　都捨不得刪
在腦海裡儲存欣賞
你微笑瀏覽　手機裡的浪漫
原來真心送出愛是這麼簡單
溫習螢幕上　你可愛的模樣
關於緣份的解釋我又多傳了一行
你微笑瀏覽　手機裡的浪漫
原來愛情可以來的這麼突然
短訊的橋梁　將曖昧期拉長
我們的感情蔓延滋長用文字培養
在虛擬土壤
電視墻　吵雜的情歌還在拼命播放
我安靜在鬧區等來電鈴響
有一些話打好了卻不敢傳
怕收到訊息的你在為難
街道上　人潮襯托我的孤單　想像
誰幸運的陪在你身旁　卻誤會一場
你也在等你手機響
你微笑瀏覽　手機裡的浪漫
原來真心送出愛是這麼簡單
溫習螢幕上　你可愛的模樣
關於緣份的解釋我又多傳了一行
你微笑瀏覽　手機裡的浪漫
原來愛情可以來的這麼突然
短訊的橋梁　將曖昧期拉長
我們的感情蔓延滋長用文字培養
在虛擬土壤

---------------------------------------------------------------

Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried another approach. "Is Orr crazy?"
"He sure is," Doc Daneeka said.
"Can you ground him?"
"I sure can but first he has to ask me to. That's part of the rule."
"Then why doesn't he ask you to?"
"Because he's crazy," Doc Daneeka said. "He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he's had. Sure I can ground Orr. But first he has to ask me to."
"That's all he has to do to be grounded?"
"That's all. Let him ask me."
"And then you can ground him?" Yossarian asked.
"No, then I can't ground him."
"You mean there's a catch?"
"Sure there is a catch," Doc Daneeka replied. "Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy."

---------------------------------------------------------------

From: What'z Newz @ OSA Sent: Mon 8/21/2006 10:42 AM
To:
Cc:
Subject: Hi! What's Your Name?
Attachments:
View As Web Page

Dear Students,

How do you strike up a conversation with a new friend?

“Hi! What’s your name?”

Or

nottiboi1986: hi! watz ur name IRL? :)

Engaging in good conversations face-to-face builds connections & establishes rapports; what’s more, it could expand your world when you make your words count!

If you speak good English and like the idea of helping new international students to improve their English conversation skills, we would like to invite you to be part of Conversation Exchange Corner as a Conversation Peer.

---------------------------------------------------------------

saying HI!

Hey!!
So wat did uall do at cuixi's house??!!
who went?
keep us updated!!
sorry we couldn't be there!! had to send our friend off at the airport.
and minjia..yes, our cls blog is quite sad..but dun need to go let EVERYONE noe right?? haha..
and pls pls pls pls pay up for D&D by mon k..thanks! :D

oh yes, and since when did my house become the og house?? How come i never knew?!
POSTED BY SHEEHWEE AT 3:51 AM 0 COMMENTS

FLAG DAY

2006-08-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

As the title suggests, this shall be a post about flag day

People I don’t particularly like to meet...
People who don’t donate
1. “It’s ok.”
Er…No, it’s NOT ok.

2. “Wo Bu Yao Mai”
WTF! I’m not like trying to sell you something, unless you mean good karma…

3. “Thank you…”
I should be the one thanking you IF and WHEN you donate money

4. Nod head/say yes while walking away
Like practice what you preach yes… I mean like saying yes to the question of whether you are feeling generous today towards this poor soul who’s been standing here for like the whole day means you should be reaching into your wallet, no?

5. “I’ll come back later”
After we’re gone, I’m sure…

6. “I donated already”
Then where’s your sticker, dammit!

7. “I don’t have small change”
Is that a 2-dollar note I see sticking out of your wallet? Some fellow even told me “I don’t have small change. I’ve only got 1 dollar coins” Like hello…Isn’t that loose change…

8. Start pointing at sticker/fiddle with sticker from 20 metres away
I mean like, I haven’t even asked you for money yet…

9. The ultimate imsogonnadaoyouandignoreyourexistence look
Obviously some people don’t pay attention during moral education lessons and don't notice those quaint Courtesy Campaign Signs around

People who donate (some people don’t deserve to be thanked, I tell you)
1. Take out coins in denominations of $1, $0.50, $0.20 and $0.10 and drop 1 pathetic 10-cent coin into the can
I could pick up 10 cents from the floor, tmd.

2. Donate 10 cents and take 5 stickers
Er… Are you going to use those stickers as wallpaper or something?

Add to this list miscellaneous China people from hall who have more than 1 can full and refuse to give other people a chance. It wouldn’t look too good if we all go back with a pathetic half-full tin…We’re one big er…NUS family.

