sch tml

ok tml's the 3week sch attachment b4 NIE starts officially. boonlay secondary. and of cos, i checked out my fellow attachees beforehand - 1 Mr, 1 Mdm, 2 Ms and me.

somehow managed to make the acquaintance of 1 of the Ms during the 2 day Teachers Prep Prog last week. and she's a friendly, talkative, intelligent filipino scholar who's not v streetsmart. and which i have no intention of furthering contact with beyond mere networking.

like we (the new guys i knew at the TPP and I) were randomly discussing, she's just.. nice. as in you simply can't find ath to fault her on but neither can u find anything to spur u to want to know more abt her. sometimes i figure, nice isn't exactly the endearing phrase it seems to be.

ohwells. i dun exactly care abt the other gal whom i have yet to see cos i'm feeling gay (as in not v interested in females) for the time being. but the guy is the key. pls let it be someone with a sense of fun and humour or who does sports. pls let it not be someone who's dead serious and concerned abt impressing too much.

6 more hrs before i see them - i hope for the best. my next 3 weeks deps on them.

shopping for electronics

discovering tt my speakers were spoilt, i set off to simlimsquare after helping out with YEC exco stuff and a swim. decided to get a 2.0 system instead of my normal 2.1 (2speakers1subwoofer) cos i'm in the process of totally redecorating my room, and doing so would help reduce clutter and create more space.

whilst looking at speakers (apparently 2.0 cost more than 2.1 cos mine has a kinda built in subwoofer) i got distracted by the wireless desktops. mine's mouse had been faulty for a while but a coiled mouse had been doing the job. nonetheless the 'wanting to improve my life' syndrome popped out again and i happily looked at the new keyboard+mouse combis.

a typical wireless desktop cost ard 35, and i was initially deciding between a 59 and 69 one, both microsoft ones. so i went ard the 4th floor checking out the best buys for these. kinda enjoyed 1hr journey in which i was randomly looking at webcams (getting one would be nice! but kinda useless cos i dun skype or msn much), usb lights (so it can erm, light up my keyboard when my bro needs to sleep), speakers and the such.

at the end of it, my 2 options changed to those of the logitech series. 149 and 159 respectively. obviously i decided that a nice desktop would improve my life drastically, and that i had the means to afford it given my erm impending pay. i'm no fan of spending as-yet-unobtained cash but i feel there are certain things that cannot be skimped on. electronics, sports equipment, furniture and lasting objects of which u'll be using often.

so i bought my $79 speakers and the $159 wireless desktop.

and i'm so damn excited abt the latter. the mouse fits so damn snugly in my palm and the wheel is a 4-directional one - when it's pressed a little menu is brought up from which u can immediately switch to any of ur open applications. think alt-tab but faster. then there's another button which, after u highlight any text and press, opens the search results of the highlighted text in another new window. and of course there's buttons for 'back' and 'forward'

ohhhhhhh.

and the keyboard's really state-of-the-art. has this integrated palm rest which, together with the entire keyboard, incorporates this AgION antimicrobial technology which supposedly prevents growth of bacteria, mold and mildew (no i dun know what that is too). multiple hot keys which link to any progams or folders of my choice and of course those which allow me to control my media playing from a distance (play, pause, next track, mute, volume control).

oh and it has this button that closes the current browser or window straightaway instead of having to use the mouse to click on X. not to mention an electronic display showing the time and date at the top.

wowwwww.

batam

finally, another trip with the dear sec sch friends. with daniel busy with work and JR overseas, the 3 of us once again (after the cruise a few yrs back) went overseas for a nice bonding trip. as if we haven't alr bonded enough over the past 12 yrs. it'd better be gd, i thought, given tt the alternative was gg with the flaggers (a few) to penang.

took e ferry from tanah merah to nongsapura ferry terminal, after which we transited to batam view beach resort. started off with seasports - jetski and banana boat for the 1st day. the former was expectedly exciting and fast, esp being the passenger and having a higher propensity to get thrown off during sharp turns.

