Tinge of Sadness

Just looked through my collection of photos of my stay in Ban Jalae, Maeyao District, Chang Rai, Thailand and I am feeling kinda sad that I didn't take more photos of the children. I think I am going to miss them a lot, especially Jiak You, my hosts' 4-year-old son. I should have taken more photos and deleted less, I guess taking in raw format severely limited the number of photos I could keep.

Will most probably edit the photos tomorrow and upload some onto flickr. I doubt I have any worth submitting to competitions but my composition has improved a lot.

Merry Christmas!

I am back home and it has been a rather quiet Christmas holiday for me. I have been sleeping quite a bit, probably tired after all those nights of being woken up by roosters at unearthly hours. Will have to do some catching up with friends soon, since this is the time for renewing ties and all. Will have to edit my photos some time soon too.

I shall take things easy for now, leading a slower pace of life.

I think living in a village for three weeks forces you to realign yourself with nature, with all the animals, trees, streams and hills around you. It forced me to be less dependent on all my digital addictions and reconsider my life as a whole. Hopefully, I will apply the lessons I learnt or I haveto send myself on another trip!

I am glad I am home. I miss my hot water showers. Lol.

Chiang Rai Blues

In Chiang Rai city center for a day today. Missing everything back home. There ain't no hot water shower here and bathing is like a torture everyday. Have some blisters and rashes. Sigh.

Want to be back home soon. There isn't handphone reception up there and I am sorry if you sent me any messages.

Have yet to discover my inner self, though I am a big hit with the kids in the village. Lol. The photos taken so far are pathetic and I am sad. I doubt the vision will come anytime soon.

Miss my girlfriend...

Chiang Rai, Thailand

Leaving for Chiang Rai tomorrow and will only be back on Christmas eve. Feeling some trepidation and hoping that it will be a safe trip.

Won't be having much communication with the outside world and it will just be the team, the villagers and the stars for company. Maybe I shouldn't have made such an impulsive decision. Oh well.

Hope that the work goes smoothly, that everything will be alright back home and I get some prize winning pictures.

Good bye.

Quietly, I tread

Fear, not withstanding.
Feverish and dizzy.

Tiredness is a sign of weakness
And sleep is not a respite.

The hearts no longer beat
In synchrony.

Or could it be just a temporary escape?

5 Minutes Surf Break

Okay, something to take me slightly away from the books - an excellent rendition of Radiohead's Creep. Some amazing flash work done here.

In other news, please go download Firefox Version 1.5, hot from the programmers' servers.

Running Empty

Running empty on a heart that beats slow
Passionless, remorseless.
Ain't no shadow of doubt
That the pain still lingers.

Slappin' Meself

Got rudely woken up at 8:50 am by chow, who in all his finite wisdom, called me to ask where the room was for our examination today. Sleepily, I asked, "Isn't the paper at 2?"

And like all kinds of fiction out there, the truth is not what you think it is.

In actual fact, the paper was at 9 am and I was so close to getting an F 'cos of a no-show. How freaking thrilling is that? So there I was, speeding through the early morning rituals, rushing out of the house, getting into my dad's car and hearing him nag about checking things through more thoroughly. Well, I let him nag because this was the first time in my life that I actually came so close to missing a paper. And I am glad that I got to school on time (alright, forty minutes late). I strutted into the seminar room as if I owned the place and finished my paper on time.

The events were too unreal for a Monday morning man.

To top it all up, chow and I had a mini-mobilisation exercise, in which we got together some army pals for an afternoon of beer. Not so much for a celebration but more of an impromptu bug that everyone just caught. Haha. Got ourselves somewhat high on the alcohol and the rest of the day was good. =)

Cooped

The little bird that was cooped up in the cage felt bored and lonely.

One day, a free bird flew to the balcony where the cage was. The caged bird wanted to fly away but alas, the steel remained unmovable. The free bird chirped and then he flew off into the blue, blue sky.

Dreams are like birds that fly into your balconies, they don't stay long, tempt you and fly away as if nothing happened. You, the caged one, end up fixated by the power and freedom the other bird seemed to possess. Yet, the day when you fly off may never come.

The Inability to Sleep

I have acquired a new super power lately. But I think I got way back when I was in the army and I got bitten by a radioactive mosquito. All those nights of guard duty and night missions honed my ability even further. Now, I feel that the day begins only after 1 am when there are only crappy midnight shows on the telly and the whole world has gone to sleep.

And to the pain-in-the-arse dog that starts barking at 7 in the morning - shut the fuck up!

Whoa...

Just found out that I share the same birthday as Haruki Murakami! He's like my current favourite author. How cool is that?

And some other famous people whom I share the same birthday:
Howard Stern
Rob Zombie
Rush Limbaugh
Jeff Bezos

And further back in time:

John Hancock (Lol...Insurance anyone?)
Jack London
Swami Vivekananda (Who doesn't want to be associated with a cool swami?)

Now...maybe I should do something about my life to meet what others have accomplished before me...

Reading that message? Why not let it sing?

Positively

Positively not doing anything.

Postiviely trying to be funny when I am not.

I kid you not, I don't really have a sense of humor. It tends to skew more towards perversity; sometimes it does get morbid and I am the only one laughing.

3am and I am more awake than I had been in the day watching brainless tv and mindless surfing.

What a great way to spend my study break!

Your Birthdate: January 12

You're a dynamic, charismatic person who's possibly headed for fame. You tend to charm strangers easily. And you usually can get what you want from them. Verbally talented, you tend to persuade people with your speaking and writing. You are affectionate and loving, but it's hard for you to commit to any one relationship. Your strength: Your charm Your weakness: Your extreme manipulation tactics Your power color: Indigo Your power symbol: Four leaf clover Your power month: December

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Hardly seems true to me, though I would wish to be that person. Then again, this is a shameless plug to everyone out there that my birthday is approaching soon. Lol.

Exams? Bah!

I am not studying and I am not worried. This thought alone does not worry me. Maybe because there is still much time left on the clock?

Gotta go collect some bad debts tomorrow morning. And it was about time! Was about to write it off and treat it as a loss. One bad client (I wasn't that nice either) out of the picture and all other doors on that side closes. Doesn't really bother me because I don't see web design as a career but more like extra pocket money every 3 months or so. I stil have another accounts receivable but that can wait. (Time to get those filters and the focusing screen, the 20D's lack of a split screen is causing me to be lazy and rely too much on autofocus.)

I would rather take on photo assigments. At least it is only that few hours of shooting and editing. I earn as much as I would doing a small website. But of course, my lack of experience is hindering me. Covered a wedding on Sunday as a backup and I believe that in comparison, my pictures are totally way way lousier than the main photographer.

At least he liked me pretty much. Taught me lots of things and what to look out for (though I found him to be a little too boastful. Hey, you gotta be that good to boast and deliver, man). The guy was still using film but then film definitely beats digital anytime. I am relying too much on the instant review and not framing my pictures as if each was as precious as a single frame on film. Much more to learn, I am after all, still a young padawan.

The guy said that he noticed my style of shooting and he liked it. I didn't appear to be fooling around and that was why he decided to impart his knowledge. And there I was, scoffing in the morning because he looked so old-school! Maybe I should learn more from him in the future and try to apply more contemporary styles to create my own.

Ah, the love of photography (and scorn of exams) deepens each day.

Help Needed!

Dear all,
I am currently looking for a friend or acquaintance who would like to help me out in a photoshoot series. It is a personal project that I want to bring to fruition (unlike countless ones still residing in my head.)

No particular preference but applicant must be willing to wear a costume. I don't have much to pay you in terms of monetary renumeration but perhaps a dinner and my eternal gratitude. (I will also grant godfather-like favors in the future.)

So, interested applicants please do contact me. Expect lots of sweat and fun. And of course, I will print the photos for your own usage. :)

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Took this in October. Emulated the cross-process effect. Comment please.

Night Sky

Took this before I was questioned by the cops. Here's a transcript of the actual conversation:

Cpl: Excuse me sir, may I know what you are doing here?

Me (squatting on the ground with my tripod): Just taking photos. Is there any problem?

Cpl: Ehrm, what kind of photos you taking?

Me: The trees la.

Cpl (probably thinking that I am a terrorist): Trees? Can I take a look at your photos?

Me: Sure, I hope I am not in trouble.

Ssg and Cpl look at the photos and took down my particulars.

Ssg: Sorry sir, I hope that you know this area is sensitive and we do not want you to be inconvenienced if our investigators come down on you.

After some small talk, they left in their patrol car. Well, the photo sucked anyway because by the time they were done, the clouds had shifted. This is also the first time I am using camera raw and I do need to learn more regarding that.

Here's the picture that got me questioned.

Statistics

Last night, I stepped on 4 snails, got bitten 6 times by mosquitoes and got questioned by the police. Not a very good idea to be toting a tripod and a huge camera in the middle of the night. Wish the cops gave me a spin the patrol car though. Haha.

When Your Desktop Goes Crazy

Stumbled upon this nifty flash movie about desktop icons gone crazy. Surreal to see the Windows XP wallpaper on my Mac...ah, the horrible memories! I eschew Windows!

Been feeling down and unmotivated. Maybe I will head out for some night photography cos I am just too goddamn depressed.

Beautiful Things

Ugly things can be beautiful sometimes and beautiful things can be ugly.

Perhaps we all need to look beyond what we are seeing on the surface.

