Facts of life

Interesting facts about my life in the dorms:

1.) I have yet to find the water-cooler, so I am still drinking mineral water purchased from Cheers like I am in some third world country.

2.) The entire campus doesn't sell proper shampoo short of the hair-loss one by Pantene at Cheers.

3.) My lecture group being over enthusiastic as it already is (which is by no means a bad thing... I think.) leaves me wondering how my first tutorial will go.

4.) I train in my own room cause there is no where else to set up the bike trainer and the bike. 

5.) I siphon itunes song-list from people on the network. (NO... just the song list... and two movies so far.)

My fourth day in the hall and I am already wondering how I survived for so long. It does leave a sense of nostalgia brining back the good old memories of my SISPEC days in camp, lest the presence of good company. Well hopefully I do well enough to execute plan b in a couple of months time :)

Lucy the Lifesaver... Tech version

I received my first macbook in March as a birthday present from my aunt and mum. I have never been a very tech-savvy person and the fact that it took nearly a lifetime to get myself accustomed to working with a laptop (I was working in IBM... so... it definitely wasn't an apple product (: ) and having to make another switch to another OS certainly did not seem very appealing. But anyway, the switch  was made and I can safely say that it was the best move I have ever made in a long time. 

Now that I have got the history of how I got my first MACbook out of the way, its time to get on with the story. 2008 not only marks the end of 2007, my 21st anniversary on this earth or me finishing up with my national service commitment but it also marks my inaugural year in NUS. So with that in mind, I must add that the Mac could not have arrived at a better a time. With greater control over my time and life, I proceeded to explore just what exactly made the MAC the MAC. 

I have always been having trouble with my wireless connection and the new and improved Airport by Apple certainly eliminated those wireless dis-connection problems. By far, getting rid of the connection problem certainly was the biggest gift the MAC could give me. The Leopard OS too was something to reckon with. The OS proved to be extremely user-friendly and it didn't take me too long to start wizzing around the Leopard's internal applications like a Pro. I certainly can't provide a better application analysis than the tons of reviews out there online and in the millions of magazines out there... but... hell they are simply amazing. 

Applications aside, the next thing about the MAC that simply got me going was the sleek, gorgeous shell encasing all that amazing technology. The white casing, smooth exterior and that glowing apple logo outshining everything in a dark room... simply if I may add here... ORGASMIC :)

Staying in the dormitories certainly can be lonesome at times (Especially in a single dormitory as a freshman), and having my MACbook around certainly makes the nights a lot less lonelier. Listening to music, chatting with friends, movie-watching and blogging... none of it would have been possible without my trusty little sidekick. I spend so much time with the MACbook that I even decided to call her Lucy (No harm getting a little bit more personal with something so beautiful aye?) Let's just say that my love affair with "Lucy" has only gotten better with time and will get better with time to come.

  

Do check out MACbook and other Apple products, including the much anticipated IPhone, at http://store.apple.com/sg 

Store-room

My new room in NUS is the size of my store-room. It does have a LAN outlet, a couple of power sockets here and there and a whole suite of other basic amenities, but I just don't think its going to work out for me. The lack of space and the absence my little furry companion is just too much to bare... just an update :) back to the books :)

Concepts

John doesn't like Alex cause Alex is greedy

John doesn't like James cause James is Stingy

John doesn't like Michael cause Michael is a jerk

John doesn't like Jason cause Jason is an arsehole 

John doesn't like Lucy cause Lucy can't stop talking

John doesn't like Mary cause Mary doesn't wash her toes

John doesn't like Isaac cause Isaac is a insufferable know-it-all

John doesn't like Tom cause Tom keeps whining non-stop about life

John doesn't like Josephine cause Josephine likes violet and not red

John doesn't like Cyril cause Cyril can't stop snorting when he laughs

John doesn't like Erica cause Erica keeps on being late for their dates

John doesn't like Tisha cause Tisha keeps bugging him about her  looks

John doesn't like Ann cause Ann keeps rolling her eyes when he speaks

John doesn't like Marcus cause Marcus thinks he's too hot for anyone 

John doesn't like Christy cause Christy doesn't like Bailey's and cream

John doesn't like Mac cause Mac never sees the importance of sincerity

John doesn't understand why he is always alone

John doesn't like being alone.

