S06A

And the Best Thing in London...

2010-12-14T03:49:00.004+08:00

After a failed expedition to Camden Markets, and trudging around the rain to find temple church - only to discover it has lost its charms after all the renovation and Da Vince brouhaha - we finally settled into a club.

In the little crowded pub, we dried off the rain and settled into a good lunch over whcih we talked about careers, love life and the good old times. It was a simple affair, but utterly comforting nonetheless. Watching Gerbs banter with Jen Han, after experiencing half a day of trudging around in rain-clogged boots, erased the major irritation that the rain caused to my eczema wounds. It was even more pleasant to see your new friend clicking with the old. That lunch more than made up for the dreary London weather, frosty winds, and the pain with every step i took.

Even better was the post-dinner entertainment we had in Zhu's awesome apartment. A quick soccer match and a few incriminating videos late, Gerbs was back to beocming the whipping boy as usual. Watching Zhu and Gerbert fight really brought back memories of the good old days.

It was heartening to know, no matter where you are, all it takes is some good old mindless fun to make you smile. And equally, no matter where you are, some things will never change - like friendship for instance.

Thanks guys for making my London experience a pleasant one. Especial thanks to Gerbs for putting us up and for offering his bed to me in spite of his bad cough (if it is any consolation, we both coughed very badly after this =P).

2010-11-29T03:22:00.001+08:00

jenhan u are a retard

Reporting from London

2010-11-23T07:08:00.003+08:00

In all likelihood, Ghinhoe's GF exists. Gerbs and I are 90% sure that she exists.

The last 10%?

Well, we can't actually physically verify her existence since it isn't nice to touch another person's GF.

She did cast a shadow, though.

Make that 95% sure then.

To All the Guys

2010-05-18T21:50:00.002+08:00

Hey guys,

I know some of you will be returning from your maiden overseas study semester soon, while i'll be leaving for mine soon. And for the Singapore dudes, well, we can always meet-up and see who's bringing anyone new.

So i was thinking of organising an outing... hopefully to sunset buffalo wings and challenge each other to a little spicy wings competition (Go google it if you have never heard about it).

Who's up for it?

PS: We will need cars for it as the place is inaccessible. I will be able to get one car down.

PPS: I might wanna invite one or two or three non-class people too. =D

PPPS: RSVP on FB or sms or msn, a bit messy to do it here!

Wow so cool

2010-05-15T23:28:00.002+08:00

wow, I'm surprised and a little touched that people still read this haha..
I too, still check this blog once in a while <3

life in freezing ithaca is better than what I thought, despite the extremely busy schedules, this is the first time I've really felt intellectually challenged and inspired to achieve greater things..

I'll be back in sg from 23 may onwards and will be flying off on 22 august.
Looking forward to meeting the old gang once again haha and yes i'm always up for good food, good times and good company :)

SEE YOU ALL SOON

2010-05-08T23:20:00.002+08:00

hope everybody's doing well in sg. i see some people are all ready to go earn some dough... it is still 2 years away for me :P living the p00r life of a student in the meantime.

anyway my exams are in ONE week and i'll be back in SG on 16 jun.

can't wait to stuff my face with GOOD food. whoever thinks that london is an awesome city hasn't tried having sandwiches that for lunch everyday. no subway for me over the summer hols.

so if anybody is interested in stuffing his/her face silly with hawker food/japanese/chinese food over the summer hols, please join me!

hello!

2010-05-01T09:22:00.002+08:00

i dunno why no one blogging here already.

i still check this blog almost daily. the lack of new posts is very sad =( i want updates of wads going on in hot and humid singapore.

i'll be back 1st june 2pm. all are welcome to welcome me at the airport. free until around 10th june that week before my internship starts. so jio me out yea! up for drinking (you guys have no idea how good my tolerance is now). up for gambling, i'm from poker society, quite good now. up for some bitching session and HTHT sessions too =p

hope to meet up with all u peeps soon!

MISS ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

zhu

Details for the Event

2009-12-08T23:44:00.001+08:00

Time: 7.30 pm - 10.30 pm

Place: FUnction Room at my place

Gift Exchange: $5 gift

Potluck: I will prepare for everyone, just pay me back.

Directions: Call/sms if you need and i will email you. Over blog a bit hard.

Guestlist: Shit, Umay, Hammy, Nic, Ziming, Nayr, Hasu

See everyone there!

To All Who Will be In Singapore This X'mas

2009-11-16T18:57:00.004+08:00

PPS: Significant others are most welcome! Just let me know before hand

Analyse this

2009-10-14T12:01:00.004+08:00

Level 1:
If an opportunity in private equity came up and you are offered the chance to take half a semester year off to intern at the Asian arm of a global PE firm. Doing so, however, will mean you are unable to make the deadline for requried modules for your second degree. Do you:

a) Take a semester off and drop your second degree?

b) Or stick to studies since you have the rest of your life to work anyway?

Level 2:
Suppose further that you had elected to do a second degree only because it gives you the additional career path of lecturing. However, the school has told you that you are not allowed to do a senior thesis in your final year because you'll be away for the first half of the year on an exchnage and you have missed the deadline for an exchange in your penultimate year. A senior thesis is not compulsory, but it is part of the honours programme that will help pave the way for further studies. Do you:

a) opt out of the programme if you are unable to do a senior thesis because of an impending exchange?

b) opt out of the exchange just to do a senior thesis?

c) opt out of the programme to do an internship?

2009-09-27T22:14:00.004+08:00

To zhu and situ, now that you have left for greener pastures with your guitars, hopefully your musical careers will take a turn for the better.

I remember how they used to claim that they could play seemingly every song in the world, and this video proves that it is not that difficult after all :)

From the axis of awesome (not sure whether you have seen this but yehmin showed it to me)

Playlist

You're beautiful by James Blunt,
Forever young by the Alphaville (covered by Youth Group),
I'm yours by Jason Mraz,
Amazing by Alex Lloyd,
Wherever you go by the Calling,
Can you feel the love tonight by Elton John,
She will be loved by Maroon 5,
Pictures of you by the Last Goodnight,
Cigarettes will kill you by Ben Lee,
With or without you by U2,
Fall at your feet by Crowded House,
Am I not pretty enough? by Kasey Chambers,
Let it be by The Beatles,
Under the bridge by RHCP,
Horses by Darryl Braithwaite,
Down under by Men at Work,
Waltzing Matilda,
Old Australia's funniest Homevideos intro,
Taylor by Jack Johnson,
2 become 1 by the Spice Girls,
Take on me by A-ha,
When I come around by Green Day,
Save tonight by Eagle Eye Cherry,
Africa by Toto,
If I Were A Boy by Beyonce,
Self Esteem by the Offspring,
Apologize by One Republic,
U + Ur Hand by P!nk,
Pokerface by Lady Gaga,
Barbie Girl by Aqua,
Kids by MGMT,
Scar by Missy Higgins,
Thats all it takes to be a star by Axis Of Awesome

Ok I do know that some of the songs do not follow the exact same chords. But very interesting vid nevertheless.

bye sg, hi london

2009-09-27T04:52:00.002+08:00

wads up with the lemon theory. go check out the lemon law. go watch how i met ur mother. lol.

anyways, i've been in london for a week now. and other than my stupid guitar being damaged by the changi airport crew, i'm feeling fantastic! london is great. weather is freaking good right now. an entire week of uninterrupted sun. seniors told me that this kind of weather never happens at this time of the year. apparently it only happens when handsome ppl go to london. i have a bad feeling that this good weather will come to an abrupt end when jenhan (who touched down today), ghin hoe and gerbert finally gets here.

jokes aside. first of all, i really appreciate everyone who came to send me off. true frens ftw. anyways for gerbs and ghin hoe, my uk number is 07512 327785. drop me a call when u reach or need help or anything at all.

the ppl at london are really friendly. everyone smiles at each other. u can even chat with random dudes in the toilet. i'm serious. and u dun have to be shy with chatting up with hot chicks. they are damn friendly and will only be too happy to let u treat them to a drink at the bar. its so unlike (no offences) singaporeans girls who think they are so zai and reject guys who approach them. i was walking along the street today, then there was this group of ppl who were giving out free hugs. it was reli funny. this cute girl came up to me and jus shouted "free hugs!" before i could react, i got a nice warm hug. even thou its pretty random but it puts a smile on ppl's faces. real nice.

gawd i miss singaporean food man. laksa, xiao long bao, mee siam, nasi lemak, hokkien mee, bak chor mee, whoa list goes on and on and on and on. its only been a week. i cant imagine how much more my cravings for good singapore food will get in the near future. maybe one day i cannot tahan i jus fly back and eat to death or something.

end

The Economics of the Dating Game

2009-09-26T18:01:00.003+08:00

And the Lemon Markets in School

And now for somethign a little more light-hearted...

Someone once remarked that it is unusual for there to be so many unattached people leftover in year 3s. And looking around me, the alarmingly high number of single people do seem to run counter to the common saying that the expiry date of a college student is her third year. For if so, then everyone would have expired - and happily so as well.

As i begin observing the two extremes - one pool of happily-attached-but-also-happily -switching-partners pool and the other of the swinging singles - it became apparent that a lemon market exists within the dating pool in my school.

And no wonder. As proud disciples of Adam Smith's invisble hand, we are all highly driven individuals powered by self-interest.

For the non-economists, the Lemons Principle states that in a market with information asymmetry, the presence of low-quality goods will drive the high-quality goods out of market.

How it works is this: if you as a buyer do not which cars in a second-hand car market are good (the plums) and which are not (the lemons), you will rationally only pay the average price for any given car. But this price, weighted downwards by the lemons, is beneath the reservation price of the sellers of the plums - who will then withdraw their cars from the market.

Thus, there will be more lemons than plums in the market. As an astute buyer, you will further revise your offer price downwards, driving the semi-plums out as well.

So at the end of the day, wha results is a pooling equilibirum in which there are only lemons on sale or no transaction at all.

And the Lemons Principle is exactly what I am seeing now.

The good eligible guy will think he is too good to go after just any other girl. So he decides to withdraw until a real plum comes along. And the good eligible girl plays it coy because she is cynical of the quality of suitors. Why would a good guy go all out for her if he isn't a lemon right? So the interest gets misread/read as desperation which plainly reeks of lemon.

Then what about the lemons with low reservation price? They've got to be doing something right?

And precisely because they are lemons, they go all out to try and secure - another lemon.

Because the guys daring to try and the girls willing to try are both very eager to try - a relationship, that is - they both end up with each other - lemons that may not necessarily be right for them. Not to say this people are bad or social misfits, but in trying too hard to get attached, they may just end up with the first guy/girl or who comes along and this person may be wholly unsuitable for them afterall. Which is perhaps why, at the slightest prodding from a new lemon, they drop the old one.

Yet these are still the people who are still willing to try again. But their reputation as flirts and playboys send out a strong signal to the silent plums to stay away. Confined to their same old lemon pools, they have no qualms of swapping partners which is exactly what i am seeing today(you shoudl really listen to some of these stories...), while the boring plums remain as aloof/single as ever.

So the moral of the story really is....
The old adage of judging a man by his action may well be complicated by the lemon's problem. A man who does too much may well be as terrible as the man who does nothing. And a girl who seems to take no effort may not stay with you beyond three months.

So guys what you gonna do?

That said, good luck guys. And i wish you love. =]

------
Haha. Congrats on making it this far. I'm bored with microecons hence my new 'theory' on dating which is utter hogwash. Peace laugher fun and joy everybody.

Farewell Season

2009-09-22T18:14:00.002+08:00

So Long, and thanks for all the fun!

Good question Jenhan. Why am I so emo lately? Well i think that would take another separate blog post to answer. Suffice to say the last 3 to 4 months had been one helluva rollercoaster ride that challenged every assumption I had made about life. And when i thought i had found a new equilibrium, things took another turn again so that I have not quite figured what i should make of life now.

It did not help that my many pillars of support were slowly being removed from me - from my sis to my 'bro' and then to my other 'bro'. And now it seems as though my life is moving towards a new equilibrium - one that is perhaps filled with less fun and laughter as I watch the class guys leave to pursue a brighter future.

I dont think I have mentioned it before, but i really owe much to the class guys for cheering me up when I was down, and for really treating me as a member of th class. I never had to disguise my emotions around you guys because frankly, your crazy antics simply crack me up, regardless of my crippled leg, stress or emotional wounds.

But beneath the endless jokes and same old stories - yes fajoo's donut and ghin's paimia - i can sense the maturity and sensitivity in knowing when not to probe too far or push too hard.

And yes, anyone with half a brain would have foreseen this coming. Two years after we first met, everyone was clamouring for a place in an esteemed overseas college. And as the days in NS wore on, more and more guys secured scholarships and placements in new universities. By last year, it was pretty certain that half of you would have been gone.

But still, that does not change the fact that after Sept this year, i cannot sms Zhu or Gerbs to whine about losing yet another internship and trust in them to cheer me up. Nor can I experience the same kind of effeverscence when all of you get together to decipher which among you belong to the club of awesomeness or whose presence will drag down the average look of guys in London.

And although the class was slowly drifting apart - and i am partly guilty for always being mia because of a punishing wokr schedule - it still does nothing to lessen the impact. Especially when i reflect on all the hilarious moments we've shared.

As Alan Alda said, "The best things said come last. People will talk for hours saying nothing much and then linger at the door with words that come with a rush from the heart."

So from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for all the fun, laughter, memories and joy. I wish you all the best with your studies and future, which, without a doubt, will be bright and successful.

And you know what? I am seriously considering getting Fb jsut to stay in touch. But just give me some time to gather enough courage to actually start an account. That, plus a non-descript name which doesnt scream taitai/me.

Good luck people. And I'll see you in 2010 Sept Europe.