New things to say (Some of them actually work. I tried out a couple and people actually gave me money)
As opposed to the boring standard “Would you like to donate some money and do your part for charity? The money goes towards NUS and 20 other beneficiaries” as employed by Y, why not try something totally novel and inventive. Listed below are a couple of suggestions:

1. “Would you like to go to heaven?”
2. “Are you feeling generous/kind today?”
3. “A good deed a day keeps the bad karma away?”
4. “Thank you for the $1 you are going to put in my tin”
5. Wonder out aloud “Singaporeans nowadays are getting more heartless”

Tips for flag day
Accost sec-sch girls and kindly old aunties/ah mas (Y, I am NOT an ahma-shashou)
Don’t go to Tanjong Pagar. Working adults are cold-blooded bastards.
Don’t pose with your can and expect people to donate (Cast glance at jon)
Don’t write “Please donate” and leave it beside your unattended tin (Cast 2nd stare at jon)
Don’t make tentacles out of multiple stickers in a bid to get rid of stickers (Slap jon)
Don’t believe people that NUS flag day is compulsory (Give Sara 1x goodone)

On a side note, here's a convo btw me n jr...
(8:58 PM) │ρια·lιη·ιst│: hey
(8:58 PM) │ρια·lιη·ιst│: u went for flag today?
(8:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: YES
(8:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: U
(8:58 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: nvm
(8:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: it was ok la
(8:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: i managed to amuse myself
(8:59 PM) │ρια·lιη·ιst│: tt's gd
(8:59 PM) │ρια·lιη·ιst│: who else went?
(8:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: NO
(8:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: that is so NOT GOOD
(8:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: anw
(8:59 PM) -=Ten§ai=- [Tomá: for e guys, kailiang, jon n me
(8:59 PM) │ρια·lιη·ιst│: jon !!!

jon, you seriously need to assert yourself and show everyone you're ON. I'm sure you can start by er...going down to lift the float in the wee hours on Fri morn.

Back

2006-08-05T07:58:00.000-07:00

I’m one helluva procrastinator. Anyway, as promised, a long-awaited and anticipated update… (Cue rousing applause). Unfortunately, here’s nothing really much happening in my life save like Medicamp and various miscellaneous events not worth mentioning. So I guess I’ll start with the highlights.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I guess it would suffice to say I went for Medicamp with some degree of apprehension. I mean like, what would you make of a camp where the ogl calls you the day before and gets you to write a secret love letter to some unknown fella. AND the letter had to be mushy and romantic and, in a nutshell, goosebumps-inducing. So, I had to write under the pseudonym of Pierre Curie…No prizes for guessing who the object of my affection was. At least the letter was relatively easier to write in context as opposed to say, Batman and Robin (Your black suit is so er…sexy.) How gay…literally.

Anyway, it turned out to be pretty ok la, I guess. The first day started off with talks from sponsors and some dreary lecture from some prof who spoke funny and tried to be funny. Icebreakers followed, with the standard whacko stuff, etc. Thankfully I was able to escape any forfeit, unlike poor old jon, who had to propose to some other fella from another og. NUS trail followed before fright night, which was composed of 2 separate trails. Both were quite no-kick, though the makeup was interesting to see, as were their antics. My partners for the 2 trails were polar opposites though. S was like laughing through the whole of the maze while Y was more subdued…

The 2nd day was composed of more inter-og games, which we managed to win (mostly). Then came some cooking contest where as usual, the girls were in charge of the cooking while the guys went to pluck flowers to improve the ambience. (don’t give me that “you’re-such-a-slacker” look. I mean like, without the red petals to litter the place, it wouldn’t feel like a Thai restaurant...) After a sumptuous dinner, followed by a stunning performance by thai boxers, we were all brought to the bball court for a meeting with your secret pal. How exciting. As it turned out, my secret pal was some nursing student formerly from nyjc called er…lixin, or was it limin. Heck, I suck at name-recalling.

The last day was wet games which made us wet. Didn’t that sound perfectly logical? After that was slack time until dinner and some bidding war which provided more entertainment from reading out of the top few secret pal letters among others. (Your eyes are like hazelnuts, so nutty). (I’m Tcube. I play all sports, I’m musically-inclined and I’m tall. Did I mention I can fly?) And subsequently, my og unanimously decided on the brilliant idea of not sleeping and playing truth-or-dare/polar bear. Juicy details were unveiled, though of course most of you all, being below the legal age of 21, will not be privy to such information… And that essentially marked the end of medicamp.

-----------------------------------------------------------

M: Is it just me or does she look like an ah soh?
T: Er… She looks like a trendy ah soh
M: That is er…some compliment…

-----------------------------------------------------------

“Eh, did I tell you? The person I met at W’s house last time wasn’t her younger sister. It was her mother. And she thought I was rude to say the least”
“ROFL! So you think W’s mother looks younger than W”
“Hmm. Perhaps.”
“...”

