So... It's January 2nd, and the new year is safely in. Which means now is a good time to think about the three hundred and sixty-five and a quarter days marking the Earth's last complete orbit around the Sun.
One year ago, when 2007 was a very new year, I dubbed it the Year of Entertainment. There were going to be a lot of important movies coming out in 2007 - Spiderman 3, Pirates of the Carribean 3: At World's End, the fifth Harry Potter movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the long-awaited Transformers. There were going to be a lot of important game releases - Halo 3, Portal (packaged in The Orange Box) and the long, long, long, LONG awaited Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was due to arrive in that year. So it was a very interesting year in the world of fiction, and I must say I wasn't disappointed. There isn't as much to look forward to in 2008, which is a little sad, but we can't have a Year of Entertainment every year, it would look cheap.
So what is 2008 about? For me it will be the Year of Uncertainty, as I fly off to new responsibilities and begin a new stage of my life. It may also be the Year of Change, the Year of Independence or possibly the Year of Growing Up. (I'm really hoping it won't be the Year of Stupid Mistakes.) Whatever it ends up... Okay, let's face it. I have no idea what it will end up as. How's about we meet up here in another year and talk about it?
To the new year.
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
Friday, 28 December 2007
Update XIV: Reboot
I'm in the school library, and it's cold. For a while I even thought my pants were wet (they're not). I'm waiting on my Final Year Project team members, who are currently late and can only get later. Since there's nothing much else to do, we have a blog entry.
My computer Orpheus has been sick over the past few days, down with a little nasty it picked up from BZP which apparently allows other viruses in. (We don't recommend that you go there right now with Internet Explorer. The exploit is still there - I'd have gotten it again, only my new Spybot-S&D Resident caught the registry change and stopped it. Firefox is apparently immune, so no worries if you use it.) Of course, this just had to happen when I was in the middle of writing my FYP report.
Well, Orpheus is back now, and healthier. I think he needed the reformat anyway, but I could have done without having to painfully get back all the programs, drivers, security updates and whatnot. The IT Helpdesk never reinstalls things the same way twice, and I'm still missing the Chinese language pack. Graagh.
Enough whining from me. It is, after all, the day after Boxing Day, which in actual fact has nothing to do with the sport, but with boxes. And this has been a nice Christmas season for me. My mother made her trademark French-style roast chicken, there was much pudding with custard, and I got to catch up with old friends. Also, my father gave me a wrapped present.
It was a Cornetto. He is very lame sometimes.
I have two shout-outs, which coincide with the two restaurants I had the opportunity to visit this holiday season. One is for Marché, a nice little restaurant in Vivocity (there may be more outlets, but I'm only aware of this one). The restaurant is market-style, with stalls in the middle and the dining tables around the edges. At the entrance you are given a card; you then walk around the stalls picking out what you want to eat. The food is prepared right in front of you, the chef at the stall swipes your card, and you only pay at the end when you leave. The prices are reasonable, the food is very, very good and you have the assurance that nothing shady happened to it during preparation. The interior decoration has a homely, countryside-esque aesthetic, so the atmosphere is very cosy. It's a great place, and the only drawback is that it's in Vivocity which is navigational hell. If you don't mind overcrowded mazes, Marché is worth checking out.
The other is DÔME Café, where D3 went for lunch yesterday. The food is also superb in general, though we did agree that pizza is clearly not their speciality. Nevertheless the sandwiches seemed good, and they make a heavenly tiramisu. But what really impressed me was the service - the waitresses were genuinely nice to us, and really made us feel welcome. As a MasterCard advertisement would say - priceless.
But now the holiday season is behind us, and it's time for serious work again. So we go back to me, freezing in the overly-empty library, wishing my team members would freaking hurry up so we can get started on our project poster, typing up a blog entry on stolen time.
I could really do with a sandwich.
