Nothing is true, everything is permitted

Inception

2010-07-15T03:03:00.002+08:00

http://ifindyourlackoffaithdisturbing.wordpress.com/

zOMG

2010-07-13T22:10:00.003+08:00

I'm not a fan of popular culture. You'll never catch me saying OMGWTFBBQ ( good lord what the hell is barbeque doing there ), or LMAO or, in this case, zOMG.

So Khalid and I were having a conversation and he used the term zOMG. and I, though I see it pretty often, never got to know the exact definition of the acronym. Was it a variation on the term OMG? Was it, by any chance, an animal of the reptile variety? Was it a noun, a verb or some form of punctuation? So, like any modern-day Einstein would do, I looked it up in urban dictionary.com

zOMG is a varient of the all-too-popular acronym "OMG", meaning "Oh My God". The "z" was originally a mistake while attempting to hit the shift key with the left hand, and type "OMG" Also used in all-caps, 'ZOMG' is generally used in a sarcastic manner, more often than not a humiliating fasion. It is also used as a device for stating the obvious.

Interesting. The frickin adjective was (popularised by Omar's status update but originally coined by me), a lovechild of a lousy keyboard and poor spelling. No.

Someone's fricking spelling mistake is used as a popular adjective internationally.

And you wonder why I'm not a fan of modern vocabulary. But I do like this definition!

ZOMG was the ruler of the planet XYRZON until 2451 AD, when he was overthrown by KFOP after the battle of SHMUR. the battle marked the violent end to ZOMG'S noble reign as ultra-lord. KFOP soon proved to be an incapable ruler of XYRZON, and the planet collapsed into chaos in 2453. Since that day, the residents of XYRZON have used ZOMG as a declaration, nay, an exclaimation of hope. Hope that one day peace shall return to XYRZON, on the shoulders of a truly worthy king.

Hasta La Vista Baby.

Crimson Tide - A review

2010-07-10T22:01:00.006+08:00

Posting here before Ning because only within this pallid box can I find the vigor and spark of inspiration that drives me to write something great.

Leaders are not born, they're made. They define what society turns out to be. I really do feel that the role of leaders is to make decisions. As simple as that sounds in words, it is an ultimately complex and potentially traumatising role. Their job is to make decisions in place of the people under their charge (because they have proven themselves to be the most competent to do so) and these decisions will irrevocably discern the fate of these people and - in the case of Crimson Tide - the fate of mankind as we know it.

Decisions, decisions. I believe that that is what Crimson Tide is trying to bring across. The underlying power and emotional influence of decisions, determined by the extent of the repercussions. The movie is practically littered with decisions, from the most mundane like whether or not to tell Cobs to cut down on the cheeseburgers, to shooting a couple of rockets to end the world in a nuclear Armageddon, with trillions of lives at stake.

We, ourselves, were faced with our very own Sophie's Choice. Team Ramsey or Team Hunter (Damn it I hate the Twilight reference!) ? In my humble opinion, both Ramsey and Hunter were well-matched. Both characters had equally credible arguments, and although my sympathies were with Hunter (faced with the prospect of billions of deaths, it is best to err on the side of caution), I could understand the logic of the more senior officer. Ramsey, despite common opinion, is not a warmonger nor a mad dog. He is an officer, with the greatest amount of love for his country, so obsessed with protecting it that even an incomplete message meant something, just for him. I really could sympathise with him although in the end all roads led back to XO Hunter. It was my tough decision.

Personally, what I felt was the most compelling and heart-wrenching decision was not to send any missiles, but rather XO Hunter's decision to lock those 3 servicemen in the bridge. Objectively, it was either to send those three men to the gallows or risk endangering the entire submarine. When weighing the fate of 3 men, to the rest of the boat and potentially the world, the decision was absolutely obvious. Yet, we were forced to see one of the servicemen pleading at the top of his lungs for his friends to climb out of the bridge. He was begging them to save themselves. "PLEASE just climb out", he screamed coarsely.

Imagine what Hunter must have felt as he heard the difficult pleas of those men over the conn. It is inherently at these moments, when we actually see for ourselves the consequences of the XO's decision, when we look into the prayerful eyes servicemen and his doomed friends, that we realise how powerful decisions can be. Even deep in my heart, I too, was pleading Hunter not to seal them in.

That is exactly what define leaders. Their role is to make the right decisions with clearness and intelligibillity, and to sustain that clarity of thought regardless of what he himself feels. To know that despite killing 3 young men now, he saved countless of others in the future. They also have the added responsibility to inspire.

The idea of inspiration is embodied in both Hunter and Captain Ramsey.

Captain Ramsey is an advocate of inspiration in a more traditional sense. Through the use of profanity-laden speeches, he can pump adrenaline through the veins of thousands of men with mere words alone. He acts as the patriarch aboard the U.S.S Alabama, making the choices for everybody and coordinating efforts.

Hunter, on the other hand, is an inspiration in a much more personal sense. He looks into the eyes of his subordinates and tells them to do things they never thought they could do in a thousand years.

This is demonstrated in the "Captain Kirk-Scotty" scene aboard the Alabama where he demands the metaphorical Scotty to fix the damned radio or risk sparking of a "nuclear holocaust". ( "Use the Force, Luke! " - Obi-Wan Kenobi, Episode IV) Immediately, the communications engineer loses his despair and begins on the radio. That is the power of leaders: to motivate their people to do things beyond their wildest imaginations and in the case of failure or hopelessness, to drive them back on the right path.

A leader encompasses many things. In the words of Uncle Ben, "With great power, comes great responsibility". Leaders are the people with the greatest amount of power in the world. And henceforth, their responsibility is equally immense.

So who exactly did I find to have the most stressful job in the movie?

It wasn't Hunter, or Ramsey or even Cobs but ~~Aragorn~~ Lt. Weps as well as "Scotty" (I'm not sure of his real name! Besides, "Scotty" is so catchy! ) I feel that these two guys had the greatest pressure because at one point or another, these two brave men had the weight if the world on their tired shoulders. Their decision alone, would put a full stop on the fate of the world.

Weps' emotional and moral dilemma was expertly captured in the face of Viggo Mortensen a.k.a Aragorn from Lord Of The Rings, in the scene where Hunter pleaded for him not to aid the distraught Ramsey on his warpath. Again, a perfect example of a tough decision. Was he to listen to his long-time friend and sabotage Ramsey's efforts at launching nuclear missiles or dismiss Hunter's ridiculous claims and actually lock in those keys and at the same time lock those missiles onto Moscow? Either decision would decide the destiny of the Earth, the latter equivalent to death in the trillions. Trillions. When one is faced with deciding the fate of his world, with a gun pointed at his head, forcing him to choose within 3 counts, I'd imagine that would be pretty stressful.

After answering Mr.Kamal's questions, I would like to add on about why I fancy the movie myself.

Crimson Tide intrigues and compels me exceptionally. The thought of a nuclear holocaust sparked off by a single man's decision is dreadfully ominous. A nuclear holocaust. Words alone cannot fully cover the unbelievable repercussions of such an Armageddon. Mr.Kamal himself describes how we can all be obliterated ... at the speed of light. The sheer idea of such a possibility is disturbing and yet highly intriguing. Crimson Tide sheds light on the reality behind such a possibility. It's more realistic than we know.

I, personally, find bits of ecstasy in the minor references in the movie. I'm really just a geek beyond measure. The mere mention of Jack Kirby and the Silver Surfer is enough to ignite a nerdy "Marvel Comics" flame in me. Add that to Star Trek references to Captain James.T.Kirk, Montgomery Scott (Scotty), and special appearances by Aragorn from LOTR and HRG from Heroes, and I'm blown away like the Death Star in A New Hope.

That said, the movie, in general, is wonderfully striking. The mutiny-themed story is thrilling and absolutely palatable. It shows how adrenaline and intelligence can work seamlessly together. The film is also aesthetically fine, if only via its depiction of submarine containment as a rat's maze navigated only by the best and brightest U.S. soldiers. The camera pirouettes through the ship's bulkheads flawlessly.

There is an added luster of an amazing cast. Denzel Washington's silent, brooding yet riveting depiction of XO Hunter explains why Mr.Kamal constantly refers to him as the Alpha Male actor. In fact, my favourite character from Crimson Tide was actually General Ramsey. He is a wonderful creation - a genial, smiling fellow with more than a hint of menace in his eyes. He makes the air itself tense with his never-ending flow of implicit threats.

We sense a deeper more complex person through his subtle statements, "We are here to preserve democracy, not practice it". A coded EAM is received in our brains.

Overall, I generally like Crimson Tide but don't particularly love it. Partially due to personal reasons. (I gave "Kick-Ass" 5 stars) But it was indeed a good movie and really gave me an 1800 ft.-deep understanding of the Cold War and its dangers. Upon reflection, there are greater messages about leadership and decisions that Mr.Kamal made us look at. So ... a big thanks to Mr.Kamal !

So that's where my "Ning" stuff ends. Truthfully, if I were writing a real review, the paragraph on geekiness would be 22 times its size, and I would make petty insults at Jerome's narcissism hahaha. Gonna write a article on "Will video games ever be treated seriously?" later on. Hasta la vista baby.

The song with the blood

2010-07-09T21:35:00.005+08:00

EDIT: I started on this last night, then inconspicuously fell asleep while watching Family Guy , so the continuity in the Lord of the Nic might be erroneous here and there

Good mother of the lord, I have been dying the blog for the past week. But I mean, who talks about the virtues of only using the computer on weekends, and fails to do so every Wednesday. Pfft, what a loser.

A woman of Indian origin made a a sinfully dreadful remark just today, as I returned from the opposite coffee shop after lunch. I believe she was a teacher in the school, in fact, the one whom Pooven hit on one fine History Elective Timed Practice, at which she replied with a comment about the existence of a certain. more attractive boyfriend. Oh what rapier sharp wit!

However, it does not bode well when she uses that fricking rapier to jab at my belief system. So Jerome, Adriel, Arvin and the other 4/1 dudes were attempting to cross the road ( the one in the school ), and a car was approaching. Instinctively, the rather ambiguous teacher exclaimed, "Hey, get off the road you sons of bitches ( or something along that line ) ". Then from her armpits emerged ten other arms and she grabbed all 6 boys and flung them into Nanyang Polytechnic. (Or something like that). Upon realisation that the 16-year-old young adults were relatively safe from an imminent car crash, she said, in direct reference to their class T-shirt, ...

"Hey, I know your T-shirt says your'e not geeks but don't behave like one"

So discriminatory! Totally crossed the line. The line is a dot to her.

EDIT: At this point, I wake up on a Saturday Afternoon, and seamlessly transit into the next part of General News.

In other news, The Things We Can Learn From Facebook.

Lesson Number One: Acronyms such as "jkjk", peppered with "XD" (apparently some depiction of a deceased male who is inexplicably smiling with the utmost glee ) ... do not, in fact, help to make nasty comments more palatable to the reader.

Example.

"I'm sorry Mr.Lim. The surgery was a complete failure. Your wife is now a vegetable and you have to take care of her for the rest of your life, with no real hope of her ever waking up.

Jkjk XD

She's actually dead. "

Nic's Non Sequitur Corner

2010-07-08T23:59:00.004+08:00

So one day, a broccoli was sitting on a friendly armchair. And the broccoli asks the affable armchair, "If I'm here, and you're there, and Istanbul is somewhere in this general area,

Where is Deepak? "

Boomz

2010-07-08T23:40:00.006+08:00

I'm telling you. Kristen Bell just blows my mind. Like *shapes his hand into a semi-automatic gun and promptly fires the hand-weapon into his brain, causing bits of his cranium and grey-white matter to spatter messily on his Chemistry textbook,

How ... in the name of fanboys ... can a woman be this hot ...

and be an advocate of fanboy-ism at the same time. It's seemingly and humanely impossible. and yet somehow ...

It's true.

Miracles do exist people. Believe.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Teaser

2010-07-05T03:06:00.003+08:00

Damn, I actually posted this yesterday and it appeared on the Anderson NCC blog! I even added ultimate fanboyish comments i.e. "I had to be forcibly sedated after watching this".

Man! But I suppose even Mrs Poh or Mr Esfan would find this awesome. I suppose "awesome" is too mild a word to describe Ezio. At these moments, I'm really tempted to use profanities to describe the exceptionally explosive and awe-esque emotions that are sizzling in my blood right now. But after all, this is a family blog. Think of the kids!

Enjoy!

Ubisoft Singapore - A detailed research/ My thoughts on Video Games

2010-07-04T04:53:00.008+08:00

You know what? I spent the last 4 hours researching about Ubisoft Singapore from all sorts of sources, primarily their Facebook page.

(http://www.facebook.com/notes/ubisoft-singapore/intern-blog-arvind/117675971696#!/ubisoftsingapore.)

Not once within this 4 hours did I even touch my homework and I don't fricking regret any second of it.

Ubisoft Singapore and Ubisoft-Digipen Campus

I've read blogs about the interns working there. I've read about the game creation process. Even that article on Digital Life regarding Ubisoft Singapore's role in the production of the recent games Assassin's Creed 2 and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Did you know that our studio here in Singapore developed more than one-third of the Prince of Persia game?

I've also read a comprehensive definition and description of what it means to be game designer. The different disciplines in the video game industry can be broadly classified into programming, design, art, and the miscellaneous sectors like Human Resources and Finance.

You see, in the video game industry, design and art are relatively dissimilar. Game designers, under the guidance of the Creative Director or Lead Designer, will develop aspects of gameplay such as problem-solving, the thought process that goes into playing video games, the general user interface as well as the controls that the player will use. Artists, on the other hand, as more related to the visual aspect of the game, the general art direction and how visually-relevant the characters and the background are to the setting of the game.

After assessing my interests and skills, I thought that I'd be better suited in the position of the Game Designer, a position that requires a broader but less specific set of skills. Variations of creative designers include level designers, game designers as well as sound designers. The graphic designers include 2D artists, 3D artists and Environment artists, something I thought Shao Xuan could consider.

As much as the Economic Development Board would like Singaporeans to venture into the Interactive Media industry, scoring a job with Ubisoft Singapore isn't merely a walk in the park. From my readings, I believe that the company does possess and strict requirement criteria. However, upon landing a position within the company, it becomes evident that the company will go the extra mile to develop it's junior members into strong, creative individuals. This involves an all-inclusive program which involves sculpting classes (something very relevant to my love of toys and figurines), life drawing classes, lessons with senior members of the company and further programs to their main studios in North America and Europe to further hone your skills!

The locally-based studio holds meetings to discuss their development on video games, a platform for discussion as well as fun, for there is always a time for relaxation after the meetings held fortnightly. From this, I infer that the team of people are homely and warm and working there could be a pleasant experience. In fact, I really do believe that I could be genuinely happy working in such a place.

As a matter of fact, the studio hosts annuals events such as Halloween (a.k.a a chance to dress as Vader on a yearly basis) and frequent barbeque events.

The other impressive thing about Ubisoft is that it has intelligently collaborated with Digipen, a world-renowned institute for the development of game-oriented individuals. Though it is headquartered in America, the local government has fortunately convinced the institute to set up a campus here in Singapore. The Digipen-Ubisoft campus, though relatively new (its pioneer batch was in October 2009), offers courses on 3D animation, Game Programming and Game Design etc. We can see that the institute will indeed offer us the necessary and relevant skills to successfully break into the budding video game industry whether in America, Japan or right here in Singapore.

My experience with video games

In 2007, my parents purchased an Xbox 360 for my birthday. However, like many other Xbox 360-owners I know, I left it alone for the majority of the following year. Until one day, on the eve of June 2008, I made a quirky decision to buy a European gaming magazine. From the continued purchase of these magazines, my fascination with the entertainment medium grew exponentially. With a rapidly expanding fascination with games, the time and love I had for video games grew as well. And from this uncanny concoction, something beautiful blossomed: Passion.

I developed a passion for games because in them I saw many aspects of life that I really enjoyed. They possessed the heart and depth of a superb piece of literature and infused that with the all-encompassing sense of entertainment derived from watching television. The sense of control over an avatar in a world never seen before was enthralling and palatable. In the crossroads between technology and art, lied an amazing platform called video games. In it, I saw potential. And from it, I derived passion for something not mainstream yet entirely powerful and beautiful. At that precise moment in time, I knew, from the bottom of my heart, that I wanted to be in the video game industry.

Firstly, I strongly believe that when it comes to career choices, Passion > Economic Prospect. Perhaps it has to do with my upbringing or the fact that I never had to worry about whether I'm going to have a roof over my head or when am I going to have my next meal.

Secondly, I understand that the climate of the video game industry is just highly casual. Guys (or more rarely, girls) , in "Come to the dark side, We have cookies" or "I Heart Padme Amidala" T-Shirts. Everyday, as you enter the workplace, a giant statue of Master Yoda or Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed II will welcome you into your one true haven. Instead of stocks, you'll be discussing the easter eggs from the latest role-playing game from Bioware.

Thirdly, and most importantly, it's just really the passion. I quote the Code of The Sith.

Peace is a lie; there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I gain victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me.

In essence, we are all beings of passions. Passion is what keeps us alive. To think us beyond the need of simple passions is delusional. Think about it. If we didn't have the passion to score well in the 'O' Levels, would we be doing our homework at all? If we didn't have the passion for a certain television show, would we even mention it in our blogs? If we didn't give a damn about our lives, would we do what we do to stay alive? Passion can lead to wealth. But wealth can never lead to passion.

I thoroughly understand that video games aren't something fashionable or the least bit popular with the general public. I know that video games have been commonly associated with obese, bespectacled middle-aged men living with their mothers. They have been thrashed by the media over games like Grand Theft Auto, which advocates crime and meaningless violence. It isn't something that is glorious to be associated with. To many of the people who aren't entirely familiar with the medium, video games are equivalent to the pastimes of adolescent boys. But I just want to say that they've evolved. Video games have matured - metamorphosed - from ugly little caterpillars to stunning, gracious butterflies.

When my parents realised that I wanted to make games in the future, they were entirely supportive because they are great parents. Yet, whenever we discuss about my future at our weekly dinners, I can look into their eyes and realise that they still hope that, one day, I'll become something glorified like a lawyer or a doctor. So they'll ask me, "What do you intend to do after NS?", and as much as I'd like to say Digipen, I would eventually blurt out something like, "Study computer science". Even my sister thinks I should join the SAF as an officer. And it's hurtful, it really is, to know that my dreams differ so far away from all of theirs.

Well, to end off today's post, I'd thought that I would post about a career plan, that I drew up upon finishing research about Ubisoft Singapore. I think that it's nice to have a goal and I refer to Tan Kuan Ting's latest post about "dreams" and despite being a grammatical failure and having some slips here and there, it is truly relevant to all our aspirations.

