Race with the Wind

Damn... After like... A whole afternoon, I've yet to find an ideal arm wallet. The closest I'd found is a New Balance one. And the colours kind of suck. Red & black. Or lime-green (somewhere along those lines) & black. Sigh. And not say the red very nice shade of red also. And not to mention it's found at Velocity there. So, if I do get it, I'll probably have to make a special trip down. Sigh~

So tired today, after running like 5 to 6 places. Oh man... My legs... It feels like I'd went for a route march. Alright, maybe route march may even feel better.

Back to track, I think I'll get the New Balance one. Quite in need of one.

Then, also went to browse at notebooks today as well. I am sooo bloody tempted to get the Alienware. Damn. It's one big massive monster. I don't mind the weight, really. Given the specs and all. Oh gosh.

Sigh~ All thanks to my brother for introducing this monster to me. Providing you with the specs. It's capable of up to 8GB ram, using 2 graphic cards, a GTX and GeForce 9800. Both Nvidia types. The GeForce 9800 is actually more than enough for most games (now). But the GTX is actually one level higher. And the laptop has a resolution 1900 x 1200, HD capability. Talk about wicked graphics. And also, able to expand up to 1TB worth of hard disk space.

Now you know why it's a monster. At 11.68pounds. That's approximately 5kg. So... One Alienware (preferably M17x) for Christmas, anyone? Muahahah

BUT. Thinking back, I think that's really a overkill? Right now, my bro's comp running on 4GB ram, 300+GB hard disk space. It's not bad already. Runs games like Tomb Raider: Underworld, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warefare & Far Cry 2 pretty smoothly. And at it's best graphics too. Sigh~ Let me not get too greedy huh.

So, probably will be settling for a MacBook Pro, 15-inch, upgrade to a dual O.S., along with splitting of its hard disk. You know, just in case one O.S. crashes.

And gosh. This entry seems so... Techie. Hah. It shouldn't be titled "Race with the Wind" really. Maybe something like... Notebook Race. Or something. I don't know...

*shrugs*

Dreamscape

Yesterday was really much like a dream to me. Everything seemed so surreal.

What happened was me & me mum went to my aunt's house, with regards to my university acceptance. Waited, waited, waited. Then things came through. Got the stuff, left. Went to RELC, settled the matters. Done.

Now, all that's left is to wait for the confirmation to come. After that, it'll be quite a lot of things to settle. Probably means quite a lot of rushing here & there for me. Sigh... I just wish I had a little more time. At least to settle some personal matters of mine. In particular one. Oh damnation.

Back to track, went to my uncle's place after. Got a suit from him. Surprisingly, it fitted me quite well, if not perfect. Just had to alter the pants a little. Gosh...

I really really need to thank my relatives for all they're doing for me man... If it weren't for them, I wouldn't even had a chance at this new chapter of my life. Really, really am bloody grateful/thankful for them. Will really have to repay them back some day. Education huh... Whoever said it was easy.

And I'm so sorry Nicholas, that I'm unable to attend the wake. Really.

Day Trip

So, on the 23rd of November, the group of us (Alex, Colleen, Desmond (Nic's brother), Nicole, Regina, Valerie (Regi's sister), Yu Ting) headed into Johor for a day of fun & excitement.

It was awesome. With credits going to Alex for planning the trip. Met up at Kranji Station. Was there early, so waited around for them. Kind of shocking. Apparently, the whole lot of them showed up together, as a whole bunch. Hah. And when I saw Colleen, I was like... "Oh my... IS. THAT. COLLEEN." No offense girl. *laugh* But admire your courage with the hair. Awesome (not in a sarcastic sense).

And well, honestly speaking, this was the very first time that I'd seen Valerie up close. Eh... Though she's my junior, and in the same CCA as I back in Zhonghua, but still, I'd never really bothered myself with the girls. Training is training back then, at least to me. And it still is, alright.

The sister looks not bad too. Better than the sister. Oops. Hahaha. Nah. Just kidding. The both of them look great.

