Commercialization sUxXxXxoRz~! Monday, Feb 26 2007

Well I guess I had my first wake-up call today after the Maths test. Although I still feel that even with additional practise I would still score the same abysmal marks, that is not an excuse for me to spend hours scouring Youtube for Whose Line is It Anyway and Heroes episodes.

I did really bad this time!

Now, the first hurdle – to get myself back on track – is settled, now comes the next : lack of resources. Especially my CN1111 module. Damnit the lecturer never gives worked solutions for his tutorials, plus the concepts are so bloody hard (it’s the hardest subject I”ve ever taken IN MY LIFE). I can’t do the textbook example questions – why? Because only the answers are given. For some questions I don’t even know how to start.

What is even more frustrating is when I searched the net for solutions, I discovered that: only lecturers can access the solutions and that even so, the lecturers have to pay subscription; they are also given a warning not to reveal the solutions to the public because they want students to do independent learning. What bullshit is that! As if the unnecessary updates of textbook editions are not bad enough, now they have to restrict the help given to us. I tried the online CD student help and all they had for the chapters I learnt so far is…. ONE BLOODY QUESTION. I could solve that easily. But when I went back to the textbook the questions are still like Greek to me.

Now I can’t even email the lecturer about my problems because if I do, the question I pose will be like : “Dear sir, I don’t know how to begin questions 1 to 30. Can you give me a hint?”

The only consolation (or apparently so) is that my coursemates are not much better than I am. Then again… they said the same thing for maths and they pwned the test today….

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One Quarter Steam Ahead.. Thursday, Feb 22 2007

This cny season has been a very weird one. I have tried to keep each visit short just so that I can stay at home and mug. But whenever I’m at home I’m either online or napping.  The only reassurance I have is that many of my coursemates haven’t been studying as well so we will all get screwed together!

Here’s a brief lowdown on what’s been happening. As usual, visited both paternal and maternal side, had catchup sessions with cousins, played mahjong, german bridge, had “steamboat” – quotation marks because my PRC friend insists that the steamboats in singapore are too lousy to qualify as a “steamboat” – and I agree that our steamboat really sucks. Add a bit of salt in boiling water and you have soup. What’s that all about?

This cny I had a chance to play my very first WORLD OF WARCRAFT BURNING CRUSADE at Eunice (my cousin)’ s house. It’s funny to see how she dolls up her character and selects only pretty equipment to use - but still reaching a formidable level 65. 

Now WOW is breathtaking. It is like the MUD I used to play, only lots more fun. I still really love MUD and respect its creators for running a server like that but due to time constraints I stopped playing for almost a year now. WOW is the graphic version of MUD. Actually the graphics are not really that nice. This is like just the beginning phase of gaming in 3D, so it’s understandable. But the world is huge, quests are available everywhere and you have loads of spells to learn! This is one game that I know I will be addicted to if I pay $28 a month for its subscription. Maybe after my exams.. =\

After learning that my friends also haven’t been studying much, I decided to go out for one night. Yesterday went to Zouk for Mambo and met the same familiar faces from RJC. Everytime I go to Zouk I bump into them – I really wonder if they are there, like, every Wednesday or something. My initial plan was only to drink the complementary drinks and leave at 0230. In the end, I downed 2 death chargers (beer + vodka mix is incredibly potent!), 1 flaming lambourghini, 2 bourbon coke and miscellaneous beer. Some “complementary drink”, hur. Oh, and we left at 0330. 

Because of that now I’m having a slight hangover. Especially since I automatically woke up at 0930 today. Ah, just as well since don’t think I’ll be chionging for a very long time anyway. Maybe will still go if many people are going but now kinda sianzed of it already.

Plus, Music Underground is closing in March, which means that the last of the techno clubs I know is gone. We actually visited MU yesterday but there was no bouncer and when we went in there were like less than 10 people sitting at the bars with lousy RnB music.

Techno culture is really gone for good.

Now back to attempts at reading textbooks… ta.

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Extreme Makeover Tuesday, Feb 20 2007

Following the footsteps of richie, and also because it’s a boring Chinese New Year Day 3, and also because I spent 4 hours reading up and finally understanding a bit on Multi-Phase systems, I decided to check out the site he gave me which allows us to create our own hairstyles.

Which is good for my case, because I have always HATED my hair. Everytime I go to the hairdresser and tell her to cut it short and spiky, I end up having a “gatsby out of bed look” hair. I stare at the hairdresser and then she’ll point at one clump of hair standing up and say “Neh, spiky mah!” But the thing is 1) I don’t like this kind of hair and 2) I can’t replicate it myself.

And this kind of hair becomes annoyingly bushy after a very short period of time. You wake up and see parts of it standing in all directions in a very unflattering way – it’s like the uglier version of “explosion” hairstyle. I recalled a recent moment when Esther (my cousin) recoiled back in shock when she saw my lion’s hair in a photo and blurted out that it looked like shit.

So after spending quite a while experimenting with different hairs, I still think simple is good. The color of the hair is another matter though .