My Career Plan - Nicholas

Begin by scoring a perfect 6 points for my 'O' Levels

Get into a renowned Junior College - Preferably National Junior College

Score stellar results in the 2012 'A' Levels

Complete my National Service

Enter the University of Design and Technology - Computer Science

Undertake the 10-month PCP course on Game Design at Digipen-Ubisoft Campus

Based on my history with the campus and my passion for video games, send in an application to Ubisoft Singapore for the position of Junior Game Designer

From there onwards, the road should be clear.

I don't rightly know exactly how relevant this blogpost is to you, but I guess it tells us about how impactful our central passions are to our lives, regardless of who you are. In reference to my earlier post on Fangirls, I think that we all should find out what we all love and really, really embrace it tightly. If you're looking for something to do in the future, I strongly suggest that it be related to something that you're real passionate about. Because this passion will only serve to drive you forward and inadvertently bring about success.

What do you guys think?

Neutron Star Collision

2010-07-04T03:03:00.005+08:00

Damn, that 2-hour long conversation with the NCC guys on MSN thoroughly and absolutely disrupted my homework plan for today: complete 6 geography questions.

Anyway, I was reading the latest article by IGN about this investigative journalist called Tom Bisell and his latest book, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. It is exactly these kinds of literature that I am just dying to read. Hence, it is really no wonder why it has propelled itself to the top of my reading list. Of course, I have the finish reading Fellowship first, and how in the name of Gandalf am I going to do that when I spend hours not doing my leftover Geography homework!

So really, the central theme to today's post is a newfound opportunity. My reading of the article on Tom Bisell led me to delve deeper into the ocean of the video game industry. There, I read even more articles about Peter Molyneux, Games Convention Asia ( now defunct ) and the video game industry as a whole.

Did you know that just last year, Peter Molyneux, one of my idols, visited Singapore at the 2009 Games Convention Asia to discuss about Lionhead Studios and venturing into the game industry? What a lost opportunity!

In 2008, the entire video game industry took in approximately USD$26.5 billion, coming in close to the film industry's USD$26.7 billion.

So anyway, I browsed through several prominent game developing companies worldwide e.g. Activision, Lionhead Studios, Electronic Arts, Bioware and Ubisoft. Alas, I realised that the iconic game developers behind stellar games like Assassin's Creed, Prince of Persia, Rayman, Far Cry and the Tom Clancy games, had their very own studio here in Singapore, aptly situated in the science and technology high-rise business hub Fusionopolis.

You see, for as long as I dreamed of making successful games, I have been looking for an ideal compromise. I wanted to be located here in Singapore, my only true home country. Yet, on the other hand, I wanted to be working in a high-quality and world renowned video game companies, which unfortunately, were primarily based in North America. The Singapore interactive media industry just wasn't ideal. You either had to be indie or be working in an office which was uncannily similar to a cyber cafe.

Ubisoft Singapore answers that eternal question of staying home or pursuing my dream. So its official. I have a new target. As much as I love Bioware, Ubisoft truly complements all my needs at this moment. Who knows, in years to come, Bioware might even set up their own studio here in Singapore! From their Facebook page, Ubisoft Singapore seems real warm and family-like. They even have their own training ground in the form of the university Digipen, also conveniently situated here in Lion City.

And I mean, who could ask for a better video game developer? I just really, really enjoyed the Assassin's Creed series. It infused several accurate historical aspects, with an astounding story and breath-taking gameplay. In fact, Assassin's Creed II ranks as my third favourite video game behind Halo 3 and Mass Effect. Plus, we can tell that I'm not the only one who thought it was awe-inspiring by Mr.Kamal's constant reminders of the parallels between answering tough "O" Level questions and Ezio's amazing ability to kick some serious templar backside.

One of their more prominent franchises, the Prince of Persia series, has inspired a blockbuster film starring Jake Gyllanhal and was a moderately successful film. If I wanted to work under a developer company, I'd want to work with a company like Ubisoft.

So there it is. A benchmark for what I hope to achieve in the days to come. I strongly believe that one day, when your child is playing his/her latest superb video game, he/she's gonna see the name "Nicholas Tan" emblazoned valiantly in the credits.

http://www.ubi.com/US/News/Info.aspx?nId=5116

http://www.facebook.com/notes/ubisoft-singapore/life-at-ubisoft-singapore/142841226696

http://www.facebook.com/ubisoftsingapore?v=app_7146470109#!/ubisoftsingapore?v=wall

http://www.facebook.com/ubisoftsingapore?v=app_7146470109#!/ubisoftsingapore?v=info

http://www.facebook.com/ubisoftsingapore?v=app_7146470109#!/ubisoftsingapore?v=app_7146470109

https://singapore.digipen.edu/dp-ubicampus/about/ubisoft-singapore/

http://www.creativeheads.net/Jobs.aspx?CompanyID=21076

5 words

2010-07-03T20:21:00.002+08:00

Assassin's Creed:Brotherhood => Airborne Assassinations.

I'm literally weeping tears of joy right now.

Fangirls: Kristen Bell

2010-07-03T03:09:00.009+08:00

Last Thursday, I walked into a video rental store located conveniently beside my tuition center. At that precise moment, I was completely enamored by a short clip of this woman playing on the Blu-Ray player they were exhibiting. It was truly a moment of revelation for she reminded me that some of the great things in life ... were still existent.

Well, this woman is Kristen Anne Bell, 29, and she is the paragon of the classic fangirl. She's exquisite, stunningly beautiful, quaint in the most charming manner and oh so cute. So cute is she, that she named her lazy eye "Smurfette", after the female cartoon character from The Smurfs . She's amazingly liberal and played dirty games with the cast of Fanboys. And also, look at that bloody picture and tell me that she isn't ridiculously hot.

However, I believe that the most marvellous aspect that defines Kristen Bell is her geek chic lifestyle.

You see, Kristen has been associated with the idea that "nerdy is the new cool", and I quote,

"What I like about nerdiness - geekiness - is that it doesn't really matter what you're into - it just means you're not a follower." - Kristen Bell

I really love this quote for it explains the heart of what it means to be a geek. Geeks know that being "a meaningless dot in a sea of people" is highly unsatisfying. I refer to the 87.9% of people who will coo, clap uproariously and most annoyingly, exclaim "aww" at every one of Mr.Kamal's movie screening.

It also explains why I really embrace the geek lifestyle, from the video games to the comic books to the in-depth knowledge about Darth Vader's helmet. I like having an identity and a central passion in my seemingly pathetic teenage life. The fortune of having friends that share this passion serves to catalyse the passion to mind-blowing levels. Major emphasis on the "mind-blowing" part.

"(Geeks are) people who like what they like and don't apologise for it just because it isn't mainstream." - Kristen Bell

Very true. Take me for example. I'm not one to betray who I am to be popular. I believe that "When you have no morals, you have nothing." So I'd rather be alone and geeky than be popular and betray my morals, which is sadly, the fact right now. (*shrugs it off with a casual "Haha" to hide my sorrow).

Inherently, this sense of individualism and finding who I really am, makes life very enjoyable. So ... a point for Kristen.

Moreover, Kristen's tantalizing roles in Veronica Mars, Heroes, as a video game character in Assassin's Creed and the titular female Star Wars fanatic in Fanboys have immortalised her placement as the golden-bikini-clad princess in the centre of the geek universe. She's cornered the market on losers like us.

But Kristen represents something greater. The actual existence of "fangirls", the female counterparts to fanboys. For every Bella, there must be a vegetarian vampire. For every Kuan Ting, there must be a bottle of Ambipur. Unfortunately, for every 1,000,000 fanboys, there is but one fangirl. EPF.

Fangirls are like rare gems. They're smart and funny. They're intelligently funny (Sound familiar?). They'd be able to enter an hour long discussion about the philosophical aspects of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. They'd probably be able to make a funny comment about one of my friends by referencing him to a character in Dragon Age. They could probably valiantly argue about who would win in a fight: Batman or Boba Fett. (Personally, I'd go with Bats) . To put it simply, a female, actually sexy, version of DH Omar Khalid. They're not only your best friend but also someone you love. In the end, doesn't that make them superior to any other girl?

The key to every relationship is common interests. I know that not by personal experience (*people begin making petty jokes about me and girls) but by people like Oprah. That is exactly what fanboys and fangirls share and what's more, their interest in a common subject is so strong that it reinforces the relationship tenfold and make them seem perfect to one another.

When nearly 97% of the world's females are concerned about their popularity or appearances, fangirls shine like supernovas. In essence, appearance plays second fiddle to pure passion when it comes to fangirls.

Sometimes, I'd see a bespectacled girl browsing through games at the game store and I'd be plesantly surprised. Only to realise moments later that they're just buying something for their brothers or their boyfriends. But I know that they're out there. And I'd thank my lucky stars if I ever get to meet one.

Fanboys assemble and share your opinions!

~Nic

Our love ... will be forever

2010-07-03T01:38:00.002+08:00

Damn! The body clock is a dreadful thing.

Tomorrow's topic: "Fangirls" .

It was something that I really wanted to discuss today, but I guess I'll be leaving it till tomorrow. I can't give Kristen Bell her due when I'm this close (*positions his index and middle fingers closely together to demonstrate an exceptionally tiny space) to slumber.

I haven't had a University of New South Wales paper in a relatively long time. Today, I finally took one for English writing. Create a complication using "Penguins", "Your Cranium", "Istanbul" and "Racial Apartheid". Or something along the likes of those words. Well, I'd admit that narratives aren't really my strong suit. As much I love The Lord Of The Rings , my proficiency in the story-telling department just isn't stellar. I'm more of a argumentative fellow, and I attribute that to the ridiculous amounts of time I spend reading reviews about video games and well ... blogging. In fact, the highest I got for a piece of narrative was 23/30 in English tuition whereas my discussion about the validity of video games as an entertainment medium garnered a 27/30.

Anyway, my story went a little like this. The lame version: Girlfriend loses her (mobile phone) and the Caller ID (photograph) depicts her cheating on me. Then it morphed into something about white hot hatred and unspeakable felonies.

Jerome wrote carnivorous feline mammals pouncing on his girlfriend. Ti-gers pouncing on Thai Girls, get it ? As the beast feasted on his lover, he took a (photograph) of it and when it was done, he lent it his (keys) to his car, so that it could navigate its way back to the forests of Southern India. An obvious "distinction" story. Unless one of the examiners literally suffers a cardiopulmonary arrest while reading it.

Lots of people did enjoyable activities today. The guys from class went for a movie, which was Eclipse by the way. Deepak and Jerome went to kick some rubber spheres across green pastures. And I ... went home. In truth, I was very reluctant to do so. It is really, at these moments, that I feel really alone. As in "alone" alone. So I sat on my couch and stared at the television. As a matter of fact, I slept through the emotional pain. 4 hours of nap for the socially-troubled. But yeah, I got over it and read about how the "Fellowship of the Ring" was formed.

Enjoy the latest "Glee"-themed playlist !

Nic's Non Sequitur Corner

Q:How many muffins does it take to climb a tree?

A:Octopuses sweat to death.

Swan Song

2010-06-30T22:51:00.004+08:00

So I'm going to leave blogging till every weekend. I'm starting on a plan that minimises my time on the computer. In fact, I do feel that I don't even need to turn the damn machine on. And very ironically, I have my father to thank. He made me realise in Secondary One that I did not need the computer to breathe.

And when I say "minimise", I really do mean no more malicious yet extremely juicy comments about Kuan Ting on Facebook. No more "like"-ing of anti-Jerome forums sparked off by resentful ex-girlfriends. All 2 of them. Sigh.

By the way, jokes on Facebook can go wrong. Very badly. I accurately pointed out a spelling mistake in one of Kuan Ting's post . He said " I felt nonstalgic about 2 egg roti-pratas I ate this morning " (or something along the likes of that) and I emphasize " nonstalgic " which the Anglo-Saxons did not in fact create.

Being the kindly friend that I am, I pointed out "I felt nonstalgic too" , pointing out the mistake clearly in a humorous fashion. Alas, people did not see the error of his ways, and continued to discuss about the advantages of curry with prata. And I appeared as the crazy, slightly nosy dude who makes no sense. Classic example of an Epic Fail.

Moral: Public jokes aren't worth it because normal people don't get them.

Back to the gist of of the supposedly-stirring blog post.

So guess what. Somehow the stars aligned with me today, and I managed to make it home by 3p.m. when I was dismissed at 2.35 p.m. (I have 2 friend(s) in class so I really have no obligation to stay back) Complete with a pack of mixed rice and a copy 8-days. With a cover of Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattison and Lamma Boy I might add.

By 4.p.m. I had completed all my homework (for today) and I was pondering whether to write an extremely long blog post about the virtues of the Lord of the Rings. Or I could take out my yellow file and actually write things on my Geography holiday homework.

Somehow, the responsible dude tucked away in some dark, emo-esque corner of my brain popped out and sang a song called " Do your fucking homework ". Chords are C, G, Em and F.

*I think "Responsible Me" is African-American.

Anyway, that was exactly what I did. So even with the allocated T.V. timeslots of 6 to 6.30 ( How I Met Your Mother ) and 9.p.m to 10.00 p.m.(Glee), I actually handled 8 whole Geography questions.

That's a whole 8 of them! In one day! 8 Frikkin Geography questions!

And then it really struck me how much I could accomplish per day if I maximised my time. No computer. At all. No staying back. These are inherently all my "Interferences" in my "Results=Potential-Interference" equation. And this is all very relative to Mr.Kamal's usual speech about productivity and his metaphor of how the Flash bends time or how Ezio/Altair kicks some serious templar ass.

*For the record, Batman can totally kick the Flash's ass. I know we love Bart Allen/Wally West/Barry Allen, but dude. Batman has the brains and the Batmobile. Special emphasis on the Batmobile.

*Second note. I never actually thought that one day I would see the trailer to Assassin's Creed 2 in class. Mr.Kamal made me think twice. He is truly amazing.

So my point really being, in a totally non-cheesy way, there is so much more that you can do if you identified the "interferences" in your life and removed them. Sure, keep those that have a special meaning to you and you really find joy in. For me, it's "How I Met Your Mother". And damn your "But I find lotsa joy in all my interferences" .

We all know it's the frikkin 'O' levels, so word of advice? Screw Mousehunt.

Addio Amico. I'll be seeing you this Saturday.

Oh Beth What Can I Do?

2010-06-29T19:38:00.006+08:00

I am experiencing something novel. I believe at least 2 more people ( as opposed to the usual 1 ) are visiting my blog on a frequent basis. Thats a staggering ... * whips out calculator ... 512% increase.

*Travels to the bathroom for 2.31 minutes to weep in joy

*Returns and composes himself

How fondly I recall the days of yore when my blog was merely a platform for me to discuss Deadpool's latest underwear pattern or my thoughts on the most recent video game. Now I'm relatively pressurised to write non sequitur jokes about cultivated beans and Indian food.

By the way, something merry happened today. I got my very first certificate of appreciation from Mrs. Poh, which I believe has something to do with me being the top 3 in the level for Combined Humanities. If you are in search of self-praise and how ridiculously simple this feat was, you are at the wrong blog. This is the one you're probably looking for. :)

And I shall continue.

I felt a slight tingle of contentment and bliss as students from 4/1 shook my hand me as an acknowledgement of my achievement. Of course, with the exception of Kuan Ting, who promptly ( and very painfully ) slapped me at the back of my head . Don't ask me why. The fella has hysterics at the mention of the word "Mozambique".

To end of today's post, I wanted to share with all 3 of you, my most beloved advertisement so far.

It's so cute and endearing. PLUS, it serves as fertile ground for me to make petty insults regarding Jerome's command of Chinese. I know, I know, "But Dude you got a B3 for 'O' Level Chinese! ", Please do kindly filter all "Nicholas-is-a-Chinese-newbie" jokes you've created in the tagboard.

Livin on a prayer

2010-06-28T20:56:00.002+08:00

I can't believe I have no homework to do!

Well, in a strictly technical sense. Because, y'know, ~~I'm waiting for the answers to magically materialise on the school portal before I do anything.~~ ice creams have no bones.

But you know what that means.

LOTR !!!

You make me wanna die

2010-06-28T20:46:00.003+08:00

Kuan Ting said I lost my great touch on humor. On Facebook.

That's like saying Master Yoda lost his friggin connection to the Force.

Well.

That was really hurtful.

It was so hurtful I cried myself to sleep last night.

It was ugly.

By the way, Frodo and pals have reached the Council of Elrond, and things are really starting to spice up!

Duplicity

2010-06-26T15:24:00.003+08:00

Damn it.

I should label my blog "Hypocrisy for the Teenage Soul".

It's 3.p.m on Saturday and I'm left with 15 Geography Questions. All I want to do is read my LOTR novel, which is getting really fascinating now that Frodo has met Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, who happens to be the funniest dwarf around. Apart from Kuan Ting of course.

Should I just forsake the damned questions and read my book? (which of course is a far more heartening, pleasant and educational experience)

It is my life

2010-06-25T22:57:00.003+08:00

I'm cutting my Joke of the Day section.

I attribute the failure of my latest joke to ...

a) Withdrawal symptoms from a caffeine overdose ( apart from lethargy, lethargy and wait for it ........ lethargy )

b) The sudden appearance of a commercial for Eclipse.

c) The Law of Diminishing Returns

You see, William Shakespeare didn't create an epic theatrical play every day. Leonardo Da Vinci didn't paint an uncanny portrait of a relatively unsightly woman once daily. Nicholas does not produce a non sequitur joke everyday!

Artists like us, we need inspiration. And that's what I'm lacking when I'm doing abysmal Geography questions in my room. I really cannot produce something intrinsically funny when I'm looking at questions about why this rock looks so funny. By the way, the answer for that is weathering and erosion. Weathering and erosion.

So I have decided to leave my joke section alone so my existing creations become classics. And that's what we should aim for. Classics.

I quote Mr. Kamal and The Law of Diminishing Returns: The more you experience something, the less gratification you derive from it. Essentially, Familiarity breeds Contempt.

In the mean time, enjoy my previous jokes or listen to Kuan Ting trying to imitate them while frenziedly giggling like a pixie on drugs, which I find is far more humorous. :)

I played my part so play your game

2010-06-25T20:09:00.002+08:00

I almost forgot to give Kuan Ting his daily dose of ecstasy.

Joke of The Day

What did the apple juice say to the banana?

Potatoes are places to find farm animals.

Shot through the heart and you're to blame

2010-06-25T16:58:00.005+08:00

The day didn't start well. I drank 2 cups of coffee to keep myself awake while studying for the Social Studies Continual Assessment Three and, well, I didn't think that it was great. And while writing my Structured Essay Question, I was annoyed for approximately 300 000 milliseconds by certain short and stout individuals saying, "Oh my gosh! Nicholas hasn't finished his SEQ?" *in the most god-awful condescending and annoying tone.