the latter was totally fun - us sittting in the normal position, then backwards, then me taking up 3 seats and lying faceup whilst the driver tried to throw us off as per norm. in the midst of our boat being bounced up and down by the oncoming waves, we shouted unspeakable phrases we had heard others use before in relation to our corresponding actions. tsk. guys.

our night programme after dinner was initially to just chill out at the beach or beside the pool then watch DVDs, but the latter was shelved in light of a wonderful new development. we were at the lobby listening to a (very good) singer performing with her pianist, taking requests from the audience. for some reason there wasn't much audience, only us, a few old beer guzzlers and the numerous staff.

so it was just us for the next few hrs (with some breaks of cos), and after realising that we could sing duets with her onstage, we fully made use of the opportunity. we all went onstage to sing our fave songs, complete with cheering from the audience (us) and cameraman (me).

john: finally, i fulfilled my dreams to sing onstage.

wormy: even got audience la. not bad man.

me: haha dun forget the cameraman! machiam star liddat la!

the experience was good. all of us were used to performing in front of an audience sports-wise, but stage-wise.. not really, even tho the audience was small. john did his "Love, Me", "Xiao Wei", wormy his "When You Say Nothing At All", "Fly Me To The Moon", whilst i sang "Sometimes When We Touch" and "Now and Forever".

the next day, we embarked on another seasports journey. this time purely wakeboarding and water-skiing. given john had cable-skiing experience and wormy did it in aussie b4, that left the poor pitiful me who expected to screw up and be mocked.

john started on it 1st whilst i took pictures from the boat. given that little instruction was given, he din do well, taking a few plunges before he finally managed to look like he was wakeboarding. and it only lasted for at most 3 seconds. but like i was telling him, 1 second's more than enough for me to capture a majestic shot of him.

next up was wormy. expecting him to stand long enough on the water for john to capture proper images, i left the boat and waited onshore. then secretly got one of the staff to instruct me in detail with demonstration in shallow water the proper procedures and techniques. asking never hurts, and i'd rather get it right earlier than thru trial and error.

after wormy came back, i tried for the very 1st time in my life. got up on the water, only to lose my balance half a sec later. i could see john's smug grin disappear with my decent progress (i think there's some kinda unspoken competition btw us guys in terms of sports-related matters). my success thereafter was palpable - i could even smile handsomely at the camera, and gesture with my right hand for long periods of time whilst my muscular left held on lonesomely to the grip.

then went to the restaurant near batu besar (forgot the name) where us flaggers went the prev yr. it was an unforgettable trip then and the memories just flowed back - making of honey lemon on the spot, eating standing up, jel the prawn peeler, yiwern the constant worker and etc. i miss them. some more than the others, obviously. hahaha. even took pictures of the table we sat at the last time. shall tag invisible pple in accordance to the seating arrangement then when i'm free.

then nagoya hill shopping centre for a bit of cheap shopping. the same one as that with the flaggers last yr! i really like to retread on old memories la. reminiscing is one of my hobbies i think. anyways i got some DVDs (pirated, of cos) and checked out the below shop which has really cheap tees and in which us flaggers spent alot of time in then.

yeah. enough of the reminiscing and flaggers thing, u say. hahaha.

all in all, a v eventful and memorable trip. enjoyed it immensely. now i shall have to focus my attentions to my career - NIE's starting soon. sigh. no more bumming ard. haha.

update update!

sometimes i figure i immerse myself in an emo state just to remind myself how i used to be, to rekindle memories of myself - the wide-eyed boy huddling in the corner helplessly.

ok la, not exactly helpless, but u get my drift.

but i'm generally a happy person la. haha. just got off the phone w john discussing abt our upcoming batam trip this fri and our usual rubbish. looking forward to it alot. jr's in US and dan's working so it's just the 3 of us this time. think they'll have quite a bit to catch up with each other on, since even amongst my closest grp, i call up and go out 1-1 on a reg basis with individual members. hahaha.