Monday Morning

Gotta head down to school soon to prepare for a group presentation. After today, there will be an individual presentation tomorrow. How fun... =(

Next Friday FA Final Project is due and the peeps have yet to start anything major yet. And we are 3 weeks away from all our major tests. Can't wait for this term to end and the next to begin. When am I going to start learning more useful stuff?

Need to get some books to read pretty soon. My grammar is really going down the drain. Read some Oscar Wilde last night. That guy is a nutcase!

"Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others."

Running (Away From) The Rat Race

Recently, I have been inundated by several ideas floating around my head (perhaps causing the migraines I was suffering from or the migraines causing me to this ideas, I digress here..) and of which, one is about running away from the rat race.

In this new economy (overly abused cliche), we cannot afford to think that doing well in school will guarantee future success. I do not know about many of my peers but personally, I find the constant need of people in school to study, study and study totally quite disgusting. Although I eschew that, I find myself inevitably affected and wanting to do the same, lest I fall out of place. I was thinking, how does one ever run away from this rat race?

The best way to maximise creative profitability in a 
population of people is therefore to support a distribution of 
varying paths to success. For instance, one person might find 
success by mastering a series of pre-defined tests in an academic 
system and then applying the discipline gained from that experience 
to the wider arena of life. This is a proven scenario with a long 
history. And yet, it isn't right for everybody.
- Jaron Lanier, "Creativity Can Be Fostered", Business Times, 10 November 2005.

I do agree with Lanier and he goes on to say, "My character is to seek a role that is different...by being such a novelty seeker I have ended up being extremely productive and successful.". How I wish I could easily be unaffected by my fellow students.

One reason why I chose my school was that at the point of enrollment, it was perceived as something "new" and "creative" - a school different from the rest. I beg to differ here. I hear seniors talking about how my batch seems to be studying so hard for a mere 10% of the total grades. I am not trying to be sour grapes here (yes, I did not do so well for that said ten percent), the point that I am making is that there are so many other things to enjoy and learn.

I am finding it hard to maintain a voice because like all sheep, I find myself being swayed by the crowd. I want to break out of this rote learning system that has been ingrained in us from a young age. I see several kindred spirits around but like wandering spirits, we are disjointed and unorganized. I wish to start something but I have yet to know what I am capable of. Perhaps, the invigoration of the bohemian lifestyle in school (then again, I am a regular joe) or just a simple constant reminder to myself that grades are not that important; what I learn is more important than my transcript; who you know will get you further than that 4.0 GPA; people-to-people interaction is the key factor of bringing you further and finally, a far-sighted, level-headed person will do better than a pencil-pusher with straight A's.

This does not mean that I will quit school and join the working world. In fact, school is perhaps the best place to be now. To meet new people, to learn things that might help you in the future, to learn how to work with people and ultimately, to discover your true path before you embark on your 30 years of working life. And with that, I do hope that I will open my eyes soon and deviate from the mad scrambling that is going around me.

Do you want to go my way?

The author is a freshman at an unmentioned higher institute of learning. He is not doing so well in school right now and this is just an excuse for him to study less. He wishes to see the world before his studies end and hopefully, come up with a brilliant business plan too.

Bumming

Been doing nothing much lately. Do some work here, skive for the rest of the day.

Just watched Goodfellas and I like that show. Martin Scorsese wielded it so perfectly, it makes me want to be a gangster. Then again, I always wanted to be one. Haha.

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.
-Henry Hill

I believe we have till next year before we can see Scorsese's take on Infernal Affairs. Hopefully, it will be good and every bit as enjoyable (or more) as the original.

Children Suck At Drawing

A simple project that looked at adults' renditions of drawings by children.

children suck at drawing

Reminds me of all those times when I was younger, drawing on walls and any flat surface I could get my grummy hands on. ;)

List of Presents (for myself)

Spent last night preparing a list of stuff I want and most probably be getting myself in the near future (except the lenses...).

Books

Fiction
Haruki Murakami - Norwegian Wood
Haruki Murakami - Sputnik Sweetheart
Neil Gaiman - Anansi Boys

Non-Fiction
Warren E. Buffett - The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America
Andrew McHattie - The Investor's Guide to Warrants: Capitalize on the Fastest Growing Sector of the Markets
Cay Horstmann, Gary Cornell - Core Java, 7th Edition
Christopher Grey - Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers

Camera Goodies

Lens
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro

Filters
B+W Circular Polarizer 77mm
Cokin P System - 0.6 ND

Now, I wish Santa was real. Lol.

Crunch Time

Project deadlines loom and I am still quite a distance before completing any of them. About 75% done with my video for next Monday's presentation and it is really quite a chore with the directionless shots. At least I just learnt some video-editing skills. Heh. There is the five pages of learning journal that I have not started on.

Due next Tuesday is my Communications 101 presentation, which I have not begun much preparations yet.

And on Friday, my financial accounting final project should be up. Sadly, I only downloaded all the financial reports and did no analysis whatsoever.

Not to mention, my exams are coming in 3 weeks' time! Phew. I am just glad this term is going to be over. How time flies! My next term's time table just got released and I have 2 freaking long days. In return, I get 2 days off per week! More commercial work, I hope! =)

Do check out Premium Liquid Assets, my newest commercial work. Almost 100% CSS but I got lazy. Haha.

Living Breathing Dreams

Lately it seems that when my eyes close and I drift away, I find myself in a foreign body; a conscious beyond my own.

I dreamt of someone else's childhood, or rather his memories of it. Images were blurry, sometimes over-exposed, at times, dark and foreboding. I saw his toys; places he had been; scenes he remembered. And they were not mine. There was a print that I remember, perhaps a part of some wallpaper. It was torn and tattered but it evoked emotions in the person that he broke down to tears. I could not relate to that but I teared too. Disjointedly, things moved and changed.

Last night, I dreamt a dream I had dreamt before but had forgotten. Vaguely, it sits in my mind now. I cannot recall much except that I had dreamt it once and the familiarity of it all. Things were in technicolor with a slight orange cast. Perhaps it was about the seventies, or maybe my previous life. I do not know.

Were there stories to tell or was my subconscious telling me something that I ought to know? I do not know.

What have you been dreaming?

Identity

Been playing around with some ideas for my new business card and created the montrosity below. Doubt I will use it but I still think it is cute. Heh.

Whispering Into the Wind

Quietly. Softly.

I whisper into the wind a wish for the future, a hope for something better; a place where I can truly laugh.

I kick my shoes back and smile.

Life has been good to me recently.

Video Podcasts

I have furthered my geekiness by being enthralled recently by the power of video podcasts and one of my favourite would be Photoshop TV. It's really cool to see all this free content online and I learnt a thing or two with their recent tips. =)

I am still exploring this new area of digital content distribution. It is rather uncharted and so much can be developed from it! I still wish my lectures could be in podcast format so even if I oversleep, I will still be able to see my profs' lessons. Haha.

Just had a new swanky hair cut and got hit on by the gay hair dresser. He said he would bring me to a gay club if I did more sprucing. I don't know why but recently this topic has been debated between me and chow chow. He firmly believes that my eyes and my dressing just appeal very much to gays. I have no quarrel with them and secretly, I love the attention. Haha. I am, sadly (for them), totally heterosexual, of course. Oh well!

Collective

Check out Eamon Gillen, a collective of talented photographers and illustrators. Some truly stunning pictures. Hugo Tillman's style appeals largely to me. Can't wait to go out for a photoshoot soon.

I am thinking of perhaps coming up with an advertisement style collateral. Interested parties can contact me and we can work something out. Good to include in portfolios.

I think I will do a long portrait shoot next year in school if things go smoothly. It would be interesting to capture all the different personalities and how they are portrayed.

Dream

When does reality end and begin when you close your eyes to sleep? Do your dreams reflect buried emotions or are they portents of events yet to come?

Woke up tears-smeared and I couldn't stop crying. Shall not elaborate on the dream because it is too personal.

Death of someone close is just too painful to pen in words when the emotions are so raw now.

I just hope that it remains just a dream; the what-ifs floating around could send me reeling back to tears.

Flying Rats

Pigeons in a live-art installation in Lyon. Though it may appear to be slightly grotesque, I still think it is cool.

Link

Rain, Rain, Go Away

If I were home now curled up in bed or standing at my balcony and watching the rain fall, I would be at peace.

Unfortunately, I am stuck in school wishing I left earlier. It is yet another rainy Tuesday! Gelare's Tuesday offers don't look so enticing anymore, especially with all this rain.

Own an Ipod or a Powerbook? Give it a laser tattoo for that personal touch. Cool? Maybe for awhile and then you may regret it like the tattoo you got when you were drunk years ago.

Travellin'

I can't believe that the men in green managed to waste another 5 hours of life even though I have been out for so long. Travelling on the bus at 3pm made me all pukey and I finally reached at 4:30pm. Waited one whole hour for this old ah pek, who was supposed to be some retired officer, before my investigations began. Took one and a half hours before the young and inept officer typed and retyped the stupid statement for five times. Finally left the stinky dump at 6:20pm. Waited for like 20 minutes before my bus came and it took me another hour to get home. The worst thing is that I had to pay $5 for bus fares! Transport ain't cheap man.

Chanced upon this article while reading my feeds. The author claims that in the future, most professionals will own several cameras in order to get different effects much like what they used to achieve from film. It would seem cool to own different cameras but really, I think the difference between digital pictures I have seen out of the camera are quite easily modified in Photoshop. Thus negating the need for owning a few cameras just for their subtle differences in color or sharpness etc.