I was tempted to grab his puny head and place it forcibly through my inexplicably vandalised table. And then I realised it was a felony to do so plus I would waste 2 seconds hurting him. Weighing the pros and cons, I continued on the essay.

But the day started to pick up.

I realised that it was also "NCC outing day" and what an outing it was. I guess it really started when Ryan and I instinctively ran away from our Indian acquaintances. Anyway, ran we did, and we ran all the way to Raiders Local Area Network cyber cafe, the first stop of what would be a fantastic day.

You see, LAN, as much as it is a haven for teenage males who flunk their exams, it is also a cache of intrinsically exciting video games. Amidst the malodorous smell and pitch-black darkness, we have to liberty to shout "Loser" , "Hell Yeah", and "Oh My God" amidst other ridiculous stuff. Through the game Defense of the Ancients, commonly abbreviated as DotA, we form two teams of individuals and set out to obliterate the other teams, characterized by silly-looking avatars.

The entire process starts with us forming witty names of the girls we are supposedly in love with or our latest joke about diarrhea.

Common names

PinkDolpinx333

PinkPangSaix333

Vinesha

Tabitha

Omar the Sai

XiuMing the Sai

Kermit

Ip Man

My Favourite Sex Postion

Sexbomb

and of course .... Fern

This is often followed by us teaming up to kill Omar and Nicholas occasionally screaming humorous threats. Sometimes, we do the most ridiculously funny stuff or get stuck in awfully unfortunate predicaments that make us laugh for 10 minutes. And that is inherently the joy that lies within visits to LAN cafes.

And in the end, when we cause gargantuan trees to burn by hitting it repeatedly, we raise our fists and holler in bliss and ecstasy. And we open our palms and high-five one another with the utmost force, victorious, unbelievably delighted and so glad that we have our best friends to share the moment with.

Moving on from my exceptionally descriptive essay about LAN games.

We were on the fence as to what movie we wanted to watch. Initially, it was decided as The A-Team then it swerved between She's Out Of My League, Toy Story 3 and we finally ended up with Ip Man: The Legend is Born.

Omar, of course, is Indian in nature and understands as much Chinese as I do, yet he watched the movie with us, which of course deserves honorable mention!!!

Before that, we grabbed a bite at Popeyes where we encountered Kuan Ting and his female friends. I vomited for 2.21 minutes and proceeded to order two large mashed potatoes. Of course, Kuan Ting was laughing at the potatoes the whole time.

After listening to Kuan Ting giggle hysterically at cultivated plants, we entered the Eng Wah theater, which was 91% empty and a source of much laughter for us boys. Given that the theater was relatively vacant, we were essentially free to do ludicrous stuff. Xiu Ming was laughing at the bleached ceilings and somehow it led to a discussion of how to accomplish an extraordinarily powerful ejaculation.

And of course, the movie was pretty nice. Omar punched me in the stomach trying to imitate the iconic Ip Man, which also happens to be a great example of globalisation. All over the world, 16-year-old Indian boys are hurting their friends in an attempt to emulate kung fu masters. In fact, we even learned that Indians have their own form of deadly martial arts. Quoting Omar, "The Staff Skill of Death"

So guess what. We went for another hour of Local Area Network gaming, seeing as the day was still gay, at Good Speed cyber cafe. That repugnant wave of instant noodles overwhelmed me in nostalgia. I guess Omar phrased it the best when he said, " Some things in life don't change. Like the LAN shop uncle. "

As we walked along the return path from Good Speed cyber cafe, (walk down the spiral staircase, walk straight and take a right), I inexplicably felt blessed. Blessed that I discovered these wonderful and incredible people.

So I'll finally admit that I really dislike my life in class. I'm often alone, mostly because I'd rather go home than play basketball. I refuse to pander to people unlike certain annoying and diminutive individuals. The people I dislike are those that are dreadfully conceited and stuck-up. Such as the one who can only whisper sinfully to the ultimate aficionado of cosmetically-altered Korean girls. These people are noteworthy academically but as subtle as sin. And I still can't stand the fact that they dislike most of my best friends.

But you know what? All that doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because I have the greatest friends in the world.

Knock knock!

2010-06-23T18:57:00.005+08:00

Okay, I'm just going to unleash a joke upon the mortal world so that Kuan Ting can laugh and convulse uncontrollably for 2 hours and 13 minutes, and then I'm gonna study for Social Studies. Accursed holiday tests ...

Joke of the Day

What is the difference between a lemon and Deepak?

They are both citrus fruits. Except for Deepak.

The Blind Side - A Review

2010-06-23T17:29:00.006+08:00

What was supposed to be another 4 hours of SS reviews and comments about bars that patronize homosexual individuals turned out to be ... an Academy award winning film starring Sandra Bullock!

The Blind Side is a solid piece of well-acted, inspirational entertainment that has garnered multiple awards, primarily for Sandra Bullock's absolutely stunning performance, and with good reason. Well, the movie, based on true events, takes us along on the journey of Michael Oher, a stellar NFL Football player, from his days of homelessness to his rise as one of the greatest football players the world has seen.

Michael begins the film living on the couch of a family who wants him out of the house. Thrown out into the streets, the hulking Oher is stranded in a primarily-white school without a roof over his head nor any real means of supporting himself.

That is when Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and her husband Sean come into the equation. The benevolent Leigh Anne discovers that "Big Mike" is virtually homeless, and offers him a place to stay for the night. Yet, what began as a simple act of compassion gradually developed into a life-changing experience for Micheal and Leigh Anne's family.

What really amazed me about the movie was in the small things. How Oher neatly arranged the blankets offered to him by Leigh Anne. How "Big Mike" selflessly hurt his own arm to ensure the safety of his foster brother. The way Coach Cotton threw himself in front of the referee to protect the rights of one of his players. And it is really these rare gems in the movie that make the film what it is. A subtle, heartwarming tale.

The actor behind Oher (Quinton Aaron) does a wonderful job as well. Oher, is in his essence, a character of limited intellect but limitless compassion and the actor flawlessly conveys a world of emotion through his thoughtful gazes and simple glances. The film is without an excess of dialogue and yet I am left completely engrossed in Michael and what lied in store for the gentle-giant. That, my friend, is good acting.

Alas, Sandra Bullock steals the show as the shrew yet infinitely compassionate soul Leigh Anne. She embodies inner strength and power in women and yet deep down within, we see a kindly being who chose to take in an oversized, homeless black man wandering in the streets. She is truly the epitome of all of what it means to be a mother.

The show left me chuckling, smiling but most importantly, it left me contemplating. Contemplating about leaders. Contemplating about compassion. Contemplating about honor.

In spite of all that talk of video games and anything slightly related to testosterone, I'm always looking for a rousing and stellar movies where good things happen to good people. The Blind Side is one of those films. It is an excellent piece of art that is warm and emotionally gratifying, peppered with humorous performances by young actors and a portal into the amazing story of Michael Oher. You would do good to watch it.

4/5 stars by Nic.

You give love a bad name

2010-06-23T02:40:00.004+08:00

~~English~~

~~A-Math~~

~~E-Math~~

~~Chemistry~~

~~Physics~~

Geography

Take a whiff of my homework supremacy, little elves. Take it all in. What's that I hear? Panic? In all your brains, behind a little curtain, there's a little Nicholas laughing at you while eating some French Fries. He's laughing at the guy who writes "Ask me to write nice lies about you by clicking this button right here " on his Facebook wall instead of writing on his holiday homework. By the time he has finished commenting about how the guy he knew at nursery had the best hair ever, it's 6.30 a.m. on the 28th of June and fortunately for him, he completed the worksheet called "Ohmyfuckinggod, I screwed up my holidays".

Shamelessly boasting about my incomplete homework and insulting the Facebook society? Check.

Onwards, with my thoughts on the new video game The Force Unleashed II, Cliché nerd-splosion imminent.

So Omar and I (Sounds like a name of a romantic-comedy), were discussing about the latest information regarding Starkiller, the "awesome-st" Star War's guy around. He's got the intensity of Darth Maul, a strength in the Force comparable to Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader's emo-style and a testosterone level as high as mine. The latter, being his most important trademark.

So in the original Force Unleashed, we got to play the original Starkiller, crazy Force powers and all. And apparently, in the final scene of the game, he died after a larger-than-life showdown with The Emperor. So when they presented The Force Unleashed II, I'm really thinking "How in the name of Vader is the guy still alive"? Alas, my ideas of revival via Darth Sidious' "I used to have a teacher who couldn't die" spell were shattered with newfound information that the protagonist of the second game was actually a clone of the original., albeit with the memories of the original.

In theory, this is highly logical, if we reference it to early Sith teachings by Darth Bane. In the novel, Path of Destruction, Darth Bane says, "Don't fight in the forest. Burn it". Here. Vader doesn't just eliminate Starkiller as a threat. He understands the overwhelming potential of one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy and clones thousands of him as his personal army of the ultimate Sith warriors. Which is, of course, highly reminiscent of the 501st legion or Hitler's SA army.

My problem lies with the clone. When we think of clones, what do we think of? We are reminded of empty shells of what it used to be, beings that can never replace the original. Think the Clone Army vs. Jango Fett. I find that the mass production of common market goods is a good metaphor. Basically, none of them are original. So exactly how viable is a clone as the protagonist of a game? When we look for protagonists in an entertaining medium such as video games, we look for people who embody the inner strength and skill that we wished we had in reality. Someone whom we would be proud to "control". Most importantly, it's all about how we can relate to him/her, such that the game becomes a personal and satisfying experience.

In order to achieve that, the protagonist has to have a decent level of humaneness in him or her. He or she has to have the heart and the soul.

Can we truly relate to a clone? Does it possess the adequate elements to make us bond with it? That remains as a question unanswered. I think that LucasArts is making a big risk placing a clone as the star of one of their big video game franchises but if they can pull this off (after all, the clone does have the memories of the original), it would truly be another Star War's experience that ranks high in the awesome list.

Joke of the Day

Q: What is the difference between a fern and a roti-prata?

Ans: 24, because ice-creams have no bones.

Coffee, tea or me?

2010-06-20T06:44:00.006+08:00

I'm finding the Lord of the Rings books, a little ... unbelievably awesome. I mean, like right now, Frodo like just got The Ring from his uncle Bilbo Baggins and its starting to corrupt him and stuff. He doesn't do his homework !

Don't we all wish we were like Hobbits? Life in the Shire is so simple and relaxed, its ideal. I mean, they like harvest carrots and battle gargantuan dragons for fun. They don't do Chemistry papers and have "surprise" tests and afternoon lessons just because iFins says so. Hobbits meet friendly feathered creatures and nomadic wizards. We have Meet-The-Parents sessions.

Moving on from the uncanny parallels between friendly woodland people and messaging systems from Hell.

So I completed like 3 out of 4 Physics papers in one day. Dude, that must be a world record in the The Guinness Book of the World's Most Useless Records! I should be right behind The World's Hairiest Feet and The Greatest Number of Grammatical Mistakes in a Single Blog Post .

Yeah, and then I rewarded myself by watching Toy Story 2 with my cousins, who also happen to be 6-year-old girls . Somehow or rather, I was laughing more at the cartoon than them. Of course, I was laughing in a cool ... manly fashion.

I should really sleep now. Caffeine makes me drowsy.

Joke to be utilised by Jerome on his blog, and then to be made fun of by humans of the female variety, which truthfully really hurts my manly feelings, all one of them

Two penguins were hanging out at the bar

All of a sudden, one of them says, "Where's the alarm clock?"

Fake ass girls all know your name know

2010-06-19T17:41:00.000+08:00

I need an alarm system in my house
So I know when people are creeping about
These people are freaking me out (these days)
It's getting hectic everywhere that I go
They wont leave me alone
There's things they all wanna know

I'm paranoid of all the people I meet
Why are they talking to me?
And why can't anyone see?

I just wanna live
Don't really care about the things that they say
Don't really care about what happens to me
I just wanna live ("just wanna live, just wanna live, just wanna live x2")

I rock a law suit when I'm going to court
A white suit when I'm getting divorced
A black suit at the funeral home
And my birthday suit when I'm home alone
Talking on the phone got an interview
With the Rolling Stone they're saying
"Now you're rich and now you're famous fake ass girls all know your name
And Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous your first hit arenâ€™t you ashamed"
Of the life, of the life, of the life weâ€™re living

I just wanna live
Don't really care about the things that they say
Don't really care about what happens to me
I just wanna live

Stop your messing around boy
Better think of your future
Better make some good plans boy
Said every one of my teachers
Look out better play it safe you'll never know what hard times will come your way
We say where we're coming from
We've already seen the worst that life can bring

Now we get expect it everywhere that we go
All the things that they say
Yeah we already know

I just wanna live
Don't really care about the things that they say
Don't really care about what happens to me
I just wanna live("just wanna live, just wanna live, just wanna live")
I just wanna live("just wanna live, just wanna live, just wanna live")
I just wanna live("just wanna live, just wanna live, just wanna live")
I just wanna live("just wanna live, just wanna live, just wanna live")
I just wanna live

You will like me when I'm angry

2010-06-19T17:00:00.002+08:00

IGN deemed "Rage" (by id Software, the developers behind the original Doom 3) the best of E3. E3 being Electronic Entertainment Expo and the Mecca of all gamers. I have quite a no. of dreams and one dream that ranks high in the list is definitely to visit E3 one day. E3 2020 perhaps?

Anyway, the setting for "Rage" is an arid post-apocalyptic world, which has become highly prevalent in recent times, think Fallout 3 and Borderlands. And you, my very lucky friend, happen to be a survivor from the past, a participant in the 'Ark' program, which inferentially preserved you in (hopefully) solid carbonite, only to be born anew in a world that is a sick reflection of that in which you once were.

The game, very interestingly, integrates vehicular combat, role-playing and first-person action gameplay. It would be as if Fallout had intercourse with Need For Speed, only better.

The art direction itself is highly reminiscent of other post-apocalyptic games like Borderlands, although the character models reminded me of the psycho artists and scientists from Bioshock. Rage also has parallels with Bioshock in that it features combat elements such as electrifying the water beneath an enemy to shock him.

I am pretty excited for this game, which is slated for a 2011 release. I still remember last year, where one of the more prominent games at E3 was Mass Effect 2. God, I was hyped.

Dudemeister

2010-06-18T23:18:00.008+08:00

Methinks it's amazing how approximately 12 hours later, I',m still humming to "I just wanna live" by Good Charlotte. Actually it's a combination of the theme to "How I Met Your Mother" and "I just wanna live", but if you close your eyes and listen really really closely, it actually sounds like waves in the ocean.

Facebook is such a delight. People can embarrass like that *snap. Don't like someone? Write it down on your status. Have people who have nothing better to do come and discuss about the problems this guy brings to society. Write degrading messages you were always afraid to say and insert some "XD"s here and there so that you don't look "mean". Hmmph, social networking sites.

By the way, my LOTR books just arrived. I'll tell you dear mortals, tis' not just a mere delivery. It is a beginning. It is a start of an epic journey. A quest to become lead writer of BioWare gaming studios. Maybe assistant lead writer but still ! And before I lay down and rest, let me bestow upon you ...

Nic's attempt at creating a quiz because truthfully, he has nothing better to do

Do you like the Twilight franchise?

a) Yes
b) No
c) OMFG TEAM EDWARDDDDD XD XD :) :) :) :D :D :D :D

Really?

a) Yes
b) No
c) TEAM JACOBBBBBBB !!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D

The Star Wars saga is ...

a) Awesome
b) Awesome
c) AWESOME *at an increased volume

A synonym of "cool" would be ...

a) Nicholas
b) All of the above

Which of the following statements is true?

a) Justin Bieber has a pair of fully-functioning testicles
b) Ethanol reacts with Ethanoic Acid to produce Ethyl Ethanoate and Water
c) Kuan Ting smells like flowers blooming in the morning sun

How I Met Your Mother is ...

a) a really mean thing to say to someone
b) the best sitcom on TV right now
c) All of the above

If you answered b) to questions 1 and 2, we share the same sentiments! How cool is that !

If you answered c) to questions 1 and 2, I refuse to acknowledge you. A little part of me dies whenever I do that.

Funny interview

2010-06-18T17:19:00.003+08:00

Screw that previous joke. I found a funnier one on Facebook.

Social Interview

"Do you think Choong Xiu Ming has a crush on you? "

Tan Kuan Ting says, " He literally crushed me lar. Laughing-Out-Loud "

Get it?

Crush? Crushed?

The question meant whether Xiu Ming has a a secret infatuation with him, and Kuan Ting, *chuckles* through an intelligent play on words, very cleverly twists the meaning of the word "crush" into that in which Xiu Ming, "impales" him rather painfully ... because Xiu Ming is large.

I just want to live

2010-06-18T16:24:00.010+08:00

Welcome to your daily scoop of Nic's ridiculous holiday life.

So I'm finally settling into the sleeping hours that normal people engage in. Well it isn't really perfect its kinda like sleeping at 9pm and waking up at 4a.m. I guess being a teenage vampire just wasn't my thing. Oh my god, did I just make a comparison between me and *gulp, You-Know-What ?

*Human beings of the male variety gasp in disbelief

I thought that today was pretty interesting. I woke up at like 5 in the morning. Had my daily dose of Kokocrunch ( you know, for that great chocolaty taste? ), and then I watched Glee for an hour. Which does not make me homosexual in any way.

Yeah, and I started feeling just a little tired, so ... I had some coffee. and I'll tell you, caffeine makes you do crazy stuff. I'm talking crazy as in Eclipse coming out crazy. So I started getting increasingly hyped ...

All of a sudden, "I just wanna live" by Good Charlotte started playing on the computer and"BOOMZ", it was like an explosion of testosterone. So you have this topless 16-year-old boy singing " fake ass girls all know your name now " at 10.a.m in the morning.

That, my very amazed friend, is an average Friday of the June Holidays.

Joke of the Day

Peanuts are like bicycles.

They don't bathe.

You have a new text message.

2010-06-17T08:12:00.004+08:00

"I'm so busy got nothing to do, spent the last two hours just tying my shoe"

Dude right now, I'm feeling that that's the complete opposite of my life. What I would give to just spend my time tying my shoe.

Words alone cannot describe my immense hatred for Chemistry papers. Actually they can, I just wanted to sound more dramatic than usual. But they do suck oh very much. I spend half of the time worrying whether or not I phrased something correctly. I'm so tired of ...

"Explain why this oil smells this way",

"Explain which of these fluids will produce something white"

"Explain why so and so produces a pungent gas"

I dunno, maybe he ate something gassy for breakfast?

By the way, WHERE ARE MY LORD OF THE RING BOOKS ?! Amazon is so sluggish. I'd bet that their delivery boy ran away with some female dog or something. That's why we trust Fedex.

