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我輩について 男 中華と日本料理 客人数 Counters 通告！ Trip will proceed with 3 pple - Spice Peranakan - budget: $15 - Shimbashi Soba at Paragon - budget: $25 - P&P Thai Food - budget: $15 Reviews 評判 怨言与投诉
友達様 Take Out Bento Boxes February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 |
Friday, March 31, 2006 友達は僕に「何故ブログ中に、貴方の生活の中の事を書かない？」と聞きました。原因は簡単でしょう。僕は「自分の生活が本当につまらない」と思っていますから、そのことは全然書かない。代わりに、社会の問題は僕の生活より面白いよね！ この世界は、毎日が変わっていますね 。だから、毎日新しい問題と事が起こります。僕の趣味はあの問題と事を観察します。それに、思ったの後で友達と相談します。この活動はとても面白くて、新しい発見を貰いました。次、このブログの中に書きます。もし自分の事を書けば、このブログはつまらない成りそうでしょう！。確かに、みんな様は「今朝、僕は顔を洗って歯を磨いて。。。」の文を読まない！（＾＾）みんな様はこのブログが大好きと望んでいます。。。 ところで、僕の日本語の真実階層を分かりません。。。最近、日本友達とお喋りをします。彼らの英語よくできますから、びっくりをしますよ！反対に、僕の日本語まだ下手でしょう。。。これは残念です。。。（Ｔ＿Ｔ）それでも、確り頑張り続けますよ！年末、日本語能力試験４級を受けよう。合格を望んでいます。。。 。。。ふぅん。。。今も疲れました。。。もう八時間眠りましたよ！だから、もっと書きません。。。ちょっと眠ろう。。。ハハハ！（＾。＾）/～～～ Sunday, March 26, 2006 Religion NOTE: all superbly devout people, you should stop reading at this point so that i may be safe from any zealous repercussions. If you want to convert me, think thrice or more. If you want to shoot me back and rebutt me, then you are as weak as i think you are. Simple. Got that? In this post, readers will find that i comment mainly on Christianity. I do so because it is so successful in making it's presence known. After all, i have been the target of several attempts to "salvage my lost soul". With the current hoohah on Islam and Christianity in the recent weeks, I find it more often that i think about this issue now. However, don't expect me, a lowly ant in the great one's eyes, to comment about the international religion issue. I prefer a more personal approach at the issue which lies at my doorstep. I remember when i was young, the number of christians were few in class. Then this number increased when i was in secondary school. When i reached JC, I was easily an outcast because i wasn't christian. It's interesting to note how the number of converts and christians have increased so much in the younger generation of Singapore. Especially so when Singapore isn't a Western country and most of the older generation are free thinkers, Taoists or Buddhists. What is Religion exactly? In the case of the "eastern" religions, Buddhism and Hinduism, the religions are more of a way of thought and a way of living. The so called gods and deities are more of an outlet for one's wishes and as a manifestation of human values. However, Christians tell me that theirs is "a relation with god" (i refuse to put god in capitals because i dun believe in him, end of story). To them, this god supposedly rules their lives. It is to be attributed for any great and joyous events in their lives, and any catastrophe is a test to them on the strength of their beliefs in him. this god supposedly has their lives planned out from them, and all is part of his grand plan. Now, my comment on this is simple. It only consists of one sentence. Believers are themselves, just puppets of the guy upstairs in this case. just tools for him to carry out his plan, with no true self will. Why did religion surface? Man is inherently weak within. Man, upon gaining a powerful throbbing brain, capable of highly advanced thinking and processing, finds himself fearful of the world around him, because he realises so much and understands so little. This is why science surfaced too. Religion surfaced when people could not understand certain things, and to calm their panic, such phenomena were attributed to a great unknown being/beings , who knows everything and constructed this world. The problem is solved isn't it? What cannot be understood, even after research on it, just rest easy on the fact that the great guy knows it, therefore there is no need for us to have to know it anymore. Just TRUST him. have FAITH in him. As man proceeded, he started to question his reason for existence, the meaning to his life. Of course the answer to this question is not easily found, and in the kind of society we live in today, the hectivcnature of it all just further compels us to think more and more about it. In the end, people came up with a convenient and effective way to answer it. The answer lies in the concept of god again. he has everything planned out. Your role in this world is to obey him, and he will lead you to greater greener pastures. You are a lost sheep in this world, he is the shepard. Isn't this what Christianity is about? DON'T even bother to defend it, because it is like so. Those who even bother to want to berate me for such a statement are just weak and cannot stand to have your only pillar of reliance and dependance shattered. In the end, when you think about it, religion is all about this isn't it? Especially Christianity. We today live in such a fast paced and hectic society. Many times, we start to question what we are doing what we do for. Mundane work daily just gets on people's nerves. There seems to be no true direction in life other than to make money, is that it? Therefore, people turn to religion. And as christians so love to advertise, "have a relation with god and all you will find meaning in life!". Check out what banners are hung on the perimeter fences of churches. Many are rhetorical questions, meant to strike a chord within one's lonely and misguided heart. "Seeking meaning in your life?" "Lost?" "Think life has no meaning?" They profess that once you believe in god all will be solved. Your life's direction will be to devote yourself to god and believe him, and follow him. Simple. Further perks include "if you don't believe in god, you will go to hell" " If you believe in him, you will go to paradise. You will be invited into his abode" " god will JUDGE you" OOOHHH, I'm so scared, that i am. This is outright emotional blackmail. Everyone naturally fears death and what lies beyond because nobody knows. But, they say god knows, so all you have to do is trust and believe in him, and you will go to paradise. Non believers, no matter how good they were in life, go straight to hell. No room for appeals. BLACKMAIL. who doesn't want the safer option? This is a popular technique used by people who are out to convert others to christianity, they call it "spreading the gospel" Apparently, christians believe that they are doing someone good just by converting someone. It's time for me to say what i really wish to convey to readers of my humble blog. The meaning in one's life is found, not by allowing a fictitious character to control it and decide it for you, but for you to find it yourself. There is not one true meaning to existence on life. Each of us has to find our own purpose, for ourselves, not in the subservient service of a being you haven't even met before, or whose existence you can't even prove. Faith, is the belief in something that you can't really