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God only Knows -- Elisa

This song is about love.

While exploring manga online, one comes across many titles. Most of them I will never read, even though they might be good. 'The World God only Knows" is a title I discovered by chance. I was bothered by the title, 'cos I tended to read it as 'the world only god knows'...

I was curious and decided to find out what kind of manga would have that kind of title.
It's the kind with 1 male protagonist and a whole load of females. Ahem.

This put me off a little... until I saw this opening for the recently just-aired anime. It's only at about episode 4 or 5 while I write this.



It got me interested. A supercool techno-inspired opening and theme. And a protagonist who's so addicted to games that he is known as a GOD.I read the pilot chapter of the manga, and realised I like it a lot. Hooo... never judge a book by its cover.

Keima Katsuragi is a game addict specialising in 'girl games'; games which are like dating sims (a phenomenon mostly unique to Japan). He despises reality, and does not so much as escape into the gaming world as he accepts that the 'Real' is inherently flawed and is beyond hope. He is calm, calculating, exact, has no despair and no disillusionment; this is how things are, and he is content as long as the Real does not intrude upon his life. He is known on the internet as "The Capturing God" for his legendary skills to "capture" any girl in Bishōjo games, yet ironically he does not like girls in real life, where he is known as the Otamegane (オタメガネ), a derogatory portmanteau of the two words otaku (オタク) and megane (メガネ-"glasses").*ref: wikipedia. (His name Keima was based the word 'gamer')

Yet one day, out of pride, he accidentally accepts what he assumes to be a challenge for a Bishōjo game when in reality he has accepted a contract from Hell. Thus, he  is bound to a bumbling demoness name Elsea de Lute Irma, also known as Elsie, who asks for his help in capturing runaway spirits from Hell who are hiding in the hearts of girls. The only way to force the spirits out of the girls hearts is by making the girls fall in love with him (or so he is told), much to his horror. With the threat of death for both of them should he refuse (or fail), Keima has no choice but to help Elsie. Together with his intelligence and knowledge of the dating sim genre and Elsie magical powers, Keima is about to embark his greatest challenge.

Some of the interesting parts of the series is when Keima expounds his teachings of 'Capturing'. I really wonder how much of it can be applied to real life. I haven't dared apply any of it myself. Interesting nonetheless. He also takes his title of 'God' very seriously  (he borders on being an egotistical maniac). When capturing the hearts of his targets, he does so with near mechanical precision; every word, action, flush, breath, etc. is calculated to achieve the best 'ending'. He acts like a suave knight in shining armor while in 'Capturing Mode', but once he's done (and the target's memory erased), he immediately reverts to his anti-social true self. Throughout his escapades, he maintains his rejection of the 3D and his ideals of the 2D. Yet along the way, perhaps he will learn to open his heart to the real world. I dunno... it would be less fun that way...

Nevertheless, at least it doesn't seem to be a mere shallow excuse to see anime girls naked and such (though there are the few obligatory scenes...). Typically, it explores various issues; although one might think the main theme is love, I think it's about Reality vs Ideals. The perfect kind of love we see in fairy tales, movies and video games just doesn't really exist. Love in the Real is flawed, and yet it is beautiful. Human relationships be it love, friendship, or family ties can be very troublesome and complex but still, we have to cope with it, and in the end, I guess it isn't too bad.

Meh. I find this series fun because of the funny stuff, not the deep stuff. That part just rounds out the package.

P.S.: The song is 99% engrish.

Indecision incapacitates; instantly or insidiously.

When is common sense nonsense?

When stated to be common sense by an insensible inane and inept individual.

But surely even someone like that has his own wisdom in certain things? You can't say it's all nonsense, no? It might be true, what he says. Nobody is free from folly nor some kind of wisdom.

Ok then. I'm sorry.
Nonsense becomes common sense when nonsense becomes a common thing. The sad thing is even if it's nonsense and some people realise it, they can't change a thing if a lot more people think it's perfect sense. If the nonsense has been perpetuated for a long enough time, and becomes accepted by a majority, happily or not, it would come to be regarded as common sense. Happy now?

.... Sorry, I lost track. It didn't make any sense to me.

~

I still think it's nonsense that you can't succeed if you don't step on other people.

~

P.S.: I dunno about you guys, but as far as I know, there is no doubt this is a secular country. To say otherwise is really nonsense.

The Big Bang Theory - Soft Kitty

FF13 review short - Saber's Edge - Short and Sharp

I don't really like FFXIII.

Let's start with the nice things. Pretty pretty graphics. Fast battle system. Status effects actually work and are necessary in this FF! Pretty pretty graphics. Sazh is a nice character. Pretty pretty graphics. Lightning walks like an ah beng. Pretty pretty graphics.

Now the not so nice things. Ultra linear. Dumbed down character customisation in both stats/level and weapons/accessories (What happened to FF8 and 10?). A guy who smashes his fists together and yells "I'M A HERO!!!" all the time. In the end, powering up depends on money, and money depends on killing only one type of enemy over and over and over again with a small chance to get what you want each time (assuming you don't want to waste even more time on 1000X less profitable methods).

Worst things now. I don't feel attached to the story at all. I thought FFXII was bad in this respect, but otherwise I liked it. This ...thing... however, ... really didn't draw me in with its story. Non-charismatic/interesting 'villain'. Beautiful but boring locales and 'dungeons', no fun no fun. Loads of overly-dramatic scenes. Some are ok, some I like, but too much low-quality anime nonsense in here. The cutscene I like most is the optional confrontation with a cactuar (who got some fertiliser).