So, took a bus to the Woodlands Checkpoint. Cleared it, though I was stuck there for seconds more (maybe of my beard, who knows). Few steps and we landed at the designated shopping mall. Had breakfast there, Mcdonald's breakfast. I had a yolk-less egg, damn it. And Yu Ting & Alex went to collect the car.

Was some time before the car came. And then, it's move out time!

First destination was Go-Kart. Kinda lost the sense of direction, so winded up asking for directions. And Colleen, well, shan't mention it here. Hahaha.

With some help, managed to get there. And oh gosh. First try, it was scary. Was so afraid that the rocks that were flying up as I went by, would hit the camera lens (was video-ing some of the way). I really need to get a compact camera soon. After the first round, the next was pure speed.

Quite shack actually, Go-Kart. Surprisingly.

And then went for lunch. After, was paintball wars. Poor Nicole & Colleen. Gosh. They were brutally attacked. *laugh* And damn. If possible, protect your mouth. he taste of those small paintball pellets taste disgusting. It's an unworldly sort of bitter, I'm telling you. And I had to experience it 3 times. Uugh.

Paintball lasted quite long. Longer than I'd expected. And it was really tiring. Running here, there, everywhere.

After, had a foot massage, then dinner. Oh, oh. We had went to buy some stuff as well. Eye opener. THEN, it was dinner. And dinner was really speechless.

And well, that pretty much sums it up. Wonderful trip. Memorable trip. Fun trip. We should go on a getaway sometime.

And I think it's been a very long time that I'd left any photos on my blog. So, here's some of them to look at...

Bus ride to Checkpoint


Are we there yet?


That's our ride for the day!


In the car, backseats (drivers)


In the car, front seats (navigator)


Power cables, really interesting structures in my opinion.





Helmets on.


I like this shot. Really.


Lunch


Ice jelly. Awesome food-drink.


Legolas wannabes.


The paintball shop front.


Band of brothers & sisters?


Ops Order time.


Battle wounds. Ouch.


Feet massage time.


Just like the princess that she is.


Awesome dinner.


Going home.

And I'm thinking that Facebook is kind of removing the need of me to post any photos up here at all. I mean. People who read my blog (if there's any at all), will surely have my Facebook account as well, right? Well, at least majority of them. Then if that's the case, then they can simply cross-refer to the photos up there?

But, you know what? It doesn't matter. I don' care. I'll still leave some photos in this space. Just for the sake of colouring my blog.

Not in any particular order:

Nicole's surprise


WII Fun with T11s


Teddy Bear Exhibition '09


Teddy Bear Exhibition '08 '09


Some card I'd made. Cute/cool right...

And some photos (5 to be exact) from a kayaking expedition.

And I'd realised now, that blogger has become quite smart. They actually orientate your photos automatically. Unlike when I first started out, I had to manually rotate them before uploading. Neat. Well, maybe for the last photo? Heh...

Duty. Honour. Country.

Damnation crisis. Fuck it.

I know I'm 20 this year. That should be quite a mature age by social standards. Sigh... I've no idea what I'm blabbering about.

Perhaps this feeling of resentment I have towards them. I don't know... Youngest. Does that I don't matter? I would like to think not, after all I've done. Nah... I don't think so.

But still, I've always have this feeling that the other is favored over. I'd never had much support before, in comparison that is. Of course, there are matters in which they are totally different from other people. But when it came to the very basics sort of matters, it's like... There's something amiss. Competitions. Departures. Arrivals. Stuffs.

And that was how I grew up. My primary school years were hard. Never really had time for myself. Not that I'm complaining. Then secondary school years came by. That was when I started learning. Somehow or rather, it was from there, that I'd grown into who I am now. Well, being in the army helped strengthen that side of me as well.

Oh well, this is who I am right now. Though I know I don't need such things. But then again, it's always nice when there is. You know, it's like, I feel like I'm almost living the live of those American police guys in the movies. Hahaha. It's somewhat like that, I suppose...