confirm exists. Why not put that energy into yourself and find a much more personal meaning in life. That meaning doesn't have to be great and astounding. A simple one, such as to live your life helping others little by little, will do. What is more important is that everyone should have control over their own lives. We live in a world, where we are affected by so many people around us, why allow the single most important entity to us, our meaning in life, be controlled by another being. Ultimately, such persons are no much more than mindless puppets who can't decide for themselves. As much as i hate putting this down, i have to say it. We are all born weak, but some are weaker than others. Especially when you entrust your whole existence to something you can't even prove exists. Live your own life, your life is your own, you don't have to live in the guilt that jesus died for you or anything like so. By saying this i am not promoting a moral-less world, but what i wish to put across is that we should decide our own parameters by ourselves, and live for ourselves and the ones close to us. Through that, one's meaning in life will become clear, bit by bit, in a much more realistic and down to earth manner. god and religion are but images conjured up by the mind. If you lack thought, there will be no god. Why not trust yourself directly, to live life the way you yourself decides to. Why live life the way so many "brothers and sisters/brethren" live? Live your own life, and find your own unique meaning. The worse is when it eats so much into your life you start thinking that you can speak the so called language of god. You speak in some intelligible language ( i wouldn't even term it as a language!) that is made up of a few consonants and two vowels "a" and "e". You follow your fellow sheep and bleat in this weird language, thinking you have found a real connection with the guy. Oh please, all these are just part of your imaginations. Didn't we all blabber when we were young? Combine that with the indoctrination of the great book and all the funny "divine and holy" atmosphere, it is no wonder that a simple attempt to utter rubbish can be twisted and warped into thinking that you can think in tongue and speak in it. By the way, NO ONE thinks in a language. the mind works by thinking in raw form, no language. a sublime form that can take form according to what the person wants. Most of us will convert that into english so that we can express it. The one who thinks in tongue is merely doing the same thing. You are just pasting a tongue overlay on your thoughts, and henceafter, conclude that you are thinking in tongue. WOW, so smart of you. So great of you to be able to do that. Wake up for goodness sake. I do understand we all need a pillar of support sometimes, especially when we meet with setbacks. But leaning on an imaginary pillar is self delusionary. How much help can god give? When you meet success, why attribute it all to god and claim no credit for yourself? YOU did it , YOU are the one who made it happen, not him. YOU should be proud of yourself and your own achievements, and not push it away because YOU deserve it. How can one self motivate when one thinks that all his successses are due to the guy upstairs? The worse is when one meets a obstacle in his path, and proceeds to smile and say "god knows what to do, god will clear it for me when it is time" To hell with it. Continue waiting. When you die, the obstacle would be still there. Go on, live a life of regret when you realise in the end, that you should have rolled up your sleeves and cleared the obstacle yourself. An example close to the teenage heart would be this: Boy likes girl. Boy says "god will pave the road for me, he will lead me to her as long as i believe in him" Boy, with that mindset, waits...seasons change and pass, and girl gets together with another guy who had the courage and initiative to step up to her and be her support. Boy still waits, and waits, and waits..................................... This scenario is easily applicable to many. A small bit about body language. I observed quite a few christians. And the way they behave just proves my point of their lack of courage and self motivation and inspiration. Almost all devout and staunch ones have closed and submissive body languages. They exude a lack of self confidence, and they easily submit, to god, to others around them. Isn't this an obvious sign of weakness? The only time they have more confidence is in church, when they are surrounded by all these other similar people. In a sense, isn't this mob mentality. The pathetic weakness of an individual, and the faceless boldness of a mob. Everyone, get a grip on yourself. You have your own individualistic properties. you do not need to be further controlled than you presently are. Make your life YOUR OWN and not god's. You belong to yourself. You don't owe anyone a living. Your true meaning in life is by your own discovery. It lies embedded in your daily life, not in the hands of a greater being. Religion is nevertheless good in the sense that it helps you develop morals to live by, but let it remain as just that, and not something that you revolve around. Make religion a part of your life, and not let yourself be a part of religion! WE CAN MAKE OUR OWN CHOICES AND ACTIONS. Be STRONG. YOU ARE A HUMAN, CAPABLE OF INTELLIGENT THOUGHT AND ACTIONS, NOT A LOST SHEEP. YOU CAN FIND YOUR OWN WAY. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF Wednesday, March 22, 2006 Relac One Corner There is one aspect of Malay "culture/behavior" that i truly admire at time, the ability to "relac one corner". Looking at them, you just get this feeling that many of them are always so carefree and all. In the hectic lifestyle of this country, sometimes i just wish to be able to do that well for moments too. This however, is not to say that i am a sedentary, taciturn person. Friends who know me rarely describe me as such. Most see me as a constant worker, always with book in hand or reciting some crazy biological processes or thinking about all sorts of stuff. However, there are times, when i wish the world will just proceed slower, and allow me to take a backseat and recline in a chair. Humans are a ironic species. I believe that in many of us, all we yearn for is to have some time to ourselves, to sit back and really relax in a cozy little corner, without any disturbances or stress. However, how many of us find ourselves in the end, toiling our lives away till our final breaths, or till a stage when you won't feel comfortable to relax? Society deemed it that way i guess. The everlasting competition between people, and between nations, just compels us to work and toil, if not for the country, then for our own survival. To think that the ancient philosophers