They live to deliver.

Funny anecdote about Greek gods

2010-06-16T11:18:00.003+08:00

So instead on finishing my Chemistry structured questions, I began reading about Greek mythology on Wikipedia since, like 9a.m.

Thought that this was pretty funny.

So, Hephaestus, the Greek god of technology and metallurgy, son of Zeus and Hera, wanted to mate with Athena, the goddess of war, strategy and wisdom. However, the picky shrew resented Hephaestus because he was lame, not in the sense that he was not proficient with the jokes, but that he had trouble walking. This made Hephaestus grow mad and forceful, and just when the dude was about to ejaculate, Athena disappeared from the bed. Hephaestus' bodily fluids landed on Gaia, the primordial being representing Earth, and henceforth Athens was born. :)

I gotta tell you, from my readings, the Titans and the Olympic Gods were an unnaturally horny and fertile bunch. Almost every sexual encounter resulted in the birth of some new dude with a funny name. That's way, 3 hours later, my browser is still stuck with tabs of all these Greek beings, because I have this uncontrollable urge to know more about these people with silly names. God, Greek mythology is complicated.

Likes and Dislikes

2010-06-16T09:31:00.003+08:00

I like rainy mornings. I like rain ... in general.

You know what I don't like? Chemistry papers.

You know what else I don't like? Chemistry papers.

Things I don't like: Chemistry papers.

Hey did I mention anything about that thing that I don't like?

Who you gonna call?

2010-06-16T08:07:00.003+08:00

Cool, Deadpool's gonna be in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. You can really tell that Deadpool is rising up from a third-tier-who-in-the-name-of-Thor-is-he Marvel anti-hero to a leading comic book character. I attribute his success to the show-stealing Wade Wilson (portrayed by Ryan Reynolds) in Wolverine:Origins. Ever since then, Deadpool has starred in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and the soon-to-be-released Marvel vs. Capcom.

Deadpool has always been one of my favourites, alongside Daredevil and Bats of course. I mean, he breaks the fourth wall (one of my favourite forms of humour I might add) and brings comical joy to any graphic novel he's in.

Plus, he has pretty awesome powers. Many think that Deadpool does rather poorly in the skills department. They also do not know that he has a healing factor that surpasses Wolverine. That's right. He's imbued with a new and improved healing power based on Wolverine's natural one. He heals faster than Wolverine. He teleports. And he uses katanas and sub-machine guns as weapons.

If my all-time favourite Batman and Deadpool were to engage in an ultimate fight, I would say that Bats would definitely win (He has the Batmobile! and ROBIN! ) but Deadpool would probably make the iconic Batman chuckle before Bruce Wayne lands the final blow. Boomz!

That's how awesome Deadpool is.

Maths papers at their best

2010-06-16T06:00:00.003+08:00

ROFL this is just so hilarious.

I would like all of you to turn to your holiday homework. Specifically Chung Cheng High School E-Math Paper 2. Turn to the very last question. Question 10. Turn to it right away.

"Alexis was given a cumulative frequency curve to help her complete her school assignment. .... However, her 3-week old iguana chewed a portion of the paper off.

Dude, you have no idea how much I cracked up when I saw this. Who the hell cares how old the friggin iguana is? LOL who cares ?!?!

Iguana?!?!?!?! How unbelievably random is that???!!! It sounds like it belongs to my joke section !

"Peter was reading a book ..... and then his iguana ate it"

Roll-on-the-floor-laughing-my-ass-off!!!!

So I'm like listening to the theme of "How I Met Your Mother", and this sentence pops up, and I chuckle uncontrollably. I even took 5 minutes doing the damn question, not because I suck I maths but because I was laughing at the sentence for 4.5 minutes.

I even instinctively highlighted it. With like bright yellow colours and drew a box around it. I thought that Mrs.Chong would find it funny.

Question 10b was pretty funny too.

By far... the funniest Mathematics paper I've ever encountered.

Kinect, a breakthrough in gaming technology

2010-06-16T00:30:00.002+08:00

Sony has the PS3 and Playstation Move, Nintendo has the Wii, and Microsoft has Project Natal, recently named "Kinect" (Kinetic and Connect, get it?).

Check out the videos in the link below. The first one in particular. LucasArts and Kinect. Nuff ' said.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/109/1097356p1.html

However, I don't imagine I'll be playing this game "Kinectimals", where you raise a wildlife jungle cat. Dude, just look at the girl in the video below.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/109/1097743p1.html

Plus, Microsoft is shipping a brand, new, fully compatible glossy black Xbox 360 which is slated to be more compact and is significantly quieter. Perfect timing, I would say. Reminds me of popular people who think having their hand-phones spoil is a good thing, because they can replace it something cooler. Except in this case, I didn't throw my Xbox 360 on the ground and the 360 is, without a doubt, cooler than any mobile phone. Hell yeah it is.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/109/1097102p1.html

Its the best day ... eveerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Its the best day eveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer....

2010-06-15T22:58:00.003+08:00

"Its the best day ever" - Spongebob Squarepants

I climax when songs reach their high points, which explains why I like guitar solos. Anyway, this song, laugh all you may, has the most awesome climax ... eveeeeeeeeeeeeeer! You wanna feel good about yourself, just sing along to the chorus and smile while holding "ever". It's really fun.

Mr. Sun came out and he smiled at me. Said it's gonna be a good one just wait and see!
Jumped out of bed and I ran outside feeling so extra exstatified!

It's the Best day ever! (Best day ever)
It's the Best day ever! (Best day ever)

I'm so busy got nothing to do, spent the last two hours just tying my shoe.
Every flower every grain of sand, is reaching out to shake my hand.

It's the Best day ever! (Best day ever)
It's the Best day ever! (Best day ever)

Sometimes the little things start closing in on me, when I'm feeling down I wanna lose that frown I stick my head out the window and look around.
Those clouds don't scare me they can't disguise, this magic that's happening right before my eyes.
Soon Mr. Moon will be shining bright so the best day ever will last all night.
Yes the Best day ever's gonna last all night now.

It's the Best day ever! (Best day ever)
It's the Best day ever (Best day ever)
It's the Best day ever! (Best day ever)
It's the Best day ever (Best day ever)
(Best day ever)
(Best day...)

So, attempting to integrate this song into the story of my life, I heard it on Nickelodeon when I returned from ... I hope you're not allergic to plants ... Orchard Road yesterday.

Well, I was watching the weekly documentary series Clash of the Gods on Friday and they were focusing on J.R.R Tolkien, and basically how his epic trilogy The Lord of the Rings set the stage for the amazing genre called fantasy, which happens to be my new favourite genre of games, thanks to our good friend Dragon Age: Origins.

And I was just, "Dude J.R.R Tolkien is an amazing author".

So yeah, the The Lord of the Rings happens to be the Bible of all fantasy books, and I, being a fan of it, thought that maybe I should read the trilogy.

And thus began my epic quest of caffeine and expensive taxi rides, from Ang Mo Kio library to the Borders store at Wheelock Place at Orchard, in search of the Holy Grail of all fantasy books.

And the Borders place was pretty awesome. Figuratively, if you imagine me as a purse-loving woman (just close your eyes real tight and imagine), it was as though I was surrounded by Louis Vuitton bags. It was ... invigorating to say the least. Just endless shelves and shelves of Mass Effect adaptations and R.A.Salvatore books.

In the end, neither of the two had the complete trilogy in stock. So, I did what any self-respecting fantasy nerd would do in these kind of situations, I bought it from Amazon.com .

LOL, that must the lousiest fantasy story in a bazillion-gatrillion years.

Joke of the day

Q: How many blondes does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Fish.

Negative One! Negative Two! Negative Three!

2010-06-14T06:23:00.003+08:00

Shit.

I'm one of those people who try to do 50 push ups to make themselves think that they are actually getting some exercise amidst the Macdonald deliveries and wind up ... hurting their back.

As my ex-NCC sergeants used to say ... Don't Geh Kiang

By the way, all English and Math homework done. Physics and Chemistry revision check. Halfway through Chemistry papers. Nothing can stop Seismic Nic. *plays the cliche superhero sound.

I'm gonna have rhyming names for myself from now on. A glimmer of light in the cesspool I call my self-esteem. Psychic Nic. Toxic Nic. Oh cool EPIC NIC !

Yeah .... I'm all out/

Other than that we're left with Gastric Nic, Chopstick Nic and anything the ends with "phobic".

Nitric Nic? Does sound pretty awesome, but given that's also a name of an acid, I'm thinking people are gonna come up with some story to make fun of my face.

Anyway, I'm introducing a new section in my posts. The ... wait for it ... Joke of the Day.

Joke of the day/dawn

So why did the Barbie doll have no hair?

...

Because the shark ate it.

Two is not better than one

2010-06-13T06:17:00.004+08:00

You know, Twilight just doesn't know when to stop y'know?

According to Life, (yes apparently I read newspapers at 6 in the morning and blog about it), the producers behind the hit movie franchise about undead who have roast rabbit and deer for lunch, feels that it is appropriate to split the final film, called ~~Bella catches an undead STI~~.... Breaking Dawn, into two films. Not one, but two films. Thats two times the bullshit.

Yeah, apparently the complexities and intricacies of Stephanie Meyer's 900-page book cannot be simply captured in a single movie. First of all, quantity does not equate to quality. I've read short stories by Agatha Christie that are a million times more profound than the franchise. Secondly, "complexities" ? Are you serious? The "complexities" of removing sweaty T-shirts I suppose? The "intricacies" of how the human body twinkles in sunlight? I've read Archie comics that are more complex.

I've read the books. I know about Breaking Dawn. (Haha, kiss it you teenage-vampire lovers who think you can use the "Don't insult Edward because you didn't even read the book" counter-argument on me). I know its all about how Bella has sexual intercourse, which is a felony in some countries, and conceives an undead child on Edward's first try. *Dude, that must really suck LOL.

So Part 1: Sex, and Part 2:C-section. Is that it?

In conclusion, this screams " Lets milk these 10-year-old girls for twice their allowance money!" Sigh, the franchise never fails to give me excuses to make petty and rather insulting remarks about it on my blog y'know.

Pride

2010-06-13T01:48:00.001+08:00

Omg I did like absolutely no homework today and I "liked" this group on Facebook called "Lady Gaga should lend Justin Bieber her balls" and I am proud of myself.

Gamers

2010-06-13T00:59:00.003+08:00

So I was just IGN-surfing (preview for The Force Unleashed II, due end of this year, which means I will have all the time in the non-academic world to electrify the helmets of clone troopers), and I came across this article about gamers, written by one from the IGN community and not by the editors I might add.

So his point is that, gamers seem to be the only form of fanboys who absolutely dread one another. Of course, the gaming community is commonly known to be segregated into three very distinct camps. The Microsoft Xbox 360 gamers (yours truly), the Sony PS3-ers and the Nintendo Wii players. Or in the words of some very hyped-up MS fanboys, the "Nintendo Wiitards".

And that member of the IGN community questions, (paraphrased by myself) "So why do fanboys of science fiction and comics get along so well, and gamers make petty jokes about having sexual relations with someone else's mother simply because that person made a different purchase of a gaming console?" Essentially, why do we hate each other so much?

I, myself, attribute this to two points.

One, we, like any deranged female fan of 16-year old werewolves who tear off their top apparel for no valid reason, are very passionate individuals. We love games to a great extent and have no qualms about expressing that. Some people love music, some people love Facebook games involving capturing rodents with too much cash on them, and some people love glittery vampires who look like they should SK-II models even though they are the only known type of blood sucking undead who live in sunlight. We, on the other hand, love armor-clad Spartans who save humanity from intergalactic parasites intent on the extinction of all organic life in the galaxy.

However, franchises and mega electronic companies inadvertently separate us into different groups and offer us a platform to quarrel amongst ourselves. Speaking from personal experience, insults about the other camp somehow act as fuel for our own love for our individual systems. And these statements about the weight of the opposing group's mothers are really just manifestations of our own deep passion for our own consoles.

And call me crazy, but in this aspect, this internal conflict is a good reflection of the racial apartheid in the world.

If we were to look past all the "Sony" or "Microsoft" labels and just see that we are all, at heart, people who enjoy video games as entertaining mediums, I believe none of us would have this problem.

While this was merely a simple wondering for that very member of the IGN community, it served as somewhat of a lesson to a very guilty fanboy. It made me realise that instead of making jokes about the qualifications of the Sony PS3, I should really just embrace it as a being a major part of a world that I just love to be in. Sure, fueling my own passion with insults about the other camp was fun for a time, but I realised that if I were to get to know these people and share our gaming experience, it would certainly be a more fulfilling and gratifying experience.

Spider-man 4

2010-06-11T20:57:00.002+08:00

Check it out boys and girls.

Jamie Bell is supposedly the new Spider-man, after the franchise was set for a reboot (somehow things between former Spidey Tobey Macguire and director Sam Raimi weren't working out).

And the new villain is slated to be The Lizard , an alter ego of Dr.Connor, Peter's former mentor, whom most of you might remember as the professor in Spidey 3 who was investigating the extraterrestrial black goo.

Man, I am pretty disappointed. The Lizard is such a lame Spidey Villain. In most comics I've read, he and someone like Electro often sets the scene to show how easily Spidey ruins the plans of his villains. Dude I'd prefer to see Rhino over him any day. I was actually anticipating someone like Carnage, who is so much more ...... "Carnage"-y.

But I mean, somehow, The Lizard is, without a doubt, the most logical choice. This is, after all, a reboot with a young Spidey and Spider-man is still learning the deal with his newfound powers. Plus, the Lizard is involved with Spidey very early on. Given that his alter ego is actually Spider-man's professor in school.

Just my two-cents worth.

One life

2010-06-10T11:04:00.003+08:00

As I croon to "One" by U2, I'm reminded of how I used to sing/scream with the NCC guys to popular songs, locked away in a humid and relatively pungent room.

What I would give to have those days again.

Heather Morris, sexy and funny

2010-06-10T10:40:00.004+08:00

This here is Heather Morris, also known as the ditzy Brittany from Glee, a musical-comedy series that I love watching. All along, I've been chuckling non-stop at her brilliant one-liners and I thought I would post about my favourite character from the show.

Plus, she's really beautiful. ~~Possibly~~ The hottest girl on the show, personally. I mean, traditionally, people might think Quinn and Santana would be hotter, but you know what they say: "Beauty is in the eye of the adolescent boy jacked up on testosterone." Not only is she hot, she's amazingly funny and she sings and dances well so all that makes her the most beautiful in my eyes. Suck it, Quinn-lurvers ;D

And I think I really like blondes. Kristen Bell. Tricia Helfer. Sienna Miller. Heather Morris.

As a tribute to the gal who may be the funniest actress on primetime TV, here are some of her most brilliant and my all time favourite one-liners ...

"Dolphins are just gay sharks"

"I think my cat is reading my diary"

"A ballad is a male duck"

* When interrogated about printing a list* "I don't know how to turn on a computer"

Pictures are pretty low-res. I blame Google !

Search " Heather Morris Hot "

Don't ask me why I'm posting about random blonde women. I just printed an entire compilation of chemistry notes detailing every possible thing from the textbook and notes from school. What have you done today?

I sparkle like glitter glue in the sun

2010-06-10T06:51:00.004+08:00

I'm living a friggin decadent lifestyle! I am truly like a mythical blood-sucking creature, not in an Edward Cullen way, but the fact that my body clock is wayward ... beyond belief. Here's how screwed it is, I've not seen sunlight for the past 24 hours. And it's not that I enjoy this kinda lifestyle, it's just really hard to change.

On the bright side, I've finished all English and Mathematics homework and I'm well on my way to completing revision for both Chemistry and Physics.

So ... take that you overly-popular "I want to waste my life writing nice stuff about others on their Walls" Facebook-ing losers!

Anyway, in light of my usual DVD routine, I felt that The Pursuit of Happyness was an amazing movie. Probably the best DVD amongst the 3 that I borrowed. Well, it's a story about hope, overcoming the odds whatever they may be and fatherhood at its heart: doing whatever possible to ensure a brighter future for your family. And the fact that all this is based on a very real man makes its all the more amazing.

I have the deepest and greatest respect for this man called Chris Gardner, whom the story is based on. He is a man that, even after setback after setback, refuses to relent in his never-ending quest for a better life not for himself but for his son. To put it humorously, there is a common saying that when you fall down, pick yourself up. For Chris Gardner, life choke-slams him into the concrete floor and bashes him in twenty times, and yet somehow he climbs out of the carnage and "spears" life from the back.

Perhaps I can't convince you of how tough it was for Chris Gardner with my rather inappropriate and overly-WWE-referenced metaphor but I'm sure the movie will.

Sending a nuclear device into the core of the closest star to Earth in order to reignite it and save humanity? Pales in comparison to the stuff this guy has been through.

Ending the darkspawn threat once and for all? Take a walk, loser.

Completing 16 Geography-based Structured Essay Questions?

Yeah, probably as difficult as the sun thing.

The Pursuit of Happyness

2010-06-09T01:48:00.003+08:00

Today was an interesting day.

I watched DVDs last night from 1.a.m to 5.a.m. and as I began on emotional reflection after the extremely compelling and powerful film Brothers, I ... dozed off. Somehow, pondering about the conflict in Afghanistan really isn't my thing.

Then I remembered that I had to wake up early for this English talk somewhere at Raffles Place. Really posh place. They have like ....... hand sanitizers and shiny lifts. Their toilets smell refreshing. And also these large windows where you can look down on the bustling street as inconsiderate Indian men on scooters crash into the side pavement.

The lecture itself wasn't like friggin mind-blowing. Its the stuff they've been teaching you all along.

Blablabla. The class wanted to have lunch together. I wanted to buy toys. So I attempted to use my super sharp rogue cum espionage cum Assassin's Creed rip-off skills to slip away from the group unnoticed. Yet somehow or rather, even amidst the background of an extremely crowded MRT underpass, they managed to catch me sneaking into Simply Toys. I must be like the lousiest spy ever.

Anyway, I spent like 30 minutes in the store. Girls can shop for clothes for hours at a time. Nerds like me shop for polycarbonate figurines of mythical beings and genetically-mutated superheroes. Alas, with my trusty membership card of truth, I honorably purchased a 40 dollar model of an semi-crimson-brown dragon atop a bejewelled rock. It looks really awesome and somehow really, really nostalgic because I think I remember seeing the very same toy in a game designer's office as part of a field trip during Primary 6.

Yes, big surprise. I was a geek even back then.

Took the MRT back to Ang Mo Kio and talked to myself and made up silly names for interesting people I saw. The MRT is so much more interesting than the SBS Bus, I feel. Cause with the bus, all you see are sweaty black bobs of hair. Of course the occasional inappropriate couple but still ! With the MRT, you're surrounded in a giant lattice of inappropriate couples.