This. It'll never end, will it?

Duty. Honour. Country.

Damn. I don't know if I should make the thing or not. Sigh~

So, this morning, chatted with Gen at calligraphy. She was saying how strong the wind was this morning. Almost blew her away. Laughs. Well, she is pretty skinny. And the wind has been blowing quite so often these few days. It's getting cold.

Actually chatted with a few friends today. By coincidence. First, there was Gisela. Quite a surprise to received her message actually. It was sweet of her though. What happened was that she thinks she saw me in town yesterday, so, yep. Then, there was Will, from MP. He was there with his family for dinner. Going back camp later on. ORD lo! Sorry mate. Got to know of how the other guys are doing. Still the same old thing huh?

Then, there was MingJie. Damn, had never met so many people in a day. In fact, I don't usually see so many people around. So, chatted a bit with him before separating for home.

Oh, may I add that when I was getting dinner at Yoshinoya, Northpoint, the counter-girl was quite hilarious. "I don't have any 20cents, but I'm very clever... I can use 2 10cents to make 20cents!" So she said to her friend. Hah. And oh well, she was rather giggly & smiley during the service. Talk about friendly staff...

And damnation. Northpoint does not sell any arm wallet at all. Irritating.

i seriously should get a move on with my exercise regime. I can feel my waist expanding as I sit in front of the computer with each passing day. Sigh~

And I think I should do the thingy. Maybe just to lighten the mood. Elevate the feelings. Yeah... So, what am I waiting for? Get a move, soldier!

P.S. Watched "Men of Honour" this afternoon. I think it's a good film. Quite moving.

Without Thoughts

Alright. So, it's been roughly 2 weeks since I'd ORD. Frankly, I'm still liking the life. Just that the rain gets on me sometimes.

Take this afternoon for example. Had intended to go for a swim, but due to the rain, had to cancel the trip. Irritating. So, stuck at home.

Watched "Orphan" just now. I find it rather disturbing. Especially the scenes where the girl kills in front of the little girl. I was like, "Nooo! Fuck... No..." And that small girl? Gosh. Just too adorable.

Back to reality. I think I'm getting more & more lethargic as each day passes. It's like, brain-rot. At almost every moment, I'll somewhat feel like sleeping. Especially if I'm not doing anything in particular. Even as I typed out all this, I'm thinking if I should just go take a nap or not. Which, I think I will.

So, that's all. For now.

Oh... That felt good. One hour nap. Not feeling quite as sleepy as just now. And I think Maxine is a pretty nice name. Random thought.

Oh, did I mentioned that I'd received a letter of offer from Curtin? Yea... It's pretty much overseas studies for me already. So exciting huh? Hah. Quite looking forward to it actually. Though feeling somewhat anxious & worried as well. 'Cos you know, there ARE some issues with regards to studying abroad. It'll be tough & scary, I suppose... BUT, what's the point worrying huh? Come what may, right? Hahaha.

Oh, and just recently, had watched "Paranormal Activity" (again) with my brother, online. And well, was quite surprised to be actually watching the other version of it. Hahaha. Didn't expect it.

Also watched this show titled "Pandorum". Basically, a sci-fi, thriller show. The concept of it is really awesome. And I think the show's not bad. Pretty cool. Only thing that could be made better, perhaps the telling of the story. Quite confusing at times. Yup.

Oh, and did I ever mentioned that Abigail Breslin looks really adorable. Hahaha. What a pedophile right. Gosh.

Paranormal?

Headed out just now. Caught the movie "Paranormal Activity" with Nic, Yuting, Alex & Regina. Well, the movie was pretty much documentary style. Low budget film. Seriously. A few sets, 2, 4 actors. Yeah, no kidding. Despite it being so, I guess it wasn't that bad. Managed to get us viewers' (I'm saying in general from the theatre I was in) attention throughout the show.

One reason is probably they really got the scenes spaced out well. Just when things start to kind of low climax, they bring you back to the sleeping scene. Damn. Watching that scene is kind of intimidating. You're expecting something, but don't know what to expect.