-----------------------------------------------------------

10:04:15 PM] [Prata]Pangs: dude
[10:04:19 PM] [Prata]Pangs: your mum uses your msn?
[10:04:29 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: ?
[10:04:32 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: it's auto signin
[10:04:38 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: sign-in
[10:04:39 PM] [Prata]Pangs: oh
[10:04:40 PM] [Prata]Pangs: i was talking to her
[10:04:43 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: when i switch on e com
[10:04:46 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: wtf
[10:04:51 PM] [Prata]Pangs: i told her about your gf from rj
[10:04:55 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: .
[10:04:56 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: .
[10:04:56 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: .
[10:04:59 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: im sure
[10:05:00 PM] [Prata]Pangs: the one we made up during bmt
[10:05:02 PM] [Prata]Pangs: ok
[10:05:03 PM] [Prata]Pangs: so i'm lying
[10:05:06 PM] [Prata]Pangs: but next time i talk to her
[10:05:10 PM] [Prata]Pangs: i'll be sure to include it
[10:05:27 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: obviously u're lying
[10:05:33 PM] [Prata]Pangs: no really
[10:05:35 PM] [Prata]Pangs: i really spoke with her
[10:05:37 PM] [Prata]Pangs: you can go check your chatlogs.
[10:05:42 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: i know
[10:05:46 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: as in abt e gf thing
[10:05:48 PM] [Prata]Pangs: but not of your
[10:05:48 PM] [Prata]Pangs: gf
[10:05:59 PM] [Prata]Pangs: i thought we already established that
fact
[10:06:02 PM] [Prata]Pangs: a while ago
[10:06:03 PM] [Prata]Pangs: so
[10:06:05 PM] [Prata]Pangs: what of your gf
[10:06:44 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: ?!?!?
[10:06:48 PM] [Prata]Pangs: you don't have one yet?
[10:06:50 PM] [Prata]Pangs: dude
[10:06:53 PM] [Prata]Pangs: you nid to get a life
[10:07:06 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: OK

-----------------------------------------------------------

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Reply | Forward | Delete
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This is so obviously a ploy to get people to open the e-mail/message to read it...

Anyway, here's your friendly rag-n-flag 2i/c speaking. In case you missed kenrick's message on the medicampers yahoogroups or you conveniently blocked all e-mail messages from that group to avoid spam (which I think is a brilliant idea), here's a reminder that you're supposed to meet outside medlib tmr at 9am.

Pls bring along the following items if you have them:
1. Scissors
2. Wire cutters
3. Disposable tupperware
4. Newspapers & Magazines
5. Empty tissue boxes
6. Portable sewing machine?!??!

Anyway, ya. That's about all. Now I can't be accused of slacking off the job. See you there, if I decide to go. I mean er..ya. I'll be down, so hope to see you all there. (Cue innocent look)

And Yinxia, we're supposed to go down earlier. There's some briefing for the i/cs at the medsoc room which is "somewhere near the medlib".

-Ten§ai

-----------------------------------------------------------

And today, I stumbled upon probably one of the most hilarious blogs I’ve ever read. The blog belongs to one of my acquaintances and is at once, scandalous, bimbotic and sure as hell, delusional. For more details, ask me online…

And Y is so obviously paranoid. After somehow finding out that I, the omniscient one, found her blog, she changed the address immediately.

On a side note, my fav contestants won Superband, but no one who reads this blog (if anyone actually does) watches that show, so nvm...

Bonjour

2006-07-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

“Guess who's back, back again…Shady's back, tell a friend…”

After what has seemed like an eternity, yours truly is finally, well and truly out of the army. Au revoir, cheongsuaing. Goodbye to “Section…straight ahead…dadidadida” + bad-hair-year. Hello, civilization. It’s been such a long time since I penned an entry that I’m kinda at a loss for where to begin or what to give my two cents worth about. Guess I shall just give a couple of snapshots of my life since leaving NS.

****************************************************************

Idiot’s Guide to Mahjong for Dummies (13yao Edition)

How to win with 10 “tais”
Pung Pung Hu (3) + Qing Yi Se (4) + 1 Flower of your no. (1) + 1 animal (1) + Zhuang (1) = 3+4+1+1+1 = 10

Voila!

****************************************************************

“Eh, are you sure you gave me the right address?”—T
“You mean 1 West Coast Terrace?”—Z
“Ya…I went there and some girl answered the door, asking me who I was looking for. I said M and she said he lives around the corner.”—T
“Er…What the (insert expletive), you seriously went there? Well done. You mean you couldn’t tell we gave you W’s address?”—Z
“No…Things change at night.”—T
Z turns around to look at M and E and recounts the entire conversation.
Peals of laughter erupt…

****************************************************************

As Fabio Grosso slotted in the fifth penalty kick to Barthez’s left, effectively sealing Italy’s win, the horde of Italian players watching the nail-biting penalty shootout surged forward, hands raised in the air and heads facing up, as though to thank the Almighty for the win and for the strength to push forth despite trying times and circumstances in their homeland. Meanwhile, France was left to rue what could have been, if not for the coach’s miscalculations and the petulant behavious of the man who would be king, but for this moment of folly…

The exact mirror of the mood, albeit one which was more subdued was evident in a humble abode tucked away in the Western part of Singapore. The Italian camp of fans, Z and M, gave a shout/grunt/roar of approval while T and E seemed somewhat more sombre. But of course, for E, there was some cheer to the gloom brought by his S’pore Pools ticket indicating Total Goals: 2 lying somewhere in his bag…