My computer Orpheus has been sick over the past few days, down with a little nasty it picked up from BZP which apparently allows other viruses in. (We don't recommend that you go there right now with Internet Explorer. The exploit is still there - I'd have gotten it again, only my new Spybot-S&D Resident caught the registry change and stopped it. Firefox is apparently immune, so no worries if you use it.) Of course, this just had to happen when I was in the middle of writing my FYP report.
Well, Orpheus is back now, and healthier. I think he needed the reformat anyway, but I could have done without having to painfully get back all the programs, drivers, security updates and whatnot. The IT Helpdesk never reinstalls things the same way twice, and I'm still missing the Chinese language pack. Graagh.
Enough whining from me. It is, after all, the day after Boxing Day, which in actual fact has nothing to do with the sport, but with boxes. And this has been a nice Christmas season for me. My mother made her trademark French-style roast chicken, there was much pudding with custard, and I got to catch up with old friends. Also, my father gave me a wrapped present.
It was a Cornetto. He is very lame sometimes.
I have two shout-outs, which coincide with the two restaurants I had the opportunity to visit this holiday season. One is for Marché, a nice little restaurant in Vivocity (there may be more outlets, but I'm only aware of this one). The restaurant is market-style, with stalls in the middle and the dining tables around the edges. At the entrance you are given a card; you then walk around the stalls picking out what you want to eat. The food is prepared right in front of you, the chef at the stall swipes your card, and you only pay at the end when you leave. The prices are reasonable, the food is very, very good and you have the assurance that nothing shady happened to it during preparation. The interior decoration has a homely, countryside-esque aesthetic, so the atmosphere is very cosy. It's a great place, and the only drawback is that it's in Vivocity which is navigational hell. If you don't mind overcrowded mazes, Marché is worth checking out.
The other is DÔME Café, where D3 went for lunch yesterday. The food is also superb in general, though we did agree that pizza is clearly not their speciality. Nevertheless the sandwiches seemed good, and they make a heavenly tiramisu. But what really impressed me was the service - the waitresses were genuinely nice to us, and really made us feel welcome. As a MasterCard advertisement would say - priceless.
But now the holiday season is behind us, and it's time for serious work again. So we go back to me, freezing in the overly-empty library, wishing my team members would freaking hurry up so we can get started on our project poster, typing up a blog entry on stolen time.
I could really do with a sandwich.
Tuesday, 18 December 2007
Converging to a Point
The hurdles are overcome, one by one. I went for my medical check-up today, and though I don't know how my chest X-ray went, the rest of it was fine. The tuition grant business also seems to be more or less settled. New passport is ready for collection. All I need are my IELTS results, and I'm ready to fly off.
Well, not entirely ready, but all that remains would be insignificant details like sorting out what to take and saying goodbye to everything I've ever known. The easy stuff.
(I realise that the rule is "sarcasm does not translate over the internet". So to clarify, that was sarcasm. Thank you and have a nice day.)
Oh, and I finished my Christmas shopping. While staying within budget. This is an amazing thing which may never happen again.
So I'm calm now. It's not going to last, but I've found my centre for the time being.
Take care.
Well, not entirely ready, but all that remains would be insignificant details like sorting out what to take and saying goodbye to everything I've ever known. The easy stuff.
(I realise that the rule is "sarcasm does not translate over the internet". So to clarify, that was sarcasm. Thank you and have a nice day.)
Oh, and I finished my Christmas shopping. While staying within budget. This is an amazing thing which may never happen again.
So I'm calm now. It's not going to last, but I've found my centre for the time being.
Take care.
Monday, 17 December 2007
Hady Mirza Wins Asian Idol
The news should be all over Singapore by now, but for anyone disconnected from reality... The second Singapore Idol, Hady Mirza, won the first Asian Idol contest last night. Read all about it here.
So my classmates were actually discussing this about last week, and the consensus seemed to be he'd be voted out at the earliest opportunity. Long years of participating in contests, and failing to get anywhere in said contests, has convinced the general populace that Singapore Never Wins.