I like horror shows along this line. Like, you know there's something there. But it's not explicitly shown. Then the show keeps prodding you, reminding you of the entity. And hopefully, that's when your imagination starts to come into play. Damn it.

I think the best horror films are not those graphics or suddenly-from-no-where type. But those that plays around with your imagination. Those are the worst. They're the evil ones. It's just like that game which I had never. I repeat. Never had dared to play at night. Like never. Hahaha.

Then, of course, there are those that plays around your daily life routine as well.

Sigh~ And the bugger just refuse to listen huh. Even so, still dares to lecture & talk about me. And to think that I had commented on the issue about 5 to 6 hours ago. What hypocrisy. I've really no idea what to think of this anymore.

Well, time to snooze now. Don't want to wake up so late every single day. Must start waking up early everyday now.

Alright, maybe after the song "Aruarian Dance"

Nights everyone.

What now...

Gosh. No idea what happened to me today. Was intending to run to Yio Chu Kang, but didn't managed to. Had to drop out halfway. Feeling nausea, giddy, difficulty breathing, sweating a lot. Gosh. It feels like I haven't run for years!

So, now that I'm retrenched (or much rather ORD-ded), what's going to happen to me? Waiting for my university application results to really decide what I'm going to do next. So for now, it's just slacking away.

Of course, there's this issue which has been bugging me for quite some time now. So, going to settle that ASAP. Then, probably pack up my house. Yeah... So am going to do that. My house is just a mess. Can't take the sight of it.

Oh, I'm also having an exercise plan going. So, anyone want to join me? Be it for serious or fun or just sweating it out, I'm cool with it.

I know I'm a nag for saying this again & again. But... Times have really changed huh. Kids (some, not all, but numbers are certainly more than last time) nowadays are really disappointing. I really hope that they aren't what they appear to be. Then again, seeing them, I feel like beating the crap out of them. Weird feelings.

Oh, and please. Stop effing freaking asking me what to do now that I've ORD-ded. What iron the clothes, go get this done, go get that done. I'm not your freaking errand boy dudes. Like, what the hell of fish world is this? It's not like I have absolutely nothing planned. I do have things planned out. It's just that. I don't like to discuss them. Just leave me alone already...

Wow

Alright. I know I should be asleep at this time. But then, I'm afraid of losing all these memories. So, logging them down right now.

Well, start things off first. This morning, woke up at 0700+ hrs. Went out for a run with my brother.

Actually ran to Area S, with was a first for me, and for him, I believe. Well, I had been to that area before, looked at a few houses here and there. And we were discussing how awesome it would be to stay there. It's really a great place to raise a family. Serious.

We also chanced to enter a house under-going renovations. Just simple renovations. That was when I'd first realised that the house, despite its looks from the outside and all, actually seems quite small on the inside. Hmmm...

Then, came the ultimatum. We really had a lucky break. Actually found an area, which even I had never came across before. And never knew existed. It was awesome. There were this house (abandoned) which was like. Dinosaurausly gigantic! It was really awesome.

Further down the road, was 2 more houses. Not as monstrous as the first, but still managed hold its own ground. Well, entered one of them. And it was, interesting. Really, really interesting. Well, at least for me & him.

Yep.

Just a few hours back, met up with Susanna, Curina, Martin, Lionel, Shihui & Xinyi to watched "Sister's Keep". It was a good show. Though it could get kind of confusing because the show kept switching between the past & the present, but if one is able to keep up, I think it's not that bad a show. Shan't comment more. Heheh.

Argh... Chest pain acting up again. Oh, did I mention that during this morning's run, my brother noticed I had a blue-black mark behind my left knee cap? Seemed to arise from my running, 'cos I'm dead certain that I had not banged my leg against anything. Sigh...

And so, think it was today. Was it? Yeah, today. Chatted with one of them girls I had met at this course. It was... I don't know. I seriously don't know what to make of it.

Crap. Actually forgot to kept a log of the conversation. Fell asleep.

