the sky is grey
a storm is coming
the end is near
will it pass?
i hold on
to the umbrella
it never hurts
to be prepared
the storm will leave
houses overturned
ruin lives
ruin mine
this all doesn't rhyme
i didn't try
i can't rhyme
when i'm down.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Saturday, 23 February 2008
swirl
when thoughts whirl and swirl in your head, sometimes you just need to stop talking, walking, stop moving, stop.. thinking, to let the thoughts settle. the whirling and swirling of thoughts makes you woozy as you try to keep your head steady and continue doing what you're doing.
this occurs when a particular bit of news is dropped onto you which leaves a certain impact on you. and you try hard to dig deep for an adequate response, a suitable way of replying.. but come up short. the whirling and swirling is too much to take.
i got such a particular bit of news today when i was out with amanda. it left me reeling literally. i had to walk off and lean my head for awhile to let it settle in. no, she didnt break up with me. she loves me ok. (i think?) rawr. =X it's just.. something private that i dont' wanna post up here, but it did leave me reeling.
now, 4-5 hours after that bombshell, the whirls and swirls have settled down to a muck. all is not clear, so i cannot be at ease. but the wooziness is gone. and.. i can't say i fully accept the piece of news yet though i did tell her i accepted it. i can, just that.. it'll take awhile to .. settle in. though i really hope it can be reversed. sigh.
a particular song i like is 'Rescue' by Newsong. a line i have repeated countless number of times in army:
So won't You give me strength
to make it through somehow
(i've never been more homesick than now)
(the line in brackets isn't relevant to this entry but i do repeat it in army)
cryptic eh? aint that always the case :)
on a happier note, lemme quote a paragraph from her blog that made me smile:
"the next one's even better. alan's in army, and going off for field camp, so i wasn't expecting anything at all. but he already had it all planned out. he actually sent timo to deliver a vday package to me at the bank. =) that really made my day! yup!"
yknow when you do something nice or sweet for somebody, the least you expect (or what you want) is for the person to appreciate it and like it. and i made her day with it =) wheeee. :D
i guess the dream i wrote about will not be realised. :/
this occurs when a particular bit of news is dropped onto you which leaves a certain impact on you. and you try hard to dig deep for an adequate response, a suitable way of replying.. but come up short. the whirling and swirling is too much to take.
i got such a particular bit of news today when i was out with amanda. it left me reeling literally. i had to walk off and lean my head for awhile to let it settle in. no, she didnt break up with me. she loves me ok. (i think?) rawr. =X it's just.. something private that i dont' wanna post up here, but it did leave me reeling.
now, 4-5 hours after that bombshell, the whirls and swirls have settled down to a muck. all is not clear, so i cannot be at ease. but the wooziness is gone. and.. i can't say i fully accept the piece of news yet though i did tell her i accepted it. i can, just that.. it'll take awhile to .. settle in. though i really hope it can be reversed. sigh.
a particular song i like is 'Rescue' by Newsong. a line i have repeated countless number of times in army:
So won't You give me strength
to make it through somehow
(i've never been more homesick than now)
(the line in brackets isn't relevant to this entry but i do repeat it in army)
cryptic eh? aint that always the case :)
on a happier note, lemme quote a paragraph from her blog that made me smile:
"the next one's even better. alan's in army, and going off for field camp, so i wasn't expecting anything at all. but he already had it all planned out. he actually sent timo to deliver a vday package to me at the bank. =) that really made my day! yup!"
yknow when you do something nice or sweet for somebody, the least you expect (or what you want) is for the person to appreciate it and like it. and i made her day with it =) wheeee. :D
i guess the dream i wrote about will not be realised. :/
Friday, 22 February 2008
back from field camp
hi all. im back from my 5 day 4 night field camp. which was pretty exhausting. not that the activities were all super strenous or what. it's just that.. having no rest and little proper uninterrupted sleep at night leaves your body weak. like for the last 2 days i was sleeping in a hole i dug in the ground. imagine how comfortable that is. -_-
zz then my training schedule is super screwed up. for other ppl usually after field camp they have one day of rest, where it's all lectures or sth. for me? nono, we have SOC (standard obstacle course) which was pretty tiring. and i got this huge burst blister on my palm. the size of a small fingernail.
AND. this morning we had 12km route march. -_- zzzz. a route march is basically walking in this attire called SBO. let's calculate the weight
helmet - 1KG
Load Bearing Vest - 2-3 KG (to put it simply, it's a vest you wear around yourself)
Uniform - 0.5-1KG
Rifle - 2-3 KG
Field Pack - 7-10KG
= about 15 KG
And so we walk on and on and on. uphill mainly. freaking tiring. and it left me with a giganormous blister on the underside of my right foot, so it's freaking hard to walk. ugh.
AND, this coming monday i have the 16km route march. how awesome.
sigh ok ill go cheer myself up with prison break and lost. cya.
zz then my training schedule is super screwed up. for other ppl usually after field camp they have one day of rest, where it's all lectures or sth. for me? nono, we have SOC (standard obstacle course) which was pretty tiring. and i got this huge burst blister on my palm. the size of a small fingernail.