Actually the game can be summed up by one of its parts. We get to visit a very beautifully designed amusement wonderland, running through it as the story progresses, but slowly we sadly realise that we don't get to actually be amused while we're there. This is like bursting a kid's bubble or showing him a big big candy and then saying 'Nah, ya can't have it haha".

Lastly, this is about the only song I really really like (as in remember) from FFXIII. Gah. Being forced to hear multiple versions of the 'main' theme running throughout the mostly uneventful story makes me sick, as good as they are.



I also think it is hilarious how Odin transforms into his own horse.

Blue White Porcelain

The glazing of the lady's portrait hides her charm
Your smile, to me, like a budding flower
But your beauty dissipates like smoke, to a place I can never reach

The Tribe of Heavenly Gods

Just a nice piece of music.



Not meant to provoke arguments about gods.

World Without Words

Imagine a world where people can all get along.

Can't?

Eheh. Don't stop trying.

Scary

A climb up the tallest tower @ Yahoo! Video

Diary Entry 45 - *Rockman Online*

Dear diary,

Today, I found news on a new Rockman game, but it's a 'different' Rockman game. It will be an online game. I feel excited, but I feel like I am getting too old to enjoy such things. My computer would hang if I forced it to do something beyond its means. Nevertheless...

... I just want to say  ooooooooooooooooo
O.o

Family - Yasmin Ahmad, (... I think Malaysia misses you)

I don't know how to communicate properly. I hope to not forget some things, but I forget. In the end, what I cherish most is this. Many other things, yes, but... hai... -_-



Will any more people like the late Yasmin Ahmad come forth in the future?

P.S: Dialogue is in (northern) Malaysian-style Hokkien. Subtitles are in Malaysian-style English. Slightly different compared to Singlish.

P.S.S: I'm not sure this video was made by Yasmin. Hahaaaa

Mother's Journey

Sometimes, I think I should sit down and write down stories by my mother. Stories about her childhood.

Then sometimes I get lazy very quickly afterwards.

If anyone ever asked me to tell them my story, come to think of it, I don't have an interesting life story to tell.

~

I should work on copying down the random tunes I plunk out on the piano sometimes. Then I get lazy and dissatisfied with it and forget about it.

Then I see someone who makes the kind of music I sort of make.

Now I wonder whether I should have practised more.

Then I get lazy and sleepy and go to sleep.

zzz

Baby on Board

 See if you can catch the lyrics to this song.


This guy is quite good. Now, these are the kind of people I admire. The cake is a mess, but the taste is ~~♪

Departure & Awakening Will

I have recently been spending an unhealthy amount of time finishing a game I bought (ORIGINAL! My first ORIGINAL!) called Rockman Zero Collection. I loved it. :3

I liked this song the moment I heard it start playing in the intro stage of MZ2 (though the in-game version is lyricless and set on loop with GBA sound quality). Nothing to write about at the moment so I will indulge myself and fawn over this game. :3

I will be returning to studies soon. School starts one week from now. Resolve.

Three Minutes Clapping

(Been working temporarily for a while...)

I am learning many things, even if it doesn't seem like it. You know, one can learn a lot about people by just taking some time to LISTEN.

Right now, Understanding is the virtue foremost in mine mind.

Until the time is up, I will never give up on this.

the world ends with you

Green Bird

Glow: "I walked down this path. I don't regret it. I cannot regret it. I can only look forward."


So he said as he walked on, yet his heart kept looking back.

A Secret That Cannot Be Told

Glow: We all have secrets. It hurts to keep them sometimes. Sometimes, that's why we tell them. Then they aren't secrets anymore. Sometimes we come close to telling them, but we refrain at the last moment, because we are afraid it will hurt someone even more. Sometimes we are afraid it will hurt us even more.


Here's a secret. Every time there's a label "music" on a post, the title of that post is related to music in some way; a piece of music, a performer, or abstractly related... Search it and discover for yourself if you like.


Sometimes, it's a secret that just cannot be told. We just hope others can see it.

Capricho Arabe

Ok, I decided to do some justice to the late Mr. Tarrega. (Can I call him Mr.?)

Here's the link to the previous post about him, Lagrima.

The title is literally Arabian Whim. Does that make sense? In English, Caprichio is obviously Caprice, and caprice indeed means whim, but a capriccio or caprice in musical terms is a piece which is relatively free-form and lively; in other words, a capricious kind of music.

Spain has had a long history with Arab. Though not overtly obvious, 700+ years of Moorish occupation of the Iberian peninsula leaves its mark, and are actually very obvious if you know where to look and what to look for. For starters, the guitar was brought to Spain by the Arabs.

Here's a link for more information on this piece of fact often overlooked or taken for granted.
http://spanish-history.suite101.com/article.cfm/the-moorish-legacy-in-spain

This is the nicest sounding live performance I managed to find. There's a lecture in front, so go to around 1: 40 for the start of the piece. Looks like a live performance, with the soul of the performer put whole heartedly into it beats a recording anytime. Which explains why theatre actors have a higher opinion of their art compared to movie/tv magic.

Give Me Sympathy

Just kidding.

( :

The Real Folk Blues

Soul: How can you ever understand what I went through?

Dark: Likewise, how can you ever understand what I went through?


Glow: Which is more real? Who suffers more? What's the point of such arguments? What is right or wrong? It's just both sides of the same coin...

Thank You

Thank you for following this nonsense so far. Thank you for giving me food to eat. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for...