came up with their immortal philosophies whilst they idled with friends in front of the Panthenon, or under a willow by the river with a cup of tea. And these are the people whom we revere as great thinkers and philosophers, the ones who came up with the way societies are run today. On the other hand, we poor fools today, work and toil daily, and once we die, how many of us are actually remembered for even 50 years? If given a choice, I would love spending time under a peach tree and talk about the world too! Of course, with a cup of chinese tea to complete the picture. I don't deny that work has to be done. Work is essential, but just look at the amount of stress on each and everyone of us today. Is it all that necessary? The people of the countryside, toil in the fields, but they achieve a greater sense of satisfaction than us, and they never seem to put on an unhappy face all day long. The number of city dwellers that actually smile genuinely each day is dropping drastically. Under this amount of stress, how much happiness do we actually feel everyday? We sought to change nature, all with intentions of the betterment of our lives, yet as we tread along this path, we seem to be destroying ourselves more and more... I do not know what to think of myself as. I pride myself on my eagerness to produce and improve, yet I am very much disillusioned with many aspects of this world. The closest I can come to "relac one corner", is to rapidly complete my tasks, and recline in an environment which isn't even very conducive anyway. Even with this, i have to be contend. Just by emptying my mind of unnecessary thoughts, and take a step back from what is happening around me. This is the laid back side of me? Some people may think so. But my idea of relac one corner isn't just that. I believe by taking a step back and viewing the world in slow motion, things appear much clearer, and easier to think about. After all, the great idlers came up with the most famous theories. E=mc2 was conceived during sleep. Edison took a great number of naps throughout the day, and of course, Archimedes and his Eureka theory of displacement while relaxing in a bath. So who's to say that idling is not productive? Of course, continued idling isn't good either, because you have nothing even to start thinking about. But the style of relac one corner of the ancients are worth considering, which is what i hope to achieve. Of course, the cup of tea is absolutely necessary, and it should be of real tea leaves, not some instant teabag. But i have to make do...sigh... I guess, i quite like my way of stealing little moments of time to relac one corner once in a while, it does help in creating a holistic view of the world. I would encourage friends to try it out too, at least, it does help to remove some stress too...May help in pimples...(most malays have great complexion!) Meritocracy 2 In my earlier post on meritocracy, i voiced unhappiness at the apparently false meritocracy that exists in this society. But realise that what i had said applied mainly to the young ones. Today, after a rather enthusiastic discussion with the mentor and a friend, the problem of meritocracy is raised again, just that this time it is in the adult world. Guy called Jack. Jack did not do well in school and only got a diploma. Jack goes to work in a company and slowly rises. Recently the government has been encouraging all citizens to always improve themselves so that they remain relevant to the ever changing society. Jack, with a heart full of motivation, with hopes of a better career path, decided to challenge himself by taking on a part time degree in his field. Being middle aged, this was no simple feat. He juggled his daily work and still found time for studying. Finally, a happy Jack graduated with a Bachelors. Back in his work place, he found out that, all his hard work was equivalent to nought. His fate, it appears, had already been sealed. No matter if he had a degree now. The doors were closed to him. For him, there was no other alternative path. He was stuck on the path that had already been planned for him when his highest qualification was only a diploma. The degree it seemed, had been for nothing. Why? Shouldn't Jack deserve more than that? Shouldn't he, with his new set of knowledge, coupled with years of experience, turn him into a much more important asset to the company? I guess the answer is no. Jack is still stuck on his old path, unable to traverse to an alternate path of greater returns. So, the government, it promotes the upgrading of skills, and also it supposedly upholds meritocracy, doesn't it? If that is really the case, why does Jack face this unfair treatment? Why is his path decided and him locked into it from the point he enters the company with a certain set of credentials? Doesn't upgrading of skills mean anything at all? So what is this? Meritocracy? I definitely do not think so. I only need to present a single example. Look around you and ask around. Does upgrading yourself after being in the workforce really boost your status? Or is your A levels, diploma, or your degrees that you have gained before you enter the workforce, that really matters? This society is wrong...but, which society is right? To end it off, let me touch on another point. I may have alot to rant about the society and it's flaws. But I do realise that, no society can be without flaws. As it goes, there is no way to please everyone. And the rich and powerful will always favour their own class. Coincidentally or not, they are often the ones in charge of governing this society. We sometimes get the ambitious thought of wanting to change society for the better. But then, what defines better? Furthermore, better in which manner, which aspect of society? These are valid points to consider. With all these things in mind, my take on the political issue is thus...superficial apathy. I, shall be "selfish". Take care of myself, and the immediate people around me. Only after doing so, can i choose to bother about making a change in the larger society... Monday, March 20, 2006 Singlish After getting to know a foreign friend, i realised a huge difference in normal conversations with my friends and her. Of course there is, after all, i wouldn't want to destroy her carefully learned english with singlish! That really prompted me to do more research on this local "language". All my life, i have been alternating well and easily between singlish and english. When it comes to talking with peers, most of us can convert easily from one to the other. This technique is sometimes referred to as diglossia, which is the alternation between a "high class" formal form of a language and its "low class" informal form. So far, most people have thought of singlish as a low class bastardised form of english, but i beg to differ. If one bothers to even analyse the singlish we use, one will definitely find significant differences in the grammar style and pronunciation of singlish from english. The differences are really glaring as you think about it! Here i shall present some of the grammar differences and their possible origins...I shall leave the pronunciation out. 1. We use plenty of what i call emotive particles not found in most western languages. Particles include the ubiquitous 'la', 'lor', 'hor', 'ah' and a few others. There is reason to believe singlish may the only "language" to utilise such a large arsenal of particles. Particles are a common feature in asian languages. 