From there on, it was the usual 16-year-old-boy-holding-a bag-o'-toys-routine, took a bus home and dozed off until I woke up and wrote this blog post.

Oh and Kelly Kelly is unbelievably hot. :)

Why True Blood kicks Twilight's whiny ass

2010-06-06T16:30:00.002+08:00

http://movies.ign.com/articles/109/1095010p1.html

I love IGN. Its a whole frickin community of anti-Twilight, Star Wars-lovin, video game geeks who do their best in advocating the geek chic lifestyle. I aspire to be like them.

The one anecdote about how this Twilight fan thought that Wolfman completely ruined the image of werewolves just summarised everything I absolutely detest about this overboard tween cult.

Enjoy.

Knight fall?

2010-06-06T00:00:00.003+08:00

Oooooh, Christopher Nolan recently announced that he has the ending for Batman 3 in mind. Chilly! *shivers in a dramatic fashion

Had to wake up real early for Social Studies extra lessons today. It flawlessly combined the two things I really hate. 1) Waking up early. and 2) Waking up early on a Saturday morning .

Add a little of Twilight here and there, a Wallah, I commit suicide.

But thankfully, it was Mr Kamal's lesson, which is always pretty enjoyable to say the least. *Burst into the Final Countdown . He's still using the term Jedi Master often, which kinda gets on my nerves (it actually crawls into my nervous system and shits all over), but I've learnt how to resist clawing my own face off.

However, the the combination of ingenious teaching methods and random references to pop culture? That I love. And he wore a Flash T-Shirt, which was borderline ... really awesome.

So anyone still procrastinating one week into the holidays? Gimme a virtual procrastinator five, my man. *Five. Hey, I'm a pretty disciplined guy, but you can't blame me for not studying for Sciences as I had originally planned, when I received the Physics, English and Geography holiday papers within 3 days. Besides, Phineas and Ferb was on TV.

That said, I've completed all English work, and the miscellaneous stuff like Integration worksheets, so I really do feel I deserve my due Dragon Age time and some DVDs. By the way, I'm watching this DVD called Brothers tonight. It stars Jake Gyllenhal, Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire. It's supposed to be Oscar nominated, but the real reason I borrowed it ( if your pop culture knowledge is as close as mine ), was because I thought it'd be cool to see Spiderman, Senator Padme Amidala, and the Prince of Persia in the same movie. Haha.

On the topic of P.O.P, did I mention how amazingly beautiful Gemma Arteton a.k.a the bitchy Prima Donna in the movie is? Good ... lord, she is hot. I officially proclaim her the most beautiful woman in the history of video game adaptations.

Anyway, the more time I spend here, the less I have to kick some serious darkspawn ass.

Later, mon fre.

Your atypical rant by an oppressed adolescent nerd

2010-06-03T00:46:00.004+08:00

God. I really do hate homework. You'd think that I would be one person who would never say that but its the holidays people. Live Free !!!

Off the top of my head, all I really feel like doing is sleep, eat chicken rice, watch comedy sitcoms and goofy Disney Channel cartoons, read books, play dark fantasy role-playing games and watch video game adaptation movies.

Instead, I have to wake up at 8 a.m. in the morning, only to be greeted by an overwhelming wave of flatulence as I enter English class, otherwise known as the iconic Kuan Ting. Shit, I'm running out of Ambipur supplies.

Summer Wars - A review

2010-05-29T03:04:00.004+08:00

So Summer Wars, an anime movie from Japan happens to be a nice movie. Watched it for a couple of hours on DVD, alone, with French fries in one hand and Iced Milo in the other. Man, I'll tell you ... that is the life!

So basically its an animated movie with a huge emphasis on family, tradition, courage but really the central theme is the power of family. It's set in modern day Japan, yet the environments happen to look really wonderful. For one thing, the graphical aspect is simply awe-inspiring. By far, the best anime I've seen in a pretty long time. and dude, you are looking at a guy who spent his entire childhood watching the Pokemon and Digimon anime series!

Again, the movie seamlessly integrates modern technology (LCD TVs, laptops, giant CPUs) with traditional Japanese furniture, amidst a background of lakes and mountains. The product is a breath-taking view of countryside Japan. Somehow or rather, the movie can make you ponder, is this 3D or not, probably due to the fact that the artists craft the environment and the characters so intricately. I really enjoyed looking at the environments for one thing. Perfect eye-candy.

As for the characters, they may not be Dragon Age melodramatic or Changeling worthy characters but they are very individualised. Each character has a distinct look and feel around them which offers you an insight into their personalities. In that aspect, I felt the artists were spot on. And there are approximately 20 odd supporting characters, so that is a pretty amazing feat.

The story itself has a very deep meaning, scrutinising the influence of technology over humanity. It kinda reminded me of Chuck, whereby events of great importance take place alongside seemingly mundance, everyday-life situations. Here, we have the protaganist dealing with a digital villain that threatens the safety of the Earth, while trying to prepare for his pretend-girlfriend's grandma's 90th birthday. The climax was especially moving.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie as a whole, particularly because the environments and characters are so damn polished. "Polished" is perhaps, an understatement. The movements themselves, the mountains, the pastures, the fields etc. are all amazing scenery to take in, and it really made me appreciate Japanese culture and their way of life. In conclusion, anyone looking for a feel-good anime must see this movie.

I'm Awakening

2010-05-28T22:12:00.003+08:00

Reading old essays causes your command of the English language to go downhill.

This Vesak Day wasn't as enjoyable as I had hoped it would be.

I had hoped to sleep for like 27 years, but unfortunately due to my accursed body's adaptation to months of endless revision throughout the night and 4 hour sleep periods, I actually woke up at 10a.m. when I slept at 2a.m. yesterday! That must be like ... a world record. And not in a good way.

So I started on Dragon Age and as I breezed through the Circle of Magi with my apostate blood magus , called Perry, tearing down waves of desire and rage abominations with my plethora of primal spells *Boomz*, I started to feel that sense of familiarity and ease, meaning I was wondering to myself, "This is starting to get so easy, its not that enjoyable!"

I checked my difficulty level at the options screen. It said "Nightmare" - for players who felt that "Hard" was a joke". Good god. Inadvertently, I flashed back to an old IGN article detailing how difficulty is essentially the heart of enjoyment for every game, and those words never rung more true. What was I to do?

Spend hours tapping the lasers out of my Xbox 360 until it could finally read a disk?! Watch TV for more than 2 hours? Read my toilet book (the book which you bring to the toilet), History Timelines? Which I actually did. Did you know America was named after the Venetian explorer Amerigo Vespucci, who was a relative of Christina Vespucci, who had a liaison with the protaganist of Assassin's Creed II Ezio Auditore Da Firenze?

Anyhow, by the time I figured out what to do, it was 8pm and "When Animals Strike" was on Okto Animal Night, and thus began my 2 hour journey of discovery regarding how coyotes can rip humans to shreds. So that's Vesak Day 2010 for me! Gonna do more productive stuff now, like watching those DVDs I borrowed yesterday.

Free Fridays FTW

2010-05-28T00:36:00.003+08:00

Free Fridays - Fridays that are free from stress of any kind.

I love free Fridays. A shimmer of hope in my otherwise insignificant teenage life.

One of my favourite free Fridays took place merely 2 weeks ago. I was *really, really, really, really sick, so I slept till 1pm and played Dragon Age the rest of the day, somehow reigniting my love for the dark fantasy epic. Yeah, that day was awesome. Almost as awesome as Kick-Ass. Which still deserves a good review. Tomorrow perhaps.

I think the key aspect of Free Fridays lies in the fact that it is somewhat of a "preview" of that ideal pseudo-nerd/geek RPG-playing lifestyle, sleep, eat, Dragon Age and sleep again. I mean, wouldn't every self-respecting gamer enjoy that kind of life?

I thought of a cool new name for people like me. Game-Boy. I'll call myself that from now on.

In case, you haven't realised by now, I'm speaking of the top of my head. Yeah, I'm just like J.D. from Scrubs except I'm typing ridiculous things on my blog instead of fantasizing about them.

I should do more of these, "off-the-top-of-head" posts. I don't have to sing to myself that often anymore. Kick-Ass rocks.

Too much of the Force on this guy

2010-05-26T23:40:00.002+08:00

So frickin lethargic. Composing embarrassing text messages about the digestive system and butterflies on the phones of your friends is an extremely draining process.

Having a great command of the English language does not bode well for me either. I have to type out my entire essay about how computers have revolutionized the world and I doubt it will even make sense given the sleepy state I'm in. Grrrrr.

Lesson today. Protagonists of science-fiction epics ( with the exception of Hayden Christensen ), always turn into tubby old men stuck on less-than-funny drama series. Just look at William Shatner, who happened to be Captain Kirk on Star Trek. And Luke, my man, you will always be my favourite whiny, appears-initially-as-a-gay-character, lightsaber-wielding farm boy turned Jedi Master but cut down on the intergalactic burgers man!

*faints

2010-05-26T00:04:00.002+08:00

Omg. I think ...... I think I just shat my pants.

God has seen me mug through 4 Integration worksheets and has decided to reward me.

Dreams do come true. Miracles exist. The world is beautiful. It is truly and wonderfully beautiful.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/109/1092495p1.html

Someone kick the damn guy

2010-05-24T21:38:00.003+08:00

I just realised Justin Bieber has a song called "I need somebody to love". Between that and his sexually harassing behaviour on the "Baby" music video, you'd think more people would hate this guy!

Kick-Ass review coming up soon. Meanwhile, I need to filter all my free time into Dragon Age. After all homework and tuition today, I only have the 10.00pm to 11.00pm timeslot to engage my elven blood mage in some serious darkspawn killing ! Of course, then there's Cougar Town at 11.00pm. :)

I found this quote very helpful in the school handbook ( excuse me, but it happens to contain a wealth of very inspiring quotes by people I don't know ).

"It isn't about what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that determines your happiness. It's about what you think about".

So people, think positive! a.k.a Courtney Cox

Don't fret about stupid things in life that are not even worth your time. I know I won't.

I'm Kick-Ass

2010-05-24T01:14:00.004+08:00

Kick-Ass is the only movie that has made me laugh-out-loud-till-my-stomach-hurts, cry and scream "Oh Yeah" as any amazed fanboy would.

Even now, 30 minutes after I have finished the film, I am still in a state of awe. You know, movies like Avatar I could just write a review like 5 minutes after watching it, well probably because it didn't touch me or inspire me to a level that leaves me speechless. Kick-Ass did just that. I don't feel that I have the capability to write something that will give this movie its due.

Give me a day to take this all in. Meanwhile, enjoy the soundtracks of the movie, which are by far the best songs I've heard in a movie.

Kick-Ass: 6 stars over 5. My favourite and the best movie ever.

Nothing is true, everything is permitted

2010-05-23T04:43:00.000+08:00

Nothing is true, everything is permitted

Using Google Chrome now. In fact, I'm posting using the "Blog This" extension/app on Google Chrome.

So far its pretty impressive! Gonna watch Kick-Ass online now! Hit-Girl FTW !!!

Chin Man

2010-05-23T00:17:00.003+08:00

Chin Man! Beware his Wing Chun Smile of Death !!!

Kudos to Jerome and all his free time.

Sequels. Yay or Nay?

2010-05-23T00:00:00.002+08:00

IGN wrote a superb article on sequels, detailing whether games, as entertaining mediums, need to have sequels or not. They mentioned Assassin's Creed 2, which developed on everything that it lacked in the previous game. They also mentioned Mass Effect games by Bioware as one of those rare games that stand out as a self-contained story as much as they do as parts of an epic trilogy and franchise. These words rung true to a gamer that has experienced all these games at one point or another. Read the full article here.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/108/1088416p1.html

and Fanboys assemble! Here are a few good articles about The Empire Strikes Back, which turns 30 this year. Other geeks often refer to Empire as the most outstanding episode in the Star Wars Saga, but Revenge of the Sith will always be my favourite. Epic lightsaber duel atop Mustafar FTW.

http://movies.ign.com/articles/109/1091748p1.html

http://movies.ign.com/articles/109/1091249p1.html

Weekends w/ little homework are simply awesome. *breaks into the song by Spose

I'm Awesome

2010-05-22T00:57:00.001+08:00

Haha I don't usually post lyrics but I can just relate to this song. Its Awesome!!!

Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome...
I don't necessarily need to be here for this...
I'm gonna keep the headphones though...
Mother fucker I'm awesome!
No you're not, dude don't lie
I'm awesome!
I'm drivin around in my mom's ride
I'm awesome!
A quarter of my life gone by
And I met all my friends online
Mother fucker I'm awesome!
I will run away from a brawl
I'm awesome!
There's no voicemail, nobody called
I'm awesome!
I can't afford to buy eight balls
And I talk to myself on my Facebook wall
I'm awesome

You know my pants sag low (low)
Even though (though) that went out of style
Like ten years ago (go)
Spose, I got the swagger of a cripple
I got little biceps,
Getting fatter in the middle

And lyrically I'm not the best :)
Physically the opposite of Randy Moss and yet
So preposterous
Feel the awesomeness, the most obnoxious
Guest up at the sausage fest
Oh yes!
The girls are repulsed
So I hide in my hood like i'm joining a cult
Uh Uhh
I'm as nervous as my cattle dirty curtis
All my writtens are bitten and
All my verses are purchased
Me? I'll never date an actress
Got too many back zits
Plus my whole home aroma is cat piss
Every show i do is poorly promoted and if you like this,
It's cuz my little sister wrote it

I'm awesome!
No you're not, dude don't lie
I'm awesome!
I'm drivin around in my mom's ride
I'm awesome!
A quarter of my life gone by
And I met all my friends online
Mother fucker I'm awesome!
I will run away from a brawl
I'm awesome!
There's no voicemail, nobody called
I'm awesome!
I can't afford to buy eight balls
And I talk to myself on my Facebook wall
I'm awesome

Check it out

I'm from Maine and I don't hunt, nope
And I can't ski
Smoke weed but I can't roll blunts
*Find me* whipped by my wifey
My neck not icy
Eatin at McDonalds because Subway's pricey

Uh, and my unibrow is plucked
Just asked my mom if I could borrow ten bucks
She's like "For what?
Blunt wraps and some Heineken?
You skinny prick, go get a gym membership and vitamins!"
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com
I'm like, Mom please, don't blame it on me
I got my bad habits from you, Dad, and Aunt Steve
My attitude's sour but my futon's sweet,
And the hair on my ass, it is Jumanji

Suit untailored, ringtone Taylor Swift
Can't tweet up on my Twitter
Cuz I haven't done shit
Bank account red, body ungroomed
The only thing good about me is I'm off stage soon

I'm awesome!
No you're not, dude don't lie
I'm awesome!
I'm drivin around in my mom's ride
I'm awesome!
A quarter of my life gone by
And I met all my friends online
Mother fucker I'm awesome!
I will run away from a brawl
I'm awesome!
There's no voicemail, nobody called
I'm awesome!
I can't afford to buy eight balls
And I talk to myself on my Facebook wall
I'm awesome

Futhermore I'm cornier than Ethynol
Cheesier than Provolone
I spent ages eight to ten living in a motor home
With a ego the size of Tim Duncan
Even though I got shit for brains like a blumpkin
I'm twenty four, serving lobster rolls
Because I spent a decade filling optimos
And I'm not even the bomb in Maine
On my game I'm only about as sexy as John McCain
Now put your hands up,
If you have nightmares
If you wouldn't man up if there was a fight here
If you got dandruff, if you drink light beer
I'm outta breath...

But I'm awesome!
No you're not, dude don't lie
I'm awesome!
I'm drivin around in my mom's ride
I'm awesome!
A quarter of my life gone by
And I met all my friends online
Mother fucker I'm awesome!
I will run away from a brawl
I'm awesome!
There's no voicemail, nobody called
I'm awesome!
I can't afford to buy eight balls
And I talk to myself on my Facebook wall
I'm awesome

Soooooooooooo true!!!

I found myself a home

2010-05-21T22:45:00.011+08:00

This might be abrupt to my AVID readers ( I know you're out there! All ... 2 of you ) but I had my Passing Out Parade for NCC today. Words alone cannot describe how I feel. Well, actually they can, but I just wanted to act emotional. Anyway, having watched others fling their berets into the sky for 3 years, it never occured to me that one day, me and my NCC brothers would be doing the same thing. I mean, after all we have been through, to simply step down is unbelievably ... surreal.

Well, I guess every great journey has to end one way or another. And what an amazing journey it has truly been. I was never really a touchy-feely kind of guy ( there is a reason people call me Rocky ) but I would just like to say ... from the very bottom of my heart ... that through my time in NCC, I finally understood what brotherhood and bromance really meant.

I mean, these guys, they're not just your simple friends, they're your "brothers from other mothers" as Xiu Ming would put it. And I'm proud to call them so. Inevitably, after countless of physical training sessions and drilling with these guys, you will form a great bond between one another. It's ingrained into your very being ever since the moment the entire platoon is forced to support one another as your PS forces you to pump on the rocky terrain under the bloody seething heat of the sun. But it was worth it. Heck, some of us even grew addicted to push-ups!

And we're ... we're like BOYS you know. We're ~~smelly~~, immature, ridiculously crazy boys who spend thier time crooning (albeit terribly) to Adam Lambert or Lady Gaga. We wrestle one another, poke fun at one another's hair, whack one another for no apparent reason and list goes on. and I just love that about us.

For me, the definitive time for my batch was the Bintan trip. I thought that it really made us grow closer to one another. I still remember us leaping off the boat into the gleaming, transparent sea, or drinking hot milo after a riveting kayaking race in the background of the setting sun. Ah, those were truly the glory days.

In terms of us working as a team of specialist, I guess we really made our mark. Each of us had our strengths and flaws.

Ryan is the tough-as-nails Part B PS who always has ingenious ways to condition his particularly "unique" platoon.

Xiu Ming makes all our days brighter with his antics.

Chin is the ever-smiling and gleeful Part A PS.

Jerome's the annoying yet truly and undeniably passionate PDS Head.

and I know I will regret this ... but Tan Kuan Ting, to me, is and always will be one of the greatest CSMs I've known.

As a Discipline Head, did I truly make NCC a more disciplined unit? Truthfully, if you ask me, not really. But I always did try my best. I learnt to grow into my role as a disciplinarian, particularly with the the specialists. I wouldn't consider myself to be a particularly great Discipline Head, but I always perservered and overcame my fears and for that I'm proud of myself.

Somehow or rather, that all equates to GOLD UNIT. so NCC 2010 FTW !!!