I just happen to feel grateful and thankful at the moment. Can't pinpoint anything in particular.

( :

Middle, Middle

Been bored and looking around on Youtube. Found 2 music groups new to me. One of them is Daphne loves Derby.

Seems they used to be a pretty 'successful indie' group. They signed with a label after that. Seems the lead singer is smoking and his voice may be damaged because of it. I don't know. Their music is mostly what people call 'emo'. Their music style is soft and quite soothing. I found myself liking it even though the singer sounds like many of the boy bands around now that sing with their nose blocked or something... then I found out he's named Kenny Choi. Interesting. Stop smoking. It's bad for you. Especially if you sing.

或る街の群青 - Asian Kung-fu Generation (A Town in Blue)

I still cannot wake from a dream that reaches my bedside,
A smell of morning makes the city alive,
The weather forecasting on the screen.



Day by day, I pray, I seek and scramble,
The world is dash rolling,
The chance meeting you, touching you
your everything is like a magic of love for me,
The city in leaden grey,
The mice are in the dull blues,
The heart beating so dim and unclear,
Only a little bit of white remains in my heart.

I begin to run out because I want to fulfill my discontent,
Take a step forward and I'll see even the scenery disappears,
When I look up at the sky
Chasing those whimsical cloud with my eyes, I remember your face.

I got tired of it and threw everything out,
I became black and collapsed,
I was lonely so I consealed it,
Everything became dreadful and I fell in the darkness.

An excursion to another world,
The deep, blue night,
Let us change the world,
What are we going to see from there?

Collect all of the things up that came bursting out both opened eyes,
You and me, let's float them all over the place.
Without the approach run, just jump and fly as high as we can,
At our kicking speed, we can go on forever,
I'm sure of it.

Even into light,
Even into darkness, surely

Kukup

Yesterday, I went to Kukup with my family. It is near Pontian, my father's hometown. When I was young, we used to go to Pontian and Kukup quite often. Now that almost everyone has migrated to JB, there's not much reason to go back there now.
.Kukup is a fishing village. We stayed in a 'chalet' in a fishing village there. The place has changed... I remember lots of wooden houses on stilts built over muddy flats... now there are a few large concrete houses and 'mansions' (still built on stilts though). I wonder how they can stand up.

The waters were polluted. There was a lot of garbage in the mud. I wonder whether it can be helped. I already find it impressive that they can get electricity, water and internet there...

Seafood is still seafood... I can't take seafood. -_-

Counting Stars

I got my wallet back!

There were 2 possibilities. I either dropped or misplaced it somewhere or it was picked from my pocket.

I dropped it in a bus. -_-

But the most amazing thing was that I got my wallet back! Now, when I told a friend, he said

"My god.. There are indeed honest people left in this world. I guess all of them decided to reside in Singapore?..."

Nah. My faith in humanity has increased a bit. It was found and returned by a Mr. Sendhu Bolkar Singh. He's a construction worker working in Singapore, from India. I would like to say TAKE THAT to all those people who demonise foreigners, blue-collared workers, and lower income groups automatically without giving a chance... in particular, this group of residents I recently came to know about in Singapore who were against the setting up of a hostel for workers in their relatively higher class housing estate. Although I understand why they might be suspicious and all, I thought their comments were quite hurtful...

If I were in their shoes, would I have taken the same stance though? I wonder. Well, if there was reason to believe that security is trustworthy, then ok. But then I live in Malaysia, and I wouldn't get a chance to voice my opinion anyway. And I DO NOT TRUST the security in JB... So...

On another note, RIP nujabes aka Mr. Seba Jun. You were one of the people that made Samurai Champloo great.



This is played in one of my favourite episodes.

Forever Broke...

Today, I lost my wallet. I don't know when I lost it. I realised I lost it when I was queuing up to pay for things I was intending to buy.

I was waiting in line, looking at the little things they like to put near counters (the little stuff that no one really needs, like masks, lousy sweets, but looks a bit tempting, as though a last ditch effort to get customers to spend more money). I suddenly had an uneasy feeling. I put my hand into my pocket to find my wallet gone.

I walked around looking for it. Then my friend and I went to ask for some help from the shop's security. I think it was quite hopeless. I looked around and saw so many happy faces with wallets ready to buy stuff. I felt sad...

We took a bus back to the place I last took out my wallet, in case I had accidentally thrown it away together with the cup of Milo I had bought there. It was not there. There was no wallet in the bin. There was no wallet on the floor. The drinks auntie didn't see any wallet. No one had seen any wallet.

So, resigned to the fact that I was unlikely to see my wallet again, I proceeded to cancel some cards I had in the wallet. I called the bank to cancel my ATM card. To my pleasant surprise, there was no annoying "If you wish to make a donation to us, please press 1...". Instead, I was immediately greeted by a human.

"Hellosir, howmayIhelpyou?" (CHEERFUL)

"Ah.. Hello. I would like to cancel an ATM card I lost." (embarrassed)

"Ahhh youlostyourATMcard, Sir? NO PROBLEM! Don't worry about it, Sir!" (SUPER CHEERFUL AND REASSURING)

I suddenly felt less troubled and rather cheerful myself. Then I was told I could get my replacement card practically anytime starting next day.

With that done, we took a bus to a police station to make a report. The bus was calm and cool. I saw a little girl holding her wallet in her hand. She was going out with her mum to go shopping. I watched her play with her wallet. I felt sad that I did not have a wallet to play with.

I hope I did not scare her mum by staring at the little girl and her wallet. The little girl was very cute.