'la' itself came from a suffix from malay, which is used to change a statement to a mild imperative or for emphasis. Chinese itself uses quite a formidable arsenal of particles too to add a different feel to the sentence. 'la' (啦） is once again present, together with 'yo'(哟）, 'ah'(啊）and some others. obviously, singlish has borrowed some particles from chinese, but used in a slightly different manner sometimes. Japanese and Korean also uses 'yo' (よ) and the japanese have 'ne'(ね) also. It is this particle usage that leads me to think that singlish is much more emotive than english. A study conducted on autistic people illustrated their inability to decide where to place such particles, hence proving their role as "emotive particles". English, the acrolectal one, does not utilise such a category of particles i guess, at least, not to the extent of singlish. 2. Singlish has a rather different sentence structure from english. Yes, i agree that singlish has a sentence structure that is adapted and recombined from english chinese and malay, but this makes it unique doesn't it? After all, all languages came from other languages didn't they? If you want proof, easy. Just look at the similarities between English and German, Latin, French et cetera. Aren't they related someway or another? So maybe in years to come, Singlish might have deviated far enough from english to warrant it the title of a legitimate language! 3. Not all people know english in singapore. But almost everyone knows singlish! Try talking to the guy at the coffee stall in perfect English. Chances are that he will never get what you are trying to convey exactly. Singlish is actually gaining real and solid footholds in society.It is just like how some westerners regard cantonese as a separate language when it is basically a chinese dialect. It is so because Hong Kong people are not that adept at chinese but the man on the street definitely knows cantonese. Isnt't it the same here? This post, is just to tell everyone that Singlish is part of a national identity. Just like how the Britons are proud of their English, and how the Japanese love their language, we singaporeans should embrace this special new language as our own instead of trying to eradicate it, as the government is trying to hard to do. I do not see any problem with it because as and when we need to, the more educated ones can always revert to perfect english with ease. In this way, I believe that once singlish gains recognition as a language, our country will be respected more than just a ex-colony of the british. For further information, consult Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish Saturday, March 18, 2006 Identity of Self - Aura In my short and what may seem inconsequential time on this world, I've grown to develop a habit of observing people by feeling. It just came naturally and i realised this only after this technique helped me to understand alot more about what people around me are thinking than usual. Everyone has this certain air about them that exudes unconsciously and naturally from them. Any scientific basis for this i do not know. But my hypothesis i that it comes from weak brain waves that exudes from the brain of the person, that which reflects his take on the world around him. I call this "aura". of course, i'm sounding like i am making a mountain out of a molehill, but so far, i have not been proven wrong in my aura sensing...Furthermore, it seems that when i tell people about their auras they seem to concur and feel much more understood... Being able to sense this makes talking and being with people much more fun, and is a reason why i prefer to see the person in real when i talk. Anyway, to get on with the story, I told a friend recently about his aura, and he agreed completely...It appeared that i had just told him something that he felt most didn't know (i hope i'm right). And it also helped him realise some stuff about himself he never actually realised or admitted to...If one has been following my blog, this clearly illustrates why i said at certain times we need other people whom we trust, to read our own books too. But in this post, i will not talk directly about my friend. From experience, auras come in "colours". This colours are what i can relate to when i feel the aura of a person. For example, a truly energetic person would have a brightly coloured aura, and depending further on his character, this aura may be coloured with different colours, depending on how i feel towards it. Some people, have a aura that is layered, which is to say that they have 2 or more layers. In today's world, where the complicated relations we have in society has taken a toll on us, most people put on a facade to meet the world, that is the outer layer which they try to let others feel. If they can do it well, the inner layer which is his true self cannot be easily understood, just like a junior i have. A bright aura, that serves to mask and hide a darker one, which maybe only a few people know of. When i first got to know her, i naturally felt the bright one, but certain intangible stuff pointed to the existence of a lower layer which i could not decipher till i got to know her alot better. In addition, auras can change their colour as we proceed through life. Especially when we're young, and confused while we grow up, our auras change colour and resonate inconsistently, no matter how stable we can appear to be. It is after all, natural as teenagers struggle to find a identity they can truly call their own. This is also the time, when childhood incidents are unconciously evaluated and incorporated into each person's aura. We may each have our individual auras, but there exists some problems. Some of us may not even understand our own auras, or even realise their existence. That's when trusting in a close friend and letting him read your book helps. Sometimes, all we need is a mirror, to see for ourselves, what we are in other's eyes. As the chinese say, the passer-by sees clearest. Having understood one's own aura, one can then establish and accept his own self, or seek to change and evaluate himself. Another problem