I will be glad if I can have this hair (will print out and show hairdresser next time) and the color is good too!

If not… this is good too. It’s the same just minus the orange color and the Dr. Alan specs.

Now if that is still too complicated for the hairdresser, I don’t mind something simpler…

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Grave of the Fireflies Sunday, Feb 18 2007

Just a show to start off the New Year… ok maybe not. The mood of the show isn’t exactly appropriate.

Grave of the Fireflies is so depressing I became blurry-eyed after watching. (The last time that happened was after watching Sophie Scholl: The Final Days.)

The storyline is really simple. It’s just about a pair of siblings in Japan who lost their parents in the World War II and struggling to make ends meet. They shared a love for many things, amongst which, Fruit drops and fireflies were the most prominent.

And like any classic internationally-marketed japanese animation, this highly recommended show does not have a happy ending.

Have a happy CNY!

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Cool site Friday, Feb 16 2007

i just came to know about this band…

oh man. this is just the kind of orchestra i have dreamt of. eminence is great with joe hisaishi, but video live orchestra plays really nice final fantasy music, and this one is the theme from Metal Gear Solid 2 – really FANTASTIC.

if they come to Singapore i’ll give everything to go and watch! ok, maybe not everything, maybe up to $150.

oh! and behold the greatest (rpg) ever created!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_pg4dicwbM

happy cny everyone.

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And Now I'm a Food Critic! Tuesday, Feb 13 2007

Upon realising that so many of my friends / fellow bloggers are really part-time professional food critics, richie and isaac to name a few, i decided to become one myself. After all, what’s stopping me? I love food, and I sure can criticise as hell.

So today shall be my first attempt in reviewing food… Here goes.

I found this particular restaurant in Chinatown Point with Zhongyang. I was supposed to follow him and queue up with him to buy Lim Zhi Yuan Bakkwa. Unfortunately, the demands were so high that the bakkwa was sold out the moment we reached there. So we decided to hunt for good food to reward our patience before leaving the place.

Unlike most expensive arty-farty high-classy restaurants, this one serves food at rock-bottom prices. In fact, I only paid like $6.85, for a delicious beef sandwich, exquisite mandarin orange tea, Skyjuice and potato wedges.

Here is a picture of me smiling happily, holding up the food I just purchased.

Sorry I couldn’t manage to get a picture of the full meal, it was so delicious I finished it in a flash.

Anyway, the beef burger sandwich consists of two slices of freshly baked bread, with beef dipped in nutritious onion slices and tantalizing spicy beef pepper sauce. Especially tasty is the onion slices and the beef sauce – you’ll love it at first sight!

As for the beef itself, the meat is so tender and soft, and I savour every bite of it in my mouth so much that I forgot those scenes I watched in “Fast Food Nation” depicting the cow slaughtering and subsequent skinning, gutting and deboning of flesh. Yes, it is that tasty..

Oh, did I mention, the restaurant serves the BEST Skyjuice I have ever had.

Oh, here’s another picture of me smiling happily, holding up an empty Mandarin Orange tea cup.

The French Fries Potato Wedges were heavenly. It’s a brilliant recipe combining the mashiness of mashed potatoes and crispiness of potato crisps, making it superbly crunchy on the outside but soft and tender inside. A true treat to the taste buds!

The only complaints I have are the chilli sauce. Initially they served me Sweet Chilli Sauce. For those who know me, I love eating chilli. I can’t have chicken rice without two saucer-full of their garlic sauce or ban mian without the soup turning red. This “sweet” deceptively reddish thing really changed my whole perspective on chilli!! Hell, it is sweet and not at all spicy. That defeats the purpose isn’t it?!

Luckily, this restaurant caters to all, and I received free packets of garlic chilli. I actually sweat when I ate that. Again, for those who know me, when I sweat doesn’t mean I am going to die. I actually can take it one… Sweating means I’m enjoying it. So turns out, it isn’t so bad after all!

Lousy.

Good!

Ok, now for the final verdict:

Beef Sandwich A++ (Ok granted it is a little substandard and it isn’t filling, to be honest. But the onion slice and pepper sauce makes up for everything. And it’s $6.85!)

Potato Wedges A++ (A little thin when compared to other wedges served outside.. but hell it’s $6.85!!)

Skyjuice A++++++ (Must I say more?? This is the BEST! Period. )

Mandarin Orange Tea Cup A++ (I really like the design!)

Sweet Chilli F—- (So sweet it isn’t chilli.)

Garlic Chilli A++

Service F—- (Can you believe it? A restaurant that requires you to queue up at the counter to place your order! I can only think of Cafe Cartel which does the same but then again that is such a low-class place I can’t compare with this!)

Ambience B+ (I could have given it an A++ because it even has free streaming MTV channel… but I realised they only like have one song (entitled “I’m Lovin’ It”) on their playlist so it gets really irritating after awhile.)

Overall F for Fantastic.

Wow. Critiquing food is really fun. I heard that some places serve really fantastic instant noodles for lunch at only $7 and allow you to sing karaoke at the same time. That really sounds too good to be true… it shall be my next review then!