We walked toward where we thought the police station was. Just to make sure, we stopped by a 7-11 to ask for directions.

"Yup, just follow the road, you will see a mosque. It's near there. About 5 minutes."

We walked until we reached a very swanky, modern looking mosque. Really swanky. It didn't cross my mind that mosques could look like that. Suddenly, Malaysian  mosques felt very old-fashioned... but then I thought about the costs of the swankiness... but decided it doesn't matter, whether it's swanky or not; as long as it doesn't cave-in and has nice ventilation and acoustics, I guess.

After a looooooooong trek, we reached the police station and made the report. I don't think the girl at 7-11 walks around much.

 ***

I feel sad. I should have spent all the money I had earlier when I passed by shops selling nice stuff. Rats.

I'm like a Bird

Nelly Furtado. I wonder when she'll get back to a less... commercial style.

~~~I am a Dreamer...~~~ Platinum

Cardcaptor Sakura third opening - Platinum

Singer - Maaya Sakamoto
Composer (I think) - Yoko Kanno!

This guy is great. Classical guitar? Also see his cover of 'Innocent Starter' (Nana Mizuki, Opening of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha).

P.S. Notice how he changes the position of the capo??

Memory of Running

While searching for some old songs I liked, I came across this.



I knew the version I played on piano was not true to the original, but I had forgotten how different it was!

I think my arrangement actually sounds nicer. Hehee..

Volver a Comenzar - Café Tacvba

I heard this on a game called Little Big Planet. A Spanish song called Volver a Comenzar.

Lyrics - "Starting Over"

If I made a list of my errors
Of the least to the worst
That exposed all the wounds,
The failures, disaffection and lies

I will offer the aroma of amber
I will offer the cedar of my tears
With the patience of the sea I will wait for life
To heal the confidence
If I could start over
I wouldn't have time to repair

If I made a voyage to my insides
And survived the laments
I would ask for the force to say how sorry I am
If I made a voyage to my insides

If I would start over
I wouldn't have time to repair
The spilled water is
The thirst that I feel will not satiate

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

How many things can I keep?
How many things can I treasure?
Sweet temptation
To leave it all

How much space do I want to occupy?
(Even the memories don't fit in this place)
How many things can I take?
(The last move should be the lightest)
Sweet temptation
To leave it all
Sweet temptation
To give it all away

If I could start over
I wouldn't have time to repair
The water spilled is
The thirst that I feel will heal me
The water spilled is
The thirst that I feel will heal me



The original music video by Café Tacvba is actually a bit sad.

Original Spanish Lyrics:

Si hiciera una lista de mis errores
de los menores hasta los peores
que expusiera todas las heridas,
los fracasos, desamores y las mentiras

Ofreceré el aroma del ámbar
ofreceré el cedro y mis lágrimas
con la paciencia del mar esperaré toda una vida
a que sane la confianza
si volviera a comenzar
no tendría tiempo de reparar

si hiciera un viaje a mis adentros
y sobreviviera a los lamentos
pediría fuerzas para decir cuánto lo siento
si volviera de un viaje a mis adentros

si volviera a comenzar
no tendría tiempo de reparar
el agua derramada está
la sed que siento no saciará

From: http://lyricstranslate.com

From: http://lyricstranslate.com 

 

si volviera a comenzar
no tendría tiempo de reparar
el agua derramada está
la sed que siento no saciará

From: http://lyricstranslate.com 

-----------------------------------------
cuantas cosas mas puedo guardar?
cuantas cosas puedo atesorar?
dulce tentación
de dejarlo todo

cuantas espacio mas quiero ocupar?
(hasta los recuerdos ya no caben en este lugar)
cuantas cosas mas me puedo llevar?
(la ultima mudanza debe ser la mas ligera)
dulce tencacion
de dejarlo todo
dulce tentacion
regalarlo todo

si volviera a comenzar
no tendría tiempo de reparar
(uu uu uu uu)
el agua derramada está
(uu uu uu uu)
la sed que siento me sanará
(uu uu uu uu)
el agua derramada está
(uu uu uu uu)
la sed que siento me sanará

From: http://lyricstranslate.com

From: http://lyricstranslate.com

From: http://lyricstranslate.com

From: http://lyricstranslate.com

------------- 

From: http://lyricstranslate.com

From: http://lyricstranslate.com

Sleep Cycle Crash

My sleep cycle and motivation levels have officially crashed.

A friend gave me 2 books to study. I have to study.

I need to catch up.

I am..

Miracle Hinacle?

A friend showed me this. It's so hypnotic... o.0

How to Save a Life

Ahem.

1. Sit down.
2. We need to talk.
3. Listen.

This is sometimes all that is most important in how to save a life.

How to let someone save you:

1. Sit down.
2. We need to talk.
3. Listen.

Sometimes, just shut up and listen.

How not to save a life:

1. Get emotional.
2. Be judgmental.
3. Preach.

How to not be saved:

1. Wallow in self-despair.
2. Pity thyself.
3. Give up.

---

I wonder whether I ever did anything right...

3 Doors Down

Yay. There was a better turn out than expected. 4 votes! WOOHOO!

Hehe. Anyway, the results of the poll are 2-2. Now, time for the answer.

This is actually a pretty famous maths question known as the Monty Hall problem. It's a question of probability, and humans are inherently bad at questions of probability. This is because a lot of probability questions have answers which tend to be counter-intuitive. Anyhoo, let's get to the game.

The question is simple. We are given 3 doors. One door gives us a win. Two doors give a loss. We want a win. Our aim is to determine the best strategy to use in such a situation to win. Anyone with basic knowledge of probability should be able to follow.

Consider the twist given. After we choose a door, a losing door will be opened. We will then be left with the choice to change our choice or stick with it. Does it really matter?