AND. this morning we had 12km route march. -_- zzzz. a route march is basically walking in this attire called SBO. let's calculate the weight
helmet - 1KG
Load Bearing Vest - 2-3 KG (to put it simply, it's a vest you wear around yourself)
Uniform - 0.5-1KG
Rifle - 2-3 KG
Field Pack - 7-10KG
= about 15 KG
And so we walk on and on and on. uphill mainly. freaking tiring. and it left me with a giganormous blister on the underside of my right foot, so it's freaking hard to walk. ugh.
AND, this coming monday i have the 16km route march. how awesome.
sigh ok ill go cheer myself up with prison break and lost. cya.
Saturday, 9 February 2008
food trail and ah long
Just reached home after a day with amanda! Hmm, didnt get to take as many pictures as i'd like to. but nvm la, at least got some pictures. so.. relaxing on the eyes! haa.
We went on a food trail! basically both of us came up with a list of things we wanted to eat.. like our food cravings. Then we planned out a route and then proceeded to have those items =) hee. so.. here we go.
1) Chicken Pie @ dao hui stall in Serangoon
We met at dao hui stall in Serangoon, and she wanted to eat the chicken pie there. It's not really that nice.. too small too. Not sure of the price cos she bought it and i just took some bites of it.
The notebook behind is my list, the paper on the right is hers. Haha yes she brought a travel map.
2) Fried Carrot Cake and Sugar Cane juice @ foodcourt in AMK ( $3 and $1.20)
We were actually in AMK looking for some goreng pisang which was on amanda's list.. but the shops were closed! so sad can. all closed to go bai nian or sth. zz. so in the end i suggested we just eat something there or else it's a wasted trip.. so i bought the carrot cake and she ordered sugar cane.
I dont like sugar cane for a particular reason. But i just drank until left abit, then i told amanda why. and she got slightly disgusted too. wahaha.
3) Twister Fries and McFlurry @ McDonalds ($3? and.. $2? ugh forgot)
dont they look delicious!? I LOVE twister fries =)
There was too little oreo in the Mcflurry! there should be moreee.
i was telling amanda that Oreo is super useful. It's used in like so many things la! mcflurry.. oreo cheesecake.. even those bubble tea shops have a special Oreo menu of the various blends. The creator of Oreo must be pretty rich if he patented it.
4) Pretty-looking Doughnut @ Missy Donut ($1.40)
Amanda wanted a pretty -looking donut, just for the visual. When i saw this i suddenly had a craving for it, cos last time bestie gave me a donut that had white chocolate like this on top and chocolate filling inside that was really nice, so i thought of that (in fact, is it the same one? hmm)
It's so pretty right! Doesn't look like a donut does it. Was delicious =)
5) Rock Melon @ Foodcourt in PS ($1.60)
Ok repeat after me: RIIIIP OFFFF!
omg $1.60 for one small slice of fruit? It's alot smaller than it looks. Even if it was imported from the tropical islands of Hawaii and vacuum sealed to preserve its freshness.... it's kinda expensive aint it??
Amanda who wanted it was suddenly deterred when she saw the price.. but i insisted we still get it cos i kinda wanted it too. The upside was that it was sweet and nice. But still! $$$!
6) Pasta Shrimp Cheeze @ KFC ($3.00)
Kinda nice but i don't think it's worth 3 bucks. The taste of the floury crispy deep-fried exterior is too overwhelming too - takes away the shrimp/pasta/cheese taste on the inside.
7) Oreo Cheesecake @ Cafe Cartel ($4.60 [$4.90 after GST -_-] )
The cheesecake part was a tad too lemony tasting and I couldn't taste the oreo. was still nice overall, but i prefer the plain cheesecake taste and.. more oreo plstnx. They asked me if i had student pass. =) I still look like a student :p
8) Mudpie with IceCream @ New York New York ($6.90 [$8.00 after service charge + GST])
This is so freaking delicious. I couldn't resist and took like two bites of it then remembered that we hadn't taken a photo of it. But seriously! The chocolate part is the richest chocolate you'll ever taste, and the chocolatey sauce on top (which amanda insists is milo powder + abit of water) accents the effect. The vanilla icecream allows your tastebuds to switch to a blander but still nice flavour so that you wont get overwhelmed by the richness of the chocolate, but allows a delicate balance of delicious chocolatey-dessert.
Nicest dessert ever! Well worth the money, go try it !
a shot taken with flash and at a different angle. Man.. i wanna eat it again.
9) Mushroom Soup @ Soup Spoon ($7.10)
Their soups are really nice and tasty. But amanda ordered a grande one .. which is like medium size. Which i thought was a little too much. The mushroom taste just got a little stifling after awhile. I liked it up to the point when i was feeling too.. overwhelmed by the mushroom taste. She finished the rest.
I think i preferred the soup we had the last time we were there.. i can't rem what's it's called. i think beef sth. i'm not sure.
and that concludes our food trail! i wish we had more food on the list though. I wanna go food trail again! hehe. see how.
(if you're really observant, you'll figure out that this photo obviously wasn't taken today. we forgot to take a pic :/ ugh. ) (well actually we did but mandyy thought she looked weird so she deleted -_- )
~~
we also watched Ah Long Pte Ltd.. which seriously isn't very good. There is no real plot, the flow isn't there. It has its funny moments, but.. it's so NOT a family show. It's.. riddled with sexual connotations. Like almost the whole thing. tsktsk.
shouldve watched the jaychou bball movie. ugh.
oh well, time to bookin tmr. happy valentine's day in advance to all. and happy A level results collection too. :/ the next time i come out will be.. 23rd Feb. holy cow that's long. :(
bye~
p.s. i tried to color code the food names to differentiate which were chosen by amanda and which were chosen by me.. but blogger seriously f---s up everything and after 10 mins of trying to fix it i've given up, hence some blue some black some pink. Items 1, 2b, 4, 5 were picked by amanda, the rest by me. yup.