On the topic of travelling, I am heading to Chiang Rai for December and may land cross into Myanmar. Hence, I have effectively covered all the countries for this part of South East Asia (less Indonesia and Philippines). However, since it is just gonna be a day like Laos, I am still up for the idea of a railway trip up north, hopefully ending up in China. Ah, the intrepid traveller that I am. Travelling five days to unknown lands is much better than five hours back to camp anytime.

6 Degrees of Separation

It's funny how we are sort of connected to each other, especially in such a small place like Singapore.

Currently doing a collaborative project with someone in school, the person whom I am working with is a great pal to two of my good friends. Coincidental? Maybe. I visited an exhibition of their works a few years back and her work had remained lodged in my head. Somehow, I guess we might have had some links to people we know now, if you searched hard enough within the banks of your memory. However, it could be selective, to say the very least, of our minds trying to connect the dots together.

Nevertheless, it is rather cool. And I am happy to be working on a new commercial project. =) Just when I had it with nasty clients...

Like-minded people tend to seek each other out eh?

Sleep Marathon

I was away from the world for 12 hours, yes, that's how much I slept and when I woke up, it felt like Wednesday again but it ain't.

I don't remember my dreams; except for this little trip that happened but didn't really happen. Somebody on the bus was complaining that why was I so solemn, "Don't you know how to have fun?". I do but my definition of fun is your definition of boring. Perception is all it is.

I got off the bus and went into a building trying to find the gent's. After a while everybody managed to come in and asked how did I even enter when the security guards were checking all of them. I shrugged and said, "I just got in."

That night, I was urging the same people who called me grim to sneak out and have some fun in the night. That's the other part of me speaking. Everyone sat uncomfortably in their seat and stared blankly at me. Risk; we need some thrill to feel that we are alive.

The bus rumbled on.

I/O Brush

This has got to be one of those toys that you must buy for your children to enchance their creativity. The I/O Brush allows one to paint onto a digital surface with "paint" derived from any source. Basically, the brush has got a camera which captures the surface of any image and uses it as "paint". There is the possibility of creating movement too. How cool is that?

Rainy Tuesdays with Nobody

There's something tragically sad about Tuesdays and when it rains, Tuesdays seem to be even gloomier. Mondays are always the blue but when Tuesdays arrive, it seems like eternity before the weekend and you didn't have a good Sunday the day before. When the rain stops and you go home, maybe it would be better because it would be Wednesday tomorrow. The weekend beckons but sooner than you know it, it is Tuesday all over again.

The sun peeping out through the rain clouds that just spewed all their gunk is an excellent precursor to a headache.

Listening to Lorraine a' Malena's Just Me and Eve, a song from Neil Gaiman's Mirror Mask. Kinda cute thought the lyrics seem to be darker than the tune.

Smile

This kid disrupted my photo shoot on Sunday. He was prancing around and wanted to play with my camera. Took a couple of quick shots of him before recommencing my work.


Smile

Rainy Sunday

Pouring as if the Great Flood is upon us right now. Stuck at home but I gotta leave for a photo assignment in a while.

Tomorrow marks the start of the second half of the term and deadlines that will come fast and furiously. Argh. So many things piled up upon one another. I hope to get most of it done within the next two weeks so I can concentrate on my revisions. Uni life seems to be rather hectic even though the time table seems to be very slack.

Chanced upon 50 years of World Press Photo last night. Gripping work over the years, forever immortalized that space of time. Watch with an open mind, some gruesome photos ahead.

Apple Releases

Apple just released its iMac G5 that looks really swank and a new black iPod. They also released an iPod with video capabilities. Apple net income for this quarter has quadrupled. Man, Steve Jobs is starting to scare me. Mac users aren't really the so-called "renegades" from Microsoft. In actualy fact, I think we are all just suckers for good marketing and better product design. The psychology of consumers!

Taken from Job's keynote address for iTunes 6:
...you can buy off the iTunes store today, and that is TV shows... $1.99 an episode for current season and past seasons.

Whoa. They are deadset on conquering the media market online.

Read more on Job's address.

Time Slipping Away

It is Thursday already. My so-called one week break has been ridden with projects and miscellaneous school stuff. I haven't even started relaxing yet. School has totally consumed what was left of my life but somehow I am not complaining that much. Must learn more in school and make more friends I guess. There will be so many more years of dreadful work years ahead. Look on the bright side eh?

Yesterday, I visited Riceball and bought yet another book on photography. Had a real nice chat with a guy who is doing freelance photography as a sideline. Interesting to find out more stuff related to freelancing. Maybe it's time I took the dip into that pool. My foray into web design hasn't really gone very well. Sigh. I am so broke...

Channel News Asia has just released their RSS feed after so long. I was part of the trial team to test it out and it has been reliable so far. Go get your feed now!

Twiddling

Spent the whole day with old folks. Time passed fairly slowly, not because I was hating every minute of it; in fact, I actually enjoyed taking a slower pace in life. This old man whom I was attached to taught me a thing or two about life today. We may be young punks to them yet I feel a great sense of satisfaction today, especially after so many weeks of planning. Maybe when you're older, you are not in such a rush to get to the end. You will bide your time, taking each step slowly, observing everything around you, for time is short. Our existence here is merely a fleeting dream. Now, I feel that I should do more for these old folks, in whatever ways that I can.

Our society is moving towards an ageing populating and it would do good for the society in whole if everybody paid more attention to their own old folks. Maybe it's because my own grandparents passed away when I was young but I feel such an attachment to all the old folks today. I am glad that they can remember me even though it has been weeks since i last went down.

It does feel good to do some community service. Haha. The old black hearted one is softening up?

---

Was bored and I took the Naruto character quiz. Lol.


Which Naruto Character Are You?
Test by naruto - kun.com

What can I say? I love bugs...

Wanderings

Firstly, my condolences to the victims of the earthquake that struck Pakistan, India and some parts of Afghanistan. Why does it seem like diasters just keep coming and coming?

Went on a wandering on Saturday and took a few pictures after my tests. I was feeling kinda down because of the tests and the sky was overcast; didn't make for a good combination for pictures. Nevertheless, I walked from school to Little India, through the streets there, down Mustafa area and then emerging from Kelantan Lane. Walked among the back alleys and got threatened for taking pictures of an illegal makeshift stall. Visited the flea market at Sungei Road area, took a few pictures there and walked back down through Boon Keng area.

Here are some pictures I took that day.


Calling Home

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Door 88

Part of my Door series that I did not plan to start. I am kinda fascinated with the idea of doors leading you to places that you may not imagine yourself to be.

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History for Sale

This old man was selling photostated history pictures found in textbooks. He gave me a quick history lesson and I wished I had used another lens when taking this picture. Had to do a square crop.

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Sunkissed

This old lady's husband wanted to sell me a plastic digital camera for $288. I told him it was for kids and he laughed it off. He asked me to take a photo of his wife, which I did. She has been doing this for 30 over years, hence the sun burnt look. Think her skin tone complements the green in the background.

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Comments? Might post more in the future. Currently, I am only adjusting this pictures for web use only. The original stays original.

Outside

When you're on the inside, you cannot understand how those who stand outside feel. Everything seems to be muted through the glass that divides.

When you're on the outside, you stare with envy at the love that surrounds you, yet you know not one iota is yours to grasp. You wish you had your own circle, your own inner sanctum.

Things will always remain the same.

The outside is ultimately still alone when the curtain falls.

Stinky Feet

*WARNING*
This is an extremely irrelevant post.
*/WARNING*

Growing in numbers, growing in speed. Can't fight the future, can't fight what I can't see.
- Moby

If the bacteria on your feet grew at an exponential rate (they all do, sneaky creatures...), a pair of perfectly nice smelling feet at the beginning of the day will turn into one heck of a stink bomb at the end of the day. The dark, dank and warm environments of our shoes/sandals are basically fields of abundance for al these critters. Why do they even exist anyway? To eat up all the sweat crystals? If our ancestors had washed their feet more often, would it have caused the bacteria to all die out?

Ah well.

I have been studying a little too much. My one-week break coming up is gonna be packed with school stuff. Sigh.

I want to go shopping. I need money...

Lost Mobile Phone

I found a mobile phone in the cab I was in before alighting. In my haste, I took it, hoping to return to the owner. Called up home and mum but no one picked up the phone. There weren't any other numbers inside. So I suspected that the phone probably belonged to a young lady who had quite a habit of losing her handphone. Don't ask me why.

I waited the whole evening hoping that the owner would call.

Just got off the phone with the owner about 2 minutes ago. I had unintentionally picked up the cab driver's phone! I feel kinda bad that he has to travel down tomorrow morning to collect the phone to me. At least I had good intentions...

This is a classical story of a bungling bad guy trying to do something good for a change. Sigh. It's easier to be the villian in the story.

Pickled Mashed Potatoes

My brain felt like mashed potatoes floating in pickled juice for much of the evening.

Chance upon this small installation right inside Raffles City's departmental store. It was a bunch of cute looking cushions sown together and somewhat placed arbitarily. It was supposed to represent the complexity of human thought or something and it just occurred to me as bullshit. No offence to the creator but I really did like quirkiness of it but I wouldn't label it art.

Over at MIT, scientists have found out the way to make self-propagating robots. Seems like in the near future, we all might be floating around in pickled juice, deciding on which pill to take.