****************************************************************

[08:48:17 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: yo
[08:48:22 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: ?
[08:48:25 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: spoke to geraldine today
[08:48:30 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: and i think we kinda misunderstood
[08:48:34 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: ?
[08:48:43 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: 730 to 930 is nurse work
[08:48:46 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: sai gang
[08:48:48 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: but after that
[08:48:51 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: we can stay
[08:48:55 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: cos there's day-care
[08:49:01 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: which starts 1030
[08:49:13 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: and we're allowed to interact with
patients all the way to lunch time
[08:49:16 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: which is abt 12
[08:49:26 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: we can plan karaoke too if you want
[08:49:35 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: hmm
[08:49:45 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: so wad did u all do todae?
[08:50:08 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: what i just told you
[08:50:12 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: went to day centre
[08:50:16 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: left at abt 12
[08:50:22 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: k
[08:50:40 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: so u coming on thurs?
[08:50:54 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: prob
[08:51:13 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: so how was it?
[08:51:43 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: not bad
[08:51:49 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: took awhile getting used to
[08:51:53 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: esp from 730 to 930
[08:51:57 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: prepared to be tired
[08:52:00 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: and dirty
[08:52:07 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: culture shock
[08:52:09 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: ?
[08:52:14 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: yeah
[08:52:19 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: some patients are really filthy
[08:52:29 PM] =TCu63= [Eup: and for us guys we need to help with
lifting
[08:53:38 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: hmm
[08:53:39 PM] -=Ten§ai=- [: k

****************************************************************

“What the hell la. I’m supposed to be playing as CAM, not some defending midfielder.”
“Cai, this is the year of the defensive midfielder. Deco. Pirlo”
“Whatever…”

****************************************************************

Aside from that, I’ve gone back to rj to meet teachers. At least, I tried to meet them. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be around save Mrs. Toh and yeo-chong, whom we, ie teck tee and yours truly, had a chat with. *makes mental note to pop by some other time. Surprisingly, the latter remembers us, though of course not as fondly or shall we say strongly as the vertically-challenged-but-sure-as-hell-not-horizontally one, whom she seems surprised to note is an aspiring doctor himself. And I also bought some medical books. Which cost a bomb, thanks to zc’s brilliant suggestion of having 2 books per topic and which has my mom hounding me to read them, to no avail, since I usually shrug her off with a nonchalant “in a jiffy”.

I seem to be reading a lot of fiction though, a whole range of stuff from Memoirs of Geisha to Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Reading kinda transports you to another realm and of course, ensures that my command of the language does not deteriorate to some abysmal standard.

Anyway, enough nonsensical ramblings for now. Till next time, which I hope won’t be too long from now, adios.

Quotable Quotes: “Italy has beaten a team which, in the quest for results, sacrificed their own identity by selecting Blacks, Muslims and communists”— Roberto Calderoli, Italian Senator (Italian politicians have about as much tact as er…their footballers. Well, racism rears its ugly head once again.)

LOL

2006-01-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

So I lied. The brief hiatus has amounted to something like er...2 and a half months? Anyway, at the humble request of a few fans/friends (OK, maybe just 2), I’ve decided to write another entry before going on another break, only this time longer…

I shall address 3 main concerns in this entry. First, my hair, or rather the lack of it. Sadly, I went for a haircut today and had all my hair shaved off. If you have no idea what I look like now, here is an artist’s impression of my visage.

If “ARGH” is the first word that comes to your mind, “BINGO”. You’ve got it. (damn, someone pass me a paper bag with 2 holes cut out)

And, I just found out something really brilliant. My class, ie, 2S03C, has a class blog! I mean like, how smart is that? A class blog set up after graduation, presumably to let people keep in touch? A class blog which like half the class cannot update due to NS and half of the other half won’t bother to update? A blog which doesn’t invite the whole class, or so Nick says? Perhaps, I should like jot down some disjointed thoughts in that blog soon enough to foster class spirit (Hey, even Min Jia wrote something, we should all jump on the bangwagon). Soon enough means like later today, assuming I don’t procrastinate too much.

And lastly, I was looking at the comments for my last post and I’m quite flattered that people I don’t know actually read my blog. But seriously, I would like to express my heartfelt sincere apologies to people I have offended with my last entry, namely people like OYWK and Kim. (Shut up, cynics) In case you’re wondering, and I’m sure you’re not, that was just a tongue-in-cheek piece with no intention of defaming or slandering anyone. It was an entry written purely in jest by an uninspired author, so I hope you don’t take offence. No hard feelings. I’m in no way annoyed by that article, more bemused than anything else, in fact and I hope you won’t take my comments as being too caustic.

And here ends my nonsensical ramblings as I take a not-so-well-deserved break on a sunny resort some miles away from the main island. TIll next time, adieu.

OMG

2005-10-27T04:53:00.000-07:00

Egotistic wouldn't even begin to describe this. "Raffles Players Pulled It Off". So read the title of the article on page 8 of Outlook. In the first para. of the article, the reporter writes, "Such was the sheer brilliance...coupled with the outstanding performance...unforgettable evenings of good family entertainment" Ok, maybe the production was impeccable, though that's quite stretching it. But nonetheless, still believable.