One way to look at it is this. No matter what we choose, in the end, it will always be a choice between win or lose. So we can see this as 50-50. It doesn't really matter if we switch or not. So some might choose to stay. Some may choose to switch. It doesn't matter.

Here's the catch. DOES IT REALLY NOT MATTER? Maybe you've heard of the term "Conditional Probability". Maybe you know that probability can be very tricky. Maybe you think this is obviously a trick question, and change your mind on whatever your first instinct was. Whatever the case, here's the answer as given by statisticians.

Consider the game played without the twist. What would your chances be at winning? Quite obviously 1/3.

Now, consider playing the game with the twist. We are asked whether we want to change. If we have already made up our minds NEVER to change, then it doesn't make a difference whether we played with the twist or not. So it is as if we are playing the game without the twist. The chance of winning is 1/3. Follow?

Now consider this interesting fact which is often noticed but not appreciated fully. What are the chances that we lose when we choose from the start? Quite obviously, 2/3.

Applying the same logic from the above scenario, if we don't switch, our chances remain the same: 2/3 chance of losing, 1/3 chance of winning.

Now what if we always switch. Hehehe.

This stance assumes that we are wrong on our first choice. It is not always that we will be wrong, just 2/3 of the time. See where this goes?

If we start off by thinking we more likely to choose the wrong door at first, if we switch, it follows it is more likely to be the right door. The probability of 2/3 now comes into our favour, by turning it into the chance of winning.

In case you don't follow, this youtube video should do the trick.

Hope you had fun.

Somewhere in the Rain

It's raining.

My gluteal muscles ache slightly due to leg exercises yesterday.

Weight training is the easy part; how to plan my diet?? That's the tough part. I think I need help...

I feel lazy.

The rain stopped.

It feels like time stopped.

I'm thinking about my friends and family.

It rained again.

ps. weight training isn't easy. It's just easy compared to the other parts...

3 Doors

Hello. Let's play a game! First, read the following passage.

"Here I have 3 doors for you to choose from. Choose which door you want to open. Behind one door is a prize. Behind the other 2 doors is nothing. So... to win, just choose which door you think conceals the prize!

After you choose a door, I will open one of the other doors. Don't worry, I will only open a door which  is hiding nothing! And I will make things easier for you. After I open the fake door, I'll give a choice: now is your last chance to win the prize! Do you want to switch to the remaining door, or stay with your initial choice?"

Now, what you need to do is write your comment: what strategy is best to win this game???

Renal renal

Today let's play a game. How well do you think your kidneys are functioning right now? Let's say our kidneys function at 100% efficiency at birth. You should also state your age, and your current lifestyle/health conditions. To input your answer, leave a comment, or use the poll (which I hope works).

For example, I am 24yrs old, average build, simple workout around 3-4 times a week. Lazy student lifestyle.

I think my kidneys are functioning at ----

: )

Pik Han's Wedding Part 3: The Dinner

3 days ago, I attended my cousin's wedding dinner. Maybe it is because I have been feeling down lately, or just tired, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Wedding dinners can be very boring. The only times I remember enjoying wedding dinners are when I am free to do whatever I want and go wherever I want. This means I stopped enjoying wedding dinners after I reached a certain age...

Whatever the case, I enjoyed this one. But here I would like to voice an opinion I think quite a few people had: Why did Pekin put us next to a rowdy, noisy company dinner that included BELLY DANCERS and whatnot???

I particularly enjoyed taking part in the Yam Seng thingy. I never did it so enthusiastically before. This time it was personal. I like to believe we got back at that Company Dinner. At each dinner table, it seemed more and more people from previous tables joined in.

Yes. This was war.



More pics... ehehe..

 

The entrance

Waaaaa...

Receptionists.

Babynappers.

-_-?

???

??????????

These candles were just tempting little kids to blow them out (Jerald and Di-di).

They moved very fast and it was very difficult to catch them. The 'blur' is ---

Joven. Shown here with Lee Yang. I consider this a golden shot. Both were sulking practically the whole time.

Pik Han's Wedding Part 2

I wonder why we must light the loud red crackers before the bride comes. I find it funny. There was a lot of smoke after that. A lot of people were coughing. I wonder why. I was standing outside near the crackers too, but I didn't feel like coughing. Maybe they used their mouths to breathe and found out that the nose does work better after all. Some of the children were just coughing for fun. How do I know? They were fine until they saw people coughing. Then they began coughing in an exaggerated manner.



Now for more photos...

 

OOoooo.....

 

I don't have the photo, but after this shot, Jerald gave a manic grin. 

 

Waseh...

  

 

IDENTIFY THE BABIES


I dunno why but he's always sleeping...




And this one's always staring somewhere far off...

Pik Han's Wedding Part 1

This will be an unusual series of posts.

I shall record a bit of Pik Han and Joey's wedding here. I wonder whether I got the name right....

 

Milo kept coming over. Sibuk. Wag tail at everyone. Tell him to go home, he come again. Haiyo.

The bridesmaid. So cute Lee Yang. But for some reason looked sien...

This picture looked so nice. But I didn't know how to take photo properly.. sigh.. Maybe need to photoshop...