Head over to 33Things to find out some hilarious answers to questions that you may have had at one point or another. I particularly like the question on Why Boobs are so Comforting. Lol.

The Corpse Bride, Making of

Chanced upon a shot making of Tim Burton's latest film, The Corpse Bride, on Apple's site. Seems like they used several Canon 1Ds MkII (SGD$14,999) and USD$100k worth of Nikon lenses (weird combination) with 5 G5s with Final Cut Pro to get the stop motion marvel we are watching now.

I am so inspired to head out and do my own claymation movie. Lol. Before I begin, I will have to learn how to make clay. :)

Alcohol in School

Today I attended a session of wine appreciation after lessons and boy was it fun. Haha. Learnt the basics about wine tasting and then we had some cheese and crackers with our wine. Tasted 4 different wines and I will try to remember the taste of wine from now on.

Being lovers of alcohol, Law and I ended up drinking 1.5 bottles of wine each. Towards the end it wasn't so much about appreciation anymore. Lol. Still, it was fun getting tipsy in class even before the sun has set. The night seemed to be much longer and there wasn't a need to take a cab home.

Maybe I should consider starting my drinking sessions earlier. We can even make good use of the happy hour deals. ;)

Ambitions

In the past few months, my frequent travels on the train has been faithfully documented in my head or in a notepad. Why am I doing this, you may ask? It is part of my (yet another) ambitious plan to have a book published (and it may never be).

Through the stories I conjured or observed, I am trying to paint a diaspora picture of the life of Singaporeans.

By formally stating this in print, I am trying to use one of those psychological motivational tools (can't remember the name) to get me going.

Check your bookstores in a few years' time. I hope.

Life is so full of wishful thinking, at least on my part. Shrugs. Time to head to school.

Curses!!!

After much contemplation, I decided to synchronise Powerbook's Mail to the school network. The school is full of self-effacing IT personnel who worships only Microsoft, which means I couldn't rely on them. Through the reading of some forum articles, I finally have VPN and mail set up. Crap. It is so frustrating. At least I have my homework .

My mom was trying to get me to go out with her in the morning but I just turned over and slept. Work up with a slight panic attack. The project execution is next next Monday and we have yet to have the bus or food or water arranged. What the hell. Sponsors have yet to get back to me. Sigh.

Crossing my fingers.

Mind Blockade

Dear all,
I am so used to writing emails these days that it feels natural to begin like this.

I hope life has been treating you fairly, your karmic returns equal to the deeds in your life.

Last night, I watched Old Boy (finally) and it was quite a gratifying experience. I love senseless violence on the screen sometimes. It was painful to watch one's realisation that all he struggled for was all because of something he said and forgotten. Much of the show had little realism yet the story and the fights were often exagerrated. I still loved the show.

Woo-jin Lee: Remember this: "Be it a rock or a grain of sand, in water they sink as the same."

I cannot forget the excellent cinematography. If more films were made this way, we would all be happier. Screw Hollywood blockbusters.

After such a fulfilling show, I spent more hours together figuring out my financial accounting. And I am sad to admit that I am getting more lost as I read the text book. Crap.

That's all for now, dear folks. Remember to keep dreaming and schedule your time properly.

Bye.

Sold!

Within one week, I have sold off my ipod mini and my camera. Trying to apply what I learnt in class about unearned revenue and assets acquistion to prevent myself from overspending and encountering any cash flow problems. Haha. I am so screwed for FA.

Check out One Man's Eye for some portrait shots by Alan Siegel. Love the simplistic design of the site.

Kurt Arrigo has got some really amazing landscape photos.

It is all these inspiration that spurs me on. Can't wait for my next photo trip!

To KK: bon voyage! Have fun at Ireland. Do not come back weighing 80kg!

Reflections in the middle of the night

Been successful at creating a bad name for myself thus far in school during my classes. I am a horrendous oversleeper and I am always late for my 8:30 classes in the morning. Today was no exception and now the professor knows me by name. She even cited what I wrote in an introduction of ourselves during the first week, in front of the class. I wrote that the greatest achievement for me is to wake up early to attend a 8:30 class in the morning. Ah, well.

But sooner or later, i will just fade away from their memories like I always do. Nothing exceptional, just like any another student.

Perhaps the need for a positive mindset for all endeavours should be in place. At least, I can prevent myself from adopting a laissez faire attitude after the initial excitment in whatever I do.

Sometimes, you make a mistake and you wish you hadn't. Everything prior comes to a standstill, you can't think, you don't know what to do and you just hope with all tiny strains of faith within you that everything would be alright. Would you devise a way to escape your problem? Or would you just stay calm and wait till an oppurtune time to proceed?

Counting Sheep

Finished Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase. In a poignant and deliberate pace, I find myself pondering deep about many things that, in my haste to "live" life, have forgotten that I once thought about them. I find awareness to be a rather weird concept. The thoughts are still nascent now but perhaps more will come when I really go think about it.

I particularly enjoyed the little bit of the author's staring into the him that was in the mirror. Was the mirror a reflection of him or was he a reflection of himself in the mirror's world? This level of consciousness has been discussed over and over again; yet, each time I find myself enthralled by it.

Perhaps, whenever I stare at myself in the mirror, I am engaging with a stranger whom I see everyday but forget about his existence. Oh maybe, it was him who forgot about me. We, however, share the same will perhaps, mimicking each other's actions. When I walk out away, would it be leaving myself behind or would he be leaving with me too?

I am eagerly awaiting the chance to get myself another Murakami's book. While I read an article in the newspapers once lamenting the fact that Murakami has been degraded to pop culture but seriously, how many would just read and enjoy it for its weirdness and not ponder upon its deeper meaning.

(I for one, sheepishly, admit that at times, I do not think beyond the words. I also found the poetic prose soothing, cool but somehow, hurting a little.)

The Terrible Procrasinator

I have been a terrible procrasinator lately. Been sitting on several projects and just got myself woken up to the amount of work that needed to be done. If you had something that has been stewing for weeks and each week more comes on top of the mount that is already piling up, which should you do first? I would have gone off and escaped everything by doing inane stuff like clip my toe nails or sort my photos on my computer. Lol.

I find Marukumi to be an excellent read. He is like Kafka, except easier to digest. Incorporating some of his philosophy in normal mundane life has set me thinking. And then, I am inspired to write again.

I think I should start sleeping earlier from now on. Will be staying in school to study tomorrow, as well as complete a small side project that I have been sitting on for the past two months or more. I need some study buddies in school. Lately, I find myself coming home late from school, trying to complete my homework. I am so not a social butterfly.

Chinatown

Visited Chinatown yesterday with the SMUSAIC people. Really pleased with my results. Take a look at my gallery to see full size pictures. There ain't no Hello program for Mac, so it really is quite a hassle to put them up here. lol.


Asia - this building was built in 1939. And I was standing in the middle of the road trying to capture its juxataposition against the more modern things around. Should have set a smaller aperture for it though!


Chinatown Hotel
I found this quaint hotel an oxymoron because of its un-Chinatown outlook.


Dream Door
Found this door looking out of place in one of the side lanes, wonder who could have been using it.


Erhu Player
This old man was rather happy to let us take photos of him. And I tried several shots from different angles. But somehow, I feel that I did not capture the mood as I had intended.


Culture for Sale
So sad to see these "cultural" goods being sold. But this is how commercialization of our culture goes.


Afternoon Siesta
Tried several shots of this sleeping man. Wanted to go for a wider angle but too many distracting things on the left.


Watch Repairman
This trade is getting rare here. The old man said he wasn't photogenic but I took a picture of him anyway. He's been in this trade for 30 over years!

Lanterns

When he was young, he used to have lanterns everytime the Mid-Autumn festival came. He remembers the anticipation of lighting up the candles and gingerly putting them into flimsy paper lanterns.

They don't make them the same anymore.

He wished he held memories of his younger days closer to his heart. But somehow, the shadows had darken. There was once when one caught fire when he wasn't careful. He remembers seeing it burning brightly on the ground, tears welling up in his eyes.

It was the one of his first lessons on mourning and loss.

When the times moved on, he graduated to battery-powered plastic lanterns. Maybe it was the last year of his innocence and the light-emitting lanterns could hardly hold onto his fleeing heart. Deep down, the flames of yesteryear felt stronger and more vibrant.

You could hold onto a memory tightly and yet, as time passed by, the clarity would fade; interjunctions would become hazy and songs would turn into echoes. Do you remember the exhilaration and excitment? Do you remember your own fires?

Sigh, the bittersweetness of memory.

(Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, my dear readers. Eat more moon cakes!)

Lanterns

When he was young, he used to have lanterns everytime the Mid-Autumn festival came. He remembers the anticipation of lighting up the candles and gingerly putting them into those flimsy paper lanterns.

They don't make them the same anymore.

Mediocracy

How would you feel if it occurred to you that in whatever you, you are only mediocre at best? Nothing special, just like 95% of the entire human population out there. I mean, what's so bad after all? Weren't your parents mediocre too? They had nothing to show except the misery of living in this world for far too long. You are perfectly fine living the life you are living now, what more could you ask? There is no sickness, no poverty, no conflicts and things just go linearly. A spiral in either direction, upwards or downwards, would be so much fun, wouldn't it?

What if there was a guy who promises you to bring you out of your comfort zone? To allow you to tap into the hidden potential within? And that he sees something in you?

Would you abandon all you have now and join him? It is all about belief and are you ready to take the leap of faith?