is that with layered auras, there are some who split their auras into so many layers, that they feel that their minds are working in numbers more than 1. Some are self impressed by it, and so was I previously, till i learnt that no matter how much we try to split our minds, in the end, we all live in a single world. What is being expressed from each person comes out as one entity, not as several. Many of these split auras arose (apart from the facade) because of past demons. When something we deem as significant occurs in our youth, it become etched in our mind, and sometimes, it takes a life of it's own and breaks off into it's own world, which ultimately affects the person on the whole. Accept the past and face your demons, is what i want to say. Recognise that ultimately, each one of us has only one of us. It is only through accepting the past and learning from it, that we can move on with true confidence and courage. To have your mind split, is to write a book in discontinuity. What more can be said of it other than confusion? With such a kind of writing, is one ever able to proceed on with the plot? i guess not. We think of ourselves one time or another as having two or more different minds, but we must look within ourselves and realise that each of us works as a single entity. Accept the past, treasure the present and embrace the future. Cliche but true. Haunted by your past, will get you nowhere far in fulfilling all of your wishes. Oftenly, it is the emotional world that is forced to be separated from. Most of our hardest blows are to our emotional side, hence the past demons are usually from emotions. The despair, disapointment and melancholy. Accept them and use them to your advantage as you make your decisions for the future. Learn from your demons, and turn them into your slaves. Penpal As mentioned two posts back, i am looking for japanese friends to communicate with, and hence pick up pointers on native japanese language. Then one day, upon seeing a friend of mine using a penpal/e-pal service, i kind of got interested. From what he said, i could easily find japanese friends online. But i have never come into contact with such stuff, so initially was reluctant...but my desperation to improve my japanese got the better, and so i signed up for it, in addition, two other penpal services dedicated to language and culture exchange... The response wasn't bad, i suppose. Withing the next day, i was thrilled to have 4 replies, two from my target audience and another two who came to add me on msn for...i wonder too...anyway, i ended up talking to this japanese girl for the afternoon, and i couldn't help but start to feel uneasy, like i was doing something i shouldn't be doing...but why? All i can link to is a strict childhood. I never made friends without seeing their faces before, so to me, it seemed odd. And since years ago, having been drilled with the notion that the internet is not safe, especially for girls, i actually felt guilty talking to a girl online who has never seen me before...it's like, i keep getting those stupid stories of online cheating and advantage taking and i start to feel guilty although i'm no one like that. It either shows that i get guilty very easily, or i berate myself for joining an activity that has such bad light in it...But then again, doesn't that apply to my other inhibitions? So in the end, i guess i will still continue using this method, since i can't figure how to find a native japanese friend in s'pore, but i really need to improve my japanese. Things half done just doesn't apply much to me. I have to at least get it to a practical standard. Same goes for my Indonesian... Maybe it was just some overthinking on my part, a relic of the past which haunts the present. Nevertheless, i guess this is what keeps my soul in check, when i don't rely on religion to do that. Thursday, March 16, 2006 Magna Carta: Tears of Blood - PS2  Ok, finally finished this game and i must say it's not too bad! Nearly missed buying this game, but fortunately I got it. First, the protagonist is NOT a girl/transvestite/gay/sissy. Got it? In Brief Ok, the game is based upon this popular PC RPG in Korea with the same name and some characters but a whole new story. The story, is possibly cliche...after all which RPG today isnt? Guy with sword caught in war. Guy sees and rescue pretty girl. Girl follows guy to save world. War ends. People happy. Guy holds girl hand. The story, with cliches in it, still remains as one of the points why i loved this game. Occasional twists really spice up the plot, and the characters are rather alive. I found the voice acting quite good except for the main female lead whose voice sounds too coy..yet when she recovers her memory she gets this really deep husky woman voice...(-_-''') Anyway, gameplay is awesome. The battle system is unlike any other, and fans of Shadow Hearts' battle system will love this too. Although most gamers have nothing good to say abt the system on first look, once u get the hang of it it becomes much more immersive. Characters can be developed with a certain amount o freedom. Only big drawback is the LONG loading times. The music, is average..After all with Nobuo Uematsu doing the music for FF i dun think any game can actually match up to it..the graphics are around that of FFX and the FMVs although rare, surpass FF's. Check out Calintz's hair...  It's definitely worth the buy to take up around 70 hours of gameplay, and will appeal to people looking for a fresh change in RPG gameplay. Serious stuff and spoilers ahead... Story Main dude Calintz is ze mercenary bent on getting revenge on this humanoid race called Yason with whom the humans are warring with. Calintz, who had his home village burnt down by the Yason, grows up with grudge and sets up a mercenary army with a bunch of grudge ridden friends to support the main army. During a foiled offensive, Calintz was saved by pretty girl in yellow, Reith. This coyingly cute girl has oh lost her memory, and so, our hero decides to protect her until she gets it back...They get in trouble, kill some Yasons and all that and find out that they is someone manipulating everything behind the scenes, he who wants the humans and Yason to kill each other off...for his own dream utopia...yeah standard...sounds abit like FF9..haha...but the storyteling and character developments are really good.. But on sick point is that on several occasions, in order to show the story from both Calintz and Reith's perspective you have to play their separate parties through the same places..it gets pretty slow at such times... Gameplay Like FFX, the story forces you to proceed in a near linear style until near the end...and the problem is that there are really few different types of monsters, you keep seeing the same old funny quirk appear in different colours at different places...boring... But the battle system is ingenious...For a start, on the world map...you can either run unguarded and risk getting SURPRISED! by an enemy or walk s.l.o.w.l.y with your sword out, allowing you to either make surprised pre emptive strikes or getting into a fair fight...  