Siew Ling jiejie, Jayden, A-sim(like that can ah?), and Joven. Look at Joven later at night hehe.

 Family gathering.

Two pretty young ladies.... umm... Ahem.

What I Did Today... (2 days ago)

I decided to write about something that I did today (2 days ago) because I have been thinking about it and also about what to write other than some unrelated thing. So I will write about it because it came up when I was chatting with a friend online.

"Today, I transformed some E. Coli cells. They should now be resistant to Ampicillin. This is the first step in my grand plan. I will create a breed only I am immune to, and will hold the world hostage.

"Today, Ampicillin-resistant E. Coli. Tomorrow, I shall rule the world. WAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!"

Then I started thinking about how it would backfire if they got the better of me. What if they laid waste to everything before I could do anything? For example, what if they killed off all the game programmers??? Then I wouldn't get to play new video games anymore!!!!

This made me worried. But then I thought of a smart plan. I will give selected people immunity on the condition that they serve me. MUAHAHAHAA. I make a good evil overlord. >:)

Then I started thinking. What if they evolved to get me, their creator? What if they mutated and I was no longer immune to them?????

---

I decided to use my (soon-to-be-acquired) power for good rather than evil. I have turned over a new leaf.

Soul - Vibrations??HAHA ----- Getaran Jiwa

I decided to write about something because I felt that writing two consecutive things about poker is not healthy. But I didn't know what to write about because nothing came to mind really. I've just been feeling pretty shitty lately...

So I read a blog to pass time. Then the subject came to folksongs in Malaysia. It made me remember the simple but very nice songs I grew up with. I don't really get the current local Malay music scene. But it brought to mind a song I really like.

Ooooo... They celebrate P. Ramlee now like a hero. I wonder what it would have been like for him if he were around. The religious guys would have him for dinner. His movies would get cut up very nicely. It is sad how my home country seems to have changed so much. Or has it always been an illusion? A dream?

(All statements made are off the top of my giddy head and did not have much thought put into them. Mainly I am lamenting the fact that I have not been moved yet by a local homegrown artiste as much as P. Ramlee... )

(I blame narrow-minded idiots who want political mileage, or just plain narrow-minded idiots.)

(Now I feel like a narrow-minded idiot. Rats.)

Poker 2

Another night of poker. Is it a new addiction? I hope not.

So many foul-mouthed, perverted, childish, immature, arrogant, ignorant people out there in Zynga Poker. Both male and female. Si beh kuailan. Rasa macam ---- teringin sangat belasah mereka. If I were their parents I would spank them to hell and back and back to hell again. Kick their arses so hard they kiss the moon. But then again, that they would end up like this says something about their parents.

I am not a person who ventures into the outside world much. If this is the outside world, it is sad.

Once on vacation in Desaru, at a resort swimming pool, I had an encounter with a young boy of around 5-7 of age and his father. The father was trying to help his son into the pool, and the kid got annoyed and called his father something I never imagined I would hear a kid calling their parent - especially not from kid that age. Then the kid sulkily goes into the pool himself.

And guess what the dad did?

"Be careful", says dad worriedly, with a worried look on his face. And he stands there, meekly, about 2 metres from the pool.

After a few seconds, the kid realises something, and screams "OII!!! COME AND HELP ME LAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? QUICKLY COME!"

And daddy comes to the rescue.

"WHAT WERE YOU DOING!? WHY SO SLOW!?"
"Sorry lah sorry lah..."

-_- ......

Forgive me for saying this, but I would like to just grab that kid and throw him into the middle of the pool. As for the father, I felt like kicking his sorry arse.

Sorry-my-foot!

-----

If this is the outside world, it is very sad.

Poker Face

Hello everybody. I started playing poker on Facebook. And I am losing badly right now. So sad. I played poker during Chinese New Year and lost too. So sad. I need to work on my poker skills. No poker face apparently.

This leads to another topic. Perhaps I am being too sensitive (thin skinned?)

I want to build muscle. It is hard. I would like to be a bodybuilder if possible. HAHAA but that is dependent on my strength of mind... Just that, it seems like around here, many people don't seem to think of a muscled body as something good. They think it scary or weird or freaky or - basically something bad/negative.

I understand beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone's got their own taste. But it is quite depressing to be ridiculed for trying to aim for this. Gets even worse when sickly looking guys are considered 'hot'. Meh.

P.S. : I hate Rain. (Arming myself with umbrella, defending against salvo of counter-fire from fans).

P.S.S. : They found a real vampire for Twilight.

The Wind is Calling

I am scared of heights, but I have dreams where I fly. I like to feel the wind rushing past me. Curiously, the sensation I get when dreaming about flying is just like the sensations I experience when moving through water. I guess my brain tries to tie flying through air to the closest thing I have experienced - gliding through water. However, since I am no swimmer, my dreams of flight are aggravatingly slow... Sigh.

One of my favourite pieces arranged into a piano solo.

Fukai Mori

"As we live on,
we lose a little bit more.
Shrouded in falsehoods and lies,
we stand frozen to the spot, unable to cry out."