Anyway, on my way home after such a scrumptious meal, I saw a familiar figure running along Thomson Road and realised it’s Desmond (ex-campmate). Which reminds me. I need to start exercising. And stop eating so much.

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A lousy piano medley Saturday, Feb 10 2007

This is kimi wo nosete followed by a very weird transition to Comptine d’un autre ete. I tried to merge these two together but failed miserably. (Then too lazy to split them apart.) I also realise I can’t do quick arpeggios effectively. And also piano instrumentals will never sound nice on midis. But I blame it partially on the lousy piano synthesizer LOL.

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The Great Vending Machine Conspiracy Tuesday, Feb 6 2007

Tuesday is just those kind of day when I have lessons in the early morning and mid afternoon, but nothing in between. In fact I have 4 hours of interval. After attending an extra maths remedial and a lunch with friends, I have reduced the zuo bo time to 2 hours.

Actually I really don’t know how the hell people can study outside, especially those who don’t have textbooks with them. I tried to read the notes on Raoult’s law and Clapeyron equation AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN and i DONT UNDERSTAND. I read all the introductory textbooks available in the library and I don’t know what the fish they are writing. And I’m not bringing my books to school as they’re just too heavy. Without my textbook and the online virtual help, I can do nothing.

So another 2 hrs wasted. Walked around the bookstore, around the bazaar, looking for new smoking points (just in case), all by myself. Then I went back to the bazaar where there was a row of four vending machines. Kinda reminds me of that time back in Japan where vending machines are more common than the dustbins you can find here. Like this.

Anyway, this is when the most interesting event of my day took place.

The first vending machine was out of order. I realised when I insert a coin and it just fell right through.

So to the second vending machine. It’s a Coca Cola machine dispensing canned soft drinks. I inserted 80 cents, which is enough for most of the drinks and those that are available actually lit up. So the machine should be working right! I selected Iced Lemon Tea. Nothing came out. Pressed again. Nothing came out. Then I pressed 100 Plus. Nothing came out. Pressed Chrysanthemum tea. Nothing came out. I pressed all the coke buttons available. Nothing came out. Resigned to the fact that this machine is just like the first, I pressed the coin return button.

Nothing came out.

The third machine was equally annoying. It was a 40 cent paper cup drinks vending machine. I chose Iced Milo. Saw the dispensing button lit up. Was glad that finally there was a machine that works until I took out the cup and realise that the bloody machine just dispensed iced water to me.

If it’s not a conspiracy to cheat people of $1.20 each time, then it’s one to get us to smash the machines and get charged for property damage.

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Failed my Driving!! Monday, Feb 5 2007

Or rather I defaulted my driving test because I know I’m gonna fail anyway. By right, at this very moment, I should be deciding whether or not to go on Gear 3 while ambling on the roads of Ang Mo Kio with the tester breathing down my neck. After consulting many people, I think this is a wise decision though. Initially everyone was saying just go at least once for the experience, fail also never mind.

Upon discovering that I : 1)Never seen circuit before. 2)Don’t know parallel parking. 3) Only u-turn once in my life and that resulted in my car stalling midway – and with a string of angry motorists behind me. (Not kidding.) I was asked to stay at home and PCC instead. My instructor, being the most optimistic of the lot, told me I only had a 20% chance passing rate.

Ironically, this morning’s driving lesson marks the first time EVER that I feel a little bit of confidence on the car. I’m not sure if it’s because I woke up at 4 a.m. today , and so gained some “courage” due to sleep deprivation, but I could turn, stop, start etc. rather comfortably, and even go to GEAR FOUR!!! (i’m cruising!!) although by normal drivers standards I am still freaking lousy la I know. And it’s also one of the few times my instructor didn’t yell at me. Hmm. Maybe I should sleep less before I drive? J/k.

Been having a FLU since last thursday. NUS has been having a flu epidemic (at least in the Chem Engine faculty). Plus, last Wednesday’s disastrous lab had all of us couped up in an enclosed space, and I only discovered that two of my labmates already had flu but still turned up for lab nonetheless. Not really anyone’s fault though, cuz I would have done the same thing. In fact I think I might have terrorised everyone when I showed up coughing non-stop in the Biochem lab on Friday (which is another disaster but I will refrain from whining for now.)

After seeing a doctor who prescribed antibiotics to me, I seem to get a little better, though there is still lots of yellowish phlegm stuck in my lungs and I just have to get them all out.

Gotta heal before CHinese New Year, man.

Speaking of CNY, Spring-Cleaning Day = Metro-Day for me. After fishing out all those junk in my bedroom, I uncovered sample satchets of Garnier Wrinkle Lift, Ralph Lauren ROmance Silver, Loreal Moisturizer, and Gatsby Face Scrub, Oil Clear Sheet and Deodorant Spray - all given to me free in the NUS Orientation Pack last semester. I guess I had better use them all (apart from the Deodorant – which I already have one myself) before they expire. So I can now confidently declare that my face has never been more radiant!

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