Read on and a glowing testimony is given for all the cast members. You start to wonder, is this guy like in RP or something? Or is he just smitten with all the cast members? Suspense ensues. The answer is finally revealed in the last line, or rather the penultimate sentence of the article. I quote the author verbatim. "Then there was yours truly, Ow Yeong Wai Kit, as the enigmatic Russian music teacher who drew gales of laughter from the audience with every inflection in his voice". I mean like wth. He just HAD TO WEAVE HIMSELF INTO THE ARTICLE TO SAY HOW PRO HE WAS. Yes yes. All hail the Special One. Subtlety, my friend...

Hmm. One wonders what would have transpired had he been in Harmonica Ensemble, for example. "The many parts blended into a concordant harmony which resonated through the LT and had the audiences swaying to the infectious tune. Especially noteworthy was the player seated 4th from the left in the second row, whose outstanding ability to wield the harmonica belied the fact that he had barely 1 year to pick up the art. Incidentally, this exceptional individual happens to be yours truly, OYWK" That would be interesting...

And so, this author pens his last entry before going on a brief hiatus of 1 month or so to prepare for the As...

Tititi

2005-10-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

As the story goes, I was looking through my past entries to see how my blog-writing has subconsciously devolved over the past couple of months and I stumbled upon a stunning find. Some 1a^ j|@0 hacked into my blog and edited my painstakingly-written kohzy entry (expletives have been changed to symbols to protect the sanctity of this family-oriented blog. Cue innocent look). I wouldn't have been so peeved if this fellow had written a cute entry. But no! It was full of rubbish and littered with grammatical errors, prompting me to change that entry into a one-liner That ©HeE b9!. Wait till I find out who he/she is. I will er.. er... do something to him. As to what exactly, I will think about it when I get my hands on him.

On a happier note, I attained 3 800s for the SAT, which I subsequently found out wasn't such a big deal as virtually the whole world got a perfect score, which kind of takes the sheen off things. But never mind. "Zhi1 Zu2 Chang2 Le4"

P.S. I need to find my creative streak and revamp my blog after the As in a bid to boost readership which stands at a pathetic (insert integer <5)

Prelims

2005-10-03T03:42:00.000-07:00

If you blatantly ignore my bio grades, my prelim results look passable.
Maths: A
Physics: A
Chemistry: B

GP: A2

Physics S: Merit
Chem S: Distinction

Damn. Screw bio. I need to mug my socks off for the As if I am to achieve something decent. If only I had gone to double Maths.(Reminiscing about what could have been AGAIN...)

Cheng Lim

2005-09-04T07:30:00.000-07:00

Cheng Lim rocks my socks, dirty or otherwise.

Project Superstar

2005-09-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

From dictionary.com, su·per·star ( P ) Pronunciation Key (spr-st鋜)
n.
A widely acclaimed star, as in movies or sports, who has great popular appeal.
One that is extremely popular or prominent or that is a major attraction.

From thefreedictionary.com, Noun 1. superstar - someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

Blind busker joins nationwide talent contest, fights scepticism, fends off vicious rumours to find fame and stand at the threshold of a future beyond his wildest dreams. Sounds like a plot worthy of an Academy Award, but improbable in reality? Think again.

As the Project Superstar season draws to a close, this author has decided to do a wrap-up. As is common knowledge by now, Weilian won the coveted overall title, pipping Kelly at the final hurdle, much to the dismay of many fans who championed talent. For the uninitiated, here's a brief account of the finals yesterday.

Round 1: Opening song (3-2 to Kelly)
Round 2: A cappella (4-1 to Weilian)
Round 3: Duet + trio (5-0 to Kelly)
Round 4: Judges' pick (4-1 to Kelly)
Round 5: Contestants' choice (5-0 to Kelly)

Prima facie, it looks as though Kelly is the hands-down winner. But alas, that was not to be as Weilian emerged victorious, garnering more than 64% of the 530,000 or so votes. Why? That is the burning question on everyone's minds. Actually, it's not really a burning question, for everyone probably knows the answer.

Much as Weilian and his ardent fans categorically deny all allegations, undoubtedly, his disability has somewhat paved the way for the dizzying heights he has reached today. No? Flashback to yesterday's episode.

During an interval, a snippet of a street poll was aired. Below is a loosely-translated transcript
Uncle A: "I support Weilian because he has the courage to pursue his dreams"
Auntie B: "Weilian is my pick. Despite his diability, he has made it so far"
Uncle C: "Weilian has dared to stand in front of everyone in spite of his inherent 'disadvantage'. That is why I tip him to win"

What follows are more comments of similar nature. And you would expect these uncles and aunties, who proclaim to have eaten more salt than we have eaten rice (hence the hypertension), to be more discerning and perspicacious than that. Since when has talent and appeal been replaced by courage in the search for an idol? Since when has support been construed as sympathy? I do not deny that Weilian's voice does have a certain degree of "gan dong du", I quote the judges. But is he really fit to be a superstar? His sister, now a common fixture during telecasts of Superstar episodes, urges everyone not to dwell to much on what Weilian cannot provide on the visual aspect and focus on his endearing voice. But isn't that what separates a superstar from a mere singer? Indeed, a superstar must have stage presence in addition to outstanding vocals and he/she must be able to rally the crowd.