Once that happens, screen breaks into little squares, fly off to the right and to the left again, leaving screen black, then showing the battle world... You control three characters any one time in battle, although you can only actively use one. the other two stand still..Same goes for enemy. If you use Calintz, then Reith and Azel stand still...So now you can make Calintz run up to the enemy and depending on the ATB you can make him attack using one of his "styles" and one of the moves in that style. To do that you execute a series of three button presses involving combinations of O and X. for funky dramatic combos, which are actually just some ultimate move for the style, you enter a whole string of O and X...generally the button pressing part is based on timing like SH2 and the battle setup is like SOTET...except that your frens are all controlled by you..this means that the pace of battle is slower than SOTET, with the ATB included too...It's actually darn hard to describe, but it is nevertheless one of the most ingenious and complicated systems..although fighting the same fish in different colours gets sickening when the story goes slow...hehz.. Sound and Graphics Music nothing to wow about, and the battle tunes are not one bit adrenaline pumping at all, unlike that of FF8..the opening them is HORRIBLE, please watch it without sound. ~tears of bloooooodd.......&*^&%&^%#$$#@~~~~ (T_T;) But the voice acting has quite good quality. I personally like Calintz's voicing alot. Of course, FFX was better, but yea...not taht significantly better. The graphics are really funky. The rare FMVs are super realistic..Hair is individual rendered..For your info though..the FMVs are not consistent..The opening has parts where it looks real, yet there are those that look artificial, such as Reith's...her...yeah, you get the idea.. but in game sequences are amazing....and on general the in game graphics are FFX standard...except that the map sometimes pans their camera at weird angles so you get trapped walking up and down the same spot... Battles are quite cool...The combo attacks are impressive when you first see them, but after that, when you get Calintz's ultimate style...wow...and i really like the concept of having different styles of attacks..Adds variety rather than seeing the guy run up, slash, run back..or casting the same old Ultima all the time...However, SOTET's battle mechanics still rock above MC...maybe it is becus of the fast paced action la..  Story: 7/10 Gameplay: 7/10 Sound: 5.5/10 Graphics: 8.5/10 Overall: 7/10 Playtime: 70 hours...inclusive of long loading times Verdict: definitely worth a try..cool characters, moves and battles... Monday, March 13, 2006 Boredom
Saturday, March 11, 2006 Arrogance I like to self reflect alot, and recently i have come to realise this. I am so darn arrogant, isn't it? People sometimes say i look darn proud and like a rich kid, and to a certain extent i think it's cos of me occasionally and unintentionally boasting about my achievments and all...I don't think any of my frens haven't heard of my olympiad, my A level results. and closer frens would have heard of me going thru SRP and NTU JC challenge and getting the prize for best design...albeit not without a team. Sometimes, i think back on waht i said and i feel quite shameful of this "arrogance". Especially when i talk or complain about not getting better results in front of frens who did not even get my standard...there, im boasting again..ain't i so sickenning? I stressed out frens with such, maybe it's no wonder why i always have so few frens. But this so called boasting..it may be the only way i maintain my self confidence in my abilities...After all, i have so few to speak of. If one pays attention i dun boast about nothing other than academic stuff. I dun boast of my great skills in sports, my archery and badminton, my great character or wad...cos i guess they arent that great..all that i am left to be proud of is academics... Yet, i wonder if i can stop doing this boasting..im starting to feel from pple a twinge of disgust when i do so..but somehow the words just pop up when i talk..I can''t really blame myself actually. mentioned in my post on meritocracy, i grew up thinking naively that education was everything. My self esteem and confidence built up almost entirely on that thought.."if i mug hard, i'll definitely be sucessful!" Maybe that's how i got my curly hair. After the Great Mugging started in Primary 5 my once straight hair started curling...anyway...so that's how i grew up huh, just mug mug mug...after all, i was known in JC as the freak..what more can i say... haiz, just some random thoughts i guess... Language anyway, someone please tell me i'm crazy.  From left column downwards: 1. 日本語能力試験考古題４級 2001-2002 2. Colloquial Thai 3. 実力アップ 日本語能力試験３級 4. 実力アップ 日本語能力試験４級 5. 日本語能力試験考古題３級 1997-2000 6. 日本語检定4级单字 快速记忆法 7。 First Step in Japanese 8. Indonesian Grammar Made Easy 9. Indonesian for Daily Use 10. Oxford Starter Japanese Dictionary wow, am i mad or what...But, somehow, i find languages interesting, think i found a new hobby, yea, and it's related to mugging too... i just fins languages damn intriguing..how pple can come up with a system to communicate in both sound and visual, and how the languages can express the main ideas in such similar ways..and how the languages have inffluenced each other...But other than that there are other sub reasons for the languages i chose to learn Japanese: I love Jap culture, or rather, East Asian culture..but i absolutely love the beauty of Japan's landscape and food and songs...and of course...erm, nevermind, shant go on Indonesian: I would have preferred malay, but by a certain twist, i get to learn indonesian first, so i'll just make do and build on it after all they are similar...Since so many say i look malay, i figured i might as well know the language..confuse people! also, since i got a small peranakan blood, might as well "get in touch with roots" Thai: ok i am mad. ever since something about me looking like a thai worker got stuck on me, it's been there since...anyway i love thai food, especially the tom yam, so..haha, and since thai sounds so cute, i thought i'd give it a try! After this when i go uni i thinking of learning one more european language, maybe french or german, the latter which i gave up in sec 2...due to the erm, boredom induced by the teacher...hehz..anyway, i guess i'll just do that So like, hehz, in the end, japanese is my first priotity, and im gonna take the JLPT 4 this year..sucks that they only allow one test a year..and it's all the way in dec! else i would go for level 4 and 3... and crap, now people are saying that i look filipino, and one even said i looked arabic! I'm gonna be the ultimate mix blood...wadeva..i got myself some names...Please leave your comments if they dun fit properly in their intended languages..and help me think of arabic and filipino ones too! Japanese: 星山 智 Malay: Hassan bin Sulaiman Thai: Sanamlongkorn Hochankrap on 13 Mar Weixin suggested Horyez for the filipino surname, so... Pinoy: Horyez Santos Madras Hehe... But for now, i figured i really need a jap fren to communicate with...anyone has a jap fren to intro?..anyway...shall post an advertisement here..haha... こんにちは！