PS: To the US dudes, sorry i had to pangseh this year. But you know what? I might be in 2011 for my grad trip or in dec 2011 for my first official trip as a proud new member of the singapore workforce. =]

ooh so exciting

2009-08-18T22:33:00.002+08:00

the class blog so many posts i like. i feel like joining in the fun.

first up, joanne why are u so angsty om gggg gg?! u sound disillusioned with love and life lol! (as far as i know u havent been dumped recently so be more optimistic!!!!)

well to be fair joanne's posts are quite interesting, and i agree with the logic. however i cant agree that love isnt glamorous based on that argument (even though i have yet to have a gf hahahahaha)...

modeling the process of falling love and creating a function for it is cool and all... and while the function makes the process of falling love seem unglamorous, it doesnt change the fact that the experience is indeed beautiful.

an analogy would be a music maestro playing some hardcore beethoven piece (or in my case MIKA PERFORMING LIVE). the music will wow audiences, but to a physicist who doesnt appreciate music, he could view beethoven's symphony simply as sound waves and wave equations. he may even go as far as to say he knows the symphony far better than beethoven since he can quantify each note with an equation.

perhaps the beauty is not in understanding love fully by modeling it (even if u can get all the correlations and factors right, modeling it fully is a stretch), but rather in experiencing it.

i am going to be trained as an economist and i think the subject is immensely fascinating and useful, but i believe that humanity is far more than just walking "lightning calculator(s) of pleasures and pain". modeling intangible things like falling in love requires one to quantify attraction and chemistry which i think is not possible currently. even then, perhaps there are correlations between factors such as convenience/self-interest and level of attraction that we are unaware of.

so MORAL OF THE STORY IS...................................

i'll see u guys nxt year with a hot gf

AND I'LL BE LOVING IT.

What do you live for?

2009-08-18T16:47:00.003+08:00

Just some food for thought from someone who doesn't feel like working...

Isn't it ironic how little choice we have over the more important things in life? if you think about it, the one most fundamental basic decision over whether to be born into this world is not something you and i have any say ove. Your parents had, but not you.

Sure, we have a choice over whether we want to continue living, but that's not quite the same, is it?

it's just like how some people have no qualms of killing a zygote or embryo but not a human. Somehow, it's harder to say i dont want to live any more than to say i dont want to be born.

i'm struggling to find a suitable economic analogy for this but the only one i've found, thus far, is in phyics. Life is kinda like a very high-speed object, once it starts, it is self-sustaining - moving off in the same straight line with no force directing it at all. But to stop it, a very large force is required. And not everyone is able to muster such a force, unless in dire situations.

So the great qns now is: if you had a choice, would you choose to be born? Why or why not? Would you have wanted your life to be any different?

If no, then what is it that keeps you going? Why do you even bother climbing out of bed every morning?

Ok back to constructing quizzes for freshies like nic. I promise to make it challenging. =D

PS: found the econs analogy! The concept of equilibrium. Omg. I cant believe i forgot it.

Another one from the cynic

2009-08-12T13:21:00.004+08:00

Pardon this belated rebuttal. I was trying to sound less critical or harsh if i could.

But working in an environment that is ill-tolerant of flaws, i've grown pretty used to identifying them and being told off about them.

i considered not posting this but there has been calls from other cynics to balance the perspective a bit.

So just a couple of points:

Firstly, your post is titled Economics of the Dating Game, but there wasn't any economics involved. So that's a misnomer there.

Secondly, notice i did not say that convenience is the only factor accounting for relationships. It is balanced by the mutual attraction and commitment as well. Perhaps a better way to counter my claims would be to base it on the relative importance of each factor.

Finally, I noticed that your argument centres a lot on the effort requried in sustaining a relationship. (which deviates quite a bit from my original post on how love hapens, but no matter, i think i can rebutt that point) Did it ever occur to you that staying in the relationship may just be the more convenient option?

Convenience not just in the more common sense of time and space dimensions, but also in terms of the effort saved in looking for a new partner, of getting over emotional hurt, and other intangibles.

Being practical-minded beings, I believe there is an unconscious Cost Benefit Analysis behind every decision - even if this process may be horribly skewed by subjectivity when it comes to a woolly topic like relationships. Pardon the economics analogy again.

So say if i were to remain in a relationship, the costs to me are: the money and effort spent on nurturing the relationship, the opportunity cost of the time wasted, the emotional ups and downs, and the lost opportunities of freer interactions wtih the opposite sex. On the other hand, the benefits will be that warm fuzzy feeling i get from him, the companionship, mutual support and what-nots.

Simply put, benefits outweigh costs, relationship wins. Otherwise, break-up wins.

This CBA is also the reason why many couples who still lvoe each other don't stay together - the costs are starting to extract an unbearable toll on two people in love.

Throwing aside economic technicalities, convenience may also account for the reason why many people stray and newer and more convenient relationships are formed at the expense of less convenient ones.

Let me recount the story of 4 guys who have - through varying means - tried to express interest in this gir. Barring the one pr whose advances smack of a booty call, convenience underlie the motivations of the other three, two of whom are already attached.

Sicne the focus here is on sustaining relationship let's just talk about the two attached dudes. There is no easy conclusion flowing from a comparison fo the usual basics - looks, personality, wits and what-nots. But what is interesting is that both the bfs are in the same Exco as the girl in qns and both their gfs have been complaining that they were spending a lot more time with the Exco than with them (note here that they have just raised the costs of staying in a relationship by subjecting the relationship to stress and pressrue). So i guess in both their cases, break-up woulod have become an easier way out if they could just secur a more convenient alternative to their existing gfs.

That said, i do believe that convenience may not be the only fctor at work in a relationship. And i must concede too, that the emphasis placed on convenience varies for individual to individual - which is why i still make an effort to screen people.

At the end of the day, i believe that the smaller role convenience plays in starting the relationship, the more likely the relaitonship will last. But once the relationship gets going, i think convenience matetrs mroe than ever to sustain it.

i hope no one has been offended by my post. Certainly, i wish all happily attached and happily single people happiness in relationships and singlehood. Neither am i completely convinced by my own arguments too - i think there are many loopholes that one can still capitalise on to deflate it. I'm just, like i explained, pointing out a couple of points.

Economics of the Dating Game

2009-07-18T13:00:00.002+08:00

The Idealist’s Point of View

After reading taitai’s entry, I had loads of thoughts. And hence decided to give a perspective on my point of view- where love isn’t just for convenience.

Well first of all, I must admit that I do agree with a slight portion of taitai’s argument haha (so maybe I’m not THAT idealistic after all). And that is, maybe it might be true that at the starting point of some relationships, convenience MAY be a factor. Boy and girl meet, decide that each other is ok and give it a shot- tada! a relationship is formed. So maybe in some relationships, the initial starting point is out of convenience.

But to say that a relationship and a marriage are “are as much a function of convenience and selfishness as they are a function of commitment and mutual attraction”, I don’t agree with that. Relationships (and marriages) take loads of time and effort to maintain. To maintain a relationship, to really try to be together with a person, it takes plenty of hard work and commitment. And this will never be possible without love, or if the relationship is just a function of convenience.

Sure, some relationships exist because of mutual convenience to both parties. Some exist because both parties are lonely and need support (i.e. convenience too). But whether these relationships will last still depends on the amount of effort each party needs to put in to keep it going. And I highly doubt anyone will put in that much effort if the relationship is still based on convenience, and not some other factor (like love!).

Relationships are strange things. Many people have different thoughts about it. But after being in a relationship for the last 2 years and 5 months, and being in a long-distance relationship for close to 2 years, I’d say that whatever different opinions you have of a relationship, it’s not easy to make a relationship work out. I do put in a lot of effort. And I don’t think I’d be able to do this if I don’t love the other person, if I don’t think I want to spend my life with him. So even though love is an airy fairy issue and I myself don’t know how to define it, I still believe that love (together with relationships) are not just functions of convenience. To each his own, but to me, it is based on an irrational desire to be together with someone, to be willing to trust and spend your entire life with someone and the commitment to do so.

It's been a looong time since I've written some sort of essay, so pardon the errors! :D hope everyone's doing fine! :D

Optimal Resource Allocation

2009-07-11T15:45:00.003+08:00

And the Economics of the Dating Game

From an economist's point-of-view, love and relationships are really just a series of successful market-making.

You may find the man/woman of your dreams, but if your love is urequited, it stands as a fantasy and not love.

You will then move on and possibly better candidates, or possibly not.

But eventually, the reality is you will not necessarily end up with the one you love or the one who loves you most. You will most probably end up with the person who happens to be there when you needed someone to be around.

In economic parlence, the market has been cleared.

Think of it this way: the supply curve represents the effort your are willing to put into jioing each girl/guy. Correspondingly, the demand curve represents the minimum effort each party would want to receive from you before committing into a relationship.

So when S>D, you can either scale back your efforts and target someone you think is less worthy (measured on the horizontal axis), or you can hope you strike lottery that will greatly boost your eligibility.

But the practical homo sapiens in us will normally just choose to scale back rather than hold on to the same target. So you'll move down the supply curve but, at the same time, liberated by your decision to move on, you will also find more candidates who are possibly more open to your advances too.

The process continues until eventually your efforts are recognised by someone who appreciates and voila! Love happens.

It may seem a little over simplistic as a model. But my poit here is this: love, marriage and relationships are as much a function of convenience and selfishness as they are a function of commitment and mutual attraction.

Putting things into perspectives, there is nothing that much glamorous about love is there now?

And if you insist that true love and selflessness can prevail, think again. If you hold out for the only person you think you love, is this mroe to satisfy your heart's desire, to get what you want? Or because you truly think you are the best for this person?

---------
Ok, i'm gibbering nonsense when i have a research paper to work on. But ok this can be my research paper haha. But no matter, time someone breathed some life back into this blog.

And just a disclaimer here: drew this lesson from collective experiences of others. So don't start any weird ideas pls.

I am as cynical as ever.

GEEGEEGEEGEEBABYBABYBABY

2009-05-12T19:38:00.005+08:00

This blog seems rather dead so for all those avid followers here's a song that's quite catchy and cute hahahaha.

HAPPY FITNESS DAY!

2009-04-30T11:16:00.003+08:00

You're cordially invited to the Fitness Day Event at my place this Saturday.

Date: May 2, 2009
Time: 0900 - 1200
Venue: My house (shame on you if yous till don't know how to get here =p)
Activities: Badminton/Tennis/Gym

**Note: Rackets and balls/shuttles will not be provided. Please bring along whatever you need for the sport you intend to play.

**Pls RSVP so i know roughly whos coming

**First person down at the court please give me a buzz

**Pray it doesnt rain because my tennis courts are not sheltered.

See ya!

shouting doesnt help, bending over helps slightly

2009-02-15T17:36:00.002+08:00

Found this photo while surfing the net... :)

Shift Happens

2008-12-11T00:03:00.004+08:00

I was first shown this presentation when I attended a project course in the army and i super liked it. Some of u guys might have seen it before, but i thought it was good to share it with everyone, because of some interesting facts and points that it brings up. In some ways, its actually quite scary once u think about it.

Background of the video - It was created by a teacher who wanted to question the American education system; whether it was giving the right kind of education to American kids to prepare them for the future. Enjoy.

On a completely irrelevant note, gratz to jenhan and gerbs who are ORDing this wk or next. to all others who have not: its just another 3 long months to go. Hang in there. your time will come. just not so soon though. As they say, Shi(f)t Happens

xoxo

Notice

2008-12-04T11:49:00.003+08:00

GREETINGS EVERYONE!

The holidays are upon us once more and happy halcyon days are here again! As such, i'll be organising a badminton session from 3pm - 6pm, this saturday, Dec 6, 2008. Please do not tell me that you still have no idea how to get here.

Note: Shuttlecocks will not be provided. Haha.

CLASS TRIP.

2008-10-28T15:35:00.000+08:00

Ok we have a few options on the table. This is a 6d5n price. The recommended dates are 30 Dec – 4 Jan. If u want a 7d6n trip instead (29 Dec – 4 Jan), it would cost an additional $40 thereabouts.

Book with a tour agency

The cheapest ive heard so far is 1033 (neway agency, however u pronounce this). However, the price of a double and triple room is the same when u book with a tour agency. Tour agencies work like this: they have a 4d3n package, and then u extend as many nights as u want. The rate of a triple room is cheaper than that of a double room when u extend, but not for the duration of the package. If u want to upgrade to sia, it will cost another $87. But the timing of the flight is pretty good, like 12am at night, so uve got the full day ahead when u arrive in taipei.

Book ourselves

Jet Star: $677 (for now. Prices are subject to change. The longer we wait, the more ex it gets.)

Royal Castle Hotel: $36 for quad, $43 for triple, $53 for double. Per night per pax.

So if u add it all up:

$857 for quad, $892 for triple, $942 for double.

The insurance cost, which isnt included in the quotations , about $30. However, if u are that desperate to cut cost, u can go without it.

TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:

1. Jetstar tickets are selling out. I do not know how fast, but lets not push the limits.

2. Jetstar ticket prices are increasing as the departure date draws closer. I do not know how fast, but obviously it'd be best if we could buy them asap.

A few other things to note...

Royal Castle is just about the best hotel in terms of price and quality we can get in Ximending already.

If u want a cheaper price, we need to find a cheaper hotel. Obviously, this hotel is unlikely to be in area as hip as Ximending.

If jetstar has no more tickets on those dates, we have to accept a more pricey ticket on another day. Be assured that i have chosen the cheapest combination of air tickets already.

While the quad may be squeezy, it offers substantial savings. It is unlikely that all of us can fit nicely into quad rooms (which are subject to availability). Just for your info, I am for the quad rooms.

Please decide soon, since prices will fluctuate. I hope i do not have to recalculate the costs again and reevaluate our choices.

Video

2008-10-20T23:12:00.003+08:00

Cost Details for Taiwan Trip

2008-10-18T23:44:00.002+08:00

Here are some of the cost details jenhan, situ, ghin hoe and i managed to obtain when we went down to chinatown today

6D 5N Taiwan trip from 29 Dec - 3 Jan. (Hotel : Royal Castle)
Prices include air ticket, hotel, tax

Travel agent: Easyway
Cost: 1013 (subject to change) - we are not sure whether this one includes city tour
Airline: Jet star - 1 pm departure

Travel agent: Chan Bros.
Cost: 1080 (approx) - with city tour
Airline: China Air - 8 am departure

Travel agent: Focal Travel
Cost: 1060 -with city tour
Airline: Cathay (we need to transit at Hong Kong for this airline though) - early morning departure arriving around 2 pm in Taipei

The prices are quite expensive cos of the time we are leaving, it will be around 100 bucks cheaper in early december.