Starting point

I spent a couple hours today drawing up and editing my training program. Writing it was easy... the sight of lines of numbers and letters filling up the diary certainly brought joy to my dampened soul... till the reality of what those numbers and letters really meant to me set in... but as the saying goes... "An idle mind is the devil's workshop" and the put things in perspective, the devil himself has already succeeded building himself a whole new resort in my little factory... its time to clear the cobwebs and jump-start that little 3 lbs of muscle in there. Just sidetracking a bit, PS1101E looks tedious and boring.... argh.

Monday... Burnt

Puff... and Monday went up in a puff of smoke... just like that. 

Running

I tried it today for an entirely new reason. Perhaps it was the ridiculous hour. Maybe it was the intensity. It provided temporal relief while it lasted. However just like the run, I ended up where I started. The mind was left a little clearer, the body a little less tense but still the problem lay there right at my doorstep, like a drop of dried tar refusing to be wiped away. 

The First Step

I did something I'd never imagined myself doing in a hundred years today. Ever. I hope it all ends well in time to come. 

Lesson Number 2 about Movies

Just when I thought I had learnt all about the things needed to make a failing movie work, out pops another trick. In a B grade horror movie, regardless of how superb its producers claim it will turn out to be, it will ultimately still be a B grade movie. Sixth Sense was M. Night Shyamalan's best piece of work. Every other production since that masterpiece, in my humble opinion, is merely another marker in that downhill spiral. Perhaps the immense success of 6th sense simply made it harder for him to cough out another power B grade flick (On hindsight, Signs wasn't too bad either...). Anyway back to the HAPPENING movie under review here and the elements incorporated into the film which made it a "just-another-abstract-horror-movie". The movie started really well with the suspense genuine and all. The concept of toxic nerve receptor inhibitors released by plants, though not original, was well developed too. However what screwed the movie up eventually was the lousy acting and terrible and abrupt ending. The female lead, whatever her name was, did a really terrible job. And the random appearance of really random characters like the freaky old lady... Sigh... Just wait for the DVD and you'll get what I mean.

HELP NEEDED

Should anyone read this, you would have noticed that my entire side column is now beneath my main posts. Any pointers as to how to rectify the problem?? Thanks :)

Morning Ride

I have to be up by 4 tomorrow morning for a long bike ride so I'll keep today's entry short. The most important lesson I have learnt today is that a gorgeous cast can save a lousy script/ film and it is highly probable that the same lesson can too be applied to our day to day lives. Should all else fail, look gorgeous and you'll have a fighting chance... just NEVER BACK DOWN. Now to sign up for the 8 pack, I meant mixed martial arts class...

A break or a memory?

Looking back at the old photographs, I can't help but wonder is change without its negative impacts. I miss the good old carefree days at seas and the joyful company of drunk sailors. I'd like to think of it as a hiatus and not a memory of good times gone by. 

A thousand words.

Alright... I spent today strolling up and down Orchard road with my new joy, a Nikon D70. I am a greenhorn to photography so I kinda realized that in the process of fiddling around with the aperture and shutter speed, I kinda screwed up a lot of the shots... anyway here are those which I think turned out rather decent for a newbie :)

The guy didn't make it... It's sad I know :)

So this is my first attempt and I would love to hear what you think of the photos.... Feel free to tag a comment here or in the text box...

"Use a picture. It is worth a thousand words." 

- Arthur Brisbane (1911)

Catch up, Catching up... ah... Caught up :)

"Practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect" 

- Vince Lombardi (1913-1970)

I still remember the very first time I drove on a highway. It was the 1st of January this year and I had only passed my driving no more than 15 hours before. My mom, sister and I had just finished celebrating the end of 2007 and the coming of the new year with the rest of the family at the Pan Pacific (I think...) and we were on our way back home. The route home comprised of a 10 minute drive from Marina Bay Exit on the ECP to the Bedok Exit. Just before we hit the ECP, my mum pulled over, got out of the car and said, "Here you try!". I really wanted to try driving the family car, but trying it for the first time on New Year's Eve after a long night out clubbing 15 + hours after getting one's license did not really appeal to me. Anyway to cut a potentially long story short, I took over the steering wheel and drove the rest of the journey home. The ride, as both the passengers in the vehicle can attest to, was not exactly the most comfortable one. My mother spent the ride worrying that I was going to run the car off the road and my sister was worrying about my mother worrying the whole ride too. Now 6 months later, the only worry she has is that I may run some other car off the road. :)

Today started earlier than usual. I left the house at 9 am to send my sister for her chemistry tuition in Bukit Batok. Whilst she was having her tuition, I headed to the club-fit gym in Jurong East for a short work out. After gymming, I picked my sister up before heading to Junction 8 for lunch. As I made my way through the renovated mall (I haven't been there since 2005), I bumped into my some old friends. We then spent the bulk of the remainder of the afternoon catching up and reminisced about times gone by. 