~~~

Dark: Humans are strange creatures.

Soul: What about them do you find strange? There are many things I can think of.

Dark: For the moment, just this. Look at what happens to their hearts as they grow older. When they are young, most of them are like bright sparks. Ignorant of the world, of cause and consequence, they live their life in relative bliss. They suffer for their foolishness, and for that they learn.

Dark: And yet when they grow older, and are wiser, they do not seem much better off. Indeed, can it be said that they are wiser? For they seem to suffer even more. For now not only are they left to fend for themselves, they are now able to perceive more of the cruelties of life. It almost makes me pity them. Perhaps they are better off as children. Perhaps some of them realise that. Perhaps that is why many of them remain children even as wizened old things; petty arguing, denial to face the harsh truths. Just look at them and tell me these are not the most disgusting things you have ever seen.

Soul: I have looked. And I think I understand how you feel. But I wonder if you do not see as well as I do, that there are just as many outstanding humans who grow to shoulder their responsibilities very admirably. True, they may falter. True, they may do so at sometimes at the expense of other things around them. But they strive to learn. They strive to do things better. I find that admirable.

Dark: You speak of few that I can see. I agree there are some who are just as you say, but I also think there are not many.

Soul: Can you be sure? Have you counted?

Dark: No. But I can guess. I have watched for some time, and more times have I come across a distasteful heart than I have a respectable one.

Soul: Perhaps you linger too long and too eagerly upon these distasteful ones.

Dark: No. It is as it is.

Soul: Then look closer. Might I remind you that "good" and "bad" are inventions of the human mind. There is no human who does only "good" things. There is no human who does only "bad" things. I am sure that among those who disgust you, there is another side to them, things they do in other situations, at other times, for other things, which are less likely to seem so crude.

Dark: Perhaps. However, you speak of doing things. I speak of their hearts. Many do "good" for that is expected of them, or because they are being watched. They do it out of fear.

Soul: Then, you doubt their hearts? That they become tainted as they live? That their "good" is born out of fear?

Dark: That is of course. They fear retribution and judgement from other people and from their "gods". They do it for their own sake.

Soul: Of course they do. And what do you find so disgusting with that?

Dark: That they have malice and anger in their hearts still, even as they do what they must.

Soul: And you think as children they do not?

Dark: I think they have less, if not none at all.

Soul: While that is possible, I also think it possible that that is not the general case. Life goes on. To live is to suffer in one way or another. Everything comes at a price, even if you cannot see it sometimes. For example: A person may laze and rest in his bed, but is paying the price of time. That time could be used for many other things.

Soul: But life still goes on. They might offend one another. They may consume the life of another living thing to continue living. But that is life. Suffering is inevitable. Do not judge them too harshly. In the end, what matters more is what they choose to do, is it not?

~~~

For Those Who Fight Further

Glow: What has been has gone.
Glow: What was has passed.
Glow: What more do you wish for?
Glow: What do you fight for?


For everyone...


Glow: Conceited.
Glow: Liar.
Glow: You fight for yourself.

....
No.
That is not true.


Glow: Prove it.

Wonderwall

When I was young(er), I was an idiot. I thought I was smart cos I knew lots of people who were not so smart. But I still felt inferior in other ways; physically, tactical smarts, street smarts... etc. So I realised I wasn't so smart, and that I was being an even bigger idiot by thinking I was smart.

When I was young(er), I was always scared to do things. I always believed that the "big people" would know how to handle things. As I continued rowing the boat down this river of fate, I realised not all "big people" know how to handle things. Some "big people" were just big. Inside, they were still "small people". So I thought I was smarter, since I could see that. Then I realised I would probably end up like that one day. So I hated growing up.

When I grew old(er), I started to see more and more things that I was unhappy with. For example: Why was gravity so tenacious as to keep us grounded all the time? Why are politicians (who make policies which decide how our lives are run) people who were mostly made up of the people like the idiots I knew growing up, who are much dumber than I am? Then I realised making policies and big big decisions are not easy, and I was not sure myself I could do such things.

A lot of things have changed.

As I live everyday now, I try to keep my mind as open as possible. I tend to be too judgmental, but I try to keep it as being 'too analytical'. I tend to be pessimistic, but I try to keep it realistic; and realism is that while bad things may happen, good things may happen too. I tend to be too critical and blame others; I try to shut up and fix myself first.

Sometimes I feel I would never survive in this world, if it were not for other people protecting me.

Do other people protect these protectors of mine too?

Am I protecting other people without realising it?

I like to think we all rely on each other. But if we take away one support, can it be replaced? Maybe not. Cos we are humans. We have feelings. We are just idiots played for fools by our emotions, hormones, neurotransmitters, memory, prejudice, habits, preconceptions, fears.

So never forget a friend you've made. You may forget the name, the face, the place. I dunno about you, but I still remember a lot of people whose paths in this timeless river crossed with mine. Is it enough to remember? Maybe how we remember them is important too.

~~~

Ballad of Truth

The dust-covered child gazes at the dawning sun.

The desert wind calls.

Broken dreams chain him.

The oracle promises the way.

Faith leads the faithful.

At the precipice. Decision.


S E E K T H E T R U T H


The key is within himself.

The oracle smiles knowingly.

The child looks forward.

The chains are cast off.

The day beckons.

Night comes again.

But he decides his own fate now.

Lagrima

Songs tell stories. Music tells stories. Without words. That's what I think.

Rather. Music conveys emotions. Things that cannot be described. Discrete notions of a particular emotion described using words like 'Love', or 'Anger', or 'Passion' - can't beat the directness of music.

Here's a story I came across on Youtube while listening to FF music by Nobuo Uematsu. A story about a musician. Composer and guitarist Francisco Tarrega.

He was a Spanish guitarist who lived from 1852 to 1909. He became famous for his playing and started traveling to other areas of Spain and also outside Spain to perform.

At one time, he performed in London, but apparently he didn't like it very much there. People noticed that he always appeared sad after his performances. The story goes that he missed his home, and he went on to capture that in this piece, Lagrima (spanish ~ tears).