And how can I forget the splinter group formed in NCC?! I may not say this much but the "Fanboys" remain dear to me as my best friends. If I wasn't in NCC, would I have known that another brilliant Indian Star Wars nerd was just lurking, waiting to be found? If didn't go for the Bintan trip, would I have known that Jerome knew all 7 forms of lightsaber combat? Hence, I thank destiny and fate for bringing these amazing individuals to me.

Best. Photo. Ever.

Yet, in the end, I'm still upset. I'm upset that I'll never croon to "Tonight's gonna be a good night" with my friends anymore. I'm upset over the fact that I won't get to watch people tap out one by one to Jerome's Figure Four leg lock. I'm upset that I won't get to see Xiu Ming shit his pants as he anticipates Damian jumping of the top of the cupboard. I'm upset over the fact that I'll probably never go to Macdonalds again, lugging a bulky bag and making fun of Omar's academic status along the way. Most importantly, I'm upset that NCC has made its exit.

Pang Sai Kia Kuan Ting summarised it the best when he said ~~"I'm a smelly pervert"~~ "I have mixed feeling about this". However, my days in NCC will go down as the definitive and best days of my ridiculous teenage life. So I just really wanted to say thank you to Kuan Ting, Deepak, Chin, Damian, Ryan, Jerome, Xiu Ming, Omar and all those who made this possible. Thank you for always being there for me, thank you for making my time in school so unbelievably fun and enjoyable and thanks for bringing light into my life. You guys are the best.

I loved it here, I loved it here, I found myself a home, a home, a home ... sweet ... home :)

Avatar

2010-05-16T05:17:00.002+08:00

Well instead of whining around about my Xbox, I decided to do productive things. Well actually, I spent like 2 hours clearing the Brecilian Ruins in Dragon Age with my unbelievably fast Duncan-looking rogue with maximised attack speed *Bssh Bssh Bssh*, but back to the topic about "productivity" ...

I watched Avatar! on DVD of course. I didn't get to watch it when it was at its peak in popularity. I don't know why either. Anyway, I finally got the chance to catch it, albeit on the Sony DVD player in my living room, which is laggy at times, and some of the subtitles fail to appear and the screen is unnaturally pale ... YET ...

I thought that it was absolutely awesome! You know that a movie has made its mark visually when you are just awestruck by the scenery even though its not in 3D and its pirated nature makes it look pale. I can just imagine what it would have looked like in cinemas.

Again, I would like to reinforce how amazed I was by the various creatures, the Na'vi, the forest and so much more. Of course, my absolute favourite would have been the Hallelujah Mountains, the floating mountains in the sky with the beautiful waterfalls. And the all the night scenes with the bioluminescent flora and fauna, just WOW.

The story was very powerful as well. The prideful and greedy human race attempting to claim the precious element unobtainium( a pun geddit? ) by force, destroying the indigenous Na'vi and all that is dear to them in the process. The victimised Na'vi race, united by the protaganist Avatar, show the foreign invaders that they won't be pushed around and drive them out of Pandora. Amazing.

Yet, behind all this, I feel that there was a secret message. The classic conflict between the needs of mankind and nature itself. One line by the protaganist Jake Sully just really really struck me. At the Tree of Souls, he told "Eywa" (the deity of the Na'vi),

" These people killed their mother. And now they want to kill ours."

Obviously referring to the natural plight of Earth. Is this a foreshadowing of what is to happen to Earth? James Cameron allowed us to see how amazing nature is at her finest, and what we will do and have already foresaken to fulfill our material needs. Pandora, in its essence, is somewhat of a naked image of nature and biology and more importantly, a common visage of that ideal world that we all wanna be in. ( At least, for me ). Maybe if we wanna make Pandora a reality, we should just stop in our tracks in mitigate the degradation of our Earth itself. I'm certainly gonna do more to save the Earth now.

One of the things I didn't really LOVE was the villanous aspect of the movie. I, for one, find the villains and antagonists of any entertaining medium, be it games or movies, to be really integral to the overall experience. Unlike most people, I always try to understand the motivations of these villains so that they appeal to me as not just one-dimensional characters. Take for example, Saren from Mass Effect 1, a top-Spectre gone rogue. Sure he blasted the head of one of his fellow Spectres Nihlus on Eden Prime, but by the end of the game or if you've read the novel Revelation, you'll find that all he did, he did so because he thought that he was protecting his beloved universe. For me, this made me sympathise with him and thus he struck me as a powerful villain.

Here, the villain comes across as, and is epitomised by the tough-as-nails Colonel WhatsHisName. Well, I just really hated him. Lol. He just came across as the loser who doesn't understand how precious the environment and life is. "Well, well ,well , I just like to blow things up and shoot people who get in my way," seems to be his life motto. I don't know, I just could not sympathise with him in any way! So I hated him! Edward Cullen has a new contender!

By the way, can I just mention how the movie also has some kind of "Hell Yeah/ That was bloody awesome" aspect? I think that the part where Jake Sully tames the Turok, the crimson red alpha giant winged beast, really appealed to the fanboy in all of us.

Well there it is. Its 5.59 a.m. in the morning and I'm getting tired. In all, a visually outstanding, breath-taking movie with a deep and powerful narrative. I really loved it and I know why all of you do too :)

"The Xbox Technical Errors" strike back.

2010-05-16T00:15:00.002+08:00

Its that time of the year when I feel unbelievably depressed.

Console Wars Episode V: "The Xbox Technical Errors" strike back.

Its the dreaded "Open Tray" problem! With personal experience, the two most common and deadly Xbox problems would be the "Red Ring of Death" (circa 2007) and the "Open Tray" error (circa 2 bloody days ago). Well I dealt with the red ring( pfft, who doesnt? ) when my dad sent it for repairs, which cost me like 2 weeks worth of game time. But we were fortunate because the warranty still held. Now, 4 years later, it comes and bites me in the ass.

This happens with every dvd or game disk. It starts reading, then BOOMZ "Open Tray", indicating the Xbox can't read your disk. By logic, the laser that scans the disk is faulty. And there have been tens of thousands of "home solutions" available on the Internet. I happen to be living proof that NONE of these solutions WORK.

Tap the console multiple times? Check.
Remove Hard Drive? Check.
Clear Cache? Check.
Remove internet connection? Check.
Tap the console harder? Check.
Hammer the console with your fists? Check.
Drop the console on padded carpet? Check.

If you've got a solution for this, I've done it and it doesn't work. The political correct solution to this problem would be to send it back to Microsoft, pay the fee and feel bad about yourself. Gah, it's exactly these kinds of moments when you curse Bill Gates and fuel arguments about why the PS3 prevails. I'm sure the Blu-Ray never screws up.

And when you try countless of times and it never fails to show that accursed "Open Tray" message, you just feel shitty inside. Really, really shitty. >:O

Please avoid this post if you have not seen this movie

2010-05-12T19:22:00.005+08:00

Hi. I just returned from AMK hub and a thrilling 2-hour session of fanboy-eyecandy a.k.a Iron Man 2, and I am just eager to share my thoughts about the "Marvel"-ous movie.

(Geddit? "Marvel"?, " Marvel"-lous ?! )

As much as I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, I did feel that there were certain aspects that could have been radically improved. First of all, towards the end of the movie, I kinda got bored by Tony Stark's incessantly sarcastic behaviour (which is starting to become characteristic of all of Robert Downey Jr.'s performances. Remember Sherlock Holmes? ) . I mean, yes Tony's a flamboyant, bombastic billionare with the most powerful weapon in the world, but sometimes, referring to the appearance of Whiplash, its good to be more serious. I certainly do enjoy Anthony's casual, slick tone but I would also like to see a more serious side to Iron Man. Make him angry. Like really really angry. Kinda like Batman. or Black Spiderman. It would probably lead to more interesting storylines and drama. And it would certainly make Iron Man a more emotionally developed character, who is deserving of the Iron suit.

Also, more powerful villains please. Whiplash didn't really fit the bill. Sure, he was a mechanical genius. A guy with a serious vengeance but in the end he was still sucker-punched by the combined force of Iron Man and War Machine. We need someone who really makes Tony Stark pee in his pants. (Although, as Tony humorously pointed out in the birthday scene, it would be filtrated as clean water). We need someone as intelligent as Tony, someone who knows how to exploit him and hit him where it hurts, inherently evil ( as in the person who created the Twilight series EVIL ), with the physical capabilities to match the Iron Man suit. Could this be an opportunity for Justin Hammer perhaps?

That said, I do have to reinforce that I really enjoyed the movie, particularly due to all the references. I was "this" close to orgasm when I saw Thor's Hammer. Micky Rourke was also really good as Whiplash, and I really hated to see him die at the hands of the iron-clad heroes. I couldn't have enjoyed the Avengers references more. Any other deserving fanboy would have noticed Captain America's shield ( albeit half-completed, or was it reverse-engineered? hmmm ) laying about Tony Stark's loft. I mean how did it get there?! HOW ?!

Also, I thought that ~~Mace Windu~~, Samuel .L. Jackson was exceptionally outstanding as Nick Fury. The Iron Man-Fury banter was absolutely hilarious!

Tony: "I have no wish to join your super secret boyband."

LOL. MORE AVENGERS STUFF PLEASE!!!

Cinematic Effects was just brilliant. Eye-candy from start to finish. And EXTREME firepower. I mean like rocket launchers, repulsor arrays, machine guns and more rocket launchers. By eye-candy, I also mean the beautiful Gwyneth Paltrow, ( still in love with her from Iron Man 1 ) and the ever-voluptuous Scarlet Johansson! Whew, I don't think I can ever be tired of seeing her kick some major ass as Black Widow.

I give the movie a 4/5, officially violating Code 256 of the Fanboy's Bible: " Always give Marvel movies full marks on your blog". Yes, it was a brilliant and outstanding movie but there are certainly areas to improve on. Personally, its selfish because inside I'm still craving more and more Avengers references. But really, its a great movie, even for non-comic fans, and I certainly encourage you to watch it. Ciao. :)

I'm no Superman

2010-05-11T22:51:00.002+08:00

ARGHHHH!!!! I can't believe I'm sick as hell. Physically of course. With papers left to go!

It's my usual sinus problem, taken to whole new sick level. I guess it was really the worse during the Higher Mother Tongue paper. It was like one of those dams, with the walls collapsed and the river just gushing. I was equipped with 4 packs of tissue paper and still it wasn't enough. I could have sworn that I saw some trouts swimming in my pool of mucus. I did complete the paper however, and I'm pretty confident of it but it was just unbelievably uncomfortable.

History paper was no better. Sure I completed the whole paper ( Q4 btw ), sure I did all the critical analysis, but with the time I could have saved blowing my friggin nose I could have done one of those double critical analysis and a half page conclusions for SEQs.

I don't even feel like practicing for E-Math. What I do feel like doing is saving the elven alienage from slavery in Dragon Age and watching Scarlet Johansson kick some butt in latex suits. ( ahhhh. Scarlet ) *Breaks into the theme of Iron Man 2*

ARGHHHH!!!!!

JD's HD textures anyone?

2010-05-08T23:52:00.003+08:00

Slacked the whole of yesterday playing Randy Orton's Road to Wrestlemania. RKO-ing Kane to the background of the every-annoying Michael Cole's "Randy should really be afraid of that million-foot tall red monster" never gets old. Jerry Lawler screaming at the top of his lungs, " RKO! RKO! " always makes it all the more sweeter :)

Gah, High Definition Dragon Age textures come at a price. A real lengthy one. (Basically I started downloading last night at 7pm and woke up at 12pm today and it still wasn't done).

However, when I did modify the game, it looked superbly wonderful. and it really makes me feel like procrastinating and burning all E-Math practice papers with my range of deadly flame spells from the Primal spell tree. Boomz!

"I loved you Anakin !" -Obi-wan Kenobi, Episode III

2010-05-07T03:10:00.004+08:00

Ok I fought thru the pain and now I can't sleep again. Damn that caffeine!

Anyway, lets rant!

So Mr Kamal has popularised the use of the term "Jedi Master" to describe someone who is very proficient in a certain area. Of course, it's always cool to have the awesome Mr Kamal talk about podracers and Darth Maul *breaks to shout out fanboyish praises of Zabrak Sith Lords "HELL YEA DARTH MAUL RULEZ"* ... However ...

As a true blue Star Wars fan myself, I somehow feel rather uncomfortable with this new use of the term. I mean, you have people like Glenn saying stuff like "I'm a Jedi Master bla bla bla" or random people saying "May the force be with you" (albeit in a condescending manner). Am I happy that Star Wars is getting some decent attention around school? Sure, but perhaps it's a little too much attention that pisses off the ardent fanboy inside of me.

I mean, imagine being passionate about something, feeling genuinely unique, sharing that passion with some of your closest friends, and suddenly everyone's talking as if they've been known it for their whole life. Its probably this sense of loss of the uniqueness that defines me, coupled with the 'irresponsible' use of the Star Wars medium that results in a very distraught fanboy.

Haha, sure this trend is probably going to end in like 2 days, but its definitely worth mentioning. Finally, a scenario that fuses school life with Star Wars. I mean, what else am I going to rant about? Big Show being the only notable superstar on Smackdown? I'm stuck mugging for Social Studies whilst Halo fanboys all over the world are assasinating one another ( in the most AWESOME manner ) on the Halo:Reach multiplayer beta, of which I have access to but technically can't play?

Life's just magical huh ? ;)

Coffee anyone?

2010-05-07T03:06:00.004+08:00

A true marvel = Caffeine

Definition: God-given substance that enables young Singaporean boys to study endlessly for their Social Studies examinations throughout the night, even when they have not slept for the past 23 hours.

Ok now I'm getting some tumour-like pain in the back of my skull. Time to sleep.

Tralalalala, Tralala in the moorrning ....

2010-05-06T04:37:00.003+08:00

I am proud of myself for staying up till this late to study. Btw if I had sat for the 2008 and 2009 'O' level chem papers I would have done awesome.

I don't even think I want to sleep yet. Probably just daydream of the possible names for Miz's and Jericho's tag team.

" ... and now, your Republic ... shall fall ... "

2010-05-02T16:03:00.002+08:00

Star Wars: The Old Republic at IGN.com

I forgot how unbelievably awesome this video was. Taken from E3 2009 by the way. Was remembered of this after IGN did an article about the new prominent figures in the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. Personally, I'm not big on MMOs, I always associate them with immature brats that attack their parents and a shitload of profanities. But this could be an MMO that I could really enjoy. However, thats a conversation for after the 'O' levels right?

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are shooting stars?

2010-04-30T23:44:00.002+08:00

Hey guess what? Its my 300th post! I have no idea why that is important. Moving on!

Had EL papers 1 and 2 today. Thought that the they were pretty easy, especially Paper 2 which had like unbelievably straightforward questions. Went for lunch at Astons after that with Daryn, Deepak and Adriel, where I had an all out battle with the half-well beef steak. My new life motto summarises it the best:" As the going gets tough, the beef gets tougher". Mr Kamal had an extraordinary 5 hour lesson during which my ass burned as though in the 8th level of hell. Lust, Gluttony,Greed,Pride,Wrath,Sloth,Envy and "pain in the ass".

I can't believe I'm getting sick of Dragon Age. Oh that is such a crude way to comment on such a great game. I guess that it's tougher to really enjoy real-time roleplaying fantansy epics when all you're focused on is exams, homework, more exams and homework again. As the saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack incapable of experiencing any real love for video games" Wait, that is how the saying goes right?

Glenn got an Ipod Touch for his birthday. Damn. I wanna get something touch-screeny. Then again, what would I use it for? Tap-tap revolution? Maybe an Ipad. IGN recently had this article about how the Ipad is going to revolutionise the comic industry. Thought it was pretty cool. I also think the History Channel and Greek mythology is cool so ...

Speaking of minotaurs and demi-gods, I realise that many heroes have names like Perseus (Clash of the Titans), Theseus (and the minotaur), Achilles, Heracles(or Hercules). You know who else had a name like that? Syphilis and Herpes, the twin gods of sexually-transmitted diseases. ;) (I give myself a 4 upon 5.)

The NCC guys and some of Kuan Ting's close friends celebrated his birthday on Thursday. A "typical" NCC celebration if you will. We had some chocolate cake although I felt I was the only one that appreciated the cake. LOL. The rest of the guys were more focused on drowning KT in a sea of chocalate and blueberry jam. And hey, it would not be a NCC celebration without people leaping off wooden cupboards right? That said, a happy birthday to our beloved Seargent Major :)

Happy SA1-ing peeps.

Tape

2010-04-27T01:03:00.003+08:00

Lol I just wanted to rant about how WWE has gone down the drain. Last Man Standing match at Extreme Rules. Batista challenges Cena for the WWE Championship Title. Traditionally, the Last Man Standing is one of the most infamous matches, where the wrestler has to ravage his opponent to such an extent that the opponent will not be able to rise to his feet within 10 seconds. Cena (*prays for salvation) ties Batista's legs to the ring post with TAPE. Yes. TAPE. and then proceeds to move his hand repeatedly across his face in victory.

TAPE??!! Are you kidding me?! People watch wrestling to see exactly how bad one guy can punish the other. Not your skill with handicraft!!!

Yeah so I wanted to get that off my chest. More humanities practice papers and classical music for me.

On why I shouldn't post.

2010-04-25T00:03:00.003+08:00

Too much schoolwork. Too much darkspawn to kill.

My new wallpaper ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Tiger Woods, Singapore style

2010-04-15T23:57:00.003+08:00

Just wanted to post an interesting and 100% real anecdote. So it was raining heavily after afternoon lessons today around 5.30 p.m, a real downpour. I had just finished my chemistry SPA Skill 3 report and was ready to go home and have my break. Decided to take a taxi home. So I was just stoning at the back seat of the taxi as the taxi entered the CTE.

Just then, the balding yet surprisingly handsome Indian driver answers a call on his Nokia Xpress Music cellphone ( on one of those bluetooth accessories of course ). He spoke, alternating between Tamil and English and it was pretty obvious from the intimate language he was using, that he was talking to a lover of sorts. So I thought, " here's a real Romeo". and the next instant, he talks into the earpiece, " Eh sorry I have to hang up, my wife is calling me".

ROFL !!!

Life is truly interesting. So find joy in the small things in life, such as the cheating Indian taxi-driving uncle.

Gonna sleep now cause I'm so damn drained. In fact, the moment I literally entered the house and just slouched on the sofa, the taxi that was to bring me to my tuition centre horned outside of the gates. It doesn't get more unfortunate then that.

Coming to theatres near you

2010-04-02T00:48:00.004+08:00

Haha. You just have to love IGN whether they're screwing w/ you or not.

http://movies.ign.com/dor/objects/40236/halo/videos/halomovie_trl_040110.html

It actually got me excited y'know. I was genuinely and whole-heartedly excited.

But I urge you to watch it purely for its entertainment value. Haha. Classic stuff.