Taiwan Trip FAQ

1. Do we need to go for the city tour?

Ans: Yes. Anyway i think it would be good to see the sights/monuments we would not usually go to.

2. Why do the tour agencies fly specific airlines?

Ans: Very good question, I think it is because they block book certain airline tickets? And yeah some of them do not trust Jet Star cos Jet Star always changes their prices

3. Can hotel, airline ticket, group purchases be cheaper?

No. Though the Focal travel person said she could try to give us a better price

4. Is Hong Kong very far from Taipei?

Not really actually it is ALMOST on the way. Though the transit is about 1 hour long in HK

5. How many ppl are going for the trip

Currently 9 (me, jenhan, situ, ghinhoe, nic, ziming, zhu, tsai, shiting). Anyone else who is interested pls inform jenhan

6. Are we clubbing everyday?

No Nayr, we are not. So if you still can read this, pls consider coming along

OK , so please give your comments on the tagboard on prefered travel agent.

recommendations

2008-10-13T00:51:00.003+08:00

how about me recommending the hotel that i stayed in when i was training in taiwan about a year ago. it's "crystal hotel" and it's located right beside huaxi jie1(huaxi street for fajoo). huaxi jie for those who do not know, used to be one of the more popular red light district( but that's not the most important point). it has now turned into a bustling night market selling lots of exotic meat( definitely not what you are thinking situ) such as crocodile and snakes and some others that i can remember. i remember i had one shot of snake wine in the one of the restaurants along the street and vividly tasting the snake meat and i remember i saw a python shitting. ahahaha.

and if you wanna buy some s*x toys(probably as gifts if u think u can bring them back), they are up for grabs at the many many sex shops there too. my group of friends were actually pulled into a sleazy shop where they showed us pictures of girls and asked us to choose and name a price but i was quick enough to escape because most of the females in the pictures look old enough to be our mums(though some are not bad). okay actually although what i said in front are all true, they are merely distractions. since i m such a food lover i m definitely gonna talk about the food there. i cant rememeber whether its along the same street but i know its in the same area where they had a street full of roadside hawkers. i had a wonderful time trying all sorts of food over there. the cakes made of pig blood, the oyster mee sua which is different from our singapore shih lin store, the barbecued squids, the smelly tofus, the different local noodles over there. awesome i tell you. okay i think its along the same street cos i remember after we finished our fried oyster then we got approached.

back to the hotel, its 2 or 3 mrt stops from xi men ding which is shopping heaven. if u watch enough taiwan shows, u will definitely know the place. crystal is quite a budget hotel though it was definitely a comfortable stay there. things i dun like included the tainted(am i right?) glass toilet without any lock. so you can probably look at each other silhoutte while you are lying on ur bed and ur roommate is bathing. if you feel the urge, u can always run into the showers since there is no lock on the glass door. sounds great??

and please go visit lava club. totally rocks.

some potential hotels

2008-10-05T13:31:00.002+08:00

hey guys 4 days at taiwan is wayyyyyyy too short. extend! a weeks seems short too but i guess most ppl can make it. if wanna stay for longer hotel must be cheaper. here are some hopefuls. prices first followed by name. the price is in sgd, and in average cos the price varies at different time of the year and for diff suites. so i need people who are confirm going to help do research also. too many for me to do alone. i still got my bloody uni apps to do and xbox games to complete. and yes gerbert u can come challege me to soul calibre when u want cos i'm more free now.

http://www.hotelscombined.com/City.aspx?languageCode=EN&fileName=Taipei&pageIndex=0&sort=MinRate-asc&tabId=Details this where i got my info from but it does not give all the info needed. so u go to this website, find something u like, then go to the hotel's website and get more info and bookings and stuff. thx.

51 Lilai Hotel
54 Simply Life Hotel
56 Good Ground Hotel
61 Rosemary Hotel
61 San Sui Hotel
70 Friends Twin Hotel
73 Onestar Chang An Hotel
73 Paradise Hotel
75 Wan Tai Hotel
76 KDM Hotel
77 Baguio Hotel
77 Friends Yu-Lai Hotel
77 Royal Castle Hotel
77 Shin Shih Hotel
79 Meadow Hotel
79 ROyal Executive Suites
79 Shang Hao Hotel
79 Friends Spring Hotel
79 Liz Business Hotel
81 Dong Wu Hotel
82 First Hotel
82 Rainbow Hotel
84 Silken Hotel
84 Empress Hotel
85 Chair Man Hotel
90 Friends Yu-Yu Hotel
90 Kilin Hotel
91 Friends Star Hotel
92 Won Star Hotel
94 Friends Royal Room Hotel
95 Dolamanco Hotel
98 Zimei Hotel
99 73 Hotel
99 Joy Hotel

after typing all these out i feel damn stupid cos u can jus go to thte website and check out -.-"

taiwan

2008-10-04T14:08:00.003+08:00

holiday destination: taipei, taiwan

date: 30 dec - 3 Jan

cost: unknown as of yet, but trying to be budget. still, expect to spend around $700-800 on travel and lodging. if anyone has a problem with the budget, pls find better deals instead of complaining abt the price k thnx.

whoever is interested, pls make ur intentions known.

so far those who are confirmed include gerbs ghin situ and yours truly.

Soccer this sat!!

2008-08-29T00:21:00.003+08:00

Hey dudes. In this technological perverse (think the right word is pervasive) world, think it's best to use the internet to spread the word. Lol.

Time : 8am
Venue: RI Astro
Game : Soccer
Pls : Don't be late
So : See you there

WE LOVE LONG ISLAND TEA

2008-08-28T21:53:00.002+08:00

seems like everytime we go clubbing together there'll be some person puking.

last night, situ and ghinhoe took it to a whole new level.

i refer you to my blog for a full account of the night's events.

Moo Moo theory (cont'd)

2008-07-23T21:23:00.002+08:00

As none of you would have known, I attended my brother’s commencement ceremony on a Wednesday, 4 days before tai-tai's sister's commencement ceremony.

But there were no seats so I had to wait outside.

The MOO-MOO Theory

2008-07-13T22:04:00.002+08:00

As some of you might have known, I had attended my sister’s commencement ceremony last Saturday. And as any of you who have attended the ceremony can testify, commencements are brain-numbingly boring affair. For the entire duration of 5 hours, you will have to feign interest, laugh at some lame jokes then clap. And the only moment you’ve been waiting for, out of the total time of 5 hours, lasts all of 2 glorious seconds. So for the most parts I’ve been reduced to entertaining myself with quirky thoughts to keep myself from nodding off. (and much of the funny ideas I get are elicited by the cmi speeches and potter-ish gowns I see)

And it was while examining the entire academic life of my sister, when it dawned on me – the Moo-Moo theory. It was so clear and apparent but was never noticed till now, in a single moment of boredom, I had discovered it. As if gaining enlightenment, I turned to my sister’s bf and said, “don’t you think that something bad always happens each time the cow babies graduate?”

So here is my theory in full:

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

The MOO-MOO Theory

The theory postulates that the boom-bust cycles of the economy are inexplicably tied to the academic progression of the cow babies. A bust is triggered every time the cow babies reach a particular academic milestone, ie completing their ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels, or upon graduation. The length of each recession can be inferred from the length of time that the cow babies have spent in their precedent institution.

The theory is premised upon the assumption that the cow babies assume the shortest possible route to graduation in the education landscape:

Pri Sch --> Sec Sch --> JC --> University --> GRADUATION!

The education landscape here refers to Singapore’s education system. The model is not applicable on any other education systems unless they adopt the same system as ours.

Please note that cow babies here refer ONLY to female babies born in the year of 1985. For national defence reasons, the ox babies effect have been removed from this study.

Emprical Evidence

1997: PSLE vs Asian Financial Crisis
In 1997, when the cow babies graduated from their primary schools to secondary education institutions, the Asia region was dealt what was arguably the worst financial blow in 10 years – the Financial Crisis. The effects of the crisis were particularly devastating with many countries being bankrupted by the crisis. It took the region a good 10 years to fully recover from the impact of the crisis, and why so? Because the cow babies had spent a good 6 years in their primary schools.

2001: ‘O’ Levels vs Dotcom Bust
As Asia was struggling to recoup from the devastating Asian Financial Crisis, the west was dealt a harsh blow in 2001 with the Dotcom bust that had threatened to halt globalization and the onward march of the Internet era. Many internet firms went bankrupt during that time and the world went into a global recession precipitated by a bust in many technology stocks. This once again coincided with the year that the cow babies were taking their ‘O’ Levels.

Although the actual recovery period cannot be properly assessed because recovery efforts were impeded by fears of a SARS outbreak (See next section), conservative estimates put the recovery period at about 3 months – by 2004, the American property market was rather buzzing with life again. So the entire recovery period was 3 years, slightly less than the 4 years the cow babies had spent in their secondary schools. Perhaps, the effects of globalization had shortened the time required for the economy to recover from the moo-moo effect.

2003: ‘A’ Levels vs SARS outbreak
The SARS outbreak, although short in its duration, was nonetheless, damaging to our tourist and service sectors. Spooked by a HWO advisory statement against travel to Southeast Asia, investment funds and businessmen retreated from the region. Once again, the outbreak had occurred in the last year of the cow babies’ junior college education. Thankfully, the cow babies had spent only 2 short years in their junior colleges, thus pushing the economy towards a speedy recovery in 2005. And by 2006, growth had reached an all time high in Singapore.

2007: Graduation vs Sub-prime Crisis + Food Crisis + Oil Crisis
2006 was certainly a good year for most nations except the forgotten regions of Africa. Growth all round was reaching record levels and even the Japanese economy which had been languishing in the doldrums since the Financial Crisis, was starting to seem a glimmer of recovery. Even with the oil prices reaching record levels, the world economy was fiercely resilient to any negative market sentiments.

But the good times did not last long, for the cow babies had to graduate from their universities. And as if in a final congratulatory gesture to the cow babies, the world economy underwent a complete transformation into the worst of the economist’s nightmare: the stagflation. First went the US economy as the sub-prime crisis reared its head. As the world weathered a global slow-down, possibly prevented only by the ferocious Asian economies, talk of unsustainable growth and inflation stoked negative investment sentiments in Asia. And all countries, save for the oil rich Russia and Middle Eastern nations (and environmentally-friendly Brazil), were badly affected by the high crude oil prices.

Looking Forward
If the theory is to be believed, then the current crisis will perhaps last about 3 years, since the cow babies had spent an average of 3.5 years in their universities. Which is all good for the dragon babies graduating in 3 years’ time.

But then again, the scale of this crisis is rather huge with a stronger feedback effect thanks to globalization. And given this is the last step in the cow babies’ education trajectory, the economy might be dealing its worst deal now. If so, then the dragon babies’ have been doomed by the cows.

And from hereon, the economy landscape will be even vaguer now that the cow babies have graduated. Masters and PhDs may be milestone in selected cow babies’ lives, but we do not yet know how many and who, and if the effect would be still as pronounced.

Conclusion:
On a concluding note, it is interesting to note that the world was locked in a similar oil spike in the mid 1980s, round about the time the cow babies were born. The links behind the cow babies and the economy are rather inexplicable. All that can be inferred is the high correlation between the two.

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

Ok. Thank you for making it thus far. Someone hand me my Nobel now. Haha.

To my dearest sis: congratulations dear! You know we are all damn proud of you even though your graduation just screwed the world economy over. Like totally. Haha =]

TIOMAN

2008-07-01T22:48:00.001+08:00

TIOMAN!

http://winarcane.blogspot.com

mambo

2008-06-29T23:35:00.001+08:00

hey ALL,

mambo this wed 2 jul? i CONFIRM can go! Msg me if you are gg!

Joel "Murphy" Lam

2008-06-29T23:26:00.005+08:00

February 2006

That was a good 2 yrs and 4 months ago (wow). Things were very different from what they are today. For instance…

1. We watched Casanova as a class during Valentine’s Day (well, at least some of us did)
2. Jen Han among the many members in class to be kicked out of Chem S by Y2K.
3. Zhu clipped the pink monkey on Shah.
4. And of course, this happened (read below)

my k750i

heres the complete version of what happened to my dear phone.. haha...

after PE, i found that i couldnt find my phone in my bag... so i rushed back to the track toilet to look for it... to find that it wasnt there... then i went to PE office and asked shah if the PE office recovered the phone.. the answer was negative too.. then i went GO to file a missing items report....after that i borrowed nayrs phone to call my own phone to bug the thief...

i vaguely remembered that i stuffed my phone somewhere in my bag... so i thougt it must have been stolen... of cos i didnt rule out the possibility of leaving my phone in the toilet and letting someone kope it...

at 1630 hours i went GO to check if somebody had recovered my phone... the receptionist said no... and told me that if by that time my phone wasnt returned, it was, in her own words "game over" for me...

went home and got lectured on losing stuff by my parents... was quite upset... cos my phone was quite new and kinda ex. Moreover, the stuff stored inside were even more valuable... pics such as y2k and hasu's father and son's pics and videos such as gerbert swaggering around TP with the pink clip attached to his back are priceless...

the next day went to replace my SIM card, and i resigned to the fate of using my dad's old phone... the motorola a1000, if youve seen it is as big as a brick...and messaging with it is a nightmare... i wasnt too keen on buying a new phone cos i just lost my wallet recently, i had just changed my phone recently so i had to pay full px for a new phone cos of some 2 year plan shit..

on sunday, just before i left the house, i suddenly saw my phone in my bag!! haha it was stuffed into some compartment in my bag which i have never used before... omg haha i dunno how on earth it got there but im glad i found it... lolipies:)

guess ive gotta be more careful where i stuff my belongings... lol.. haha

posted by Joel @ 5:56 PM 0 comments

Evidently, some things never change.