I remembered that name. Thanks to a friend who introduced me to him. I don't know how to play the guitar, and it's times like these I go thinking 'why didn't I learn the guitar?'

For now I shan't bore people with the Final Fantasy part of it. Suffice to say, Nobuo Uematsu is very likely to have been inspired by this piece of music when composing his own piece, "On The Other Side of The Mountain". It seems very likely; played back to back, the two pieces meld very nicely.

To me, it seems like Other Side is an extension of the original... can I call it masterpiece? My friend says it's boring. True, it's not very technical, but umm... I think sometimes what makes a masterpiece is not how much skill was involved. Sometimes you behold a piece of work, and it moves you. Something connects with you. It's hard to put into words, because it can't. Words fail you. Then, even if only to you and you alone; then, that piece of work is a masterpiece.

You're Not Alone

Today, I jogged around my uni again... but under 40 minutes. So happy. It could be due to the happy hormones runners like to talk about, or it could be because this time I did it faster, and I did not get SOB or palpitations...

Granted I still had to slow down to walk, my running wasn't very good, and the uphill parts still kill me, but I am still happy... I think I improved overall. Still a long way to go...

I am still quite unfit. I still feel like I don't really fit in. Still kekok. I sometimes still dwell on the past. But now, I will try harder to move forward, even if I don't really see what's in front. At least now I don't feel like there is an impenetrable choking mist.

Thank you to my friend who cheered me on and gave me so much support. I give up too easily, but you showed me perseverance. In my face. :P

I will continue to try til I do my best. I know I am not alone. I just always felt alone. May that be a past memory from now on.

The Emperor's New Clothes (v???.??)

Once upon a time, there was a very vain king. He liked to show off a lot. One of his favourite ways of showing off was to buy expensive and fashionable clothes, such as Applecrumbles&Stitch, Pravda, Jordano, MSG, Allele et all, etc...

He was not one given to thrift; every year, he had a parade on his birthday. This one year, he wanted it to be a bit special. He posted advertisements for up and coming fashion designers to come up with a new birthday suit for him to wear during the parade. In the end, he was very impressed by the promises of a great design by a pair of promising youngsters from Shush Kitties. In truth, there were very good designs that had already been presented to him by designers from as far as Central Antarctic Ocean and Papaya Republic, but since they were foreign and of dubious intent, he rejected. In addition, Shush Kitties came with high recommendations from many of his ministers, and he personally knew one of the young fellows, who was a cousin twice removed from his uncle's wife's cousin's side.

Finally, the day came for the grand parade. The King had paid $%$29190478294.28 for this grand affair, and he appeared before the great crowd on national Utube, riding atop his grand steed, in his newly completed attire.

Unsurprisingly, he was very happy and proud.

Celebrations were always very big in his country, and even more so when the subject of celebration was the king himself. It was no understatement to say that he outdid himself this year. The streets were specially paved with gold. Countless lights were put up on the trees (some of which started to catch fire). To show the colourful lights off in broad daylight would have been impossible, so the king cleverly had a large dark blanket drawn over the whole city, which was actually a Fluid Screen, which showed past images of himself, such as one where he first learned how to ride a bike at age 3.

Unprecedented.

It was a big success. The crowd cheered wildly. Then a little boy hacked onto the national Utube and laughed, "THE KING IS NAKED!"

Soon the cheers changed into raucous laughter. The king became very angry. He quickly retired, and no one is sure what happened after that, and even I am not sure, but they say in Papaya Republic that the crowd was dispersed amicably with mild showers of water and the fogging machines (no one knows where they came from) started to malfunction, filling the streets with a choking mist.

An emergency was declared, and it was determined that there was a threat to national security. The next few months, the land was in chaos. The National Audit found strange inconsistencies in the parade's money matters. A video appeared where the Royal Fashioner was caught mumbling to a behind a curtain the word "Exacta". And the little boy was never seen again.

Until this day, whenev------

~~~

Soul: Whenev--- what??? Finish the story, my friend. Pray do not leave me hanging.

Dark: I finished it. All the books end in that manner. The author never finished it.

Soul: Hmmm??? So what is the point of that story?

Dark: You are looking for a moral in that story? My dear friend, did you not just ask me to tell you a joke? I merely did just that. But if you insist... If there is a moral in that story somewhere, it would probably be...

~~~

The Price of Freedom

Soul: And what is the price of freedom? What should be sacrificed in order to gain and keep it? What do you think is a fair exchange for freedom? Is it not freedom that these people now have? That they can ask us for more freedom? Are they not being too demanding? Nothing is free, at least in this world. For this freedom they have a price to pay, do they not?

Dark: I sense a hint of mischief in your words. You ask that as though you are insulted. Yet, you do know the answers already to the questions you ask, do you not, my friend? However, let me play along to your game. Before I can answer your many questions, I believe a definition of freedom would serve us well. Perhaps you would care to start by answering this little question of mine first? Then perhaps we can decide whether there is already enough freedom amongst these demanding people.

Soul: To define freedom? Let me first start by saying that there is never 'enough freedom'.

Dark: What do you mean? But let us not get ahead of ourselves. Can you give me a good definition of 'freedom'? I am sorry, but I will not let this pass until it is done.

Soul: I suppose it is only fair, since I asked so much of you, that I answer this one question of yours. I shall do my best. Listen, and tell me if I am wrong, when I say that Freedom is ----

~~~

So what is freedom? Shoot away.

(I am a bit giddy after having to read philo text.... -_-)