We went on a food trail! basically both of us came up with a list of things we wanted to eat.. like our food cravings. Then we planned out a route and then proceeded to have those items =) hee. so.. here we go.
1) Chicken Pie @ dao hui stall in Serangoon
We met at dao hui stall in Serangoon, and she wanted to eat the chicken pie there. It's not really that nice.. too small too. Not sure of the price cos she bought it and i just took some bites of it.
The notebook behind is my list, the paper on the right is hers. Haha yes she brought a travel map.
2) Fried Carrot Cake and Sugar Cane juice @ foodcourt in AMK ( $3 and $1.20)
We were actually in AMK looking for some goreng pisang which was on amanda's list.. but the shops were closed! so sad can. all closed to go bai nian or sth. zz. so in the end i suggested we just eat something there or else it's a wasted trip.. so i bought the carrot cake and she ordered sugar cane.
I dont like sugar cane for a particular reason. But i just drank until left abit, then i told amanda why. and she got slightly disgusted too. wahaha.
3) Twister Fries and McFlurry @ McDonalds ($3? and.. $2? ugh forgot)
dont they look delicious!? I LOVE twister fries =)
There was too little oreo in the Mcflurry! there should be moreee.
i was telling amanda that Oreo is super useful. It's used in like so many things la! mcflurry.. oreo cheesecake.. even those bubble tea shops have a special Oreo menu of the various blends. The creator of Oreo must be pretty rich if he patented it.
4) Pretty-looking Doughnut @ Missy Donut ($1.40)
Amanda wanted a pretty -looking donut, just for the visual. When i saw this i suddenly had a craving for it, cos last time bestie gave me a donut that had white chocolate like this on top and chocolate filling inside that was really nice, so i thought of that (in fact, is it the same one? hmm)
It's so pretty right! Doesn't look like a donut does it. Was delicious =)
5) Rock Melon @ Foodcourt in PS ($1.60)
Ok repeat after me: RIIIIP OFFFF!
omg $1.60 for one small slice of fruit? It's alot smaller than it looks. Even if it was imported from the tropical islands of Hawaii and vacuum sealed to preserve its freshness.... it's kinda expensive aint it??
Amanda who wanted it was suddenly deterred when she saw the price.. but i insisted we still get it cos i kinda wanted it too. The upside was that it was sweet and nice. But still! $$$!
6) Pasta Shrimp Cheeze @ KFC ($3.00)
Kinda nice but i don't think it's worth 3 bucks. The taste of the floury crispy deep-fried exterior is too overwhelming too - takes away the shrimp/pasta/cheese taste on the inside.
7) Oreo Cheesecake @ Cafe Cartel ($4.60 [$4.90 after GST -_-] )
The cheesecake part was a tad too lemony tasting and I couldn't taste the oreo. was still nice overall, but i prefer the plain cheesecake taste and.. more oreo plstnx. They asked me if i had student pass. =) I still look like a student :p
8) Mudpie with IceCream @ New York New York ($6.90 [$8.00 after service charge + GST])
This is so freaking delicious. I couldn't resist and took like two bites of it then remembered that we hadn't taken a photo of it. But seriously! The chocolate part is the richest chocolate you'll ever taste, and the chocolatey sauce on top (which amanda insists is milo powder + abit of water) accents the effect. The vanilla icecream allows your tastebuds to switch to a blander but still nice flavour so that you wont get overwhelmed by the richness of the chocolate, but allows a delicate balance of delicious chocolatey-dessert.
Nicest dessert ever! Well worth the money, go try it !
a shot taken with flash and at a different angle. Man.. i wanna eat it again.
9) Mushroom Soup @ Soup Spoon ($7.10)
Their soups are really nice and tasty. But amanda ordered a grande one .. which is like medium size. Which i thought was a little too much. The mushroom taste just got a little stifling after awhile. I liked it up to the point when i was feeling too.. overwhelmed by the mushroom taste. She finished the rest.
I think i preferred the soup we had the last time we were there.. i can't rem what's it's called. i think beef sth. i'm not sure.
and that concludes our food trail! i wish we had more food on the list though. I wanna go food trail again! hehe. see how.
(if you're really observant, you'll figure out that this photo obviously wasn't taken today. we forgot to take a pic :/ ugh. ) (well actually we did but mandyy thought she looked weird so she deleted -_- )
~~
we also watched Ah Long Pte Ltd.. which seriously isn't very good. There is no real plot, the flow isn't there. It has its funny moments, but.. it's so NOT a family show. It's.. riddled with sexual connotations. Like almost the whole thing. tsktsk.
shouldve watched the jaychou bball movie. ugh.
oh well, time to bookin tmr. happy valentine's day in advance to all. and happy A level results collection too. :/ the next time i come out will be.. 23rd Feb. holy cow that's long. :(
bye~
p.s. i tried to color code the food names to differentiate which were chosen by amanda and which were chosen by me.. but blogger seriously f---s up everything and after 10 mins of trying to fix it i've given up, hence some blue some black some pink. Items 1, 2b, 4, 5 were picked by amanda, the rest by me. yup.