A quick account of interesting events during our trip to Tioman (all times are estimates)

LAST FRIDAY

Incident 1

We were supposed to meet at 630 at Galleria DFS along Scotts Road. Since we had a bus to catch, we were all on time, with the exception of Ghin Hoe. We were all wondering where he was and why he was late.

0635 Nayr calls Ghin Hoe and realises that Ghin Hoe is already in a bus and on his way.

0640 Ghin Hoe calls to say he is on the wrong bus, and asks whether he can meet us at ferry terminal instead

The only problem is that the ferry terminal is in the middle of Malaysia, a four hour drive from Singapore

0645 Nic asks Nayr to call Ghin Hoe again, but Nayr refuses as “his phone bill is dying”

0650 Ghin Hoe calls again to say he is in a cab already

0652 The couple who were taking the mini-van with us gets quite du lan (though they were really nice later on) as any further delays will cause us to be late for the ferry in Malaysia

0700 Ghin Hoe arrives

0701 Ghin Hoe explains that he woke up late and had a shock. He later fell asleep on the wrong bus and ended up getting off at Newton instead. After which he cabbed here.

Comments: Ghin Hoe was just a usual retard again by being late, but it was nothing serious.

Incident 2

Ghin Hoe arrives and since he is the last person to arrive in the mini-van, he sits next the the driver When we all finally settled down after the initial commotion and were travelling towards Woodlands checkpoint.

0710 Nic asks us to check whether we have our passports

0711 I ask Ghin Hoe if he brought his passport (not sure exactly why I asked him in particular)

0711 Ghin Hoe scratches his head, gives a very worried look and mutters “oh my god” to himself

0712 Total Silence

0713 I insist that Ghin Hoe is joking

0713 Nic insists that Ghin Hoe is NOT joking

0713 Ghin Hoe is still confused(and has not spoken a word)

0714 Jenhan finally asks Ghin Hoe again if he has his passport

0714 Ghin Hoe calls home, hangs up and continues staring in front, still completely silent

0715 Total Silence

0716 Ghin Hoe finally realises he has no choice but to confess that he FORGOT HIS PASSPORT
0717 We try to get over our shock, while Ghin Hoe continues staring into space

0718 As Ghin Hoe continues scratching his head, we tell him to call his mother to bring the passport, which he finally did.

0719 We continue thinking of solutions of what to do (like how to get Ghin Hoe to the ferry terminal if he is unable to take the van, how to get there etc) The couple and the driver get involved in the heated discussion. Ghin Hoe continues staring in front.

0720 Van stops at bus stop outside Woodlands checkpoint and waits.

0722 Ghin Hoe realises his mum had just left the house

0722 We realise that we can wait not longer and Ghin Hoe gets off the van.

0723 We are still in shock. Nic and I make plans to wait for him at Checkpoint and take public transport with Ghin Hoe to the ferry terminal (4 hours ride to ferry terminal btw)

0730 We are waiting in between the 2 customs, thankfully the van is delayed

0740 Ghin Hoe calls and says he has his passport. We tells him to run to the customs. Nic and Jenhan(or was it Nayr) run back to the customs checkpoint to wait for Ghin Hoe

0743 Mini-van has long arrived and we continue to wait for Ghin Hoe (with the couple)

0744 Ghin Hoe arrives at customs and queues up at the LONGEST queue.

0744 Nic shouts at him to queue up at the automated clearance queue which has no one.

0745 Ghin Hoe hears nothing

0746 One of the policemen at the customs gets tired of Nic’s shouting and decides to shout at Ghin Hoe himself
“HEY BOY, THE ONE WITH THE WHITE SHIRT”
Ghin Hoe looks around confused.
Policeman continues to shout “ YES YOU! STOP LOOKING AROUND”

0750 Ghin Hoe finally runs to the customs and joins us in the van.

Comments: I still cannot quite believed what happened.

Incident 3

After the long bus ride, we finally arrive at the ferry terminal in one piece. We decided to interrogate Ghin Hoe about what went through his mind when he first realised he forgot his passport.

Ghin Hoe replied:

“ The first thing that went through my mind was that : Omg, I cannot believe I made such a stupid mistake and I am such a retard.

The second thing that went through my mind was that how am I going meet you guys in BINTAN”

Comments: I wondered whether anyone like that could possibly have existed. Haha

Incident 4

We finally board the ferry on our way to Tioman. Ghin Hoe declares that he brought a digital camera. He takes it out, but wonders why he cannot turn it on….

We all know exactly what is going to happen next.

Ghin Hoe opens the battery compartment.

There was no battery.

Comments: I was in utter shock. This had to be a dream.

So, there you have it a list of events of what happened to Ghin Hoe before the trip started. Honestly, I am still in shock and I do worry for that poor boy when he goes overseas to study haha.

Guys, feel free to add on to this post.

And dearest Ghin Hoe, sorry for telling everyone about your day to forget. But it was way too retarded to keep secret. You know we all still love you. :)

Appealing to all for help!

2008-06-04T11:50:00.008+08:00

Ok, sorry to break up the party and fun, but there’s always more to life than friendships, meet-ups, and commitments, work or otherwise, so here goes…

I’m sure most of you are familiar with the twin disasters that struck Asia in early May; the disasters were perhaps, yet another show of fury by Mother Nature against Man for pillaging her resources. Not surprisingly, it was again the poorest of the region who were dealt with the greatest blow. Yes, the poor, the very people who cannot afford the technology that could have prevented many deaths, the very people who have the least say in capitalism and pollution, and the very people who were the most vulnerable and defenceless. This same tragedy was played out in the devestating tsunami of 2005 and again in this twin disaster.

Yet Mother Nature somehow outdid herself again, by striking Asia twice within the same month, thus contrasting the responses towards China, a rising economic powerhouse, with those received by Myanmar, a country forgotten by most and continues to hold little hope for democracy. The twin disasters had laid bare the hypocrisies of international aid and the media. In the immediate aftermath, international aid agencies rushed to offer financial support to China, an increasingly wealthy nation. While the media, ever eager to criticize China, has been scrutinizing Beijing’s every response to the calamity and tracking every movement of the Chinese Premier. Amidst all these brouhaha over China, the Myanmar story has been relegated to little over 2 pages while the Chinese story occupied almost the entire broadsheet. Just check May’s newspaper if you need further convincing.

Of course, one would oft cite the strict measures imposed by the military junta as impediments to information and aid flow. But even as the junta finally approves of ‘non-politicised’ aid funneled through ASEAN, and even as ASEAN desperately rallies support for the Myanmar cause, the funds raised are still $201 million shy of the target amount.

But is a Burmese life worth less than a Chinese’s? On moral and humanity grounds, the answer is obviously no (sadly on a purely economic ground, the answer might differ, and maybe that's why China is getting on the limelight). I’m not saying let’s not donate to the Sichuan victims, but rather, let’s not forget the Burmese victims too. So I’m hereby appealing to everyone to give generously to Project Burmese – Operation Nargis.

Introducing Project Burmese – Operation Nargis
Project Burmese is a collaboraton between the Burmese students of my school and Phayagyi Mingalar Taik Monastery located in the Phayargyi Village. The main aim of the project would be to procure and deliver supplies to the victims of Cylcone Nargis and to normalize life.

The project proposal has been approved by the school and a recce team has been sent to assess the situation in Myanmar. The team has concluded that what is most urgently required is to help rebuild parts of the monastery, which had served as a home and school to many orphans, as well as to help resume school operations for the coming academic year. The donations will be handled by the school and the students will be returning to Myanmar soon to start distributing the aid and supplies. As the supplies and cash donations will be transported by the Burmese students back to their homeland, it will thus bypass the restriction placed on foreign aid.

How to help:
All cash donations and donations of used textbooks will be welcomed. Please contact me for more details. (do not use the tagboard, pls contact me via sms or msn) If you wish to donate other items, please let me know first and I’ll check with the team for you.

For Cash Donations: Please place the cash in a sealed envelope bearing your name, mobile, and the amount donated and sign on the envelope. I will pass you a s'tand-by' receipt first before collecting your official receipt from the team. Alternatively, you may wish to make a direct donation at the Project Burmese booth located along the SMU concourse (the underground tunnel that links the campus).

For Cheque: All cheques should be made payable to Singapore Management University. On the back, please write "SMU Project Nargis", your name and contact number. You may pass the cheque to me, for which i will also add you a 'stand-by' receipt, or you may send it in to:

Office of Student Life
(Attn: Ms Reneeta Sandhu)
Singapore Management University
Administration Building
81 Victoria Street
Singapore 188065

For Donations-in-kind: Please check with me first on the donations. I will make subsequent arrangements to collect it from you. Alternatively, you may drop it off at the Project Burmese booth located in the SMU concourse.

How your donations will help:
Every donation made will be directed towards:
1) Distribution of relief items
2) Providing textbooks and stationeries
3) Installing a water purification system
4) Assisting in the reconstruction of library and clinic

If you feel that you are unable to contribute any donations currently but still wish to help, please help disseminate the message so that more will know about this project and how to help too.

Here's a rare opportunity to help the Burmese victims, to deliver aid to them without running into all the red tapes. So I hope everyone will give generously and reach out to those who need our help most. Thank you. =]

NOTE: This is NOT part of the project for which I am selling the 2 dollar pledge cards. This project, benefits the Burmese victims directly. Please note as well that I am not part of the team nor will I be visiting Myanmar. However, if you require further information on the project, please let me know, I will try to find out more for you.

WHATS UP THIS JUNE

2008-05-27T23:07:00.004+08:00

Hello Everyone. Just a quick update for "What's on this Month" for June '08

First up would be RJC Homecoming on 7th June. The party's meant for the batches of '03-'06(us) to come together and chill. Possibly meet old friends and make new acquaintances as well. Details are as follows.

Start Time: Saturday, June 7, 2008 at 7:00pm
End Time: Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 3:00am
Location: Wild Oats (Bar on the Hill)
Street: Emily Hill, 11 Upper Wilkie Road

LUSH presents...

The first ever RJC Homecoming party for the Class of 2004-2005-2006-2007!

A relaxing night of entertainment, complete with food, drinks, music, games and non-stop partying with your closest friends and schoolmates! It will be a great opportunity to catch up with your batchmates as well as your juniors/seniors! At the end of the night, we'll be crowning the most attractive and witty people as Homecoming King and Queen so nominate your friends for the "prestigious" titles!

The theme of the night is “Glow”. Light up the dance floor with light sticks which will be given to you at the door. Bring your own glow in the dark accessories, light stick bangles or even torch lights to compete with our state of the art spinning helicopter lights and light displays. The best dressed people to the theme of “Glow” will stand a chance to win limited edition prizes and gifts!

We will also be launching our lifestyle candy on that night, which has been proven to enhance the partying experience for party-goers overseas, but has not been introduced to the Singapore clubbing scene. We own the exclusive rights to this famous candy, and it’s finally available for the first time through LUSH. Keep your eyes peeled for this one.

On that night, you can also apply to be one of our exclusive members, which entitles you to the following perks for our other events and parties:
• 20% off ticket prices for future events
• Frequent discounts and promotions for drinks and products
• Updates on future events and parties via email and newsletters
• Inclusion into the LUSH Community, to network and mingle with like-minded people

Ok so currently right now we have about 15 pax :)

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

Lastly would be the Tioman trip set for 27/28/29 June '08. Ok right now the plan is to take a fast ferry from Singapore which goes directly to Berjaya Beach Resort which is where we are staying. The journey time is 4-4.5 hrs but maybe can expect it to delay abit here and there so in total probably be prepared for 5hrs? S$168.

The ferry departs at 08.30 from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, near Changi International airport, and arrives Tioman at 12.30-13.00. The return ferry to Singapore leaves Berjaya at 14.30 and arrives in Singapore around 18.30 - 19.00

Alternatively, we can take bus to Mersing and take a ferry to Tioman from there. Transnasional direct from Singapore to Mersing: departure from Kallang Bahru/Lavender Street junction (lorry park) at 9am, 10am and 10pm. Only S$ 11.10.

Or catch a bus from the terminal at Queen St/Ban San St. Take the Singapore-Johore Express directy to Larkin Bus Terminal in Malaysia. Only S$ 2.40, aircon. From LBT, take Adikberadkik Express service at 9.00am, 10.00am, 9.00pm and 10.30pm (ticket counters no 6 & 30) or Transnasional service at 10.00 am, 11.00am, 10.30pm and 11.00 pm.

Mersing - Tioman: boat options BOAT TIME (hrs) OPERATOR CONTACT RTN FARE
Speedboat 1.5 Auto Mersing 07 799 6019/3123 RM 70
Speedboat 1.5 Blue Water Express 07 799 5696 RM 70
Catamaran 2.0 Auto Raider 07 799 2582 RM 60
Slow Ferry 3.5 Seagull Express 07 799 4297/2398 RM 50

However, if we leave Singapore too late, we might not be able to catch a ferry or speedboat in Mersing the same day.

After careful evaluation as I want us to maximise our DOLLARS & TIME which eventually is more DOLLARS since TIME = MONEY (hurhur), I suggest we go ahead with the fast ferry option. It might be much pricier but it'll definitely minimise the trouble of switching modes of transport, shifting barang barang, and also allow us to reach there much earlier! Does anyone have any violent objections?

As for accomodation, we will stay at Berjaya Beach Resort and go for the 3D/2N Value Package which essentially is a CHALET. ONE chalet is only supposed to accomodate 3pax but i figured we can sneak the other 2 in WITHOUT ACCUMULATING THE EXPENSE FOR THOSE EXTRA BED SHIT. Since we have 10 pax going in all, we'll take 2 Chalets. The cost per chalet per night is around RM600; split 5-ways we'll each pay like S$130 for 2 nights? I think it's quite worth it because we do get daily breakfasts, 2 dinner (Buffet or BBQ or Steamboat), 1 snorkeling trip to Renggis Island inclusive of gears as well as 1 welcome drink (non-alcoholic) for the number of paying persons booked for each room. Please don't ask me who gets the snorkelling trip and whatever nonsense. We'll settle that when we get there. Some of you might not even make it back to Singapore hahah.