Yes, yes, some of you must be thinking that Weilian is inherently disadvantaged because of his physical disability. But upon closer examination, you will realise that Weilian has a lot of advantages compared to his counterparts.
a) He's visually-impaired so he garners sympathy votes (Don't you try and kid me that it's coz his voice captures your attention and heart)
b) His physical disability means that he can't see the crowd so his pressure is arguably less
c) Being blind gives him a more acute sense of hearing, which renders him more sensitive to music and its nuances
d) Despite not having a teacher, his vast performing experience as a busker has honed him as a singer and performer so he cannot be praised to the skies for his achievements "despite not having expert guidance"
e) He cannot be faulted for his lack of stage presence and dancing unlike his counterparts who have been lambasted simply because he lacks the faculties to dance due to this inherent handicap.

Hence, this was not a level playing field to start with. Now, it is apt for this author to quote an oft-cited hypothesis. If Weilian were not visually impaired, would he have garnered so many votes and advanced so far? Likely not, for he does not possess the necessary qualities in the look factor, among others and he cannot sing modern tunes like R&B with much aplomb. Though this is but a trite, commonplace and banal example, it is precisely because it holds much truth that it has been used time and again.

Well, as the dust settles on this competition, all will be forgotten. Both winners have achieved their respective dreams of getting recording contracts and only time will tell if Weilian's supposed sympathy and novelty factor will hold.

How come all my entries sound so angsty? tmd. I should write about more pleasant stuff. Till next time, adieu. Back to mugging Physics...

Whoa.

2005-07-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

A picture says a thousand words.

...

2005-06-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

NEWSFLASH
The SAT results for June have just been released and according to a report compiled by an anonymous source, the average scores for this batch have seen a surge of 200 points over the last batch which took the reasoning test in May. Analysts have attributed this phenomenon to various factors. First, it has been said that this test was by far the easiest test set by Collegeboard examiners, as some people have lodged complaints that Collegeboard tests, being too demanding, have deprived many of a chance to enter a reputable University. In addition, many of the Collegeboard markers have tendered their resignation in the last month, citing poor working conditions as a push factor. Such has prompted the authorities to hire close to 100 fresh graduates who are arguably amateurish and lenient. One of them was reported to have said "We can't be too strict...or else we might receive marching orders when people write in..."

Yet another factor suggested was the possible collusion between candidates. Invigilation has been very lax in various testing centres and candidates have been permitted to cheat openly. In one case, a tip received by one of our journalists revealed that 3 candidates who took the reasoning test at Anderson Junior College exchanged answers blatantly during the examination and were even bragging about it after the actual event.

When our reporter spoke to one of the top scholars in the test this time round, Miss Y.L. Tan, she had this to say. When asked about her impeccable, albeit suspect, score of 2390, she was taken aback and seemed shocked that news had spread like wildfire. After further prompting by our journalist, she merely gave a curt, evasive reply of "anyway tycoed lah okay.", which smacked of substandard English and hinted that something was amiss and sinister. Could it really be just Lady Luck dealing everyone a good hand?

To try to delve into this matter deeper and resolve it, we had a correspondence with Collegeboard via e-mail, who also expressed concern over this matter. To quote them, "This is indeed very strange...never before have we seen such an anomaly". When pressed, Collegeboard promised to look into the matter, but added a clause, or rather a caution. "Due to the intrinsic innate inefficiency of our organisation, we cannot promise that anything will come out of this investigation". Essentially, that means that the candidates who have indeed committed such misdemeanours might eventually get away scot-free. This writer can only lament the demise of justice.

Disclaimer: All characters, plots and activities are completely fictional and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

*This is what some Chinese fogey who wrote the Chinese version of Aesop's fables would say..."Chi bu dao pu tao, jiu shuo pu tao shi suan de". Literally translated, it means "cannot eat grape, then say grape is sour".

Lalala

2005-06-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

Some pleasant news this time round. I got into the “Special Round” of the Singapore Mathematical Olympiad, which means I probably got at least an Honourable Mention, though hopefully I got a Silver, which means I did not deprove from last year’s stellar performance. At least I did not waste my 6 bucks. Was it 6? I don’t really recall. Anyways, the Common Tests are coming up and intensive mugging is the order for next week and the week after. I better not screw up like I did the last time round for that would mean a defeat at the hands of certain unnamed people whom I would like to think are imbeciles.

An interesting snippet of news. I was introduced to this website by a certain someone who wishes only to be known by the pseudonym Gobimaster. Let’s not spoil the fun by revealing who this enigmatic someone is. The url is www.august9.org. August 9. Rings a bell, eh? Apparently, they are looking for a bunch of people who were born on 9 Aug in the years from 1965-2005. How creative. The criteria are as follows:
1) Singaporean
2) Born on 9 Aug
3) Willing, though non-nationalist buggers who are inclined to slam the Singaporean Govt for every other policy need not apply

Essentially that reads as “a bunch of wannabes who want their probably-not-very-pretty faces on some semi-reputable website as they probably wouldn’t have any other chance to be famous”. Incidentally, the 1987 slot has yet to be filled and this Gobiwenxian guy fits the bill. Though I seriously don’t think he needs the exposure since he’s going to make it big some day anyway, this photo shoot and chance will give Hongmaster a stepping stone to success. How often do you get a potential* President Scholar sharing his birthday with the nation? How about never before until now?