Friday, 8 February 2008
TV shows
Just finished another episode of LOST (season 4 episode 2), and i'm glad that the plot is moving. After being stuck on the island and just expounding on the Others in season 3, finally, the story is moving on.
A new angle is introduced, and the same intriguing 'omg what on earth is going on' feeling is left behind after the episode ends with another trademark cliffhanger.
I'm still a huge fan of LOST and Prison Break, despite what a majority of the viewers are saying. Many people I know have given up on LOST, themselves getting lost in the plot somewhere in season 2 or 3. I don't think the plot is particularly confusing, as many of them say, but intriguing is a more fitting description.
There is alot to keep track of, definitely, but that's what makes the series such a hooker. It keeps you hooked - to get more answers.. only to introduce new perplexing mysteries.
Prison Break has gotten slightly draggy in its 3rd season, but the latest episode was a ridiculously irritating cliffhanger which just leaves you going 'COME ON! there has to be 5 minutes more!'.
Although the show is still kept as exciting as possible, it is impossible to match the first season's intenseness, wittiness or heartracing-ness. That's the sad thing about making too good a season - there is the pressure to match it, and the chances are you won't be able to do it.
Prison Break needs to answer some of the questions it has left though, like who on earth is Susan and James Whistler and what are they working for? Unlike LOST where new questions are brought in almost every episode, Prison Break lacks the luxury of diversity and are hence stuck on the same questions that are repeated every episode such that it's starting to get irritating.
Ugh, gonna be away for 2 weeks so.. ill be watching 2 episodes each when i come back =)
Tomorrow's gonna be fun! Gonna spend the day with amanda, and will be hoping to take alot of pictures so that i can post them here. What are we doing? Not telling! Come back tomorrow night and see :p
chowz!
p.s.
btw, i just got into top 500 in warcraft on Bnet US West =)
woot. now for top 300. then top 100. then top 10. ahhaha.
A new angle is introduced, and the same intriguing 'omg what on earth is going on' feeling is left behind after the episode ends with another trademark cliffhanger.
I'm still a huge fan of LOST and Prison Break, despite what a majority of the viewers are saying. Many people I know have given up on LOST, themselves getting lost in the plot somewhere in season 2 or 3. I don't think the plot is particularly confusing, as many of them say, but intriguing is a more fitting description.
There is alot to keep track of, definitely, but that's what makes the series such a hooker. It keeps you hooked - to get more answers.. only to introduce new perplexing mysteries.
Prison Break has gotten slightly draggy in its 3rd season, but the latest episode was a ridiculously irritating cliffhanger which just leaves you going 'COME ON! there has to be 5 minutes more!'.
Although the show is still kept as exciting as possible, it is impossible to match the first season's intenseness, wittiness or heartracing-ness. That's the sad thing about making too good a season - there is the pressure to match it, and the chances are you won't be able to do it.
Prison Break needs to answer some of the questions it has left though, like who on earth is Susan and James Whistler and what are they working for? Unlike LOST where new questions are brought in almost every episode, Prison Break lacks the luxury of diversity and are hence stuck on the same questions that are repeated every episode such that it's starting to get irritating.
Ugh, gonna be away for 2 weeks so.. ill be watching 2 episodes each when i come back =)
Tomorrow's gonna be fun! Gonna spend the day with amanda, and will be hoping to take alot of pictures so that i can post them here. What are we doing? Not telling! Come back tomorrow night and see :p
chowz!
p.s.
btw, i just got into top 500 in warcraft on Bnet US West =)
woot. now for top 300. then top 100. then top 10. ahhaha.
Thursday, 7 February 2008
guo xin nian
ah, as i bask in the freedom of.. freedom and sit back comfortably in my computer chair not expecting a 'HEADS OUT' from the commanders downstairs or checking the time to countdown the minutes to lights out, i can't help but smile.
chinese new year brings great joy to kids who anticipate the numerous hongbaos they're gonna get, unhappiness to married couples who have to fork out those numerous hongbaos, and elation for NSF who get the much appreciated break from army.
of course, those who have guard duty and field camp are exempted from the elation.
i look forward to saturday when i'll be meeting amanda and spending the day with her, but at the same time i don't as the next day will be sunday and that will be when i have to book in. it's like the last meal of a criminal on death row - he looks forward to it and not.
ah, that was quite an extreme analogy wasn't it? well i'll be stuck in Tekong for 2 weeks after booking in, due to my field camp which starts on the 15th, the very same day that is rumoured that the 'A' level results would come out.
ah, the dream of walking back to school with amanda's hand in mine is quickly shattered and relegated to just that - a dream.
IPPT is next week too, and if i fail that, i'll have to stay in the subsequent weekend after fieldcamp for extra training -_- i honestly doubt i'll fail unless i get a cramp while running or injure myself or something. I should have no worries then? No, what if i get a cramp while running or injure myself? As long as there's a possibility of failure, there's an inkling of worry.
oh well, i shall isolate myself from army the next few days, albeit running to train up myself at night. after all, the moments of civilian-hood are limited and short, and i should enjoy every second of it. time is even more precious than before, more precious that money, more precious than anything.