僕は１９歳男の子で、今は日本語を習っています。。。然し、僕は日本人の友達がありませんから、日本語を話し、聞くことまだよくできませんよね。。。だから、悲しく成りました。そして、僕は日本人の友達と会うと思います。返事してください！ Monday, March 06, 2006 Meritocracy Tha A levels were released not long ago. That day, i felt myself feeling once again the pain of when i received my results. I know that many will want to kill me when i continue. But yes, I am your freak next door with A1, 4As and one dist in chem s. i got ungraded in bio s, and so i felt pity and pain. But then, the above just served as a lame introduction for wad is to come. Call me show off if you will, but what i am illustrating is the expectations that i have come to place on myself. I grew up, with a competitive spirit. Growing up among so many cousins from more affluent families, I was pressured, maybe primarily by myself, to perform. To prove relatives wrong, i fought my way towards success in academics, which , with almost every parent here, is the deciding factor on whether a child is stupid or smart. And so, with such circumstances i fought my way, to reach where i am today, to get into the best college, and getting such A level results, together with several medals to my name. I look back, and i say that i do not regret my efforts. I know i have put them in. then comes the disappointment. I decided, to apply for medicine in NUS. When we were all young and cuddly, our parents always said to us, be a doctor! be a lawyer! make us proud! yes, i grew up with the full trust in meritocracy. I believe that as long as you put in effort, no matter what, no matter your background and your first impressions, your efforts will pay off along your future. THAT, i held close to myself, as i challenged and competed, using them as motivation for my hard efforts. I came to be known as stinking mugger in JC, while the rest of the class were happily using that time for enjoyment. I got past the first screening, and got to the essay and the interview stage. And that was where i met a disappointment that will shake this meritocracy i foolishly believed in. NUS supposedly implemented this interview to weed out students that were attempting medicine for fun, and those who had no true interest, and those who cant handle it. OH really? All my life, i planned out my path. I stuck closely to biological science, believing that doing so will give me fantastic foundation for a path closely related, and what more than medical science and its related courses. And so i applied for it, albeit with some influence elsewhere. But i failed to make it through. While those, whose attitudes were obviously worser, got in, with worse results. What was wrong? is this what is called meritocracy? Say im bitter, then i challenge you. Tell me straight in the face how much effort you have put into your work these years. Tell me how much time you poured into this. Yes, im bitter, but because i feel that i was never given a chance to prove my worth. An interview just gives a first impression. It is not unknown that the most impt part of an interview is the first 5 seconds. These seconds just let the interviewers conclude their first impression of you. After that, no matter how good you seem, if your first impression sucks, that's the end of you. It worked that way for me i guess. Fine, i dun look good, i look like a devil, gangster, mat rocker, indian worker, thai worker (these are true comments that i have received before) but so what? just because i dun look something you are comfortable with, does not give you the right to dismiss me as unsatisfactory. I do not believe my records are worse than others. anyone can easily see from my record how much i try to improve and constantly challenge myself. And i just get dismissed because i dun look good at an interview? what kind of meritocracy is this? Upon what grounds do i not deserve to qualify more than the bunch who do not pay attention to their work as much as i, and the bunch who have internal connections, or come from well knowned backgrounds? Is this meritocracy? This is aristocracy. This is obviously that. Rich kids, those whose relatives are well known or respected, they always get the perks, whether or not they actually show the mettle. NUS wants to rid of pple who are half hearted, who are most likely to drop out halfway. Do my records show me as such a person? does it? If anything, a kid from a poor and unknown background who can reach such standards, is prove or his mettle, his drive to succeed in life. This is hypocrisy. If they really considered those points, I do not see any reason for rejection. I am not one who can't accept failure. I am one who seeks explanations for unreasonable failures. Meritocracy. The govt built up the young generation based on such "ideals". It's time for me to wake up from such a fallacy i guess. After the medicine incident, I looked around and observed more. "All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others"- George Orwell. So as long as the kid performs well, he she gets equal opportunity? bullshit. Do i get an opportunity to be considered beyond my first impression during med interview, or even during the whole process? The ones who i saw got in just fell into the following categories. 