And those people featured there are supposed to give a quote. All I can say is that the quotes are supremely hilarious. I mean like what are you supposed to make of quotes like "I want to be a doctor, but I have a phobia for numbers."? Or perhaps "I want Singapore to be bigger so we can go more places."? How about "If I had a way, all houses will have chimneys and fireplaces. Never mind the weather."? I mean like what rubbish. I never knew Singapore had so many jokers, not of the desirable kind, of course. What's gonna come next, I wonder..."I'm going to score the goal that fires Singapore into the World Cup with my head"?"

It’s kinda late. Time to end off. “Ye yi shen. Wo jiu ci ge bi.”

*Delete as appropriate**
**In the likely event that this secret someone whose identity we shall reveal in due time attains the coveted award

Sigh...

2005-06-04T02:40:00.000-07:00

Don't you think "Dear Diary, sorry for neglecting you all this while...I promise I won't do it again..." sounds gay? Anyway, that aside, this is my first entry after a brief hiatus. No, it's obviously not because I saw that cute girl again. (Those people reading my blog must think I'm some compulsive obsessed psychopath...). As the title suggests, this is going to be an entry about sad stuff, maybe not exactly very sad, but still a little depressing.

First, as promised, the Harmonica concert. It seems ages ago, but the memory still remains pretty fresh in my mind. I would love to say we ended with a bang. Well, we did, but it wasn't exactly the desired "bang". Screw-ups were aplenty, and most of them audible and obvious enough for the audience to catch. Perhaps the lack of time to prepare could be a factor, but as far as I know, VJ harmonica was surprisingly good, or at least entertaining. And they had to prepare for the SYF as well. Sigh, all I can say is we, or rather the current batch of Harmonica players (I refuse to use terms like harmockers or harmonists coined by unknown buggers) have a lot of room for improvement in terms of technique, commitment and more importantly, stage presence. Well at least Mario Bros was pretty well received, though I do not deny, the screening of the game on the screen took some attention off our playing and kept the audiences laughing.

Next tragedy. The defeat of AC Milan. Amidst fervent chants of "You will never walk alone", there are those like yours truly who lament the demise of smooth flowing football. Though not an ardent fan of AC Milan, I am one who advocates good football. Any fool, save a Pool fan, could see the Milan team was better, in terms of overall skill or performance on the night. But thanks to Dudek, who got lucky, the better team was denied. Such pain, such agony has not been felt since the victory of the boring defensive, albeit cohesive, Greek unit (I won't use the word soccer team) over the far superior Czech soccer stars with incisive passing, pinpoint crossing, but alas, not so clinical finishing on the night. I stress, ONLY on that night. Perhaps, as the old adage goes, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". Yet, this haunts me and I'm sure it has the same effect on the others who share my beliefs.

Last, but certainly not least, the release of my SAT scores. A dismal 2230/2400, a far cry from my previous superlative result of 1580/1600, and way off the desired 2300 mark. Sigh. Perhaps, as some say, this result is not too bad and would probably get you into most if not all Universities. But that is not the point...This score is mediocre. Substandard. Pathetic. And my essay, which, mind you, I finished, received a score of 8. Out of a possible 12. Indignance would be an apt word to describe my mood. What an ignominy! Never mind. I'm contemplating whether or not to retake the SAT in like say Oct in a bid to achieve a desired grade. But then, there's the SAT 2 to worry about and I might not have time to study for the test even if I took it. Screw those incompetent inefficient imbeciles. They had to release my results late and as if that were not enough, they had to give me this abysmal score.

Hmm. It feels pretty good to let out all that steam. But hopefully I will be talking about more pleasant things next time.

Damn.

2005-05-16T03:47:00.000-07:00

Your #1 Match: ENTP

The Visionary

You are charming, outgoing, friendly. You make a good first impression.
You possess good negotiating skills and can convince anyone of anything.
Happy to be the center of attention, you love to tell stories and show off.
You're very clever, but not disciplined enough to do well in structured environments.

You would make a great entrepreneur, marketing executive, or actor.

What's Your Personality Type?

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.

In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.

You'd like to your lover to think you are optimistic and happy.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

You are Cocaine (aka: coke, crack, snow, 151...).
You are the second most commonly used drug in
the world. You are a very witty, talented and perky
person if you can just have the right
opportunity to show to everybody how unique you
are. When you are in a good mood you can reach
a very high point of happiness. You are
classified as class (A and B) illegal drugs.

What kind of Drugs are you? and how that reflect your personality?
brought to you by Quizilla

Seems like I was too lazy to update and bored enough to do quizzes. Well, at least you get to know more about me. Yes? Heck. Let's hope this isn't the start of the end, where my blog sort of degenerates into mindless posts, such as this. Talk about devolution. Hmm. Perhaps I'll be more inspired after my Harmonica concert on Friday. Or after I catch a glimpse of that cute girl I saw again. Somehow I think the former is more likely.