If only time could come to a standstill when we want it to. -cue ChronoGuard from Jasper Fforde's books -
(Go check out some of his books if you haven't. i wouldn't describe them as 'logical nonsense' as amanda does (and apparently weiqin does too).. more of a mystery/thriller in an unreal world)
Happy Chinese New Year to all.
chinese new year brings great joy to kids who anticipate the numerous hongbaos they're gonna get, unhappiness to married couples who have to fork out those numerous hongbaos, and elation for NSF who get the much appreciated break from army.
of course, those who have guard duty and field camp are exempted from the elation.
i look forward to saturday when i'll be meeting amanda and spending the day with her, but at the same time i don't as the next day will be sunday and that will be when i have to book in. it's like the last meal of a criminal on death row - he looks forward to it and not.
ah, that was quite an extreme analogy wasn't it? well i'll be stuck in Tekong for 2 weeks after booking in, due to my field camp which starts on the 15th, the very same day that is rumoured that the 'A' level results would come out.
ah, the dream of walking back to school with amanda's hand in mine is quickly shattered and relegated to just that - a dream.
IPPT is next week too, and if i fail that, i'll have to stay in the subsequent weekend after fieldcamp for extra training -_- i honestly doubt i'll fail unless i get a cramp while running or injure myself or something. I should have no worries then? No, what if i get a cramp while running or injure myself? As long as there's a possibility of failure, there's an inkling of worry.
oh well, i shall isolate myself from army the next few days, albeit running to train up myself at night. after all, the moments of civilian-hood are limited and short, and i should enjoy every second of it. time is even more precious than before, more precious that money, more precious than anything.
If only time could come to a standstill when we want it to. -cue ChronoGuard from Jasper Fforde's books -
(Go check out some of his books if you haven't. i wouldn't describe them as 'logical nonsense' as amanda does (and apparently weiqin does too).. more of a mystery/thriller in an unreal world)
Happy Chinese New Year to all.
Tuesday, 5 February 2008
quiz
yay, back for the long CNY break. the only sad thing is that the next time i book in, it'll be for 2 weeks as my field camp is next week :(
i can't wait for saturday! gonna have a possibly very very fun date with mandyy, hope it works out well. what it is shall remain a secret till then :P
dont feel like blogging anything much now, so ill just do a quick quiz i found on winsome's blog and then go watch my prison break. :
1. the phone rings, who do you want it to be?
my honey bunz sugar plumz
2.when shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
i dont shop at the grocery store
3.if you had to kiss the last person you kissed again, would you?
over and over again :p
4.do you take compliments well?
yaaaa
5.do you play sudoku?
yes
.6.if you are abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
doubt it.
7.if your house was on fire, what would be the 1st thing you would save?
myself! hmm i think i'd grab my hp and wallet cos those are the only things grab-able
8.who was the last person you slept with?
errrrrrrrrr. 11 other guys. in tekong. haha.
9.who do you text the most?
girlfriend and bestie
ok i'm sorry i got really bored of the quiz, and i had to keep pressing enter cos when i copy-paste it it's just all in one chunk instead of being properly spaced out. and the questions are boring. ok let me just end off with the last 3 questions:
45.do you need a boyfriend to be happy?
TOTALLY! hahaha
46.if you could have a job, what would it be?
NBA player. a really good one. then i'll retire at 25.
47.are you easy to get along with?
i think so.
48.what is your favourite time of the day?
BOOKOUT TIME.
ok happy cny eve to all :)
i can't wait for saturday! gonna have a possibly very very fun date with mandyy, hope it works out well. what it is shall remain a secret till then :P
dont feel like blogging anything much now, so ill just do a quick quiz i found on winsome's blog and then go watch my prison break. :
1. the phone rings, who do you want it to be?
my honey bunz sugar plumz
2.when shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
i dont shop at the grocery store
3.if you had to kiss the last person you kissed again, would you?
over and over again :p
4.do you take compliments well?
yaaaa
5.do you play sudoku?
yes
.6.if you are abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
doubt it.
7.if your house was on fire, what would be the 1st thing you would save?
myself! hmm i think i'd grab my hp and wallet cos those are the only things grab-able
8.who was the last person you slept with?
errrrrrrrrr. 11 other guys. in tekong. haha.
9.who do you text the most?
girlfriend and bestie
ok i'm sorry i got really bored of the quiz, and i had to keep pressing enter cos when i copy-paste it it's just all in one chunk instead of being properly spaced out. and the questions are boring. ok let me just end off with the last 3 questions:
45.do you need a boyfriend to be happy?
TOTALLY! hahaha
46.if you could have a job, what would it be?
NBA player. a really good one. then i'll retire at 25.
47.are you easy to get along with?
i think so.
48.what is your favourite time of the day?
BOOKOUT TIME.
ok happy cny eve to all :)
Saturday, 2 February 2008
The Mist and scare methods
bla. felt like i wasted my time today. i woke up late as i was pretty tired and kinda sick, having slept only 5-7 hours total in the preceding 2 days. went to church but there was no sunday school, as it was mission sunday, so just hung out with bestie awhile. rain was imminent so i just went home without bothering to wait.
i havent played bball in 4 weeks! man. i wonder if i can still shoot. or dribble. or will i be some clumsy clown with the ball.
mm, i just got my pay yesterday =) when we booked out the officer told us that the pay was credited to our bank account already. then.. apparently there's some extra money too. i dunno if it's the advance for CNY or it's just some bonus for GST or dunno what, but i had an extra 200-300 dollars =D
then i tried to use the ATM machine for the first time in my life.. and failed terribly. i tried all the freaking options but couldn't withdraw any money. in the end i figured that the machine had no money, as other people also walked away from the machine with a black face and no money in their hands. made me late for my date :(
watched The Mist with my dear girlfriend, which took alot of persuading, as she doesnt watch horror flicks =) hee managed to get her to watch.
k lemme do a quick review.