I guess life is what happens when you're not looking. Perhaps its time to tweak the goals I had in mind to better prepare myself for what is to come :)

A scream in the stillness of the night

Today's routine would have been no different from any other day if not for that minor incident at the gym. I arrived at the gym at approximately 1230h, after walking Sumo and the morning ritual. Upon arrival, I noticed a significant amount of activity unlike that of a usual weekday morning. The gym instructor looked extremely flustered and she hurried past me without the usual morning smile or greetings towards the large crowd gathered at the back of the gym, near where the weights were placed. Lifeguards from the pool were too seen bustling around with life support equipments slung across their waist as people were asked to leave the area. Apparently a young gentleman had suffered an epilepsy attack while on the bench press machine. The attack was a pretty violent one and one can get a gauge of the seriousness of the attack by just observing the freaked out looks imprinted on all the muscled gym users around him at that point in time. An area around the guy was cleared and a paramedic that was gymming too attended to him, along with the other instructors and the lifeguards from the pool. An ambulance was called and he was whisked away. It was a pretty interesting experience for me but a pretty scary one too for the one who is witnessing an epilepsy attack for the first time.  

After an hour an a half at the gym, I headed to the food-court near the supermarket to purchase lunch for my mom before heading home. That's the least I could do considering she did cook pasta for me. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading before heading to Tampines SAFRA for a short evening swim. I am trying to get back into my pre-operation exercise routine so as to better prepare myself for the upcoming races. No more late nights and lazing around anymore  till the 70.3 in September is over. After the swim and a quick dinner, I drove to my alma mater to pick my sister up from a hard day's mugging. The later part of the evening was spent chatting online, sipping a nice strong cappuccino and watching the very first episode of Damages. (Great series by the way, wondering how I could have missed it...) 

That more or less sums up the 2nd day of June for me. Till the next entry then...

The best possible way to bring an end to a month

Perhaps it was the sheer amount of slacking and absolute lack of activities in the month of May which cumulated in me ending the month with an overload of activities yesterday.

The 31st of May started off just like any other day in the month of May, the standard half an hour of stretching and rolling around before the actual act of waking up followed by the strong latte (with a packet of brown sugar) and the morning papers. After digesting whatever little news worth ingesting from the morning papers, I headed across the road to purchase lunch. The timing and the orders are so routine that all I need to do is smile at the gentlemen manning the store and take a seat before paying up for the takeaways. A close friend once remarked that should they come the day when I need to be taken out for whatsoever reason, the task of doing so would be an absolute breeze. I take comfort in the daily routines I have for myself regardless of how mundane they can get. That sense of familiarity in knowing what comes next is absolutely crucial to me. The worse feeling and the greatest insecurity one can have is being left totally alone and lost in the dark with no knowledge of what is to come next. Personal Experience, trust me on that. 

I spent the afternoon consuming bananas and resting for the inaugural sundown marathon later in the evening. I was to participate in the corporate 10.5 km challenge as part of a team of injured long distance athletes, myself no exception. All four of us participate regularly in long distance events but due to a recent spate of injuries (and surgeries) we decided to take it easy this time around. The race was rather uneventful, perhaps this largely due to the fact that we were participating in only a 10.5 km race. The individual timings too were largely disappointing but we can take comfort in the fact that all of us are injured to varying degrees and still straggling on the path to full recovery. With these timings logged in and a general consensus that there is much work to be done before the upcoming races, we are going to start getting our act together and come up with some remedy to the predicament we're in now so as to avoid falling into the same pit-hole for the upcoming races.

After the night race, I rushed home and brought my sister for a really wild night out at the clubs. Sparing the details of the night, my thanks to B and Co. , the people I met during the rampage through the night and most importantly T for making it absolutely memorable for my sister. 

"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True Friendship is a plant of slow growth and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation."

- George Washington (1732 - 1799)