To rise above the mediocracy that surrounds everything around you, soar higher than the birds that are flying above you now, leap higher than the tallest buildings in the world; can you take the pressure?

Or would you just remain where you are and hold your grounds?

Blog Search

Just released today is the new blog search by Google. It's most amazing how fast they come up with new products each time. Maybe it's time to say good bye to Technorati. Blogger was quick to have it integrated on their front page.

As usual, being the paranoid android that I am, I did a quick search on my name to see what gets dragged out of the closet. Thank goodness there ain't any dirt out there. Lol.

Stayed in school to do some homework today and before I knew it, it was already 9pm. Tomorrow is yet another day of the Labrious Tedious Bullshit meeting. Growl. So much for doing thankless work. Maybe I will just do all the filming and photography from now on and leave the other crap to people in the group. I just hate to have the proposal I wrote up to be dissected and taken apart. And taking the credit for it? Geez.

Here's something to laugh about. Ah the joy of tech!

Wanking Bananas

Should be doing work but I am here relaxing.

Check out this interesting article at BBC that I stumbled upon.

Wankers the world over rejoice! Haha. Minimum 5 times a week. Phew.

Alternatively, check out the Fly Guy for some weird going-ons. I love the animation, it's so old school!

40 Year Old Virgin

Check out the trailer for the 40 Year Old Virgin. It is really quite hilarious, though the plot may seem contrived. The hair removal part looks quite painful. Ouch.

I am in some need of slapstick humour in my life. Lol.

Lelong Lelong!

I am selling my unopened Ipod Mini and 1-year old Panasonic Lumix FZ20 (well maintained, almost mint). I have put up several auctions but sadly there are no takers yet! Anyone out there interested in getting the above mentioned? I am like trying to sell off as many things as possible to feed my new baby.

Please do help me spread the word. Do need the cash quite badly.

Dreamlike

Yesterday, I acquired yet another asset, the camera that I dreamed so much of...the Canon 20D! I still need to wait to get the 17-40mm L lens. And also a flash and a remote shutter. It's buy buy buy all over again. (I am so broke!!)

Another few thousands cashed out, I do need to balance my books more effectively from now on.

I have a plan to turn this place around. Can't wait to play with my new toy soon!

Am thinking to do more fashion and portraiture shots from now on.

Check out chromasia for some stunning photography.

Weird!

Haha. Why was my blog linked to a certain Nicole Peters?

32J! Adult discretion only though. Personally, I find them to be rather too overwhelming for me. Eew.

Normal

Normal is being regular. Like a regular cup of coffee, the right amount for any healthy adult.

But why be normal when you can be a grande? Fifty cents for (an) upsize (of the meal) sir?

When you are normal, nothing happens much in your life. There would not be much variety, you would not meet interesting folks. And how sane is that?

Society defines normal and many would fall out of that subset into what the normal people define as eccentric.

Some try hard to be someone they are not. They pretend to be normal or pretend to be not normal. And all you end up with is a mushy pack of fries that is tasteless.

Somehow, I think I am not making much sense here. My homework is still unfinished and I got to wake up in five hours' time.

I am glad each week, I am blessed with an extra 4 * 5 hours in my life because I don't sleep much.

p.s. i love my Powerbook! Today, no less than 4 people mentioned how cool it looks and how they want to be Mac convert too. Lead the way! Mac Evangelism! (We are all just being the typical suckers for consumerism!)

Network Woes and Burnt Pockets

With the new Powerbook, I purchased a router, a new mouse and a laptop protection cover. I still have some other accessories to buy to complete the tech geek outlook. Haha. I am eating bread for the rest of the month...

Been trying for the past few hours to get the network up but the wireless is intermittent. And I have been trying very hard to copy files over from my PC. Bah. Who said it was easy? Lol. The steps are simple but Windows is so unreliable. It hangs whenever I want to access my mac throught My Network Places. When I try connecting from my powerbook to my PC, I get an error! And my network seems to be shaky. I hate network related stuff!

I should be doing my homework and preparing stuff for school. Argh!

My Powerbook is finally here!

As I am typing this, I am drooling at my Powerbook. After such a long wait it is finally here! Phew.

Excuse me while I go fiddle around with it. Too bad I gotta wait for awhile before I get all the software I need.

Oh well! What's 2 days of waiting?

Sheeps in Disguise

Today I made a rather interesting observation about Singaporeans. Due to the obscene way the society is being managed, many end up so constrained and behave like sheep.

Take for instance the MRT gantry. There is a green arrow that points to the exit/entrance and normally people use it as a visual cue to get out/in. At the station near my place, there happened to be one exit gantry between two other similar gantries that did not have a green arrow. Naturally, everybody just did not pass through that gantry, all preferring to stick to something they are sure of; something safe and ended up in a long queue for the two gantries.

Finding it weird that the one in the middle was not used, I went ahead and got through without queueing up. When I turned around, nobody followed me, all herding together like sheep. While it may only be a very generalised view, I feel that Singaporeans could benefit more from getting out of their comfort zones and test uncharted waters. Very often, we are left behind because we did not dare to try; even if the thought existed in our heads. We dismiss these thoughts as crazy, scary and pointless.

Would you dare to try something radical? Plunge into a project that many may find risky? Perhaps, it is this little spirit of daring; a little weakness of the safety net that pulls us back that will make a difference in our lives.

Try something new. Walk home from a different path then you do daily. You will observe something new and interesting. But please, put on your observation glasses first.

LTB!

LTB for the uninitiated is the Leadership & Team-Building module in my school. Basically, for 13 weeks we are tasked to complete a community service project and learn about leadership and team-building(duh!).

Due to a complete lack of common sense, I came up with the following list to explain the abbreviation:

• Laboriously Tedious Bullshit project


• Lousy Troubling Boring project


• reaLly Totally Bloody project

Okay, I give up. I sound lame. Feel free to add your own intepretations.

Right now, I think my team needs some divine intervention!

Comex September 2005

Went down to the Comex show before lessons started today. The crowd was rather bad and the offers were worse. It seems like holding the show quarterly each year has been causing the standard to slip. Now it is just like Funan meets Sim Lim. The discounts were minimal and the freebies were dismal.

Seems like Nikon Singapore is going towards marketing to the masses with its giant D50 balloon. Touting the D50 to entice consumers who are bored with their compact cameras or prosumers, Nikon is neglecting its other customer base - more experienced SLR users. When is the D100 replacement gonna be?

At the Canon camp, I overheard the salesman bashing Nikon for its slowness in adopting new technology. This may be true but each camp has its own pros and cons. Nikon has rather good reliability and all-round lenses while Canon has its technological advantages and powerful zoom lenses. Really, at the end of the day, it all boils down to which camera the user feels most comfortable with; which faults he/she can overlook.

Fiddled around with the Canon 20D, I am so going to get it. Bought myself a Brother laser printer because it is the only sub-$200 model that is Mac-compatible. Also bought a 5-port router, a wireless is so not worth it when my desktop and laptop will be in the same room.

Thing is......where the hell is my Powerbook gonna come? I know I have been harping about it for weeks but it is still NOT here yet. I blame the IT show for causing the drop in supply to Apple's distributors. I just hope they wont come out with higher specs in like 2 weeks' time.

QOTD

Quote of the Day: "Life is not like a box of chocolates; it is a box of lollipops - it sucks."

A verbatim comment by my communication professor. He is rather swell, came late to lessons today and gave us a half hour break. I do hope he is as generous for grades!

After the lesson, I began seeing how some articles in Today have insidious objectives embedded within its articles. For instance, they appealed to advertisers to advertise on their paper by running an article on Today's revenues from advertising. I have read articles where they carried short paragraphs on the effectiveness of some companies' methods regarding some business process, which in my opinion are actually small advertisements! Haha. This subject of communication is definitely more faceted then I thought it would be.

Excuse me while I go finish up my homework for Thursday and Friday. Comex show this weekend at Suntec city. Wait for my review of it on Thursday. Am looking out for a laser printer and also a cheap LAN cable.

Tomorrow my Powerbook arrives I hope!

Monday..

Finally went to the bank after much procrastination. I suddenly feel a great sense of peace looking at my bank books. Lol. I am perhaps considering investing some of my money soon. Bank interest rates just don't get it.

Before I leave for my lesson (been too busy to blog), here are some interesting links:

Google just launched its new Instant Messaging (IM) client named GoogleTalk. It is cool but do we need yet another IM? (Yahoo, MSN, defunct ICQ...) There isn't any support for Mac users too.

There has been much market fanfare about Google rivaling Microsoft in many aspects. Expect to look at a Google OS in the next few years. Google Desktop is a hint of things to come. What can I say, I love everything about Google. I just wish I had enough money to buy some of their shares. Lol

Do also check out Glassfruits for some earrings to buy. Recently incepted

Enthusiasm..Not

I was enthusiastic about school for a grand total of two days. Lol. The drive to do well, to do all my readings, to finish my homework and to have a balanced uni life has all but dissipated. What is left behind is a deep sense of apathy and ennui. Perhaps it would take me a while to get used to the system. Today's Statistics lesson gave me such a big headache because the good ol' brain found it hard to process so much new information.

Reading up my Financial Accounting text for tomorrow. If only I could be more hardworking. :P

Canon New Releases

Canon launched a few new cameras that is really making me drool.