The Mist is about this mist (duh) that descended upon a town, and a large group of people are trapped in a supermarket. Anyone that went out in the mist would get snatched by some unknown monsters. So they seek refuge in the supermarket and plan for their next action.
In terms of scare factor, i would say they sucked terribly. Their 'scare methods' were all too predictable, and not shocking at all. Ok let me digress abit and talk about 'scare methods' . Skip this whole dark blue section if you're not interested.
Having Horror as my favourite genre of books/movies for the most of my life ( i changed to action/thriller for movies and mystery for books recently), i know of most, if not all of the 'scare methods' employed by movies/shows. lemme list some of them and rate them on their scare factor:
1) Silence Method
As characters approach a scary moment, music cuts, and they walk in silence.. inch by inch.. this sometimes makes us subconsciously hold our breaths.. then BAM. the scary monster/vampire/killer/cat/chicken/whatever comes out.
Very predictable, when music cuts you just EXPECT something scary that it's not that shocking/scary anymore. (Rating: 2/5)
2) Eerie Music
As characters approach a scary moment, the music becomes a particularly eerie tone, adding to the mood.
I like this only when it's used together with the silence method. Like the eerie music goes really loud... then it cuts. then WHAM. scary part. (Rating : 3/5)
3) Point of focus method
One of my favourites! This method makes you concentrate on a particular part of the screen, seemingly normal and harmless. There is no warning whatsoever of a scary part. Then suddenly in the background something scary comes out.
This effect is great as you have no idea it's coming and you're focusing on the screen such that when the scary part comes out it hits you harder.
(used in The Mist, the part where the guy is eating a chicken wing in front of the window.. and bam the insect slams on the window) (Rating: 4/5)
4) Post Anticlimax method
Not used often enough, though i think it's pretty effective.
What happens is there's a typical buildup to a scary moment.. and BAM. You get a shock but it's not the real thing. (for example, a group of people are walking through a haunted house.. then BAM. something jumps out. oh, it's just one of them playing a fool.)
Then straight away after this happens, you get hit by another shock (behind the joker who just played the prank a big monster slowly stands up)
This double whammy works pretty well, i believe =) (Rating: 4/5)
5) No foreshadowing method
Simply put, there's no warning of the scary part that's coming, and it just suddenly hits you.
A simple example would be in 'I Am Legend', when willsmith is examining the zombie on his surgical table and has just given it an injection. All seems normal ... then suddenly it explodes to life and begins thrashing. I think the whole cinema jumped at that point.
I particularly like this effect, though i admit a show would be boring if it just employed this method. The build up is necessary to cause more suspense. Though one or two of this thrown in adds the icing on the cake =) (Rating: 5/5)
Ok back to the show.
Yea besides the weak scare factor, i thought the plot was pretty weak too. I felt the show lacked flow, and was quite.. random, in the way it moved from scene to scene. And the ending SUCKED. like.. it's one of those that makes you go -_-"
mandy whispered to me as the show was ending: "wow if the show ends like this i would say the show really sucked". And after she said that it really ended like that and the lights came on.
(another slight digression - i think i shall call amanda mandy cos i cant think of a suitable pet name without feeling weird saying it online (tried dear/darling/honey all seemed weird typing out), and everyone else calls her manda, so i shall use 'mandy' :P )
So if you're looking a good show to watch or a good scare, DONT watch The Mist. badbad.
~~
didn't get to go to soupspoon :( after the show it was pretty late and we both didn't feel like going so in the end just went home. Soup Spoon is this really nice place at raffles city which sells various types of soup. The soup is really thick and tasty, you have to go try it! Ah, i'm craving for it now, as the weather is so cold. :/
Yknow, i kinda wonder who reads this blog. besides my mei and shamim who are both spamming my tagboard :p even my bestie doesn't visit :( blah. well, i'll update this once a week definitely, when i come out from army. and they'll be long entries like this one. so.. you know when to visit yea.
Time to go pack for army and set off soon. sigh IPPT is tomorrow, hope i pass my 2.4km run. With a cough and terrible stamina (having exercised the whole week, since i was sick) .. i somehow doubt it. Hope i don't end up like those people who collapse and die after the run as they push themselves too hard.
bye
i havent played bball in 4 weeks! man. i wonder if i can still shoot. or dribble. or will i be some clumsy clown with the ball.
mm, i just got my pay yesterday =) when we booked out the officer told us that the pay was credited to our bank account already. then.. apparently there's some extra money too. i dunno if it's the advance for CNY or it's just some bonus for GST or dunno what, but i had an extra 200-300 dollars =D
then i tried to use the ATM machine for the first time in my life.. and failed terribly. i tried all the freaking options but couldn't withdraw any money. in the end i figured that the machine had no money, as other people also walked away from the machine with a black face and no money in their hands. made me late for my date :(
watched The Mist with my dear girlfriend, which took alot of persuading, as she doesnt watch horror flicks =) hee managed to get her to watch.
k lemme do a quick review.