These are the stuff we can do there. The snorkelling, banana boat rides, island hopping, boat excursions, sunset cruises, fishing trips and Marine Park define a meaningful getaway. Donkey riding, cycling, tennis, jungle trekking and beach volleyball are just a glimpse of the wonderful land activities in store.

So all in all I think we can be prepared to fork out roughly S$300 for the trip + accomodation, not inclusive of expenses there.

Ok hope all goes well and we have a good trip hahah I will ask you all one more time whether you're going and will probably make the necessary arrangements somewhere next week.

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

Ok if you have lasted this long entry, you deserve to know that you are all invited to come my house 1pm this Saturday (310508) for a day of MJ/Chillax. It'll be nice if everyone could bring some drinks and titbits :) SEE YOU SOON!

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

2008-05-21T21:20:00.002+08:00

sucks man. was playing around with them template of this blog and changed everything back to the old one. wondering how the hell it happened. oh well... look on the bright side. no more tag board spam =x

Root three

2008-05-07T23:50:00.002+08:00

For those who watched Harold and Kumar... and the math geeks:

The Square Root of Three
I’m sure that I will always be
A lonely number like root three

The three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight
Beneath the vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine

For nine could thwart this evil trick,
with just some quick arithmetic

I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality

When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three

As quietly co-waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer

We break free from our mortal bonds
With the wave of magic wands

Our square root signs become unglued
Your love for me has been renewed

2008-03-25T23:25:00.001+08:00

anyone needs tuition lobang?
jurong east student from millenia institute teach math

15th march 2008

2008-03-10T13:02:00.003+08:00

Just to give our class blog a little bit of an update...
Commissioning on the 15th (this saturday)

You all are cordially invited[without tickets{dont even know where mine are anymore go bug nayr for his or smth :p}] to the parade^^

p.s. Thank you all for remembering my birthday and celebrating it(have i mentioned winfred smsed me on the 8th at ard 3 haha)

soccer

2008-03-06T21:11:00.002+08:00

yo

soccer this saturday morning (080308) at RI astro at 8.30am.

yeap yeap might be a bit early and some of u "party" on friday nite. but if we go later then mite as well dont go le coz it will be too hot to play.

ball i bring. actually its zhu's one =P havnt returned him for like a year hahaha. nvm if u manage to wake up after "partying" "hard" on friday nite then i can return u

updates updates!

2008-02-04T22:19:00.000+08:00

hello hello!

raise up ur hands those who are secretly pleased that their constant checking of our somewhat-dead blog has paid of today!! hahahahaha.

kk anw updates on plans for chu er (that's second day of cny fajoo)

umay's party starts at 7pm. 23bukitsedap road! contact her if u need directions
situ and shit pls bring ur vodka and baileys so we don't have to spend so much on alcohol later. probably drinking at umay's.
then it's off to the club!
after that we'll head over to nic's where we'll rest for a while then start on our cny gambling the next day. mahjong and poker :):):)

anyone cant stay for the gambling part? like have to leave early or think u'll be too shagged.

and those not joining us on chu er u can still come da ma jiang at nic's hse on chu san

kk in the meantime psyche up k! happy new yr :)

p.s. i just ate a hell lot of cny chocs zomg ba4ba4

26 Jan 08 Sat

2008-01-24T00:20:00.000+08:00

Hey guys confirm kbox on sat at marina square meet 145pm.
It'll be 16+++ but we have a 20dollar voucher!
So far confirmed nic hasu xuhui tang. anyone else?

Then after that dinner and minds. So call to see where we are for the rest who are not joining us before that!

Upcoming Events

2008-01-20T23:07:00.000+08:00

hey guys! just some updates for the upcoming weeks so that we all have something to look forward to and get by our very sian days be it at school or in the army haha.

first up is this saturday 25th of Jan 2008. we're probably going kbox to use up bin's vouchers and then tentatively followed by cass's production thingy. it's gonna be put up by temasek hall and it's a production based on shakespeare's "12th Night" any confirmations?

following up are events for the month of feb.

1)chu er we're planning to have a class reunion dinner together followed by poker which can be held at my place if ya'll want and then crubbing after that lol.

2)chu si there is a cny party at umay's house! it's probably gonna be around 7pm so keep that date free! you are told to bring oranges at your own discretion because if not there'll be too many oranges hahha.

CORRECTION
CHU ER IS UMAY'S PARTY. PLAN IS UNCONFIRMED AS YET MOST LIKELY WE'RE GOING SOMEWHERE BEFORE GOING HER PARTY. SHRUGS.

alright that's quick update for now. more details later. endure the week ahead :)

Brothers Forever

2008-01-19T00:30:00.000+08:00

Ok it seems that I am the only person who watches American Idol. So here is an interesting audition from this season.

I am your brother
your best friend forever
singing these songs,
the music that you like

We’re brothers ’til the end of time
together or not,
you’re always in my heart
your hurt feelings will reign no more

Ghin Hoe and Zhu - take heed.

Gathering this sun 130108

2008-01-09T22:55:00.000+08:00

hey all, gathering this sun with miss wong will be at rj. 1pm. potluck baby! haha currently the providers are as follows. do feel free to add in what YOU are bringing!! Cya all SUN :)

situ - cups/cutlery/ice
joel - drinks
yowie - chips
hasu - tang yuan
shit - shepherd's pie
tang - macaroni&cheese
caiyun - fishballs

yay i'm so excited i can't wait! (:(:(: (bin)

Blogskin Contest

2008-01-05T10:59:00.000+08:00

The Search for 'The Next Pink Blog" is on!

Are YOU the one who will find it?

2007-12-25T15:02:00.000+08:00

hey guys!

kbox tentatively saturday at marina square 1.45pm. we have a 20dollar voucher :D
but if all of you can make it thursday/friday then it'll be even cheaper!
rsvp on tagboard plx.

plus if anyone else STILL wants to go genting tell me! i think we can book even up till they day right before.

happy holidays!

Merry Christmas Everybody!!

2007-12-24T19:00:00.001+08:00

say yo to all the dudes and babes of our class out there! have a very merry christmas man!! :) hope all of you win money if you gamble tonight hahah.. if not, you can always try your luck again at my place soon lol. well.. here's something for both guys AND girls so don't complain of unequal treatment hahaha.

HAVE FUN EVERYONE!!! :):)

This blog is not dead

2007-12-18T22:58:00.000+08:00

heya. Something interesting i found off the net.

Sorry to certain member(s) of the class who is in the law profession... i'm sure you're not as dumb as these guys below =P.

"These are from a book called Disorder in the Courts of America,
and are things attorneys actually said in court, word for word,
taken down and now published by court reporters,
who had to suffer from the torment of staying calm while these exchanges were actually taking place.

The last one is the best ..

ATTORNEY: Now, doctor, isn't it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn't know about it until the next morning?

WITNESS: Did you actually pass the bar exam? _____________________________________

ATTORNEY: Were you present when your picture was taken?

WITNESS: Would you repeat the question?
_____________________________________

ATTORNEY: She had three children, right?

WITNESS: Yes.

ATTORNEY: How many were boys?

WITNESS: None.

ATTORNEY: Were there any girls?
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: How was your first marriage terminated?

WITNESS: By death.

ATTORNEY: And by whose death was it terminated? ______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Can you describe the individual?

WITNESS: He was about medium height and had a beard.

ATTORNEY: Was this a male or a female?______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body?

WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.

ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?

WITNESS: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy on him!
______________________________________

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check fora pulse?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?

WITNESS: No.

ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor?

WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

ATTORNEY: But could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?

WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practising law.
______________________________________

On another note, thanks to everyone who went down to SAFTI last saturday to support us. <3

Jiayou hammy and nayr! As i told all the juniors who i gave a hongbao to that day, your time will come soon. 9 months of hell will pay off one day, because you'll realise that officer life really rox =D

MAMBO on 19th!

2007-12-17T22:23:00.000+08:00

yo pple,

mambo night on 19th!

be there or be square!

Manc v Liverpool / Chelsea v Arsenal

2007-12-14T17:26:00.000+08:00

Hey all

i think that the title is self explanatory (:

Venue: my place
Time: sun 16 dec 07; the manc match starts at 915pm, so 8pm would be a good time. fyi the chelsea v arsenal match starts at 11+.

Please let me know if you're coming!

Pre-Brunei

2007-11-18T22:23:00.000+08:00

I'm going to watch Prison Break Season 2 in one go before I go to JCC cause my family's gonna be leaving for taiwan :(:(:( so i'll be spending my days alone before going off...sobs...anyone wanna join me(and cheer me up)^_^?

Time:Saturday Evening or Sunday morning-till bookin
Place: My place

Birthday Bash

2007-11-14T00:00:00.001+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

You are cordially invited to a bash that im throwing for my birthday hahahah!! Most of you have confirmed your attendance but for those who are suddenly able to make it please do let me know asap so I can make the necessary arrangements :)

Date: 1st Dec 2007
Time: 6-7++ pm (TBC)
Address: 24 Brighton Avenue S559259

p.s. the nearest mrt is serangoon mrt and buses that stop outside my house include 43.70.73.76.103.109.136.147.156.315.317. Do feel free to drop a message if you still require further directions hahah.

Alright, see ya folks on that day! :)

pcube at umay's

2007-11-08T12:29:00.000+08:00

Hey for the benefit of those who don't usually check their phones or forgot the details or what not.

Date: 10th Nov 2007
Time: 3pm thereabout
Place: Umay's house

And for those who can't figure out what's pcube, it's pizza party by the poolside hahahah. See ya there!! :)

Official Changes

2007-10-22T16:15:00.000+08:00

Badminton cum Pizza Party
Sorry for the change of plans, there just isn't enough EOS for the function room.

Details:
Date: October 27, 2007
Venue: Badminton Courts
Time: 4.00pm *
Pls bring along your own rackets, if possible.

*Let me know if 4pm is too early? Then i'll switch the booking to 8pm. Notify me by sms pls.

If you do not know how to get to my place, then just drop a comment here, or send me a sms before thursday night. I'll send you the directions.

For the muggers:
Understand that some of you would like to study. Recommend you people go to valley point to mug.

To get there, board the free shuttle bus from PS and drop at the 3rd bus-stop from PS. (the stop just before Tiong Bahru Plaza) The bus stop is located right at the Fraser Suites Serviced Apartment. After alighting, cross at the pedestrian crossing and turn left, you should see a starbucks where you can mug at.

To get to my place from Valley Point, walk in the direction opposite the one from which you came by. You'll eventually see my house.

Yep. Happy mugging.

News

2007-10-21T22:06:00.000+08:00

hey peepz. i bet u guys didnt know this.

.

.

.

.

.

Dumbledore is gay

.

.

.

.

.

=O=O=O

.

.

W

T

H

yeap yeap he is. i just found out abt it yesterday.

Quote yahoo news:

"After reading briefly from the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds "true love."
"Dumbledore is gay," the author responded to gasps and applause.

She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated long ago in a battle between good and bad wizards. "Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said of Dumbledore's feelings, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."

Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy."

"Oh, my god," Rowling concluded with a laugh, "the fan fiction."

Potter readers on fan sites and elsewhere on the Internet have speculated on the sexuality of Dumbledore, noting that he has no close relationship with women and a mysterious, troubled past. And explicit scenes with Dumbledore already have appeared in fan fiction.

Rowling told the audience that while working on the planned sixth Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," she spotted a reference in the script to a girl who once was of interest to Dumbledore. A note was duly passed to director David Yates, revealing the truth about her character.

Rowling, finishing a brief "Open Book Tour" of the United States, her first tour here since 2000, also said that she regarded her Potter books as a "prolonged argument for tolerance" and urged her fans to "question authority."

(hmm.. i wonder what the explicit scenes in fan fiction are..... but that's beside the point)

actually i couldnt care less that Dumbledore is gay, or if hes asexual or trisexual even, because i dont read the book. but this is a freaking children's book lor, why the heck does J.K. Rowling have to make a character in a CHILDREN'S book a gay?!?!?! i mean, if she had just left the last book at that, i bet no one would have the kind of imagination to think that Dumbledore is gay. but she probably found an urge to add a little spice to her books and go out with a bang. poor kids, they must be totally freaked out to find out that their beloved headmaster likes guys... maybe even little boys. =O

The most disturbing thing is, in the next movie we might see Dumbledore in a dress. Oh wait, he already wears a dress. Then maybe we'll see him in an even more gay dress.

Then again, the author might be JKing.

p.s. leaving for thailand in a week. might not make it to the halloween party so u guys have fun yea. =)

The Changing Tides

2007-10-19T18:40:00.000+08:00

My apologies for the first half of the post…. Just feel the need to comment on certain things after my long and hellish weeks.

Isn’t it ironic how we keep criticizing what we initially have only to discover that is what we really want? Not too long ago, (and it still is the case now), our education system has been criticized for churning out scores of graduates who are learned in theories and efficient to a fault, but are lacking in creativity and finesse. Thus, various changes have been implemented at the primary, secondary and tertiary level to remedy this problem. Central to all these changes would be the American-style of ‘broad-based and holistic’ education aimed at promoting the all rounder, and this approach involved, among other things, endless projects and less rote-learning.

So after several years of touting this ‘unique’ pedagogy, the education system is ready for the final assessment by the employers. The new breed of graduates arrive in the workplace in fine packaging and form, ready to ascend to the role of a dynamic manager that was so unsatisfactorily performed by their predecessors. But what do their employers say? “Oh, they’re fine in form, but they lack the theories.” Which simply begs the question of what’s the point really? Why go one big round only to discover what we needed was what we had all along…

Okay, enough ranting for now.

On a more important note, I was thinking of having another Halloween party this year. But many of you have said that you will not be dressing up, so I’m wondering if the party would be as fun like that. And if so, should we still have a party? Anyway, comment please on the subject. If you people really do want the party, then comment even faster. I need to book the function room by Monday latest.