Onto other things, its Good Friday! 24 hours of rest. Finally, a break from it all and I can't decide what game I want to play. For the first time in a few weeks, I actually have time to pick up my Xbox 360 controller and I don't know what I want to play. Its painful and pretty depressing.

Some pretty interesting things today.

Saw a guy wearing a "FBI" T-Shirt. Thought it was cool until he turned around and the words " Female Body Inspector" turned up. I was disgusted and amazed at the same time. Because how unbelievably sleazy do you have to be to buy a T-shirt like that and wear it in public. That's really as low as it gets. On the other hand, you got to hand it to him for having the guts to wear that and risk attacks from ultra-feminists. *Round of applause.

Why do I even care? I was eating alone. It was either that or Applications of Differentiation. Besides, I finished pretty quickly. You tend to eat faster when you missed breakfast, recess and lunch.

So HBK retired. Farewell speech was sooooo moving. You never know how to feel when a wrestler cries. E.g. Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels. The Undertaker appearing and literally "taking his hat off" to HBK was superbly, immensely and ultra-ly awesome. HHH too. The one with the lightsticks on the floor? Awesome. So thank you Shawn for the wonderful matches that have entertained countless of insignificant Singaporean adolescents :) Shawn Michaels may have left the building but the Heartbreak Kid lives forever in our hearts.

Aww man

2010-03-29T00:51:00.002+08:00

I just missed 2 episodes of "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" cause I thought there would be History tomorrow. Which is good news as well. Because you know, I've only memorized up to Nazi Germany.

Seriously?

2010-03-28T00:27:00.005+08:00

Okay it may appear as though I have a lot of free time but that is really not the case. I'm just supposed to stay up till 3.30 a.m. to watch the last episode of Smackdown before Wrestlemania. And I'm supposed to study the History Topic under Hitler at 1.00 a.m. My initial plan was to play Mass effect 2 for a couple of hours but you know how I get so emotionally attached to such stuff and then I get depressed again when I realise that I won't be playing it for another like 7 months. 7 months. Turtles get more video-game time than I do. Yeah Mr.Turtle probably has a higher headshot ratio than me. It is really depressing when that happens. So what do I do? I detach myself from the game and rant on my blog.
Sometimes I wonder if I'm too mature for my own good. Because you know, I know what I want to do with my life and that is seriously affecting my studying mindset. I want to venture into the videogame industry because that is what I am passionate about, probably as a designer or 3D artist if my art picks up or as a programmer cause I'm pretty good in Math. Maybe I should be a critic/reviewer/editor with a local gaming magazine because I like writing reviews about geeky stuff like videogames. I want to go to NTU or Digipen University in Singapore or if I have the chance , go overseas to further my studies. I just wrote a discursive essay on the factors of career choice and emphasized on the importance of interest in choosing a career. and this. This is what I love.

What I don't want to do is spend time writing a shitload of notes about the economic impacts of tourism. So when I do so, it is with dread. Which makes it all the more painful to understand.

I know that people my age don't really have a very distinct life goal or career in mind. They want to be "doctors" or "lawyers" or whatever job their parents brainwashed them into aiming for. And I am also not saying that "I'm better than you" or anything. Its just that since I know what I want, I'm prone to doing better in subjects related to my goal (maybe something like IT)*copies-and-pastes my paragraph on why passion makes you excel.* However, the downside is that I fail to see the importance of subjects that are not even a little related to my goal.

I wish that the education system could make reforms such that children can choose subjects based on their interests and talents. Maybe their rationale is that children are not mature enough to make important life decisions at such an age hence they have to offer all kinds of stuff from English to Geography. and it is a very good point. I mean, name me a few 16 year olds who know what industry they want to go into, what universities are suited for them or specifically jobs that match their skillsets and personalities. You'd probably end up with me and some other guy/chick named Tom or Jane. Which makes me return to my earlier point that I'm too mature for my own good. Just my two-cents worth, given that this is 'O' level year. I'm still going to do my best for the examinations y'know.

I once had a discussion with Shao Xuan about whether I should go to a polytechnic because they cater more to one's career options. Which is basically the point of all these rants. They offer specific courses like nursing courses. * Chuckles for a bit. People who are really passionate about (*insert desired career), would do much better than if they were to something general like "Science".

My parents' stand is that polytechnics are for people who need to get a job sooner than others due to their family conditions and what not. and that they work hard so that I need not be put into such situations and can get into a renowned university. Shao Xuan also said that "If you do well for 'O' levels, you can get into a good JC, which encourages you do excel in 'A' levels, hence it is easier for you to enter renowned universities like NUS and NTU which offer better courses to help you enter your desired industry. " Well these becaare all logical points, hence I would still decide to do well for 'O' levels and "get into a good JC". and by "good" I mean something like National JC which won't make my relatives ridicule me because nowadays everyone only cares about "branding" or what school are you in. *in a condescending voice*

I kind of admire those who do not have a clear goal for their lives. Because at this point of time they possess some sort of neutrality and a mindset along the likes of "I might as well do well in everything because I don't know what I'm going to end up as". The worse are those who don't know what they want to do with life and don't even work hard. You know who you are. I happen to fall under the category of "I know what I want to do, hence I do better in related subjects and hate that I have to learn other non-essential subjects".

In 4 years, I'll be going to a university. I tell myself that it will all be over soon and all I need to do is study hard to realise my dreams. But with the increasing amount of work that the school has to offer, I'm becoming more and more disillusioned.

Don't flame me or anything. Like I said, this is my opinion and that is what people post on thier blogs. Thier opinions. I happen to think that John Cena is an uninteresting wrestler who talks too much. Once again, my opinion.

Give me a "Hell Yeah"

2010-03-28T00:19:00.002+08:00

For those of you who like guns ablazing and people blowing up stuff ... here's the latest Tom Clancy game trailer for your entertainment. The game is called Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and is your quintessential FPS with a touch of awesomeness and of course ... tactical invisibility cloaks and shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. ROCKET LAUNCHERS FTW !!!

Mass Effect video: What do you see?

2010-03-28T00:03:00.003+08:00

I just had to post this on my semi-gamer geek blog. This is simply and utterly the BEST fan-made music video for any video game that I know. Its 2minutes and 14seconds , it is succinct and it is wonderful. I just feel that it captures the beauty of the Mass Effect universe so perfectly. A bright and idyllic future, with the darkest of secrets. and that is the beauty of not only Mass Effect but all science-fiction projects. On a personal level, it really demonstrates the great voyages of Commander Shepard and his crew, aboard the SSV Normandy, doing anything in their power to save the galaxy from the Reaper threat and saving human colonies about to be hit by missiles hijacked by batarian extremists. Words alone can't describe the thoughts and emotions that this "trailer" brings about. The soundtrack ("What do you see?" from the OST of Sunshine) is top-notch and I've even added it as one of my blog tracks. Bravo. Bravo.

They made it, they made it.

2010-03-27T20:30:00.004+08:00

Wrestlemania 26 in exactly 2 days!!!! Which makes it all the more bittersweet since I can't really be there. You know, one of my life goals is actually to GO to a Wrestlemania event. Wrestlemania 30 perhaps. I'll be approximately 20 by then. Maybe Jerome and Omar can come along. That is, if Omar can earn enough from his nursing job to be able to afford a trip to the States. Why don't we all take a moment to wish Nurse Khalid further advancement in his career? Okay, moving on from with the nursing course jokes ... more on my thoughts on WM26.

Well, technically the "Main Event" is going to be one of the world championship matches i.e. Cena vs Batista and Edge vs Jericho ... but all of us know that the real Wrestlemania match is HBK vs Undertaker in a Career vs Streak match. HBK wins and ends Taker's streak, making Taker's career obselete or Taker retains the streak and forces Shawn Michaels to retire. Both are very likely possibilities.

P(Undertaker winning match) = 1/2.
P(Shawn Michaels winning) = 1/2.

It is really a difficult match to predict unlike some others *cough Cena cough*. Personally, I like both future Hall of Famers equally. Seriously. I'm more of a Triple H guy. So I am 100% on the fence about this match. Maybe HBK ends the streak and retires at the same time. Or Undertaker forces Shawn to retire and quits WWE. Quoting the Cerebral Assassin on Raw, "If anyone can end the streak, it's Shawn Michaels". So we'll wait and see how WWE settles this. I'll go on a 1 year WWE sabbatical if it ends in a frickin DQ. EDIT: Which jerome pointed out is not going to happen. So just pretend that you didn't see that and save me the embaressment.

Edge vs Jericho, I'm totally on Jericho's side because I'm a total Jericho-holic. Over-cliche-ism warning. He is one performer that I love to hate, with the wrestling skills to boot. Anyway, up to this point, all the odds are in favour of Edge winning ( spear, spear, spear ) due to pro-Rated-R Superstar momentum since Royal Rumble.

Cena vs Batista, we all hate Cena. We sincerely hope Batista batista-bombs the living crap out of the Cena although deep in our hearts we know that Cena will win. Nuff'said.

Okay time ran out lol; basically I'm rooting for HHH, Orton, Rey Mysterio, Bret Hart and ShowMiz. and err ... Vickie Guerrero LOL.

Discursive Essay time.

Flame on!

2010-03-21T03:01:00.002+08:00

Oh wow. Deadpool is Green Lantern. and The Human Torch is Captain America. Go figure.

hey apple

2010-03-21T02:25:00.003+08:00

Wazzup *annoying orange tone. Because who doesn't love the annoying orange ?!

Well I plan to wake up at 5am tmr for qing ming festival. Yeah well good luck with that. I was supposed to finish my Physics paper by 3 but given my unnatural efficiency I have 32 mins to spare. and what better way to spend that 32 extra minutes by spreading my misery with the world wide web.

Well NCC camp is over. Wasn't as fun as one would expect but still pretty enjoyable. Food was incredible! (Thumbs up to food IC Xiu Ming, weighing at 91 kilograms apparently) Standard activities include Nerf guns, war games, movies, Playstation. Nerf war was pretty much ... unbelievably awesome. I was a frickin high throughout the specialist games man. Its not often that I exclaim "Suck it bitches". Because, you know, you just get the feeling that you're the titular Commander Shepard and aided by your lesbian alien companions ( Jerome ) and overweight krogan bodyguards ( Xiu Ming ), you annihilate the rebellious insectoid alien shitheads ( Juniors ).

Got to interview the juniors. Probably the main gist of the entire camp. and it turned out to be pretty interesting too. We actually encountered a wild pokemon that was blocking our way to the parade square podium. Take a look.

But thanks to our trusty Pokeflute. Look at the results!

However, as Uncle Ben said" With great time spent interviewing juniors, you get sent out of chemistry class". That was what he said right?

But I got to say. 3 days and 2 nights in school in charge of adolescent boys does take its toll on you. By the end of the camp, I was falling asleep on Chin's shoulders. Who, by the way, got like violated by a bunch of cockroaches.

Really gonna quit Xbox-ing and other non-important stuff. Because I really cannot manage the workload of it all. Even though my level 21 Infiltrator has yet to recruit Thane or Samara but I have to step up and put Mass Effect 2 down. Hidden away in some Egyptian tomb or something. Those pharoahs are going to be very lucky mummies.

dum dum dum dum

2010-03-16T00:12:00.001+08:00

The Arbiter in Halo is Captain Anderson in Mass Effect. *orgasm.

Guilty as charged

2010-03-15T21:28:00.007+08:00

There are some things that make me really guilty for abandoning homework. But I would feel even more guilty if I did not post this.

So I was doing some nerdy-emotional-fulfilling research on Mass Effect 2. e.g. Mordin's background, what brand of underwear does Miranda Lawson wear etc. Came up with two very cool stuff. Well, "biotics", which are the Mass Effect universe's equivalant of the "Force" originated from a very peculiar South-East-Asian city. That's right, superpowers originated right here under the nose of the Merlion in sunny Singapore when some starships carrying eezo ( Element Zero ) had some accident and spilled a shitload of eezo over the Little Red Dot.

Well, some pregnant ladies were affected by this incident and APPARENTLY their respective children were found to be capable of telekinetic abilities and other cool stuff like manipulating dark energy and creating black holes. Plus, one of your teammates in the original ME : Kaidan Alenko. Yep, his mum was hit by eezo right here in Singapore but fortunately for us ... he turned out to be a bad-ass biotic fighting on our side. So a Singaporean bad-ass fighting intergalactic mercenary scum. Cool huh ?

For all you know, I might be a biotic. Yeah, mess with me somemore and I'll castrate you. With my brain :D

Secondly. Lemme introduce you to this beautiful woman called Tricia Helfer.

I first knew about her as the ravishing and foxy beauty that guest-starred on Chuck as Agent Sarah Walker's "replacement" as well as Casey's love interest ( LOL ! ). Then it became so much more. Turns out she has had prominent role in video games as well.

Veronica Dare in Halo 3: ODST ? Yep thats her.

EDI, the sexy-sounding AI from Mass Effect 2 that saved your ass more than once? Yeah, its all Tricia Helfer.

So ... beautiful woman ... video games ... science-fiction ... she's like ... every geek's dream girl.

Even Seth Green's on to her ! By the way, Seth is your public image of the typical geek, voicing Jeff " Joker" Monreau in ME 1 and ME 2 and appeared in Heroes as a comic book guy. Most people know him as the guy in " Old Dogs" with the gorilla.

Referring to the aforementioned Agent Casey ( Adam Baldwin ), well apparently he was in ODST as well ! Yep as Dutch, the scruffy ODST. Its amazing how all this is interlinked.

Hey Nicholas!

2010-03-12T17:49:00.003+08:00

ohmygodddddd. I hate the sabbatical. All I do is sit in front of the computer daily and attempt chinese online quizzes only to fail 20 minutes later. >:O

Purely trivia

2010-03-08T01:36:00.003+08:00

Wow its says here that this pornographic actress is a Star Wars geek. Not that I watch porn ... or anything. Just random trivia. From a website that offers random trivia. Truthfully, if I had to choose between a not so pretty chick who is a gamer or geek in some way and some random sexy chick who likes perfume and Twilight, I'll definitely go with gamer girl. Just my opinion. Although there is a probability of exactly 0 that I would actually be put into that situation. Not saying that geek chicks are an extinct bunch. They exist. I've actually met some of them though I didn't really possess the genitals to go talk to them. I'd be really lucky to even get to know one. But really ... a girl that can recite the codex of the Mass Effect universe is truly godsend. Meanwhile ... I'll stick with Kristen Bell.

By the way I finished Gears of War. Really awesome ending. and it incorporates a very intense shooting portion at the end. So if you have been practicing OR your skills have already been honed since you were 2 months old ( which is my case ) ... it's gonna be a breeze and extremely enjoyable. So now either I return it to Shao Xuan ... or ... I could try it on "Insane". I'm gonna go with the second option :) Time to kick some LOCUST BUTT !

"Huuuuuuuuumaaaaaans !!!!" - an angry Locust Drone

2010-03-07T01:38:00.003+08:00

I'll tell you what I did for the past 12 hours. Stopped blogging at around 1pm. So I loaded the "Gears Of War" Xbox 360 game ( borrowed from Shao Xuan ) into the 360 and started on the "Casual" Campaign. So far I have completed 4 out of the 5 acts. And I'm pretty much enjoying it!
The gameplay style is UNBELIEVABLY similar to Mass Effect 2. Here's a summary from Wiki.
"Gears of War is an "over-the-shoulder" third-person shooter that places emphasis on using cover to avoid taking damage while strategically moving towards enemy forces ...

The player can attempt an "Active Reload" of a weapon to reload it faster and temporarily boost the damage from the gun, but failing to perform the Active Reload correctly will cause the gun to become momentarily jammed while the player's character fixes it.

When the player takes damage, the "Crimson Omen", a red cog representing the player's health gauge, will fade into the screen, becoming more defined with larger amounts of damage. The player can seek cover to recover their health, but if they take too much damage, they will become incapacitated. Once this occurs, a skull will fill the center void of the omen.

The game features a five-act campaign that can be played alone or co-operatively with one other player. The campaign focuses on Marcus Fenix and Dominic "Dom" Santiago as part of their efforts in the Delta Squad to wipe out the Locust forces. The campaign can be played at three difficulty settings. From easiest to hardest, these are "Casual", "Hardcore" and "Insane". The "Insane" difficulty is unlocked only when the game is beaten on one of the other two difficulties."

However, I do get like a terrible terrible migraine after completing every act. I have to take like a 1 hour nap to get rid of the migraine. I mean I'm not SUPPOSED to get headaches because I am a First-Person-Shooter GOD. Yes the rumours are true. I am indeed the Master Cheif reincarnated into a Singaporean boy. Its unnatural for me to have a headache.

Back to the game. I have to say that the environments are extremely polished, individialised and refined. Truthfully? Whenever I load up a save game after taking a break, the graphics just blow me away. The maps are truly breathtaking. And this does not refer to like waterfalls and green pastures and some girl from Holland rolling in the meadows. You see, GOW is set in a post-apocalyptic world. The planet has been RAVAGED.

Yet this does not mean that everything looks like shit. When night falls, and there is a downpour, it is a really dark setting yet an unnatural beauty stems from it. There is an amazing attention to the details of the environment and the vibrant and diverse environments make for a feast for the eyes.

Well, I really have not completed the game. What, with one more act to go and not enough brain juice to pull through. I'll probably just spend like an hour tomorrow to annihilate the Locust Horde. *imitates Marcus Fenix and the sound of the chainsaw bayonet VROOM VROOM VROOOOOOM

Thank God Its Friday

2010-03-06T11:05:00.003+08:00

TGIF. Wow I guess I have so much to blog about.

Quick rundown:
Cross Country '10
Jamming
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Theif

Cross country went pretty smoothly. 3.75 kilometres? Sengkang Riverside Park? oh yeah. and there was a cool morning breeze that felt immensly comfortable whilst running. One of the few times I actually kinda enjoyed a "running" experience. Of course I wasn't part of the top 20 (chuckles at the thought), but it felt rather satisfying. Although there WAS the fucking omnipresent nauseous feeling that I specifically get when running long distances. Well... that sucks.

Went home after that and just buried my head into a pillow until approximately 1.30 pm. Took a MRT to Woodlands for jamming session. That's where it gets interesting. Well, I live nearer to the school hence I don't take the MRT on a regular basis. Hence, I'm completely oblivious to MRT etiquette. So what do you do when you have 2 cases of PDA on your left? AND on your right? I swear to god this woman was ALL OVER the man. and the couple on the right were giggling like nursery school children and slapping on another as if to say

"you're so funny",
" no YOU'RE so funny"
" NO you're so funny "

Wasn't very "funny" to me. Well I just stared at my own reflection in the opposite window. and prayed for my sweet sweet release. otherwise known as Woodland's MRT station.