The Mist is about this mist (duh) that descended upon a town, and a large group of people are trapped in a supermarket. Anyone that went out in the mist would get snatched by some unknown monsters. So they seek refuge in the supermarket and plan for their next action.
In terms of scare factor, i would say they sucked terribly. Their 'scare methods' were all too predictable, and not shocking at all. Ok let me digress abit and talk about 'scare methods' . Skip this whole dark blue section if you're not interested.
Having Horror as my favourite genre of books/movies for the most of my life ( i changed to action/thriller for movies and mystery for books recently), i know of most, if not all of the 'scare methods' employed by movies/shows. lemme list some of them and rate them on their scare factor:
1) Silence Method
As characters approach a scary moment, music cuts, and they walk in silence.. inch by inch.. this sometimes makes us subconsciously hold our breaths.. then BAM. the scary monster/vampire/killer/cat/chicken/whatever comes out.
Very predictable, when music cuts you just EXPECT something scary that it's not that shocking/scary anymore. (Rating: 2/5)
2) Eerie Music
As characters approach a scary moment, the music becomes a particularly eerie tone, adding to the mood.
I like this only when it's used together with the silence method. Like the eerie music goes really loud... then it cuts. then WHAM. scary part. (Rating : 3/5)
3) Point of focus method
One of my favourites! This method makes you concentrate on a particular part of the screen, seemingly normal and harmless. There is no warning whatsoever of a scary part. Then suddenly in the background something scary comes out.
This effect is great as you have no idea it's coming and you're focusing on the screen such that when the scary part comes out it hits you harder.
(used in The Mist, the part where the guy is eating a chicken wing in front of the window.. and bam the insect slams on the window) (Rating: 4/5)
4) Post Anticlimax method
Not used often enough, though i think it's pretty effective.
What happens is there's a typical buildup to a scary moment.. and BAM. You get a shock but it's not the real thing. (for example, a group of people are walking through a haunted house.. then BAM. something jumps out. oh, it's just one of them playing a fool.)
Then straight away after this happens, you get hit by another shock (behind the joker who just played the prank a big monster slowly stands up)
This double whammy works pretty well, i believe =) (Rating: 4/5)
5) No foreshadowing method
Simply put, there's no warning of the scary part that's coming, and it just suddenly hits you.
A simple example would be in 'I Am Legend', when willsmith is examining the zombie on his surgical table and has just given it an injection. All seems normal ... then suddenly it explodes to life and begins thrashing. I think the whole cinema jumped at that point.
I particularly like this effect, though i admit a show would be boring if it just employed this method. The build up is necessary to cause more suspense. Though one or two of this thrown in adds the icing on the cake =) (Rating: 5/5)
Ok back to the show.
Yea besides the weak scare factor, i thought the plot was pretty weak too. I felt the show lacked flow, and was quite.. random, in the way it moved from scene to scene. And the ending SUCKED. like.. it's one of those that makes you go -_-"
mandy whispered to me as the show was ending: "wow if the show ends like this i would say the show really sucked". And after she said that it really ended like that and the lights came on.
(another slight digression - i think i shall call amanda mandy cos i cant think of a suitable pet name without feeling weird saying it online (tried dear/darling/honey all seemed weird typing out), and everyone else calls her manda, so i shall use 'mandy' :P )
So if you're looking a good show to watch or a good scare, DONT watch The Mist. badbad.
~~
didn't get to go to soupspoon :( after the show it was pretty late and we both didn't feel like going so in the end just went home. Soup Spoon is this really nice place at raffles city which sells various types of soup. The soup is really thick and tasty, you have to go try it! Ah, i'm craving for it now, as the weather is so cold. :/
Yknow, i kinda wonder who reads this blog. besides my mei and shamim who are both spamming my tagboard :p even my bestie doesn't visit :( blah. well, i'll update this once a week definitely, when i come out from army. and they'll be long entries like this one. so.. you know when to visit yea.
Time to go pack for army and set off soon. sigh IPPT is tomorrow, hope i pass my 2.4km run. With a cough and terrible stamina (having exercised the whole week, since i was sick) .. i somehow doubt it. Hope i don't end up like those people who collapse and die after the run as they push themselves too hard.
bye
Friday, 1 February 2008
bang bang.
ah, what a week. my original idea for a blog post changed as the week changed. Ok i must be very careful what i blog, cos it's an offence to publish on the Web anything about the army. i dont know to what degree it is la.. like.. if i say 'SAF uniform is green' omg is that an offence.
Hence i'll try to be as vague as possible when i go into the details. (whee what a paradox eh.)
anyway. the first 2 days were ridiculously slack. it was shooting practice and only 2 platoons could go at once, so that resulted in alot of free time. We could even take afternoon naps. ha. But it got back to normal on wed, then thurs/fri was the live range, where we had our shooting test. I THINK i passed, not very sure though. :S
The rest of the entry is quite long and wordy, if you're busy , you can stop here. thanks for coming chowz
i actually made some blog entries while i was in camp. cos alot of waiting time and stuff, so i wrote like a diary kinda thing.
So if you wanna ask 'how is army', here are my thoughts for various days.
I fell sick on Mon (well i was already coughing since the previous week but it escalated), so here's an entry from then:
"Misery. A feeling evoked by external factors, unfavourable and detestable factors. Waking up to not being able to swallow saliva without feeling like someone's twisting my oesophagus (throat). Nose going all runny as it was raining in the early morning and it was really cold.