P.S: it’s okay if you get last minute confinement and cannot make it even if you said you are coming initially, coz I’m just going to order pizza for the party for convenience’s sake.

P.P.S.: sorry for the short window period to express your views. Was busy before this.

NS is for everyone

2007-10-19T18:39:00.000+08:00

here's a video to revive our blog! not that it has been dead for THAT long...

someone please say 'seditious' :)

2007-09-23T10:21:00.000+08:00

hey jilyn!!~ yeap i know u havent touched down yet but i bet u alrdy miss me.. errm us i mean. hahaha. anyways have fun in England k?? maybe i ll get a chance to visit you when i go on my.. ahem... eurotrip next december.

it must be quite hard staying overseas. 2 weeks in brunei was already quite sian for me. but the thing i learnt about difficult periods in life is that once you close your eyes, hum a nice song, and maybe say a little prayer, you realise that time just flies by without u noticing and you're back in sunny Singapore. haha.

anyways, when i reached home yesterday, i opened my drawer and found this bookmark that my teacher gave me just before i left RI about... 2 1/2 years ago. on 1 side is pictures of all the gep classes and on the other is a nice poem:

May you always

by McGuire Sisters

"May you always walk in sunshine

Slumber warm when night winds blow

May you always live with laughter

For a smile becomes you so

May good fortune find your doorway

May the bluebirds sing your song

May no trouble travel your way

May no worry stay too long

May your heartaches be forgotten

May no tears be spilled

May old acquaintance be remembered

And your cup of kindness filled

And may you always be a dreamer

May your wildest dreams come true

May you find someone to love

As much as we love you."

somehow i thought that this sounded a bit weird as a poem, so i decided to check it out on google and... alas!!~ this "poem" is actually a song!:

oh no!! stop crying!! sorry.. maybe i shouldnt have posted such a saddening video. so heres one of my favourite songs that im listening to at the moment (play count: 15 in 4 days z0mg). and i think its quite appropriate for you also since you are now living in the 西界 hehe. and im not a JJ groupie!!~ just becoz i have 1 of his albums (which my frens gave me) and i like some of his songs doesnt make me a groupie.. -_-.

oh dear.. i realised this song is quite sad also. i should stop posting now. take care !

Motorcycle sound

2007-09-12T22:45:00.001+08:00

this was shown during our marketing lecture. damn hilarious man

6A

2007-09-09T03:35:00.000+08:00

Start: 0340hrs

Now, I'm wondering what in world I'm doing blogging at this unearthly hour! actually, what do people mean when they say 'unearthly hour'? isn't every time of every day part of earth's cycle of spinning on its axis? so how can an hour be 'unearthly'?! unless of course you buy watches from this shop called 25hours which I saw at marina square during class outing hahah Ok I hope that wasn't THAT queer a thought that would put everyone off at the start of this post lol.

I'm probably one year overdue for this post! But the cycle has repeated itself and I find myself in THAT mood again. oh yes i'm sure we're all too familiar with that feeling The time for goodbyes has arrived again. It was farewell to so6a in school last year and now it's farewell to our dear classmate Jilyn. Somehow, if nostalgia was a star, I'm definitely seeing the universe right now. hope that wasn't too bad of an analogy

I honestly want to thank everyone for turning up for class outings and just making the time amidst our tight schedules to hang out together. probably shows the opp. cost of missing one class outing hahah; it's astronomical!! I'm happy. We seem to be getting closer and closer even as the circumstances laid upon us should be causing us to drift further. the irony And I believe we have people like Hui Bin, Gerbert, Jen Han, etc. to thank for going through the extreme trouble of organising class outings almost every week for us. A mega big pat on their backs! I have a suspicion that we meet up the most often among all the classes in our batch!! Even IF I'm wrong, at least that's what I'd like to think! so don't tell me if i'm wrong

And so the memories keep flashing past in my head. To list down the number of absolutely retarded and immature things we did would take a lifetime! But there are some which constantly pop up and never fail to amuse me. Fajoo dunking that donut into his mouth with such a satisfied look only to notice everyone gaping at him in horror! Hahaha! Sorry bro! I just had to talk about that one! :b It seems like we're perpetually 'innocent' in a sense hahah. Where else can you find a group of seriously above average people in terms of good-naturedness! Where else can you find a group of people so open, receptive and welcoming! Where else can you find a class with such a great sense of humour! though sometimes i do have to admit it's unique to our class.face jokes and 'who are you' replies. try them on some other friends and you'll be greeted with blank stares. then you can smile and think to yourself 'God! i miss my class!' So there you have it! 6A is definitely a rare find. Perhaps by some weird stars alignment or some nonsense we all ended up in this class by a twist of fate hahah. Whatever the case, I'm thankful for being placed in this wonderful class of ours! Not to forget that we're blessed with a really nice and extremely dedicated form teacher - Miss Wong! :)

Ok I think I'm sounding a bit draggy. Guess ya'll will be able to figure out what I'm trying to say after that whole chunk of words, i hope! I really cherish the good ole' times and I ain't ready to lose 'us' i don't think anyone of us is So let's keep the close friendships alive yea?

The flame doesn't have to be rekindled if it doesn't burn out.

6a; your class, my class, our class - one class above the rest :)

confirm tix

2007-09-02T00:03:00.000+08:00

eh drop me a sms if you want to go!

i will be buying the tix next sat.

watch a play!

2007-09-01T22:17:00.000+08:00

Anybody interested to watch a play?

THE CAMPAIGN TO CONFER THE PUBLIC SERVICE STAR ON JBJ

VENUE
Drama Centre Theatre (National Library)

SYNOPSIS
If you missed the SOLD-OUT HIT SHOW of the inaugural Singapore Theatre Festival, here's your chance to catch it!So, would such a campaign be possible in the “New Singapore”? Join us for a tongue-in-cheek look at the boundaries (perceived or otherwise) of fearless expression in Singapore! This fantastical account of an unlikely petition to publicly recognise an unsung hero unfolds into a wildly imaginative “what-if” exploration of possible official reactions!

Directed by Ivan Heng, “JBJ” stars Pam Oei and Rodney Oliveiro – creating a cast of at least ten characters between them. Back by popular demand, this smash-hit play by Eleanor Wong promises an exciting, fun and thought-provoking roller coaster ride.

AUDIENCE ADVISORY
"Contains whimsy, satire, parody and copious amounts of exaggerated comedy. If you are on a strict diet of literal fare or are easily offended by irreverence, please consult your MP before attending."For full details, visit: www.wildrice.com.sg

DURATION
Approx 2 Hrs 15 Mins

IntervalApprox
15 Mins

Language
English

Through SISTIC Authorised Agents only
50% discount for Student (local/international).
[Discount applicable for show on 23 Sep, 3pm / 25-27 Sep, 8pm / 30 Sep, 3pm]
[Discount applicable to Cat 1($53) and Cat 2($48) only.]
[Discount applicable upon presentation of valid student pass.]

*We can go for the 23 Sep 3pm show after sending Jilyn off (:

2007-08-22T23:14:00.000+08:00

Sometimes, the most difficult questions and problems have the simplest of answers. Hope this help you as much as it helped me. At the very least, I think its a pretty good song :)

Be Yourself-Audioslave

Someone falls to pieces
Sleeping all alone
Someone kills the pain
Spinning in the silence
To finally drift away
Someone gets excited
In a chapel yard
Catches a bouquet
Another lays a dozen
White roses on a grave

To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do

Someone finds salvation in everyone
And another only fame
Someone tries to hide themself
Down inside their selfish brain
Someone swears his true love
Until the end of time
Another runs away
Separate or united?
Healthy or insane?

To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do

You can be fading up
And pulled apart
Or been in love
Every single memory of
Could have been faces of love
Dont lose any asleep tonight
I'm sure everything will end up alright
You may win love

But to be yourself is all that you can do
To be yourself is all that you can do

Audioslave Videos | Music Video Codes | Chicago Lofts

party party!!:D

2007-08-14T00:37:00.000+08:00

HELLO its confirmed!

date: 18aug, this sat
time:630pm, can stayover till nxt morn!
place: my bishan hse
address: blk 292, bishan street 22, #19-71
how to get there: frm j8, cross bridge and walk along flow of traffic. turn left at the big cross junction up in front and walk on until u see catholic high. once u past catholic high, walk into the first blocks of hdb flats (its like white and pinkish on top, dark pink below) n its blk 292.
what to bring: cards, card games, board games (anyone has taboo?), mahjong sets (bin n tsai??), alcohol (i think i only have beer at home), anything u want! theres a giant field and open space downstairs so we can even play catching/frisbee at 2am haha (so bring a frisbee too jus in case:p)

cya n pls dont pangseh cos im catering u all better finish the food!!:p

2007-08-12T22:21:00.000+08:00

hey ppl! sorry for all the confusion & indecisiveness haha but its finally finally confirmed!

18aug, this coming saturday

location yet to be confirmed. if i can find caterer to do less than 30 ppl it will be at my bishan hse, if not it will be a bbq at nic's hse. u guys can stayover (at both mine or nic's) after the dinner!

yup will send another sms to confirm place and time!

cya!!

Jilyn's Farewell

2007-08-12T18:53:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, there's going to be a farewell party for Jilyn. It's tentatively going to be a bbq? But other suggestions are welcome too! My place will be open for staying over if ya'll want. So do mark this date down on your organizer yea? I will be calling you guys to confirm your attendance anyway. Hope everyone can make it!! :)

Date: 1st Sept 2007
Day: Saturday
Time: 1900 - ????
Place: 24 Brighton Avenue S559259

Super Amazing Girl

2007-08-05T12:29:00.001+08:00

hey guys! you gotta check this out! pure willpower and skill ownage hahah.

hello!

2007-08-01T20:57:00.000+08:00

because im leaving quite soon (abt 1.5more mths), i will like to treat the class to dinner or sth:D haha n so nic was nice enough to suggest a bbq at his place!:D

it will most prob be on the 18th or 25th aug (sat evening)! anyone cant make it on either dates? right now i think the girls & i prefer the 25th, so any objections to it? if yes just tag on the tagboard!:D

2007-07-29T17:16:00.000+08:00

To everyone reading this right now : IT IS TIME TO JOIN FANTASY FOOTBALL.

After a poor season last year, I am determined to do well this year. HAMMY BE PREPARED TO GET OWNED!!!!!

Speaking of owned, I myself got pretty owned on friday. I had to go to Fort Canning Park as I had to pass a CD (containing some of the work I did) to an officer who was having Cohesion with his unit there.

When I finally found the officer, the WHOLE unit (all in civilian clothes) was looking at me (in army uniform) walk towards the officer. One of them said to his friend loudly...

"EH NCC HOW COME GOT FORMATION ONE?"

Oh man, and i thought that by being in army uniform i won't be mistaken for a 16 year old.

As always, another video. This time on the founding of Singapore

still confined,
Gerbs

2007-07-22T23:10:00.000+08:00

hey guys! there seem to be abit of a blogging frenzy so i shall contribute my small little part too.

it's been a tiring but totally fun and fulfilling 2 weeks first with all the SHOPPING (yes i really mean it) in hk then accountancy camp. since shit has alrdy touched on our very enjoyable but seriously tiring (our legs were threatening to break every night) holiday, i shall talk abt my camp.

k la actually nth much to talk abt just that i shall give u guys a word of advice. better tone up ur body now cos they will make u strip and poledance and all that stupid stuff. and we slept at like 5 am every morning. and practically every bloody cheer is in hokkien, but they're quite funny actually. and contrary to popular belief, ntu DOES have good-looking pple. quite many of them actually. and they DO speak english! heng ah. oh and one of my OG mate was taught by d.wong too but he's 2 yrs older.

kk anw as well all head off to diff unis to do diff things and lead diff lives, or go trekking in diff jungles with our diff units, we must still stay close and meet up often and be very much part of each other's lives k?

so for a start, who's up for simpsons this weekend?

hey hey

2007-07-22T02:13:00.000+08:00

its been a long long time since i wrote anything here. since all the guys are writing something, i might as well drop by here to say hi. sorry if my english is a bit un-understandable cos my brain has been rotting for quite a while since i joined the army, but hope u get the idea.

as the only infantry guy around in our class, i feel that it is my duty to tell u that SOCJOC in brunei for u ppl in support arms is damn fun, at least u dun have to spend 9 days inside there with only 2 days of rations doing 3 navigation ex plus a survival package for JCC =) nice........ to fajoo and hasu, jiayou at combat e, see u in 19 weeks time at the parade square rehearsals (heard abt ur field pack standardisations.... bloodly insane) =) and to the new cadets nayr and hammy, have fun in ocs and reli reli treasure the time u have in service term cos its probably the best time in ocs. and nayr u better keep that finger out of the trigger guard or 14 days of rcp may jus be coming your way and ur CadetWingStoreMan hammy will not be able to save u from that shit.

i totally agree with taitai. we are so near adulthood already. no longer kids anymore. there are like alot of responsibilities on our shoulders. sometimes i jus wish i could be a cadet for my entire ns life cos after commissioning, there'll be so much responsibilities on my shoulders. 26 men's life in my hands, which i'll have to answer for, which i'll have the power to change. i'm sure hammy, as a wing appointment holder is feeling the pressure right? maybe as a first round appointment holder not that bad, but in pro term, our balls jus get squeezed all the time. all the sirs (and esp wsm) are asking to get things done in an impossibly short time frame and expect u to know everything that is going on and where all the stores are. the cadets are blur all the time and will only move fast if they get to book out. my balls got squeezed so badly today so many times i can barely feel them already.