Singapore won last night. It's actually won several times in the past, but apparently no one was paying attention then. Well, this was front-page news, so pay attention now. Fellow Singaporeans, it's time to start believing in your own country again.
So my classmates were actually discussing this about last week, and the consensus seemed to be he'd be voted out at the earliest opportunity. Long years of participating in contests, and failing to get anywhere in said contests, has convinced the general populace that Singapore Never Wins.
Singapore won last night. It's actually won several times in the past, but apparently no one was paying attention then. Well, this was front-page news, so pay attention now. Fellow Singaporeans, it's time to start believing in your own country again.
Sunday, 9 December 2007
Puffball Fungus
La la la WISHLIST la la la...
1) Anything Bionicle-related (I didn't get any sets again this year... sniff...)
2) Anything car-related
3) Anything shiny (shiny-shiny!)
4) Transformers DVD
5) Chocolate!
6) Universal peace and love
I doubt I'm getting the last one. It's kinda expensive.
Mandatory disclaimer - the above list is only for those who are out of ideas. Y'all know that you have the habit of getting me stuff I didn't even know I wanted. Actually, as long as it's from you guys I'll treasure it anyway, simply because it's something you picked out with me in mind.
Right, I think we've reached our daily sap quota around here. Moving on...
Mariem, you're the only one left who hasn't compiled a wishlist now. HA! Fortunately I know just what to get for you.
Also, I'll make chocolate lava cake if I can possibly manage it (i.e. it doesn't harden into regular cake). Let me know what's happening with the annual meeting, 'kay?
Before I go, I believe a puffball fungus was promised. Here's one, courtesy of Google image search:
(Image originally from here.)
Peace out.
1) Anything Bionicle-related (I didn't get any sets again this year... sniff...)
2) Anything car-related
3) Anything shiny (shiny-shiny!)
4) Transformers DVD
5) Chocolate!
6) Universal peace and love
I doubt I'm getting the last one. It's kinda expensive.
Mandatory disclaimer - the above list is only for those who are out of ideas. Y'all know that you have the habit of getting me stuff I didn't even know I wanted. Actually, as long as it's from you guys I'll treasure it anyway, simply because it's something you picked out with me in mind.
Right, I think we've reached our daily sap quota around here. Moving on...
Mariem, you're the only one left who hasn't compiled a wishlist now. HA! Fortunately I know just what to get for you.
Also, I'll make chocolate lava cake if I can possibly manage it (i.e. it doesn't harden into regular cake). Let me know what's happening with the annual meeting, 'kay?
Before I go, I believe a puffball fungus was promised. Here's one, courtesy of Google image search:
(Image originally from here.)
Peace out.
Sunday, 25 November 2007
MORE FORMS
For the record, applying for a visa with a third-world country's passport sucks. I can't wait to become a Singapore citizen so I don't have to deal with all this paperwork.
I finished wading through the last of the visa application forms, but it's not over yet - I still have to get a medical examination, X-ray and take an IELTS test. Yes, apparently studying in Singapore all my life and getting A1 for O' Level English are inadequate indications of sufficient English proficiency to survive in Australia.
Oh, and of course the agent only saw fit to inform me about this English language requirement now.
... Sorry. Tight deadlines make the Wintershark cranky.
On a more optimistic note, as part of my effort to gain some cooking skills before heading off to live on my own, I made chicken curry today. It turned out... surprisingly good. Though I'll probably substitute the coconut milk with regular milk next time - you can practically see the unhealthiness floating around in it.
I guess I'm finally getting my cooking skills under control - last week I made chocolate fudge for the class, and it was quite popular. It'll be nice if I finally overcome all my cooking handicaps. Especially those relating to potatoes. I am terrible at preparing potatoes.
Last thing - Indestruc2Tank, the sequel to IndestructoTank, came out a short while ago. Surprisingly enough, this sequel is even better than the original, and proves to be the superior timewaster. Go check it out.
Til next time.