Anyway, what happened was that she started about NS stuff. Then saying how girls need not serve NS. Then how gays are treated or something in NS. So, then I went on to comment on why girls need not serve NS. Came across as money-minded? Well, we have to look at things practically, don't we? At least from a government's stand point.

Then somehow, led to the discussion diverting money from defense budget to making world peace. Irony, isn't it?

Seriously, I could go on & on debating with her on why people don't do that. But, it's just pointless. We'll just go in circles. Ah, fuck. Thinking 'bout it now, I'm just thinking: Screw it.

Well, so, her point was that with all the money in the world, why can't we help the poor? Why can't we make world peace? And to her, world peace starts with her. It would be really cool to think like that. Really. Not being sarcastic her or what. But honestly. It's great when one thinks naively like that about such matters. But, I'm just not like that.

I'm not saying that I'm an expert. A wise guy. Someone who has seen the world. Who knows & understand the world. But, unless you're a world leader. Or a nation leader at the very least, there's no way you could do that "World peace starts with me" campaign.

So, just bear with me people. Let me rant. Here's my stand on world peace.

World peace is simply impossible. As in, not impossible-impossible that war is imminent and such. But that like helping the poor, rid of crimes & such. Yup. The perfect world. That's impossible.

First thing first, helping the poor. Government bodies are more concerned with helping their nation first. Only when their nation prosper, or are at least stable, then would they start to help others. They can't possibly let their nation slumber back into the previous era, just to help out another country rise one era. Also, this is what I think, not sure if it even exist, but, what about laws? International law & things like that. To help another country, I don't think it's just as simple as snapping of one's finger and say: Alright gentlemen, country x isn't doing as good as us all. Let's all do something about it and help them. It's just bullshit to me.

Then, even if they DO want to help out and are willing to. No strings attached, no obligations, no returns expected, no deals, no trades. What of the receiving party? Will they accept it? Take the Rastas for example. Alright, I agree it's a weak argument. But in a way, the Rastafari movement rejects the western society. By reject, I would take it to be total reject? Not even acceptance & understanding of it? That's a consideration to look into.

Alright, say that I'm wrong. They just don't want to adopt the western society. But they do understand it, see it, accept it and just don't practice it. Then... *sensitive, sensitive, sensitive* what about them people in other particular parts of the world? I mean, they're like, ready to go to war with anyone anytime. It's just that we're not willing to start one massive one. Lesson learnt from World War II. Fat man & Little Boy. Talking about war. Then comes history into play. Hitler? Yeah. Damn famous. I admit, I don't know the whole story. But I'm dead sure that he did some very very atrocious stuff. All we need is someone like that to do it all over again. Then what of the Khmer Rouge? Not recent, yes, but still relevant, no?

Ah, crap. This can go on & on forever. Finality, world peace is just next to impossible to achieve. Too much factors. Too much considerations (Yes, damn it. Considerations). And you want to factor in human nature. Till the day where humans unite to save Earth, like really cutting everything back and all, otherwise, I don't think I'll see world peace in the future. Though I would prefer to.

And people, remember, that's only the bigger scale. What of the small scale? City, neighborhood. Those criminals? Humans are humans. Humans are animals too in a way. Just highly intellectual animals. Greed, anger, lust, apathy, et cetera. They're not called the seven sins for nothing. They aren't there for no reasons.

And then there is those hatred that are just so deep down within. Passed from generations to generations. Till they forgot for what reasons they fight. Things like that. And when they make peace (if they ever do), somewhere, some new fights will occur.

As what I'd mentioned in a post before. Man are born evil/bad. And it's good that they learn. And this good is conscience (is it spelled that way?!). And to quote Alert Einstein, "So long as there are men, there will be wars."

Oh gosh. Pretty negative viewpoint huh.

But of course, just like in Pandora's Box, there's always something called Hope. All ain't lost yet, of course. Otherwise, we would be living in a post-apocalyptic world by now.

I really ought to go sleep now. Yawn...