1. The person looks good, looks charming 2. The person has a relative in the faculty or in the med circle 3. The person has a sibling in the faculty studying 4. The person has a higher than average family income/parents are high status What is this? Some kinda superficial establishment on whetheer the person is doctor worthy. that it is. Results and performance are secondary once one gets past the first round. The kid is just decided on the basis of his background. I don't need to say more. The 4 points are obvious in what i want to put across. I'm being judged before I am even read deeper. Fantastic. Furthermore. Friends say with ease, "go apply for med overseas!" Hah, you expect me to apply overseas? This is where another example of the fallacy of equal opportunities. My family doesn have the ability to and i dun want to put them to it. My parents are already working hard enuf to sustain this family, and it would be unfilial of me to further stretch this. "take a bank loan" they say. So i take a bank loan. and when i graduate, who's gonna take care of my parents? if my pay just goes to bank loan, how much will i be left with, to support the family? and my sisters, who will be going to uni anytime soon? I DO NOT HAVE AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY as those from affluent backgrounds. You guys can go overseas on a whim. Scholarships there are. But look, with my first impression I wun get far. And, med has no scholarships. Time to stop talking about myself only. There are many peers worse off than me, who wish for a chance to get a scholarshipm but get all these chances taken up by the richer students. This effectively dumps them back into the cycle. Why were scholarships given in the first place. I believe it was to provide an outlet for those who could not afford education. So why are those who can afford it 10 times over getting it too?! This is clearly because of the association of scholarships with prestige and all that stuff. So what doe sthis leave the poor kids with? nothing except another round int the cycle of poverty. Some even end up forsaking uni altogether. Does the govt even know how many potential stars are being snuffed out? just because all these perks are being given to stars that are well taken care of already? What is this? Nonsense? And then there are those who always get into some respected institution because of their backgrounds, thereby destroying another's chance, even if the person deserves the place more. Why? because of connections. Because the father or mother is some respected high level person somewhere. This situation is so obvious. Just lok arnd yourself and you should be able to see some examples. Equal opportunites? I'm sure this means that some people are more equal than others! The poor are always trapped in a cycle of poverty. In the end, every where, every administration is "corrupt". They favour the rich and the powerful because They have to protect their own interest. They cannot refuse the powerful. This is why connections are so powerful. The poor, can die for all everyone cares. It is inconsequential. Isn't it? Kids who grew up without the charisma and affluence can be diligent and all, but when they grow up, they sink further back into the cycle. Because why? They lack the charisma to be taken note and favoured at first impression tests, and they lack their family's influence as a stepping stone. Admit it, we all like good and nice looking people, and people who have power and money. Therefore the poor sink deeper. Even for interviews, what if the kid is poor, that he can't afford to dress up for interviews? He will never get to break out of the cycle. Sad right? this is reality for all you affluent people up there. I beseech that you guys open your eyes to the potential stars in the slums and take it into your regard. Once in a while, a person from the lower strata of society manages to break out of it. Most likely he has chosen the path of mundane. This path involves usually a career of routine-ness and smething far from his interests, but he has to do it, in order to ensure that his offspring manage to break out from the cycle. Will that , be the only path for me? Sunday, March 05, 2006 月光曲 我穿这百色西装 在月光下映着光 在那荣华的舞厅 盼望着你的来临 舞台节目多乏味 我望着你的空位 看着圆月许个愿 等待着你的出现 星光闪烁的夜晚少了一颗星 月光的亮光似乎少了一点光 纯洁的月光仙子在哪里？ 白马王子正等着你 他在舞台上 少了一个伴 宜人的圆月您得当证人 王子的爱多么忠诚 他在月光下 持着一束花 你穿这浅蓝晚装 带着圆月的亮光 走进荣华的舞厅 脚步带着一种自信 悄悄出现在身边 实现了我的心愿 王子与仙子相遇 舞厅变得如此甜蜜 I wrote this after prom 2004...it's more of a poem this time, but it does picture what i felt that night, although i know it's darn exaggerated. Well, after all, a significant part of me thrives on love...and dreams... Thursday, March 02, 2006 An Animal Story This is an animal story suitable for kids below 12. If you think you are too old for animal stories then go away. Leave the kids to read in happiness. Stinking ADULT! Once upon a time, in a jungle far far away, there lived many animals. All the animals lived happily together, playing and working in unity. There was also a dog. (OK, so dogs don't live in the jungle. FINE, you are smart, now go claim your prize.) This dog was like any other dog you saw everywhere, but unlike other dogs, who were so likeable with the animals in the jungle, this dog had a huge problem. He always thought he was better than the other animals in the jungle, even though there was the wise monkey and the strong horse. He thought of himself as better than everyone else! Oh no, and because of this, the animals never liked him, but because they were kind natured, no one wanted to upset him and punish him for being so proud. The dog also made himself more hated because he liked to go to the lion king and tiger adviser and mingle with them, trying to make himself seem even more impressive to the rest. This behavior made the animals detest him more! Then came one day, the dog was caught and led away by a group of fierce animals. These animals were ferocious and authoritative, and there was a wild boar, a snake and even an eagle! None of the other animals were caught. The fierce animals said that they were choosing members to train to be just like them! After that, poor dog left with them, and the animals thought they would never see him again. Months later, the dog returned! Everyone was surprised, but they were not necessarily happy over it. "What if he has changed for the better?" the wise monkey told the mule. The cat added,"I think he hasn't changed. Look." He pointed a paw at the dog, who was holding his head higher than before. And he looked upon the rest of the animals, even the elders, with a condescending look. Oh no, everyone thought. The dog was back and worse than before! "What did they do to him?" the horse asked. Days went by, and the dog became more and more lazy. He thought that because he had been given extra treatment, he was all poweful and higher than his peers. He shirked his responsibilities in the kingdom, and left his work to the rest, who were deeply unhappy and dissatisfied with this. However they couldn't do anything to stop the dog's actions. After all, since he returned, he became even closer to the lion king and his officials, just because he had the training, which ended up being something that the king was impressed with. Soon enough, the animals gathered under a single cause. They could no longer stand the unproductiveness and haughtiness of the dog. They banded together and gave the dog a hard time, and soon enough, no one gave him any attention, which he had sought for so long...In the end, dog was left a lonely mutt to muse over his condition... So, kids, what is the moral of this story? |
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