I finished wading through the last of the visa application forms, but it's not over yet - I still have to get a medical examination, X-ray and take an IELTS test. Yes, apparently studying in Singapore all my life and getting A1 for O' Level English are inadequate indications of sufficient English proficiency to survive in Australia.
Oh, and of course the agent only saw fit to inform me about this English language requirement now.
... Sorry. Tight deadlines make the Wintershark cranky.
On a more optimistic note, as part of my effort to gain some cooking skills before heading off to live on my own, I made chicken curry today. It turned out... surprisingly good. Though I'll probably substitute the coconut milk with regular milk next time - you can practically see the unhealthiness floating around in it.
I guess I'm finally getting my cooking skills under control - last week I made chocolate fudge for the class, and it was quite popular. It'll be nice if I finally overcome all my cooking handicaps. Especially those relating to potatoes. I am terrible at preparing potatoes.
Last thing - Indestruc2Tank, the sequel to IndestructoTank, came out a short while ago. Surprisingly enough, this sequel is even better than the original, and proves to be the superior timewaster. Go check it out.
Til next time.
Saturday, 17 November 2007
Just...Whoa
The world of Bionicle has received some... interesting news over the past week. And by interesting, I mean Holy Fishsticks!
Note: If you want a text-free version of this image, get it here.
So the new Bionicle Ignition comic arrived, and, well... BZP member Dokuma was kind enough to post some scans here.
Okay, so... Point #1. Mata Nui has been saved. The universe will not die. That's a relief. We sorta knew it would happen though. That's not the earth-shaking news.
No, the earth-shaking news is this is the first time a major character, who has been in the story since its beginnings in 2001, who has four sets to his name, has died. This is significant, because it shows that the story is becoming a lot more serious. The world of Bionicle is dangerous, and the story-writers are not afraid to show it.
But more importantly, this death wasn't for some random reason like self-sacrifice. Why do I dislike self-sacrifice? Because more often than not it is a waste, that's why, especially since it seems only the competent, highly-skilled characters enjoy throwing their lives away. Unless the character is the entire reason that the trouble started, or unless the death immediately frees the universe of all evil, self-sacrifice simply leaves one less hero to deal with the bad guys. Sure, it wins the battle, but at what cost to the war? Life is a profound thing, and there are always better ways for it to be of use than discarding it.
This was different. The mask chose Matoro. Something, possibly the mask itself, told him to put it on. It was his destiny, and like every good Toa, he accepted it. In doing so he became a hero. His death is something to be remembered and respected, because unlike the typical self-sacrifice, it actually meant something.
You did good, Lego. Well done.
...But for heaven's sake don't resurrect him later.
Note: If you want a text-free version of this image, get it here.So the new Bionicle Ignition comic arrived, and, well... BZP member Dokuma was kind enough to post some scans here.
Okay, so... Point #1. Mata Nui has been saved. The universe will not die. That's a relief. We sorta knew it would happen though. That's not the earth-shaking news.
No, the earth-shaking news is this is the first time a major character, who has been in the story since its beginnings in 2001, who has four sets to his name, has died. This is significant, because it shows that the story is becoming a lot more serious. The world of Bionicle is dangerous, and the story-writers are not afraid to show it.
But more importantly, this death wasn't for some random reason like self-sacrifice. Why do I dislike self-sacrifice? Because more often than not it is a waste, that's why, especially since it seems only the competent, highly-skilled characters enjoy throwing their lives away. Unless the character is the entire reason that the trouble started, or unless the death immediately frees the universe of all evil, self-sacrifice simply leaves one less hero to deal with the bad guys. Sure, it wins the battle, but at what cost to the war? Life is a profound thing, and there are always better ways for it to be of use than discarding it.
This was different. The mask chose Matoro. Something, possibly the mask itself, told him to put it on. It was his destiny, and like every good Toa, he accepted it. In doing so he became a hero. His death is something to be remembered and respected, because unlike the typical self-sacrifice, it actually meant something.
You did good, Lego. Well done.
...But for heaven's sake don't resurrect him later.
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