okies update for today! read my novel in the morn, then went to swim at NUS. met glad for lunch at subway, then pris for hightea buffet at nihonmura and wii (will beat u in bowling next time), jap lessons at the local CC with CW (alot of weird pple to make fun of la), and lastly peilee and jerer for supper at JP.

tml: J (maybe, if i feel nice) in e morn, charm, sangi then pl again to pass her stuff. should have some time at night to pack my rm as well as my bag for the following day's trip. then'll work on my jap and work out b4 sleeping. simple, uncomplicated day. i like.

the cold bath

stepping in the shower, turned on the water supply.

discovered the heater's electricity source wasn't switched on.

indifferent. uncaring.

stepped into the torrents of ice-cold water.

no flinching. no wincing.

what could be colder than stark disappointment.

faced the piercing jets full on, as if inflicting self-punishment.

gazed longingly at the ceiling. oh so white and pristine.

so unlike the muddied, confused mental state that was mine.

but only i can deliver myself from myself.

too little time to contemplate

i've not been spending enough time with myself recently. not just since taiwan, but after exams.

i haven't been packing my unneeded stuff and uncluttering my computer. i haven't been redecorating and tidying up my rm. i haven't been just sitting on my beanbag reading a good book with my ice milo. i haven't been watching soccer at home with my cous, eating supper and discussing the game. i haven't been simply immersing myself in games, drama serials or movies.

i've been gg out with pple who make me happy, who allow me in the process to learn more abt them, abt myself, abt issues, and abt life in general. i've been doing things - entering courses, taking up coaching, doing volunteer work. i've been busy with things i enjoy - tennis, badminton, swimming, bowling, and etc.

in the distant past, i couldn't but indulge in the former. then when equipped with the choice a few yrs back, i told myself that i'd maintain an equal balance of both. but it seems i haven't been doing so. an inbalance does lead to dire consequences at times.

then, i didn't enjoy life much but at least i knew exactly why i did the little i did, and was clear abt the consequences they entailed - i knew who i was, what i aspired to change and become.

now, despite much joy and happiness tt i derive from life and the pple i interact with, i feel a nagging unease, like something's not complete, like all this is self-fabricated, a rose-coloured foil i subconsciously put over my eyes to reassure myself that everything's fine and dandy.

am i already content with the person i've become? i can't. there's still alot i need to change abt myself. alot i need to work on. i cannot give in to complacency, be deluded by the emotions swirling within me, nor the little tangible results that i've achieved thus far.

i need to convince myself that i'm far from the finished product, that i need to be clear abt how and why i go abt certain matters, instead of stumbling along randomly and hoping that everything will produce favourable yields.

but once in a while, i should think it's alright to indulge in some little happiness - i've earned it, i feel. i took the hard path up when some others would achieve it effortlessly, and at the very least i'm proud of the little i've done for myself.

the week thus far

hmm thought i'd get down to this b4 it became a passing memory.

kies ecp last sat was really quite fun, despite the fact that i really din like travelling to the east. cycling was kinda a new experience for me given i hadn't done it for like 2 yrs and i vividly recall the gruesome incident (ok la, just fell and grazed my knee damn horribly) a few yrs back. cable-skiing's ex on the weekend but shall try it at batam (hopefully) with the guys after i come back from taiwan. the C Nai HK cafe was a revelation too - great variety of food. and i finally found a nice single-ball bowling bag (red!) there to match my red strike ball. 