1 plus year more and we'll be adults already (if we still havnt started thinking/behaving like one). honestly, who have thought thru seriously wad u want to do in the future, say 10 years down the road, and have made efforts to achieve it. i know i didnt, or at at least not that seriously. one of my sirs in ocs talked to us abt thinking abt our future during a meal time chat. he told us that a surey did (by wadever book or wadever college) recorded that from yale university, only 3 percent of the grads have thought thru wad they want to be in 10 years time and are making efforts to work towards that goal. and those 3 percent's earning 10 years after graduation is a few times (forgot how many) more that the rest. if u are wondering wad the hell i am talking here right, i'm jus trying to put across the point that we are near adults now should start thinking ahead liao. during my exercise cast away a few days earlier, starving and freezing to death under the tekong downpour, i thought to myself wad the hell am i doing here, wad shit i have got myself into by putting the tick in the box "i wanna be a commander in the army" during bmt. and subsequently i began to think wad i'll be in the future, and its blank. felt quite loser. dunno if its due to the extreme hunger or cold but i reli couldnt get a clear picture of wad i reli reli wanna be in the future.

ok jus said alot of crap hope u all arnt bored to death by all my nag like post. dunno why i've become very whiny/naggy over the months. sometimes i think like a 5 yr old and sometimes i think like a 50 yr old. wierd things army does to ur brain i must say.

its almost 3, had a bowl of wantan mee, cheese burger meal, fish and chips for supper after book out =) ex cast away makes u reli hungry haha.

signing off

As Father Time Marches On

2007-07-20T19:08:00.000+08:00

I just celebrated my 19th Birthday about a week ago. Yes, I’m at a ripe old age of 19 already. By next year, I’ll be hitting the big two-o. Another one more year, and I’ll be officially declared an adult. Add another year to that, and I’ll be a full-fledged woman who will have to be responsible for her own economic survival in a ruthless corporate world. I know it’s scary to think about it, but in a few years’ time, we’ll all be forced to morph into independent individuals who can no longer fall back on our parents or our school for support.

I can’t say whether we will be ready to take on the world then. (can we ever be ready?) But one thing’s for sure: we have come a long way since our childhood days. I can’t help but marvel at how far I have developed from that mousey little girl in primary school, who was so used to being chaperoned by her aunt. I think I’ve done a lot of growing up in the past decade, and in particular, in the past few months. Looking around me, I see the same remarkable growth in all my peers. And mind you, the growth is pretty visible; we are certainly growing up before our very own eyes. Our conversations no longer revolve around the trivial, but broach on mature topics ranging from relationships to careers to our goals in life. (fine, we do indulge occasionally in the silly romantic scandals, but then again, what’s life without a bit of harmless fun and gossip?) These many tell tale signs all point towards our growing emotional maturity, especially in the months after we have bade the comfortable and familiar environment of the school farewell.

Truth be told, I think we should congratulate each other on how well we have matured and give thanks for the protective bubble that our prestigious school has sheltered us with. We may sound childish cracking face jokes and shying away from the night scene. But at least, we’re not going round kissing random people or chain-smoking. I think our ability to draw the line between enjoying ourselves and being crass is an achievement in itself.

However, this is still not enough. As father time marches on, he presses us on to further mental and emotional development, challenging us with the harsh reality of life. In the coming months (and for some of us, a few months ago) we will be (or would have been) confronted with even more unpleasantries of life: the fact that we have little choice over our lives, and the fact that we will have to do some things, whether or not we like it, whether or not we think they are right. We have to learn to make major decisions and to be responsible for them, and we also have to understand that certain choices, though not always the easiest, may perhaps be the best. We may find ourselves at a lost at how to deal with these manifold issues. But as a friend reminded me, we have something inherent inside each one of us to help us through this uncomfortable period, during which we shed our last streak of adolescence for adulthood – our memories.

I remember feeling extremely upset each time I returned home from my new college. Many of you should know by now that I haven’t chosen the college because i like it – on the contrary, I find myself disagreeing, to a large extent, with some aspects of the school culture – but rather, because it offers me an experience closest to the corporate world. However, each time I returned home from the place, I felt only immense pessimism as I came to realize how all my worst suspicions (and some additional problems i have not quite foreseen) have been confirmed. After my last visit, I returned home, as always, sullen and unhappy. But then, I happened to meet an old classmate online, who kindly reminded me of the fun times I shared with the class. As our conversation lapsed into nostalgic reminiscence of a not-so-distant-past, I felt my mood lift instantly.

So I hope we can all help to remind each other in the coming months that no matter how many extras you’ve been given, how 'xiong' your training is, or how lonely and empty you feel studying away from home on a harsh winter’s night, we can always look inside our vault of treasured memories, and find something worthy to smile for. =]

P.S: Sorry for the long and unnecessarily emo post, but this is as much for me as for you. Cheer up anyone who is still upset/uncertain.

P.P.S: My heartfelt thanks to to the person who cheered me up that day. I think you know you are. Thank you.

P.P.P.S: Let's meet up soon, i feel like baking something nice for the class with my new power mixer! =D

KBOX OUTING

2007-07-20T13:22:00.000+08:00

okay sorry to disrupt the intended series of blog entries on hongkong but i miss everyone too much! (thinks the class girls hahaha) so anyway since most of us are unemployed and such now can we go for kbox on tues afternoon? either klunch or 2-5. or maybe saturday will be better?! whatever it is spread the word around and comment in our tagboard or something lar! I MISS YOU GIRLS! plus i am going to be damn devoid of social life from the week after next u can ask me why when u see me i will be very :(:(

p.s. sorry shit i know u cant do tues but i am sure u will have fun in taiwan right ;)

hongkong!

2007-07-17T22:11:00.000+08:00

As you all probably know it by now, we are back from hongkong!! It had been an exciting yet exhuasting trip. We may not have eaten a lot, but we certainly have shopped till we dropped (:

Personally, I think jetstar is quite an okay airline if you are just taking short trips and well, you yourself arent too tall. There isnt much leg room, but more than enough for a 1.58m girl/boy. haha. Food's quite good on board, but would be even better if it was free.

We went to a few places-mongkok, ocean park, tsim sa tsui, central and the peak. Our hotel is located in mongkok, which is in kowloon (if you dont know), very near to women street where we did most of our bag shopping on the 1st day.

We visited Ocean Park on the 2nd day. I never knew that Ocean Park was that huge! There were many rides, but unfortunately i think we only took like 4 of them coz it was just way too hot to move around. There's this ride that's called space wheel (??). Basically it sits two in each carriage and then spins you in circles (think centripetal force). Being the nice girl that i am, i volunteered to sit with Jilyn and endured her screams throughout, i repeat throughout, the whole 1 minute or so ride. It was quite funny actually, her screaming was almost continuous, just occasionally punctuated by her breath intake. LOL oh, we also went into the aquariums (air con!) where we saw pretty interesting specimens of jellyfish.

Highlights on the 3rd day would be Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the Peak. The wax figurines look so darn real! Took a lot of photos (: oh, but jay chou was fugly. They made a replica of him when he was just new in the industry..i.e. the fugly hair. Quite disappointing.

OMG, i really really love the night view of hongkong at the peak. So pretty! Okay, you guys probably cant see that clearly from the pictures, guess you would have to be there to experience it!

The last few days were just shopping at tsim sa tsui and mongkok. i'm a lil too tired to blog abt that. maybe someone else continue? Bin? Jilyn?? or cass??

Next stop: Taiwan (:

cheers!

Interesting Video

2007-07-15T22:53:00.000+08:00

Kind of depressed now as i will have SEVEN continuous weekend duties (or 3.5 weekends). So that means bye bye rush hour 3, simpsons movie (pls DO watch me though) and hello deathly hallows, the alchemist and cold mountain.

Can't really be bothered to explain why i got it but u can ask me.

And to those concerned, a CRAB, no matter how cute, is not a BAG.

A video from JEOPARDY!, where they will provide the answer and u give the qn. E.g. They will give "Its capital city is KL" and u have to say "What is Malaysia".

Till Aug 11th

Bye

life

2007-07-15T14:58:00.000+08:00

woah its been a long time since i last wrote anything here. i guess to help hammy keep this blog alive i shall post something.

my life preeety much kinda sux rite now. i mean.. fajoo is in the same wing as me.. and i screwed myself 10x over by choosing to come to combat e. with all the rumours i heard, life for the next 19 weeks sounds like hell, but hopefully can get used to it fast lah

u guys in ocs should really cherish your time there man. i rmbr the times we used to clown around and the instructors will sort of just sit there and let us do our stuff.. but here its like everything is about image. must act mature.. do the right things so other pple will be impressed by officers. damn, i almost forgot im only like.. 19?..

haizz. life is unfair lah. the logistics officers get the same cadet pay as us and get to stay in air con bunks. the signals officers get the same cadet pay as us and dont get treated like shit. the air force officers..... arrrhh dont even wanna get started there. but i guess i got myself into this shit by choosing to come to combat e so i shouldnt complain so much

crap, i think im sounding damn depressed. hmm.. maybe on to more interesting stuff. i just came back from brunei, which is superrr shack but damn fun. hahaha. we had to like carry our field packs and walk around in the jungle, and even climb a mountain just for fun. i rmbr this super dangerous slope which my team took even though there was a damn nice track which common sense told us to take. (-_-) the slope is close to like a 80 degree angle.. u know the show vertical limit? yeapz we could have filmed vertical limit 2 if we had a freaking camera with us. haha. but in the end my team made it back 1 day earlier than scheduled lah... errr unlike someone else. hehehe

oh man just watched harry potter yesterday and i think it sucked. the story sounded the same as all the previous ones, but this one was even worse than the last ones. to make things worse, chio chang is not chio at all lor

kkz thts all for me now. cya

p.s. just jking fajoo. luv ya =X

Update! Update!

2007-07-14T20:17:00.000+08:00

hello so6a ^_^

ok not much to update, just serving national service in the same wing as ryan~i havent had to write his name in my extra duties book yet, and he didnt accidentally pull the trigger on thursday so all congratulate him heh

nice simple army life with not much time to communicate with the outside world and watch manchester united's pre-season games haha

(yes i havent dotaed in more than a month gerbert and i am in no way suffering from withdrawal symptoms) maybe more so itchy hands and feet for bball and football but oh well.

we just had our first bookout YAY and i have no one to watch transformers with zzz
looking forward to meeting tmr for harry potter~

probably moving near the end of the month or so so dont pop by my house its messier than usual now heh

hows everyone?

POP loh!

2007-06-14T22:10:00.000+08:00

On the 13th of April 2007, we have POP-ed!!! (poor re-24km route march boy though.)

p.s.in not so important news, ryan and ghin hoe also POP-ed on the 12th =P

quick block leave open whos free for outings!

p.p.s i have no idea why its "pop LOH!" its just...some way of saying it, like a tradition or something haha

More on pirates

2007-06-01T23:33:00.000+08:00

Despite pirates being a relatively disappointing movie, there is a lot of interesting stuff about it.

In fact, most of the names mentioned do have their place in mythology.

Excerpts from a long time spent researching on pirates. haha

1. The Flying Dutchman

The Flying Dutchman is a ghost ship that can never go home, doomed to sail "the seven seas" forever. The Flying Dutchman is usually spotted from afar, sometimes glowing with ghostly light. If she is hailed by another ship, her crew will often try to send messages to land, to people long since dead. The sight of this phantom ship is reckoned by seafarers to be a harbinger of doom

- The Flying Dutchman of course, is a famous DJ

- Arjen Robben, Marc Overmars and Robin van Persie have been referred to as the "flying dutchman" (the are pacey footballers btw)

- Dennis Bergkamp, another footballer, is known as the "Non-flying dutchman" because of his fear of flying, causing him to miss many away Champions League matches

2. Davy Jones

-Davy Jones' Locker" is an idiom for at the bottom of the sea

-This has led to Davy Jones, being referred to as devil of the sea

In J. M. Barrie's novel of Peter Pan, Captain Hook sings a song: "Yo ho, yo ho, the frisky plank, You walks along it so, Till it goes down and you goes down To Davy Jones below!"

However, it is not said as to why Davy Jones is a cuttlefish.

3. Calypso

During the movie, i kept on thinking to myself "where have i heard this name before" until i realised that i read about her during my post about Homer's Odyssey.

Calypso means "i will conceal" in Greek, and she kept Odysseus imprisoned on an island for 7 years. So it seems Calypso is actually some kind of ...

Moving on, Calypso is also one of Saturn's moons and is a Marvel Character. (for the uninformed, Saturn is a planet, Marvel is a comic)

4. Pieces of Eight

"Pieces of Eight" refers to the Spanish Dollar, which was legal tender in almost all countries until the 19th century (like the US dollar today). In fact, Raffles was paid in Spanish dollars.

and now for the really insane stuff, i managed to find more information about the Brethen Court!!! hahaha

THE NINE PIRATE LORDS ARE

1.Ammand the Corsair

A Turkish male pirate and Lord of the Black Sea. He wears a turban and has a long brown mustache. The East India Trading Company has a bounty of 4400 Guineas for his capture or death. He associated himself with the Ottoman Empire to control regions between Morocco and Turkey; he is also the founder of the highly organised privateers called Corsairs.

2. Mistress Ching

A Chinese female pirate and Lord of the Pacific Ocean. She is apparently very pirate-like (usually meaning violent and often cruel) to her enemies. Though blind, she commands a vast fleet of junks along the Chinese Coast, gaining power after her husband's demise. Her Piece of Eight was a small pair of eyeglasses. The East India Trading Company has a bounty of 3400 Guineas for her capture or death. 3. Gentleman Jocard

An African male pirate and Lord of the Atlantic Ocean. He was originally a slave but became a pirate after planning a slave revolt on his owners and escaping to the open sea, taking his former master's name. The East India Trading Company has a bounty of 3600 Guineas for his capture or death

4. Capitaine Chevelle

A French (the trade capital Marseille specifically) pirate and Lord of the Mediterranean Sea He is very pale in appearance, with a scar on one side of his mouth. His Piece of Eight was a playing card. The East India Trading Company has a bounty of 6000 Guineas for his capture or death. He is wanted for attempting to steal from the Swiss Bank, piracy in the Mediterranean Sea and French seas, robbing both weak and wealthy trade ships in Europe to trade between the Old World and the New World.

5. Sri Sumbhajee

A former Hindu Priest and Lord of the Indian Ocean. The East India Trading Company has a bounty of 2800 Guineas for his capture or death. Basically he is the one with the falsetto, which was why he kept on whispering into the ears of his crew at the start.