Holding on to the small glimmer of hope that i'll get better as the day progressed, these very hopes were dashed as my fellow bunk/platoon mates announced their own misery with synchronized coughing. How does one get better with trillions of germs surrounding him?
I hoped that 5BX would be toned down due to a slight drizzle and wet floor, but i was terribly wrong. The pace was normal, or even quicker than usual. Getting wet with sweat and rain all over my body with strong gusts of wind accenting the effects. Doing crunches and pushups on soaking wet ground. Then changing to a Tshirt which absorbs as much sweat as plastic. I was stuck with a layer of water on my body while marching. Oh yes, the wind was relentlesss. With the onset of fever, i had to gobble down the oily tasteless noodles and a cold hard square chicken-filet thing.
I continue my fervent prayers in hope that at long last, God will actually answer my prayers. Doubt creeps in and queries form, but i cannot falter. i cannot lose faith. In an environment of little rest, hostility, sickness, misery, we all need something to cling on to, somethign to look forward to, something to seek comfort in. Hope is a very dangerous thing to lose.
As i squeeze my eyes shut to end the nightmare, i can only open them to the harsh reality. There's no escape. I have to press on."
And another entry on Wednesday:
"Time flies past. Time comes to a standstill. It's ironic how the only constant in the human world can be perceived very differently at different times.
In army the anecdotes are simple. The physical trainings seem to never end. Yet, when we have our breaks, these breaks seem to end before they even begin.
I feel alot better now. The medicine that the doctor gave seems to work, though they have a weird side effect of raising my heartbeat. I timed it, and my heart was beating at 100 beats per minute when i was just lying on my bed. It kinda frightens me that i may get cardiac arrest or something.
Was having an interesting conversation with amanda last night, something along the lines of 'if you could change something about your life, what would you change?' Like.. go back in time and do something differently.
In this scenario, perspective once again comes into play. One of my biggest regrets in life is now no longer a regret after meeting amanda. If i hadn't done things that way, things wouldn't be what they are now. =)
Vague, i know. If you wanna know more you can ask me personally :)
~~~
ok that ends my post. probably gonna go sleep. bye.
Hence i'll try to be as vague as possible when i go into the details. (whee what a paradox eh.)
anyway. the first 2 days were ridiculously slack. it was shooting practice and only 2 platoons could go at once, so that resulted in alot of free time. We could even take afternoon naps. ha. But it got back to normal on wed, then thurs/fri was the live range, where we had our shooting test. I THINK i passed, not very sure though. :S
The rest of the entry is quite long and wordy, if you're busy , you can stop here. thanks for coming chowz
i actually made some blog entries while i was in camp. cos alot of waiting time and stuff, so i wrote like a diary kinda thing.
So if you wanna ask 'how is army', here are my thoughts for various days.
I fell sick on Mon (well i was already coughing since the previous week but it escalated), so here's an entry from then:
"Misery. A feeling evoked by external factors, unfavourable and detestable factors. Waking up to not being able to swallow saliva without feeling like someone's twisting my oesophagus (throat). Nose going all runny as it was raining in the early morning and it was really cold.
Holding on to the small glimmer of hope that i'll get better as the day progressed, these very hopes were dashed as my fellow bunk/platoon mates announced their own misery with synchronized coughing. How does one get better with trillions of germs surrounding him?
I hoped that 5BX would be toned down due to a slight drizzle and wet floor, but i was terribly wrong. The pace was normal, or even quicker than usual. Getting wet with sweat and rain all over my body with strong gusts of wind accenting the effects. Doing crunches and pushups on soaking wet ground. Then changing to a Tshirt which absorbs as much sweat as plastic. I was stuck with a layer of water on my body while marching. Oh yes, the wind was relentlesss. With the onset of fever, i had to gobble down the oily tasteless noodles and a cold hard square chicken-filet thing.
I continue my fervent prayers in hope that at long last, God will actually answer my prayers. Doubt creeps in and queries form, but i cannot falter. i cannot lose faith. In an environment of little rest, hostility, sickness, misery, we all need something to cling on to, somethign to look forward to, something to seek comfort in. Hope is a very dangerous thing to lose.
As i squeeze my eyes shut to end the nightmare, i can only open them to the harsh reality. There's no escape. I have to press on."
And another entry on Wednesday:
"Time flies past. Time comes to a standstill. It's ironic how the only constant in the human world can be perceived very differently at different times.
In army the anecdotes are simple. The physical trainings seem to never end. Yet, when we have our breaks, these breaks seem to end before they even begin.
I feel alot better now. The medicine that the doctor gave seems to work, though they have a weird side effect of raising my heartbeat. I timed it, and my heart was beating at 100 beats per minute when i was just lying on my bed. It kinda frightens me that i may get cardiac arrest or something.
Was having an interesting conversation with amanda last night, something along the lines of 'if you could change something about your life, what would you change?' Like.. go back in time and do something differently.
In this scenario, perspective once again comes into play. One of my biggest regrets in life is now no longer a regret after meeting amanda. If i hadn't done things that way, things wouldn't be what they are now. =)
Vague, i know. If you wanna know more you can ask me personally :)
~~~
ok that ends my post. probably gonna go sleep. bye.
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