monsters and aliens on mon was surprisingly good. the jokes were of the kind i found amusing (i found my true love, and she's lime with 17 pieces of pineapple within, lol) and furthermore my fave actor from The Office was voicing the villain in the movie. the museum visit was a really new thing. it was the last place i'd think of gg on a date but i have since realised that it was quite pleasurable after all and i shall make such visits a more regular thing. then finally climbed up the steps btw the Cathay and PS, up onto the peak (i think) of Mt Sofia. (zhu: timbre's up there) then to nihon mura for a not too horrible jap meal, checked out the uncompleted Orchard Central and lastly TCC to chill. really enjoyed the company throughout. 

resumed bowling coaching w sandra (apparently he's the national youth team head coach now) on tues after 3 yrs, and after a few videos and some analysis, he concluded that i dun look much different from then. still the same old weakness: excess tension in the buildup. worked on a different starting stance and footwork, as well as altering my delivery. one more mth to the tournament (my 1st!) on jul 19. if my hook ball's still not refined to satisfaction by then, i'm just gg to employ my straight ball delivery - a 180-190 average's still quite respectable for a newbie after all. 

wed was a damn tiring day. lessons in the noon (damn hot!) with linky cos raining in the morn. decided to play shirtless to prevent a horrible tanline and cos there was noone ard anyways. by the end of the session, i could feel extreme fatigue the crystallised salt on my skin. then a late lunch with grace before heading back home cos etty din reply on whether the evening tennis was still on. settled down with a nice drink and my novel when etty called (i realise i forgive v fast if the other party sounds genuinely flustered and apologetic) and linky/ginny confirmed they were playing in the evening too. they had no balls so obviously i had to drag myself back to sch again. then met zhu late night at hall for a v short moment to pass her stuff before gg w suff (spontaneously) to supper at FS. 

thur: short dinner w lalaa at clarke quay waraku cos she had a special sem test the following mon. sian all the way there for just 2 hrs of convo. but i was tired anyways so din bother to last-min call anyone out after tt. 

today was gg to NIE to hand in my docus, then john for a swim (hell, 2.5 laps is a new record for me la) which was more tanning and talking. i like Hall2 canteen's food alot btw. evening: singing K with the physics pple (ok there was like 8 guys and only 1 girl iv - but she's easily a 4.5) near clarke quay (pissed cos i feel tt i planned badly - same place in 2 consecutive days). it's one of the few grps tt i really feel myself in. din really feel like gg cos damn tired but decided otherwise, cos i PS-ed the prev 2 outings cos of last min arrangements. haha basically i'm likely to skip any pre-planned grp outing for any last-min worthwhile 1-1 date (guy or girl alike). then bestie wormy for a spontaneous drink cum long chat.

ah. i'm gg to bathe, read/eat then sleep soon. almost 3am le. tired. 

blogging

i'd so dearly love to pen down my thoughts as they flow through the consciousness, but i'm well aware tt i can't, at least not totally. there are, after all, some thoughts that are best left to oneself. 

not to mention the target audience isn't entirely of my choice. if this blog address was given to you w/o prompting, it'd be fine. but i've come to realise tt it obviously isn't the case for certain pple.

but it's still going strong. i've come to depend on my blog history to recall the dates and details of certain events. also, they help immensely in updating friends who are overseas or unavailable for whatsoever reason. it does get tiring msn-ing different pple abt the same stuff and calling isn't feasible given i'm not exactly v free. 

ok la. actually i'm quite free. do ask me out friends. 

the week b4 taiwan

yup i'm flying again, from the 7th-13th. this time to taiwan - the place where most of my friends agree tt i'll derive alot of fun from, given my interests include eating, shopping, and ogling at cute asian girls hahaha. and not to mention i'll be gg with my dearest bro, who is oh so different from me but whom i might have ended up similarly to, had i not (oddly) done well academically back then. 

then maybe a short trip to penang with my (new) flaggers from the 18th-21st b4 NIE starts on the 22nd. but tt's tentative. hoping to be able to go for a trip to batam with the sec sch clique tho, but they're always financially disabled, with g/f or family issues to handle. damn. 