Most relevant to me would be the new Canon 5D, which combines the High-End Specs of the EOS-1 Line and the Ease of the EOS 20D Model. I think many 20D users might be ditching their cameras for this 12.8 megapixel beast. At a price of USD$3299, street prices here could fetch $5.8k. Phew. Maybe I should just wait for people to start selling their 20Ds. Lol.

At the even higher end of the spectrum, Canon released the EOS 1D-MKII N.It is a remake of the popular EOS 1D-MKII with enchanced features like larger LCD and 19 (!!!) continuous frames at RAW=JPEG. At USD$3999, which is cheaper than its predecessor, I would be cursing if I just bought my MKII.

There were rumours about a 3000D which are apparently just hot air. The 5D is really a pleasant surprise. The whole plethora of printers, consumer level cameras and the new MKII just pushed Canon ahead in the digital game. Nikon is always one-step behind, the others are still floundering and finding a voice. In this world of consumerism, we are bombarded with so many choices. Today's technology darling is tomorrow's dinosaur, especially for digital photography.

At the rate I am going, being an observer and all, I would most probably be getting the ultra, super-sleek and 100 megapixel in about 30 years' time. By then maybe I won't be so interested in photography anymore.

....Argh

Been spending the whole evening working and trying to iron out some CSS compatability issues. Internet Explorer should be banned from all computers and Standards-compatible browsers should rule. That said, I feel like kicking the IE programmers in the ass. All the unneccessary workarounds because the most popular browser doesn't comply? Argh...

Anyway, school has been rather good thus far. Have decided not to bid for another module because I do not want to add another 8:30am class and I also do not wish to rush like mad for my next class in 15 minutes. It is the first term after all, I have got much adjusting to do.

Now back to my regular coding. Argh!!!

First Day

Tomorrow is the first day of school and I am feeling out of sorts about the whole thing. I wish I had more time to rest before school starts but at least lessons begin at 12pm tomorrow. (Hahaha. Suckers!!!)

Gotta think through which module to take up for my fifth. Anyhow, the first week will be kinda slack, with 3-4hrs for each day of school. (I wish my powerbook will be delivered soon.)

Need some time to reflect upon intended direction and goals for the first semester and thereafter. Right now, everything is still kinda hazy and hopefully, I can come out with a viable plan soon.

So many new activities, so many new friends! It does get a little overwhelming!

Meeting

Had the first meeting with my community service group today. And I am duly impressed with how we managed to bond at such an early stage! I am keeping the details hush hush about the project but I must say that I like my team already.

We have got a good mix of characters, based on my initial impression of everybody. It was good to see actual synergy being formed during the discusion. I have seldom encountered such good team work in all my years of collaboration with people.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I actually feel something for the project, hence me being more enthusiastic and more willing to participate. It is a good change nonetheless.

All the readings on improving my EQ has helped too I think. lol. I think I am gonna enjoy this project. Wish all the teams I work with are like that! Doesn't hurt that all of us can identify and have a general feeling of goodwill towards each other.

Hope that the project will soar and everybody has fun while doing it!

Last Day of Work!

Last hour at work and it's time I said my good byes. But somehow, I have this feeling I might be coming back here more often than I would like. It was really a change of a working environment. People here are rather laid back, typical of a technology company I guess. So here's good bye to all the good people at Zuji.com!

By the way, I just discovered Google Homepage. It is similar to Yahoo! Homepage but it is being run with Ajax. The different sections can be dragged in, everything looks fast and promising. You can even add your own RSS feeds!

Ajax is the programming language behind GMail, Google Maps and del.icio.us(my favourite tool at the moment).

Stereophonics

"Maybe Tomorrow"

I've been down and
I'm wondering why
These little black clouds
Keep walking around
With me
With me

It wastes time
And I'd rather be high
Think I'll walk me outside
And buy a rainbow smile
But be free
They're all free

So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home

I look around at a beautiful life
Been the upperside of down
Been the inside of out
But we breathe
We breathe

I wanna breeze and an open mind
I wanna swim in the ocean
Wanna take my time for me
All me

So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home

So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home

So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home
So maybe tomorrow
I'll find my way home

Dream Job

I had an MNC offer me a job related to marketing for 37K per annum. And I was at odds because I would be foregoing my studies at the expense of a rather hefty starting paycheck. The company had a very amiable CEO who made quite an impression on me. Plus, the staff had their own supermarket where they could just take anything they wanted. Beer, cereals, fruits and other items were all free; there were even breast cream (?!?) available on the shelves.

So, I pondered hard. Education or early wealth? I mean, I could always get myself an MBA with five work years. Or do a part-time degree with the company's money. Was I being too idealistic? Would I be consumed by fear to change in the future?

And then I woke up. It was well, literally a dream job.

Next!

Most people should be out partying at this moment while I am just about to open my second can.

Hmm. I am broke this week because I bought a shirt from Raoul, had beer on Monday at Paulanuer's and my appetite has been really good the past week.

I need to get my paycheck for the new website. Tomorrow I am meeting the corporate relations guy from HWA. I hope I can be of some service. So much for community involvement huh?

Stella Artois: the choice of intellectual ah bengs.

Addiction

I am pretty much predisposed to all the intoxicating substances out there. I am glad I have kept myself clean so far. No drugs.

Every month or so, I will indulge in a crazy anime craze where I just keep watching and watching the latest series my brother has discovered. So yah. He is a video game addict but I think that is his only vice. Lucky him. He only gets arthithis and myopia.

At the rate I am going, I think I will die of lung cancer, liver cancer, throat cancer, eye cancer and maybe even ass cancer (all the sitting down!).

I think it's time for my weekly beer(not counting Monday night because Tuesday was a holiday). Trying to my Stella Artois stock. It's pronouced as Stella Ar-Tua not Ar-Toys, for the uninitated-i-wannabe-chim ah bengs out there. Ciao folks.

Rolleiflex MiniDigi

Oh my, a tiny 2 megapixel digital camera from Rollei! I want!!! t would make a fun toy to carry around. Works in the traditional way too! lol.

Sharing

Had a lousy morning meeting with more requirements at work when next week is my last at the office. Humans are insatiable creatures.

Read this article and ponder upon some of the concepts put forth. I particularly liked the bit on sharing things e.g. knowledge, goods. Why own a car when it only gets you from home to the office and back? Especially in Singapore where our land mass is so small. Does every family really need a family car? We have car-sharing services here but I believe that could be greater potential with what is being offered at the moment. Imagine being able to locate a car anytime you want it, drive it, pay for your usage and park it where the next guy could use it. Maybe economically speaking it would not be viable at this point of time, given the lack of further probing by me; I still think it is quite attractive.

Think about it, we would be able to own more for less. No more worrying about road tax, car insurance, who gets to use the car...How appealing is that?

Boxed In

This morning, I arrived in the office and my colleague handed me a box with my personal artifacts. They had hired a new accountant so I was assigned a new location in the office - I absolutely love this place! Instead of having my monitor stared at by all who walked into my department, I am sitting beside the noisy fax machine and the power mains. I prefer this privacy more though!

I have about 5 more working days and sadly, I do not really want to leave so early. This place is quite a nice environment to work in. I guess, mostly it is because I am given a lot of freedom and my pay wont be cut if I come late. However, school beckons.

7 Deadly Sins

We are all sinners save for those saints walking amongst us.

Envy is my greatest sin. I covet for a life better than what I have now; even though I know I should be thankful for many things.

Next comes Pride - I find it hard to put my ego behind me while engaging in social interactions. The offer to pick up the tab is not an act of chivalry(sometimes it is thought) but because I should pay.

Avarice. My want for all materialistic goods surpasses that for spiritual well-being. The 3k camera? I want! The best laptop - I want! Strike 4D for more cash? Of course!! And that pair of G-Star jeans, Graniph t-shirt, Raoul shirt, Espirit short sleeve, Havianas slippers...I want them all!

And all hell hath no fury like my Wrath. Through the years, this sin has fallen off its top rung but it still strikes fear in those who grew up with me. Flying chairs and tables were part of my younger days. Tsk!

I am not as Lustful as many of my friends think I am. Haha. Honestly. I am so misunderstood.

I love to eat but I have plenty of self-control when it comes to Gluttony. The time spent burning it off is so not worth it (but then again, I have been rather down and eating like nobody's business).

Lastly, there is Sloth. I hate to sleep. I wish I didn't need to sleep so I can make full use of all 24 hours. Unfortunately, my body refuses and shuts me down after 20 waking hours or so. Sigh.

I have a few more vices like drinking and the occasional nicotine boost. Indulgences that do me more harm than good, amplifying the need to sin even more.

What are your 7 deadly sins?

Aye Caramba!

Ehrm...this sick little flash nugget is most suitable for people who like to toss bikini babes around. Kinda sick but addictive if you ask me. Incredible scripting though.

Up, Up and Away!

After a frustrating night and morning, I finally got the site up for a beta launch. I still have some bits left undone but I am confident that by tomorrow it will be over, for now!

And it's quite funny how today's horoscope states that I should finish up the projects at hand so that I can begin on a new one! Talk about divinity!

Hmm?

It is a Saturday night and I just had a lonely beer at home. There just ain't enough time (or money!) to chill out these days. I don't know why but I have been feeling rather uptight the past few days. Work is such a chore and I wish that I could take a break before school. Unfortunately, my boss wont let me go so early. Kinda reminds me of this army song we used to sing.

Went for a friend's birthday party just now. It was quaint but rather nice to see all the newly-made friends again. Perhaps we might develop a good friendship in school.

Seriously, why am I working so hard and trying to save so much? I need some retail therapy!!!