Rantings and Ravings...Not

2005-05-01T06:39:00.000-07:00

Two days. Forty-eight hours. Two thousand eight hundred and eighty minutes. One hundred...Well, you get the idea. That was the time I took to calm down, gather my thoughts and pen this second entry, a continuation of the last...

In retrospect, it is perhaps a little hasty to condemn VJC harmonica ensemble in what seems like an unwarranted personal attack. Indeed, my scathing remarks seem a little too much to stomach for the VJ harmoc fanatic, though thankfully none of them know about this blog. I think. I hope. Admittedly, it was a culmination of pent-up frustration which was unfortunately directed at what seemed like the weakest link in the competition---VJC harmonica.

But it's pointless to blame anyone for our silver and cry over spilt milk, unless you are going to lap it off the floor. The crux of the matter is that we didn't cut it. Face it. We were a bundle of nerves on stage. Yes, that was our first time performing at SYF. But wasn't that the case for all the other schools? We were pressurized to deliver? But weren't we the ones who said it was the first time and we should take it easy?

Indeed, it was this inexperience which cost us, and some say robbed us. Greenhorns as we were, we read the competition wrongly. What the judges were looking for were perfection and accuracy. Why go for a spectacular flamboyant overhead bicycle kick when a mere tap-in will suffice? This was the mistake we made, or as some said, Yew Hong Chow did. Would Espana Waltz have garnered us the coveted gold? We will never know and it is pointless to brood over the many "ifs".

I guess there are many points to be taken away from this. Just as there is a proverbial silver lining in every dark cloud, this has presented us with many important lessons not only in harmonica, but also in life. How to strive in the face of adversity. How to keep calm and composed in the eye of a storm. How to pick up the pieces and fit them together again. How to overcome the highest hurdle---yourself, your anxiety, your expectations. If we can all learn from this setback, then i think it is not so much of a setback, but rather, ironic it may seem, it is a step forward. Not in the sense of earning a gold medal, but rather growing as a performer and as a person. (Damn, am I sounding clichéd and sentimental or what...)

Anyway, on a side note, I was tempted to install a hit counter but decided against it for fear of finding out the pathetic traffic this site receives, as evidenced by the miserably few tags...

Rantings and Ravings

2005-04-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

"HM 80. Raffles Junior College. Silver. Muted Silence. HM 81......HM 80+ Victoria Junior College. Gold. Loud hurrah. ... Give me a V-V-I-I-C-C-T-T-O-O-R-R-I-I-A-A!!!!!!"

VJC Harmonica Ensemble got gold. We got silver. VJC got gold, we didn't. Slowly, the cold hard cruel unfair truth sank in, kicking in with much impact. Admittedly, we screwed up a little and were possibly, and I stress possibly, since we didn't know the criteria of the judges, hovering between silver and gold. Getting the silver would have to be put down to a tinge of luck of the undesirable kind.

But VJC got gold?!? Like what the hell? What follows is a brief analysis of VJC's performance.

VJC Harmonica Ensemble
Song Difficulty: Non-existent, score is virtually sight-readable
Dynamics: Occasional change in decibels, but difference could probably be put down to experimental error and uncertainty
Mood: Song (Canon in D Major) was meant to be played in legato but frequent notes in staccato were heard
Note Accuracy: Almost flawless, but what more could you expect from a song with little more kick than a lame lamb?

And they got the gold, albeit undeservedly. To quote a certain ZC Lian (Names have been changed to protect the privacy and safety of the witness involved, lest he gets ambushed by a few VJ harmonica players), "they sucked like [insert expletive which rhymes with duck]. They should just go home and sleep. If we can't get gold, at least we can be assured that they won't be getting anything more than a bronze." In a nutshell, calling them noobs would be doing noobs a huge disservice.

As for the other harmonica ensembles, they were mostly average, churning out mediocre performances which were, I admit, a test of accurate moving of the harmonica at the speed of an ant. Of course, I cannot discount that HCI harmonica ensemble was the best of the JC harmonica ensembles in terms of adeptness with the harmonica, us excluded, though it must be said some of them had exaggerated movements akin to Mr. Anderson from the Matrix trilogy, in particular their chairperson and their pianist made a conspicuous error with the last chord.

Sigh. I guess the mistake we made was to be too ambitious. In terms of skill level, we were probably superior and deserving of a gold. Hence, we chose a challenging sequence which we hoped would wow the judges, even if it were not exactly flawless, being a hard piece and all. But even if we screwed up, the superlative quality of Swan lake would, hopefully, tide us over. But how would we know the judges were looking for average or in VJ's case, substandard playing of easy pieces with high accuracy in notes?

After putting in so much hard work and late nights, what we get is a slap in the face and a bitter aftertaste that lingers on the tongue...

Well, I guess the solution for RJ harmonica is to play "Mary had a Little Lamb" and some other nursery rhymes with dynamics in the next SYF performance. Perhaps we could finally get gold and equal VJ. Or even gold with honours. Since our note-reading will be unparalleled and we will have an edge over VJC with our dynamics. Hmm. Some food for thought.

NEW

2005-04-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

For previous entries, please go to http://adiaryat.diaryland.com/index.html