ok i've bowling, tennis, guitar and jap lessons ongoing and also during NIE cos i believe it wun be v taxing. thinking of gg back to xenbar for salsa (this time i'll focus on learning the dance haha) too if time permits. a short schedule of the following week lest i forget and need to refer to it:

sat: ecp with charm for cycling and lunch (sigh cable-skiing on e weekend is really ex! shall have to go to batam for it..)

sun: tennis in morn, some kinda PA mtg, in which i'll decide whether to run for the exco. well, i get to learn stuff whilst adding a leaf to my resume, and it helps tt my fren's coming along for the ride too.

mon: swim in morn, glad for lunch at arts canteen, then tentatively Z (sian must use initial again) for movie and high (always feel tt way when in her company hahaha) tea / dinner.

tue: planning to go to NTU for a tan/read/swim then e lib to read up on education material, then the sec sch clique to discuss the potential trip. (PL if u free we meet up in the evening?)

wed: tennis lessons in morn w linky, lunch w fellow scholar grace, then tennis w etty in e evening

thur: bowling lessons in morn, guitar lessons in e noon. 'll also bring my new cam along the whole day to get accustomed to it b4 the trip. think my 4-yr old dSLR's still better but.. oh wells i have to take into account the convenience amongst other factors.

fri: lalaa - time, activities, location all unconfirmed as of yet tho. v last min person, i am. then the physics pple in the evening for the very cheap $10 KTV at chinatown.

sat: glad for smth (she wants to walk along henderson waves, bowl, swim, or badminton) i haven't decided upon what to do tho. i'm sure it'll all work out closer to the date haha. oh and pack my stuff for the next day's taiwan trip.

sun: taiwan!

dSLRs vs Compacts

i've decided to buy a new camera! during my extensive research as to which camera to buy b4 flying off to taiwan, i happened to come upon some interesting info. summarising all the articles and such:

advantages of a dSLR:

1. faster and more sensitive focussing and zooming (cos it's manual instead of electronic)

2. less time lag btw shots - damn impt in events, sports and nature photography when u have to capture consecutive images fast instead of waiting like 2 seconds btw shots

3. minimal shuttle lag (delay between triggering the shutter and when the photograph is actually recorded) which allows u to capture the fast moving objects (animals, vehicles) u framed prior to the shot

4. can be used at higher ISO values without objectionable noise (the grainy texture in photos) cos the larger image sensor of a DSLR has less electronic noise - essential in low light conditions

5. easily adjustable ISO, white balance, exposure value, aperture size and shutter speed, allowing for creative expression and total control of the shot (as compared to just framing, focussing, pressing the shoot button and hoping for the best when using compacts)

6. some shots are nigh impossible using compacts, such as the narrow depth-of-field portrait shots and not to mention shots taken utilising the panning technique, as shown below 

7. makes u look pro so u can brag more legitimately abt how gd u are in photography

narrow depth of field - normal compacts wouldn't be able to blur the backgrd tt well in portrait shots. taken in US, and coincidentally PL's fave pic too i think haha

shot taken in paris utilising the panning technique (go google it) which is damn hard. compacts dun allow for ease of shuttle speed change which is essential, not to mention the LCD screen lag

 

advantages of the point-and-shoot compacts over dSLRs:

1. take up little space and have negligible weight - convenient!

2. the LCD screen's v useful for previewing shots, esp those taken overhead or with the camera down low, where using the viewfinder's not viable

3. in proper light conditions (using low ISO), picture quality similar to entry-level dSLRs

4. lets you take extreme close-ups, often as large as 1:1 (with a dSLR, you have to buy a rather expensive macro lens, and carry it around with you)

5. wider depth of field with smaller sensors - very useful for macro photography/landscape shots

6. sealed unit, so no worries about dust getting on the sensor. cleaning is really a delicate and time consuming task la.

7. essential in events that will not allow professional photographers to take pictures (concerts!) but allow anyone with a P&S to flash away