It's a Friday at work...

...and I overslept and came in one hour late. Had a short brief for more customisation but I am happilysurfingawayonthenet now. The higher levels of management are away at a conference call and check out some gems I found on the Net.

The new Apple Mighty Mouse has only one moving part but it acts and works like a normal two-button mouse with a scroll bar. Check out the review.

Scandalous secrets posted in by anonymous sources over at PostSecret. Some are absolutely depressing. What deep dark secrets do you keep?

The new cayman...when will I ever afford such a beauty?

Somehow, my mind is bustling with lots of creative ideas and hopefully this mood lasts over this weekend. I need a release!

Home!

Back from the first ever School of Business camp. Even though the organisation could be better, it was nonetheless quite fun. The organisers tried I guess and it was pretty cool staying in a budget hostel. It was so reminiscent of bunk days! We even had time to go for some drinks last night down at Boat Quay(purposely lost at games so I could drink more). Lol. Glad to have made acquaintances of many people (and this inspirational senior!). I just hope that the contacts made now would not be wasted in the future.

Now I have a reputation of being the gangster; which I honestly feel is definitely not good for my image!

And I still got work tomorrow?! Bwah. TGIF!!! And I am totally irritated with the amount of spam I receive daily! The extra apostrophe in my name has definitely caused some problems with the school's system and caused some inconvenience to administrators. Haha. It feels good to be a trouble maker.

Sticky Pads and More Sticky Pads!

Have anyone realised that sticky pads (or 3M post-it notes) are so ubiquitious in our daily lives that they get lost? Seems like almost every other corporate freebie involves a sticky pad. I have accrued at least 10 in the past year. I have a funky one that resembles the GUI of Winzip and several touting the company that commissioned them.

So what does one do with so many sticky pads around?

Here are some ways that I have thought of.

Practical Uses:

• Stick reminders all over your cubicle


• Stick task-oriented messages for yourself and team mates

Fun Uses:

• Decorate your cubicle with the different colours and designs


• Remember those 'Kick Me!' notes we used to play in school (and still do?)


• Use them to irritate people by sticking memos all over their cubicles

Any other interesting ideas to make full use of sticky memo pads?

The Apprentice and School Life

Watching The Apprentice on TV expounds on severals facts of life - working with people ain't easy. Even though we human beings live in social environments, all of us have our own way of getting a task done and have our own personal opinions.

The more vocal ones may make their views more prominent but not all are good. While the quieter ones slink in the background, great ideas pouring from their heads, not every idea is leveraged upon. Hence, the difficulties in making a team successful. A team leader, cool-headed and decisive is needed to run the show.

Such a leader needs a level of technical expertise but more importantly, excellent emotional intelligence. Failure in the latter would lead to splinters in the team work, causing rifts to form among his team mates and ultimately, not getting the task accomplished.

Many a times, we are put into situations where we have to work in teams. Each team member contributing to a joint effort, complementing each other's flaws. And at the end of the day, success would be sweeter when it comes.

Today, I was told about how life would be like in school. It sounds a little like living through an extended episode in The Apprentice, projects to hand in, play time to enjoy and grades to mind. And perhaps, a shadow of doubt looms in my head. I wish for people who can cover up my inabilities while I help them along with my strengths. No longer will projects be like in junior college or secondary school where we can just sail along. And I do hope that I might myself a good team to work with. After the stint in the army, I have realised many facets of my personality and I understand where my weaknesses lie. I know where I want to head to and I know what I want.

This ephiphany is the summary of 2 years spent reflecting upon my actions and observations of people around me. How many of you know where you want to be? How many of you have a slight idea of your strengths and weaknesses? How do you see yourself as a cog in a giant machine called the economy? Everyone plays apart but how effective do you want to be? Some food of thought for everyone out there.

May you find yourself in this journey of life.

Rush....

Just completed the main layouts and the php scripts that basically run the whole site for my client. Took half day leave tomorrow to discuss the project with him(my workplace is really nice about letting me go whenever I want!). It's looking good and I hope he loves it. Really put in a lot of effort into this site; learning php and leveraging on my knowledge of SQL (learnt during temp job).

Somehow, I don't really want to go to work because right now I am just tying up loose ends and I have embarked on the documentation for administrators. Gosh, I'm only like at page 27 and less than 1/3 through the whole shit. Writing a manual is harder and more boring than it seems. Still, it was a good opportunity for me to learn new things.

Perhaps I will even consider a second degree in information systems if I get selected at end of year 1. 3 more weeks to school! And of course, more business for me!

Bird's Eye View

Those having troubles parking their cars or worry about crushing things that they cannot see will be happy to know that in the near future, those fears will be gone.

Recent models of Nissan cars already have rear view cameras installed but the company has been researching on cameras that can give you a bird eye's view around your vehicle.

Many may decry the loss of driving techniques but it would definitely be a boon to millions around the world reversing and trying umpteen times to parallel park on a busy road, irritating the other drivers behind.

RSS, more RSS!

At work, I rigged my workstation with a RSS feedreader. And the overwhelming amount of information coming in is crazy.

Feel like helping someone answer a question? Give an answer and then post your own question at curio.us. Pretty interesting huh?

Or take a look at wordcount - an interactive presentation of the 86,000 most frequently used words. Not surprisingly, "the" is the number one word.

Maybe take a peek behind the scene of Adobe Photoshop. Some of them have 5 LCD monitors hooked up! A tech geek's dream job huh. (I have been using Photoshop since 4.0! Now it's on CS 2 or version 9.0)

I really should be getting back to work. Lol.

Lust....

And I have an unnatural lust for things curvaceous and pretty.

I absolutely adore the previous. 1.5ghz. 15" LCD screen. Wireless capabilities and compatibility with the piece of shit I work with right now. And I bet I would be able to attract my fair share of attention amidst the crap school is offering. Maybe it's because most people in school don't really need high end shit but I do.

Thus it has been decided. I am getting the Powerbook.

If only it came with a free IPod.

Robots and Sad Little Kids

Found this gem while searching for some reference materials.

Getting rather stressed out over work lately. I need to find time to take a short break and gather all my energies!

Thoughtless

              What would it be like
          to float away?
      in the endless skies,
    chasing clouds of dreams,
  catching rain drops your mouth?

Aches and Pains

Came back from the orientation last night and I knocked out after doing some washing and dinner. Now my whole body is aching after all the carrying of people and stuff during the camp. Overall, it was better than I expected and I enjoyed it. Was good to see new faces and meet old friends. Although I had a few embarrassing encounters when people came and say hi and my brain drew a blank. "I know you?" The world is so small!

And true to my ah beng roots, it was hard for my more intellectual side to show. Lol. Relied more on my brawn throughout the duration of the camp. And drawing on my sardonic sense of humour, I brought some laughter here and there.

(My frigging phone bill is here! Daylight murder man. They charged me close to 90 bucks for half the trip there! And in my next bill, I will receive the other half. Argh!)

Will go scan photos from my trip soon. Gotta go hang out my clothes to dry.

Sleepy at Work

Why do we feel sleepy after meals?

From Dietitian.com:
Large meals, carbohydrates and an amino acid tryptophan induce sleep. After a large meal, blood pools in the gastrointestinal tract to pick up the nutrients from the meal. Excess carbohydrates work the same by increasing blood sugar levels. (Aside - some new research does show that about 50 gm of glucose - about 10 teaspoons which can be found in 12 oz soda- can improve memory in rats, but 100 grams or 25 grams have little effect on memory.)

So maybe I should curb the amount of carbohydrates being ingested each day at lunch but I would only be craving for a snack or two during tea-break.

Reading digital life during lunch break, I realised that I would never be a celebrity blogger because I am not weird enough nor do I post saucy pictures of myself online. I have major privacy issues yet I want to be a fame whore. Maybe all I need is a pyschiatrist for the myriad of issues I have. lol

This is Not a Gripe

It seems like recently, I sort of lost much of my social life. I have been extremely preoccupied with work either at my workplace or at home for my client(s). I have missed a few parties (birthdays and such) and I feel really bad. It seems like I have almost disappeared from my friends' lives. I'm really sorry to be a no-show so often. I need better time management perhaps. And it's not like I am earning big bucks or what. I just do what I need to do. With the upcoming school camps and assortment of activities, I expect my life to get even busier.

And all I wanna do is to wake up late at home, go for breakfast at the coffeeshop, ruminate over my teh-o and then spend the rest of my day reading.

I'm afraid I'm not much of a social animal but I guess somethings gotta be changing soon.

The Shrinking World

This morning I woke up and I stared at the world map across my room from my bed.

Picked up my copy of Pico Iyer's Falling Off the Map and the wanderlust just grew and grew. And then a deep fear struck me, at the rate globalisation is going, very soon those exotic places untouched by the forces of economy will be very much homogenised like everywhere else. The urgency to travel and to see these places before they become yet another replica of America became unbearable.

So perhaps, when school break comes next year, I will go on a trip through Cambodia and Vietnam, heading north across places in China like Yunan and the assortment of towns, to Tibet or Mongolia (depending on how the planning goes) and then a plane ride back. And I wonder if I play my finances right, I would be able to go on this epic journey - a trip to discover the world and more about myself.

Skive

Did not turn up at work today. The trip did bad things for my body and I am feeling under the weather. So I stayed home and worked on my commercial project. I have so much on my hands now, I wonder when will I ever complete them. One ends and another arrives. At least my wandering mind is kept busy and don't fall into a depressive hole.