6. Captain Villanueva

A Spanish Pirate and Lord of the Adriatic Sea. The East India Trading Company has a bounty of 2000 Guineas for his capture or death. Actually, it doesnt make sense for him to be Spanish especially since Spain does not border the Adriatic Sea.

7. Captain Elizabeth Turner

Pirate Lord of the South China Sea. Originally the ninth member was Sao Feng, but as he was dying he named Elizabeth to succeed him. The current Pirate King and married to the captain of the Flying Dutchman, Will Turner. Capt Elizabeth Turner is also said to possess the "kiss of death". People who she had kissed died soon after

-. Jack Sparrow, who was soon eaten by the kraken

-Sao Feng, who was impaled by the ship debris

-Admiral James Norrington, the guy who freed her before he was killed by Bootstrap Bill

- Will Turner, who was later stabbed by Davy Jones

8. Captain Jack Sparrow

Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea. His status remained unchanged when he was led into death by Elizabeth Swann, ultimately by the Kraken. Barbossa and Sao Feng were the only Lords who knew of his death. The price on his head is 10001 Guineas, brought dead, making him the most wanted living pirate.

9. Captain Hector Barbossa

Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, though as that body is endorheic (the Caspian sea is landlocked), he spends most of his time elsewhere. His status remained unchanged when he was killed by Jack Sparrow. A price of 10000 Guineas is over his head as directed by the East India Trading Company

FOOD

2007-05-24T23:53:00.000+08:00

i hereby propose that we go to Aston's at katong mall!

IF THESE PICS DIDNT WHET UR APPETITIE, GFY and vist ieatishootipost.blogspot.com (pictures courtesy of that fantastic food blog)

the food there is pretty cheap and value for money, considering the quality and portion of food.

ANYONE UP FOR IT?

i also propose that we go to lagoon food centre at ECP and whack some high cholesterol seafood. once again, is anyone interested?

Recycling Cyclones

2007-05-23T22:10:00.000+08:00

More nonsense from me (since i have a new fan in zhongmin)

I was pretty disappointed recently when someone from my unit offered to take a bag of shredded paper (about 10 kg of it) to a recycling bin and was not allowed due to security reasons. In fact, i think this is the case for companies and THIS IS VERY SAD...

After spending about an hour, I feel the need to call all readers to start RECYCLING (haha i feel like the green recycling frog)

BIG YELLOW TAXI by the COUNTING CROWS feat Vanessa Carlton (dedicated to all paper wasters)

They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot

They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
No, no, no, don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone
They paved paradise, and put up a parkin' lot

Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT
I don't care about spots on my apples,
Leave me the birds and the bees - please

Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot

Hey now, they've paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Why not?
Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door swing,
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away
Now don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Hey now now, don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot
Why not, they paved paradise
They put up a parking lot

Hey hey hey, paved paradise and put up a parking lot
I don't wanna give it
Why you wanna give it
Why you wanna givin it all away
Hey, hey, hey
Now you wanna give it
I should wanna give it
Cuz you're givin it all away, no no
I don't wanna give it
Why you wanna give it
Why you wanna givin it all away
Cuz you're givin it all givin it all away yeah yeah
Cuz You're givin it all away hey, hey, hey
Hey, paved paradise, to put up a parking lot
la,la, la, la, la, la, la ,la ,la ,la ,la
Paved paradise, and put up a parking lot

MYTH ABOUT THE CORIOLIS EFFECT

In addition, I also learnt a new thing, the idea that water drains in different directions in the North and South hemisphere due to the Coriolis Effect is a myth!!!

Since the draining time is negligible w.r.t. to Earth's rotation, it is very much more likely that the
design of the sink/bathtub affects the way the water drains. However, this effect applies when it comes to typhoons and tornadoes.

Now thats a Mythbuster for you.

2so6a rocks

2007-05-13T13:52:00.000+08:00

i hope hammy is having fun at field camp now cos mine was a living hell. digging a shellscrape is like wtf, zomggg knn tiring. its the most tiring thing i have ever done so far. 1 of my platoon mate breathing nearly stopped if not for the help of the medic n oc. all that tactical trainings make u soooo shagged n my knees n elbows were so painful. i still think school's the best place to be. i miss the times that we share in class, canteen and the field even though i spent most of my pe lessons on the stadium gallery last year. coming up will be all my sit tests, live range and live grenade. anyone to provide tips for sit test ???

The Odyssey through the looking glass

2007-04-29T21:31:00.000+08:00

I have decided to share some things about myself that you might not know.

As nayr and taitai might alrdy know, i really like Greek mythology. One of my favourite stories isthe Odyssey, which is basically the tale of Odysseus' journey home after the Trojan War.

And I have found a really hilarious Simpsons spoof on this story, especially if you know the story about the Odyssey. (and watched the movie Troy)

I watched it like 5 times and still cannot get over the joke at 0:49, if you know what i mean. :)

(emo part starts)
However though, after getting rejected by Cornell U. I cannot help but feel like Odysseus, both of us in an endless quest to set foot on Ithaca...

(emo part ends)

Anyway, I also like the book Alice in Wonderland. Not because I am a freak who gets amused by little girls, white rabbits, talking poker cards etc. (If you happen to have a comment coming into your head at this point in time, stfu)

But rather, it is because there are many quirky ideas about logic all over the book.

For example...

But I don't want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: "We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."
Alice didn't think that proved it at all: however she went on. "And how do you know that you're mad?"
"To begin with," said the Cat, "a dog's not mad. You grant that?"
"I suppose so," said Alice
"Well, then, " the Cat went on, "you see a dog growls when it's angry, and wags its tail when it's pleased. Now I growl when I'm pleased, and wag my tail when I'm angry. Therefore I'm mad."

If the cat said that everyone "here" was mad, this would not prove that everyone mad was "here". A bit like the all squares are rectangles kind of thing.

So by saying that Alice is "here" because she is mad, the cat is wrong!

The second part is also illogical.

Consider this...

Most of us would consider me to be not be a retard (i hope)

I stare into space when i am with strangers and smile when i am with friends. Jenhan smiles when he is with strangers and stares into space when he is with friends. Hence jenhan is a retard.

Oh wait, the statement seems logical... haha. So i am wrong.

Ok, maybe i should stfu.

Magic

2007-04-29T00:32:00.000+08:00

during one of my loooooong endurance runs, I was playing around with numbers in my head, then i suddenly came out with this formula:

Magic Formula:

note: using a calculator is strongly adviced

1. Without using the 9, or the 8 for new numbers, take the first 3 numbers of your handphone number and press into ur calculator

2. Multiply by 80

3. Add 1

4. Multiply by 250

5. Add the last 4 numbers of your handphone number to the total sum (eg add 0669 for 97900669)

6. Add these 4 numbers again

7. Subtract 250

8. Look up into the sky and ask for divine intervention. Maybe thinking of me will help. =P

9. Divide by 2

10. Does the number look familiar?

hmm... who say wear helmet cannot think?? owellZ, going back to tekong on monday.. hope to see you guys soon

CLASS OUTING!

2007-04-25T23:24:00.000+08:00

everybody pay attention!

CLASS OUTING THIS SAT 630PM, MARINA KENNY ROGERS :]

meet directly and be punctual pls. hopefully everyone will be out so boys and girls pls turn up!

Did they really say that!? wtf

2007-04-24T22:11:00.000+08:00

CELEB noobness

Paris Hilton: I don't think; I just walk.

Christina Aguilera: So, where's the Cannes Film Festival being held this year?

Lindsay Lohan: I have a, like, what do you call it? Uh... Oh, yeah -- a photographic memory.

Paris Hilton: What's Wal-Mart? Do they sell, like, wall stuff?

Alicia Silverstone: I think that the film Clueless was very deep. I think it was deep in the way that it was very light. I think lightness has to come from a very deep place if it's true lightness

overheard at the beach!

She Must Be Who They Have in Mind When They Say 99% Effective

Teen #1 looking down at bikini top: [Sighs] I wish my boobs were bigger. I can't wait until one day when I'm pregnant -- then they'll grow.
Teen #2: Why don't you go on birth control? That made Jen's* and Michelle's* get a whole cup bigger.Teen #3: Yeah, Kelly's*, too.
Teen #1: Really?! Oh, man! I'm gonna go on birth control and get knocked up. Then they'd be huge!

--Long Beach, New York

No, Our Mics Picked That Up Fine

Fat guy to wife who's sunbathing on her stomach: Wow. You need to shave -- you got some wild, stray hairs back there.
Wife: Say it louder, asshole.

--Rosemary Beach, Florida

http://www.overheardatthebeach.com

I should start a series called OVERHEARD IN NS CAMPS soon. gerbert can be my co-author.

im pretty sure itll be a best seller.

i have an unopened bottle of tequila and i want to drink it soon. someone volunteer house pls.

anyway keep next weekend free got SPIDERMAN. who wanna watch lets book tickets!

2007-04-23T22:04:00.000+08:00

Got this from soccernet...

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is reported to be considering a £92.2million buy-out of Manchester City.
The former policeman made his fortune with Thailand's biggest communications group Shin Corp and was interested in purchasing a 30% stake in Liverpool in 2004.

The 57-year-old, who is reported to have a personal fortune of £560million, is believed to own a property near Kingston-upon-Thames.

Thaksin's legal counsel, Noppadon Pattama, refused to confirm or deny the report but told Thai newspaper The Nation: 'As soon as [Thaksin] finishes his vacation, I will ask him about it and hold a news conference.'

lol, now we know where all that quid is going to. It is quite retarded considering how soccer mad Thais are. But of course if you are a Man City fan there, guess you will be glad to realise that you played in part in paying for Joey Barton's wages, though i doubt you will remain a City fan.

Can someone please blog? i am just amusing myself here.

Movies

2007-04-12T21:35:00.000+08:00

I have decided to come up with the class outing plan for the next 3 months. haha

May 4th Spiderman 3

May 18th Shrek the Third

May 25th Pirates of the Carribean 3

June 8th Ocean's 13

June 15th Fantastic Four 2

July 4th Transformers

July 13th Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

July 27th The Simpsons Movie

I can hardly wait
OK start saving some cash

2 weeks notice

2007-04-12T11:26:00.000+08:00

this was supposed to be a post about something else(ask jenhan)...

but ok anyway, BYE PEOPLE :) i'm off to tekong country club woohoo

happy birthdays in advance to jenhan and huilian in case i dont get a chance^_^

p.s. you should ask jenhan what he wants for his birthday omg...

p.p.s. you should ask jenhan what he wants for his birthday omg...

p.p.p.s ok actually, best not ask jenhan what he wants for his birthday

Dinner on Sat

2007-04-06T20:40:00.000+08:00

Sigh, ok, i guess the consensus would be for pizza. So yea, will be eating pizza down by the poolside. So bring alot your swimsuits as well. I'll get the guards to turn on the jacuzzi if you want. Or can pop by the suana after dinner.

See ya.

Details for 7th April

2007-04-03T21:58:00.000+08:00

Time: Meet 2.30pm at my place. (give me a buzz when you reach)
Place: evidently, my place (you should know where, otherwise, drop me a sms)
Activities: Badminton from 3.00pm - 5.00pm (double courts)

Kindly note that there will be no pick-up service. You should already know how to get here. Otherwise, please sms me for directions, and i will mail it to you.

So the weather's a bit conky, and coupled with my super suay luck, it will most probably rain this sat. So in lieu of BBQ dinner, Nayr's suggesting a mediterranean/middle-east dinner. For such cuisines, there are a few restaurants around the clarke quay region.

Marrakesh - serves Moroccan food. Budget $30+ per head.
Shiraz - serves Persian food. Budget as above.
Banoo - serves Persian food. Supposedly good. Budget $20+ per head.
capadocia - serves Turkish food. Looks more like bistro/cafe. Budget $20+ per head.

Hmmm... understand that you may have a bit objections. So if you have better (read more cost-effective) suggestions, that doesn't require you to come up to my apartment, and is hopefully, weather-proof, kindly speak up. If you insist on BBQ still, sigh, let me know by wednesday night. I can hopefully, get ready some wet weather measures. (but i have no place to hoard you people) Otherwise, i'll place reservation with one of the above restaurants by thursday night.

That's all.

P/S: Tsai's suggesting pizza party? Downstairs, or anywhere we can colonate. How?

The Need for the Sheed

2007-03-31T11:06:00.000+08:00

Feeling quite unhappy over various stuff so i decided to blog.

1.

2.

So were there more stepovers, or "MANCINI!"s ? haha

3.

Happened while we were in Bintan, when i saw it on tv late that night i thought i was dreaming.

I would also like to create a rumour that hammy saw all of them live on espn.(since all of them happened recently)

what a no lifer. now we know what he has been doing the last month.

Any teacher around?

2007-03-30T00:38:00.000+08:00

haha this is a video my friends had to do as punishment for being caught playing DotA in the computer labs at VJ...i thought it was quite gd lol

7th April

2007-03-27T23:31:00.000+08:00

The bloody slave driver Joanne has asked me to post...

"Class Get-Together Thing"
Date: 7th April
Place: Her Estate
Time: not confirmed
Activities : not confirmed

what a great post :D

haha ok anyway, unconfirmed activities include BBQ, swimming, *badminton*

p.s. talked to hasu, guys booking out on 4th, going in on fri night or smth, they wont be free for this i think

p.p.s (or is it p.s.s) joanne is not really a slave driver[i fear for my life]

ADIOS ARMY-GOES

2007-03-26T00:13:00.000+08:00

Countdown : 7 hours...

Hahah had a great time with ya'll during block leave man!! More no-lifeing plx!! Miss ya peepz. Do sms me when you're all bored and dry from being a civilian :]

Time flies really fast
Here's goodbye to our class
Wonder when we'll meet again
Wonder if we'll be the same

While the girls are working
While the guys are slacking
While Miss Wong is marking
While we are chao-geng-ing (how to spell?)

Hope we meet in time
A dinner will do just fine
Please have a place in mind
And this is my last line.

Takkaire dudes! <33