Maybe later I will do some housework. I am too lazy to go for my run.

Here's an interesting palmistry site. The future holds much for us at this crux; where the wind blows us to, we would not know. Just float and perhaps we will land on somewhere safe.

Transitions

I cannot find my first webpage online anymore. It has been 8 years since I last updated it and angelfire deleted everything on it. Somehow, I feel nostalgic; my corny animated gifs and the looping sound track in the background. I spent much of my youth tinkering with html and now I am making a pittance with the skills I have garnered.

Things change and move on. In the blink of an eye, things that were there are no longer where your memory remembered they were. And we move on with life.

And then He Returns

The six days away were hectic and did not have much sleep at all. Visited temple after temple, praying alongside my father and I wonder, do I actually believe? Rereading American Gods along the way sure injected my head with a whole plethora of weird ideas and having a cousin who deals with new age stuff for a living just made the head go a little wonky.

I was sad when I saw reports of the London bombings on BBC. Yet another major city hit by the terrorists. From the witch hunts of the past, to Hitler and his Nazis and the Cold War with the Soviets; each generation had its own "evil forces" to fight. When would it ever stop? I prayed for the safety of my family back home.

Bangkok is truly huge and I barely scratched its surface. I wished I had more money and time to go shopping though. Seemed like I left many purchases unpurchased. Sigh. All the beautiful tees and funky furniture!

Khon Kaen is the Buddhist capital of Thailand. It was a six-hour bus ride from Bangkok. I visited a few of its more magnificent temples. I participated in rituals of common folk becoming monks. it felt a little like the day I passed out from BMT. lol. I hope the pictures came out well.

Nong Khai is a border town 600+ km north of Bangkok and two hours away from Khon Kaen. More temples and a park with huge Buddhist sculptures. Small town with nothing much to do. It was the prelude to Vientiane, Laos.

Passing through customs and after much haggling with the bus drivers, we travelled to Vientiane on a private mini-bus. Visited the more prominent landmarks, saw the concrete monstrosity, Victory Monument, or so the plaque mentioned. A replica of the Arc de Triomphe. Went sightseeing and before long we were back on Thai soil and back to Khon Kaen and an overnight bus ride to Bangkok.

I wished to have more time for this trip and for it to be less touristy. But perhaps it had set something in motion deep within me. A yearning for some spiritual peace perhaps and maybe a backpacking trip next year. Will have to pick up some conversational language and some extensive saving!

The travel bug has bitten yet again. I miss Hanoi and the hills of Vietnam, the bustling streets of Bangkok; the unknown territories of Myanmar and Laos. Soon, very soon I will move another step closer to my dream of a trip across South East Asia, through the more scenic parts of China (Haelongjiang) and all the way up to Russia. Ah. The price of dreams.

Gaiman!

It was a three hours forty five minutes wait for me and five hours fifteen minutes for my girlfriend before we got a ten second signing session with Gaiman himself. I was at a loss to what to say and could only smile like an idiot, happy to see him draw a rat for me in my copy of Coraline. I wished I had a limited edition copy to let him sign though. It was kinda disappointing to have our allocated three copies of items slashed down to two.

It must be horribly tiring for him because they had to extend the signing session to accomodate some of the people there. Those who didn't get to even see him must be totally disappointed today. But he was a totally swell and nice guy, hardly had any airs. It took so long because everybody in the queue had three more friends joining him(the worst were the whole group of RGS girls).

There was also this group of Cosplayers hovering around. The guy who dressed as Dream had a really kiam pah face though. The rest had equally irritating faces too. And what's up with the large amount of girls emulating Death's gothic eye shadow/tattoo?

In his blog, Gaiman encouraged us to make friends while in the queue and well, I wished I didn't take his advice. Lol.

Mr Mumbles was there when I arrived and half the time I was trying very hard to make out what the hell he was talking about. And I guess whatever I said hardly went in either. I tried to pick some philosophical topics to talk about but gave up in the end. Mumbles had a terific skill of mangling his words and after my huhs, whats, say agains and pardon-me's, I totally gave up. No wonder his "friend" who happened to pass by didn't want to even acknowledge him. I am sure he writes better than he speaks but goddamnit, stop having your monologue! Oh well. Hope it is the last time I will ever see him.

I am bound for an early flight tomorrow. Bangkok, here I come! Will be back on Tuesday, hopefully with some nice pics on film. Just not too comfortable with digital photography at the moment.

Neil!

Gonna drop by Borders later for the Neil Gaiman signing. Thanks to the wonderful person who is going down early to help me reserve a place in the queue. :) I don't really know what I am going to say, perhaps just say hi.

Then I gotta rush back home to pack my bags for the trip. I have a tinge of regret that I am taking a budget airline instead of SQ. Oh well! Still gotta remember to pack a few rolls of film, foregoing digital this time round because I am afraid that I may not be able to find the correct power sockets and security issues.

I am totally bored at work. The whole thing looks like a mess and it's gonna be hell of a job maintaining the whole thing!

Shopping!

It is the Great Singapore Sale after all and I bought myself some stuff over the weekend:

1. 60L Dry Cabinet - $167
2. Yet another Zara shoe - $69.90
3. PHP & MySQL for Dynamic Websites - $31.90
4. Printed own t-shirts - Undisclosed
5. American Gods (for Neil Gaiman's autograph) - $15
6. Air Tickets to Bangkok - $150

And also I signed over $2500++ for my first term in school, plus $30 for a camp. Not forgetting the movie and the meals outside. I spent more than $3.2k this weekend. Phew! I am continuing this shopping spree in Bangkok man. Wahaha.

War of the Worlds

This remake of the classic HG Well's story as intepreted by Steven Spielberg is a gripping and thrilling summer blockbuster. The cinematography is top notch and you can't go wrong with Tom Cruise as the lead. I found the little girl to be really good too. While the Soviets in the original were replaced with the more contemporary terrorists, I would think that the plane crash scene would have sent some jolts down present day American society.

It was haunting to see how human nature would react to an invasion (be in extraterrestrial or military). The murderous mob, the "I-don't-wanna-die!" actions, the mass exodus from an affected area; all these scenes made me wonder how I would react in such a situation. And in the complete breakdown of communication, what kind of fear would set in? In the context of being an operationally-ready national service man, would I defend my family first above the nation?

In a way, the show was more than just the rehashed tale of an alien invasion and the tenacity of the human spirit. It showed us the indominatable survival instincts of living creatures; the desperation of people frightened by a power they cannot fathom; the story of a failed father finally learning to be a father and the insignificance of our existence. We could be easily wiped out like flies.

I do highly encourage this show to people looking forward to an enjoyable time in the cinemas. And do look beyond the facade of the us-against-them story. Enjoy the more subtle points that the director wants to portray.

I was greatly excited towards the end when the soldier called upon the Gustavs and the Matadors. Haha. It was cool to see the 84 in action on the big screen! Even if the scene lasted less than 30 seconds.

Pardon the spelling and grammatical errors. Surviving on just three hours of sleep. lol

Birthday Party

Last night went to a friend's birthday party and some incriminating shots of the events were covered by Singapore's most read blog - Xiaxue. Do hope that there won't be bad comments about this crazy bunch of guys. Haha. And I do not want to see my face online too. I have got a pretty huge concern about privacy issues yet I want a little more recognition for the stuff I do. The irony of being me. But I guess I am used to living with this person who wants everything yet nothing at the same time. Impossible!

I had forgotten how it is like to hang out with the peeps and it was nice seeing them once in a while. And it was cool meeting new friends and getting to know some better. The floor is how cold to sleep on man.

Matriculation!

Today went to re-matriculate and pay the remainder of my school fees. Got a taste of the initial orientation come-join-my-club/camp crap. Seriously, this kinda thing puts me off more than anything else. Went around the booths irritating some people along the way and I even crashed a database. Lol.

We were all told that it is compulsory to serve 80 hours of community service and I got a little agitated. It's not that I'm too much of a slacker to serve it but I just didn't like the idea of being pushed for such a thing. I mean, if you want to help somebody out, you must at least do it from the bottom of your heart. If all the students are going to help out just to complete the 80 hours, there wouldn't be much continuity would there? Especially when advocation for 'complete it before term starts' could be seen everywhere. Oh well.

Another Blow!

Okay, I don't normally buy 4d but yesterday I bought 9281 after an extremely weird dream with many numbers. And guess what, 9218 opened for consolation. $500! Could have gone a little guiltless shopping spree with that cash.

I am so irritated!

A Day of Blur-ness

Today wasn't such a good day.

After much lengthy discussion at work about where to go for farewell lunch on Friday with my colleagues, I realised I wouldn't be reporting to work. Obviously had to bear some jesting for that.

Had to purchase the air tickets for my trip next week. Booked through my company's online system only to have my card rejected. The ticketing office called me and then I realised that my debit card did not have the required amount.

Went to borrow my colleague's credit card and guess what, the flights were fully booked in the span of a few hours. Had to ask my evil neighbour for help, since she deals frequently with the ticketing office. A few phone calls and emails later, I finally got my tickets. Phew. I'm glad I am working at the correct place!

After work, I went to town to visit the bookstores. Dropped at the wrong stop and spent one hour on a wild goose chase, shuttling between Kinokuniya and Borders. It's all about the stupid male ego, the reluctance to ask for help even when it is the most obvious thing to do. Went home empty handed. Next time, just ask the help desk immediately!