Went to the same place last year for jamming. This time we had Poh Seng, Omar, Adriel and me. Now ...... it MAY seem likely that I would be the singer ( they say I have the voice of angels ) ... but no, it was actually the one from choir, Poh Seng. Went on the lead guitar with Adriel on the bass and Omar on the drums. and we played "Its My Life/Confessions" from Glee and "Pork and Beans" by Weezer. Very very super jelly fun. Sometimes we would rotate positions so I or Adriel could play on the drums. But I hesitated when I was to sing because people shed tears of joy when I unleash my vocal chords unto the world. Aliff, the guy who owned the store, was seen to be sobbing as I sang the chorus to "Its My Life". Overall, the thing went very smoothly and we had alot of fun.

Went to watch an evening movie with Adriel, Poh Seng and Wai Ken at Causeway Point. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Theif. Well, I pretty much enjoyed it. Loved the depictions of Olympia and the ancient Gods. I also liked the references to ancient Greek figures like the daughters of Aphrodite, Hermes the messenger of the gods and Athena, goddess of wisdom. ( Although I keep thinking of her as the chick from CSI: NY ) Off the record, my personal favourite Greek God is Poseidon( in no way influenced by the movie) but my favourite GOD in general would be Baldr( Otherwise know as Baldur ) from Norse mythology. Always a fan of the underdogs.

However, I didn't enjoy some parts because of its believability. I guess when I watch stuff I always have to see a reason behind their actions. There were some parts of the film where you feel prompted to exclaim " Explain that in detail please" or "Are you kidding me"?

Overall however, it was an enjoyable experience and definitely a movie worth watching. Think Harry Potter meets Greek mythology.

Ciao.

Chuck

2010-03-04T22:59:00.004+08:00

AXN showed a very dark episode of "Chuck" just now. I'm not really sure what to feel. Depressed perhaps? Well, Orion died and he's the only one that can get the Intersect out of Chuck's brain.

However, I liked how the integrated the Buy More subplot into the main plot with Fulcrum and Orion's computer. The part where General Beckham says something along the lines of "God knows what will happen if the computer falls into the wrong hands" and we see Lester accepting the computer. Genius.

Well, I'm a pretty optimistic guy. I'm one of those guys who wishes that Orion survived and Chuck gets the Intersect out of his head and he lives happily ever after with Sarah. But then the show would go to hell right ? Or did Orion actually survive? Okay now I'm questioning myself. Well he IS Orion. He developed the most advanced computer program in the U.S. He handles a Predator drone expertly.

Well, here's hoping the plot will continue to improve and we see some progress between Agent Walker and Chuck. I'm beginning to think Ross/Rachel isn't the most on/off couple on television. Cheers.

Jetpack

2010-03-03T23:30:00.002+08:00

You know, karma is a funny thing. You think that life sucks because your newest science-fiction role-playing video game got scratched by your favourite Xbox 360 console and the next moment, you are GIFTED with something like JETPACKS IN HALO:REACH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yea you saw that right ! I repeat. J-E-T-P-A-C-K-S. Capital Letter J, Capital Letter S.

The first thing I said to myself when I saw the IGN special on Halo:Reach's Multiplayer was "F***! Oh my god JETPACKS?! " and I rushed to view the video. When they said something big that would be integrated into the multiplayer, I figured it would be like some new vehicle or smth. But seriously? Jetpacks. Never saw that coming. Nice one Bungie ;)

I guess it would easily integrated into the control scheme since in previous Halo games we have things like levitators. I caught a glimpse of a spartan stabbing another? Stabbing ? Maybe some stealth system ?

I can tell that Reach is really going to be a definitive Halo title. Bungie's ending the franchise with a really really REALLY big exclamation mark. Cheers.

oh and congratulations to our newest Sgt. Majors Smelly Bon Pi Pi aka Tan Kuan Ting and Deepakrishna. When are WE gonna get promoted ?

Ouch

2010-03-01T20:40:00.002+08:00

Went to funzcentre today. Said they couldn't help me. Didnt have the appropriate materials. I sense a conspiracy theory to prevent me from playing ME2. At a loss for what to do. Maybe I should "scratch the scratches off", reference to a dear member of the Bioware community.

Fingers are numb from guitar playing so typing feels like hell. Why am I playing the instrument after a 10 year hiatus? Well we're going jamming after cross country !

Yeah just felt like posting. and remember to view that 99 balloons video. Very moving.

Moving

2010-03-01T04:20:00.002+08:00

Beautiful story of love. I teared up a little when I saw this. extremely moving. Can't believe I stumbled upon such a gem, and I feel honoured to share Elliot's journey with you.

Are you kidding me?

2010-02-27T23:40:00.003+08:00

Its weird how my Mass Effect 2 disc got scratched like one day after I completed the game. I don't know whether to feel fortunate or UN-fortunate. Yeah and now as usual, the fucking "This disc is unreadable. Please check for scratches and other nonsensical bullshit. Thank you for your kind cooperation. " message appears. I have a phobia of the message appearing on the Xbox 360. and coincidently, it only appeared on the original Mass Effect !

Maybe my 360 has a "anti-epic science fiction role-playing game" programme installed. Maybe they added abit of the "Annoy the faeces out of Nicholas" virus as well. Who knows.

Probably gonna get it buffed at Funzcentre on Monday. thats like a WHOLE ... 1 day(s) away.

I really want to start on my second playthrough !!!!!! What now with all the frikkin exams over and this shit happens?!

Reminds me of that Sunday when I spent half the day trying to clean the Mass Effect 1 disc and when I went to request professional help and the guy asked" Did you use a cloth or the floor to wipe this disc". LOL entertaining yet really depressing.

Bah. I guess in the meantime I'll play Dragon Age. The game seems sucky after playing ME2. Its like Flowers for Algernon, Bioware style. Ciao.

Finished the fight

2010-02-26T22:22:00.004+08:00

I can't believe I'm blogging whilst Shawn Michaels is challenging the Undertaker to a WrestleMania match. Streak vs Career. Go figure.

Thought that I was going to do interesting things today. Well I did do some cool things except I was pitifully alone. School ended early with no CCA -> Teacher's going for (lou hei???). Well as usual the people in class intended to shoot some hoops. Its quite amazing how some people don't ever get sick of certain things. Oh who am I to judge. I've been patronizing the same canteen store for the past three years.

So anyway it was kinda like Chinese New Year except that this time Jerome was eating sushi over fried chicken. I actually wanted to invite the NCC guys over to watch Tuesdays with Morrie, but that went to hell. So ... I just went home alone.

Watched "Rain Man" instead. I really really loved it. Its ... (how do I describe it) ... really ... poignant. Poignant. Basically the story is about some young self-centered upstart Charlie ( Tom Cruise ), who in an attempt to inherit his father's vast fortune, discovers an autistic savant brother he never knew he had , Raymond(Dustin Hoffman). By the way, an autistic savant is sort of a handicapped person who is a genius but is also essentially retarded mentally. So he can multiply 12.345 by 789,654 within seconds but doesn't understand the value of money e.g. 1 dollar minus 50cents equates to 70cents.

So as I said, the movie is about 2 hours long. Although there WERE indeed some redundant scenes. My favourite scene personally was in the motel with the hot water. No there were no naked females you pervs, just Charlie and Raymond. and Charlie's revelation of spoilerific things.

Yeah, so I did that, and surfed the net for awhile ... IGN ... Wikipedia ... the usual. Picked up my matte black Xbox 360 controller. Entered the Terminus system, hell-bent on finally eradicating the Collector threat. Thats nerd talk for " I tried to finish Mass Effect 2". and I did.

Still can't belive my favourite squadmate, Thane, like just died right there. I was pondering whether or not to reload an old save to rescue the assassin from certain death, but that would negate Bioware's point on "serious consequences" right? So I moved on, depressed at the death of a valuable team member but also more determined to end the threat. Which really in the end made the experience much more memorable and moving.

Being the completionist that I am, of course I was pissed at not getting the "No one left behind" Xbox 360 achievement which stipulated that no team members would die in the suicide mission. and Thane happened to be the only one who passed away. So ... >:(

However, I thought that it was rather fitting that Thane would be the one to die. Because he was already terminally ill and if he did not die at the hands of the Collectors, he would have killed himself at Illium. So to him, the attack on the Collector base was truly a " suicide mission". Plus, he views death as a kind of freedom. He would be the reunited with his true love and be free of all the worries he experienced living life as a hired assassin. Of course the way he died was sort of significant as well. A well-placed shot right in the head, target never saw it coming? Pretty ironic death for an assassin huh?

The finale of Mass Effect 2 was everything you would expect from an epic science fiction role-playing game. Killing a REAPER? Thats one heck of climax. Have to say that I really enjoyed the entire experience of Mass Effect 2. From the improved shooter aspect to the deeply-moving squadmates and even Conrad Verner! It's going to be a game that I will look back on and remember why I love video games so damn much.

EDIT:By the way, sorry for wasting your time reading all these irrelevant information, I was really just blurting out everything I thought. :P

Random stuff

2010-02-25T23:57:00.002+08:00

3minpost.

My blog looks prettaye awesome on 150% zoom. Actually, everything on my display screen looks awesome in zoom. Everything's cleaner, more distinct. I can distinguish the tatoos on Subject Zero's body.

Btw, not blogging very often due to Collector threat. That's cool slang for playing the heck out of Mass Effect 2.

Gonna watch DVDs this weekend. Erm, Tuesdays with Morrie, Rain man and Moon. Rain man and TWM's supposed to be emotional and Moon is a sci-fi psychological thriller? Its really like the man on the moon except that instead of returning to Earth and the joys of quarantine, poor dude's stuck on the piece of rock with a computer AI. Oscar material.

Tuesdays with Morrie's gonna make me cry. Well ... analyse this. I cried whilst reading the book. I teared up watching the damn trailer. So the movie itself's ... probably gonna unleash the flood gates. and hey ... don't judge me! Morrie says: " Its okay to cry" .

Touching episode of Chuck one hour ago. Very awesome show.

and lastly for further entertainment, visit the link entitled "Jerome". An inspirational story of ice-cream, class photos and blackmail apparently.

3 min up. Study for Geog time.

Its time for miracles

2010-02-15T23:26:00.002+08:00

Spending Chinese New Year in Malaysia! Which is probably the only time I would care to OR have time to blog. Here's why I did not care to blog: I unwrapped the Mass Effect 2 Collector's Edition Box. Oh HELL YEAH I did. *drifts off ...

Here's how I was led into this predicament/blessing. It was Friday. All the red people were rushing out of school to go catch a movie at AMK hub ... or something. Jerome had to go eat chicken with his class. Class gang intended to play basketball till 6pm. So ... excessive basketball, fried chicken or video game time? I chose the last option.

Went home early. Was pondering which game I should play. Dragon Age, Bioshock or ... (Should I?) Mass Effect 2. YEAH MASS EFFECT RULES. With utmost precision, I tore the wrapping off the box. Shepard's N7 armor was becoming more and more visible by now. By the time I was done, I was staring at the blood-stained armor of the supposedly deceased hero of the human race. Screw that. The saviour of the Milky Way.

I carefully opened the tin box. Tin because its the COLLECTOR's EDITION mind you. There it was. Special edition DVDs of the making-of Mass Effect 2. Limited edition Art book of Mass Effect Concept Arts. Brand new Mass Effect comic by Dark Horse. A premium and shimmering "Cerberus" card. And the ultimatum. Two discs for the Xbox 360.

Those two discs stood between me and a whole new universe. They were the portal that would lead me into an amazing and beautiful galaxy crafted by the best in the business, Bioware. Yes thats right, THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS. The beloved RPG developer that gave us Baldur's
Gate, Jade Empire, The Knights of the Old Republic series and Dragon Age. Most importantly, they gave us Mass Effect and Commander Shepard.

I placed the disc into my Halo 3: ODST themed Xbox 360 and prepared for what awaited me in those discs. and I was not disappointed.

Mass Effect 2 has really changed. The graphics in this science fiction epic are evidently better. Gameplay is smoother and more immersive. The shooter element has become more intense but also very enjoyable. Not to mention a really realistic style of gameplay. You could fire at an enemy's legs as they charged towards you and they would tumble, helpless and powerless, completely at your mercy. You could fire at their heads for significant damage. The choice is yours.

Personally, my favourite part of the brand new game was the squadmates. My god are they bad-ass. COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY BAD-ASS. Mordin, a brilliant and dangerous Salarian scientist and operative. Archangel, a turian expet sniper and vigilante, who you would realise to be an old friend of yours. Jack, a mentally unstable and over-powered female biotic. and also Grunt, a Krogan, bred for perfection.

Instead of purchasing and finding new equipment like your traditional RPG, you now scan planets for resources to "upgrade" your equipment and armor. Make prototypes for new heavy weapons or install bio-amps to increase biotic damage.

Technically, I have only completed like 30% of the game within the a period of 2 days. But I really enjoyed it. I should probably limit myself to just playin every Saturday from now on cause thats really all the free time I have.

You know I wanted to post like pictures but my cousins are pestering me to play card games. Ciao.

Satisfactory

2010-02-08T00:41:00.003+08:00

Oh my. I just feel really great. I completed 3 days worth of homework in one day. So thats like Oracy, Chem Spa WS, Physics Task-Based Learning, Math Surds Paper, Math Revision Paper, 5a, 5b, 3b, 4b corrections, A-Math paper corrections, Geography 4.1, 5.1, Geog Skills, Geography self-test, SS Transnational Terrorism Research, and Operation Propaganda all in one day = Sunday. And I summarized my list.

You know what? Screw everything about too much homework and stress. It only makes all your successes so much more gratifying.

And I can say that I really enjoyed my Saturday this weekend. I mean how long has it been since I last played a video game? How long has it been since I've last slayed darkspawn and mercenaries in Dragon Age? How long has it been since I ignited/freezed/electrocuted/stinged splicers in Bioshock ? Very very long I presume.

But it all goes back to those principles of self-discipline and proper planning. Without those, I probably would have gave in to the temptation of Dragon Age instead of completing 4 geography worksheets today. Peace.

Revenge of the Facebook Shepards

2010-02-07T20:25:00.003+08:00

Shit I was just scanning the Mass Effect 2 fan page on Facebook and I got bombarded with a shitload of spoilers. It was as though my brain was stuffed in a microwave oven.

ALL I WANTED TO KNOW WAS HOW THEY FELT !!!

You don't defecate out all your spoilers on a Facebook fan page! Oh my god ?!! I actually know all the possible romances and sexual relationships! Aliens included !!! 3 or more aliens in fact !!!

I feel horrible. Why can't I just play the damn game ...

On to fun stuff

2010-02-06T22:46:00.005+08:00

Thankfully for you , I decided to blog. Ok ... general Nic news.

Take a look at this page.

http://www.gamespy.com/articles/106/1066150p1.html. This guy on gamespy was making fun of some advertisments for gaming consoles and it is really hilarious. Well for me at least. My favourites were the Pokemon and Mental Institution ones. Really epic stuff.

My preview of Halo: Reach

So I bought it this magazine called Edge because I saw a Spartan on its cover. It's literally a magazine on videogame culture. and I read all about the production process of Halo: Reach which claims to be the biggest Halo project that Bungie has embarked on. Bungie's apparently ending the Halo franchise with a BANG. Finishing the fight. Well, you really can't believe them because they "finished the fight" with Halo 3 4 years ago. and 2 years later they "started another fight" with Halo 3: ODST. and now its a god damned war with Halo: Reach.

Anyway, it really shows that Bungie's putting alot of effort into Reach. My god do the Spartans look awesome. No ... the word Awesome is a COMPLETE understatement. The guy has a fucking skull decorated on his visor. Nuff' said.

By the way, it rains on Reach. The environmental dynamics have improved drastically.

The Covenant is a much more savage, less civilised group. If I'm not wrong, the jackals are not wearing armor in this game. It really demonstrates the idea that the Covenant are these raw beasts that will crush humanity.

New vehicles, new weapons, brand new Halo game set to invade video game stores worldwide end 2010.

It easy to understand why I have this great passion for all things geek because in the video game industry, reading magazines like these are coined " self-improvement " . In Singapore, under the SPUR programme, the government will pay for the damn magazine. I'm PAID to read about something this cool. So its really a dream to be able to establish myself in the video game industry worldwide.

Screw that. My ACTUAL dream is to bathe in these games.

By the way, Humanities students, go check out my group's SS video on the AndersonHumanitiesPortal. Is it too haughty to say that it is the official Video King on Ning portal ? Haha but it is pretty cool. The soundtrack is actually from a Mass Effect 2 trailer and Mr.Kamal praised it. So lesson number one: it pays to be a geek. Big thanks to all my team members for contributing, especially Adriel, who was really sick, and JK, who put aside all his pride to be our oil well.

EDIT: Oh my, I think I'm getting worse at blogging. It must be the stress. I actually found my blog un-interesting. and dare I say ... emo ????!!!!

Emotional Vegetable

2010-02-06T22:00:00.003+08:00

Ok this is one of those days that I can say "Hmm... what should I do next?" and do you know what that implies? Yeah, I actually have free time and I'm in a dilemma as to what I should do ! I'm not sure many of you understand how difficult it is to actually say that when you are stuck in this abyss called Secondary 4 life? Except for my other secondary 4 friends that is.

You know recently I'm starting to lose this strong urge to actually study hard for my 'O's.

Taking a look at my life now, it seems to be going downhill. I used to consider them good friends, but now I just secretly curse them as materialistic hypocrites who don't give a shit about loyalty or friendship. When they giggle and joke around I just feel like throwing my Social Studies file into their fake faces. Shut them up. Yeah well fuck you and your sissy sense of humour.

Plus, I'm just so caught up in tuition and schoolwork, sometimes I just forget to do some homework. That teacher walks into the class, snobbishly exclaiming " Whats wrong with you Nicholas? You used to be good." and I'm forced to say nothing because "she doesnt accept excuses". Whats wrong with me? Whats wrong is that every single day of every single week I have tuition classes or Co-Curricular Activities that what little time I have left I use it to finish homework, leaving me with no more than 3 hours a day to catch some sleep. That's what wrong with me.

And when you don't get enough sleep, you get sick. So pardon me for sneezing so often in class. It only gets worse when those phony bastards make fun of your condition. 'Bacteria boy' is what they call me sometimes. You may laugh at it now, but I didn't find it the least bit funny when they joked about it. Only showed what kind of values your fucked-up parents imbued into you.

Sometimes I think this is karma's way of fucking with me. I believe in karma. I believe that what comes around goes around. And I know that I really messed up some people's lives.

But you know what? Karma isn't going to stop me. I won't care if I have no friends in class. I'll just sit in the front and pay more attention. I won't care if that teacher ridicules me in front of the entire class. I'll just put more effort into her work and shut her up.

I'm getting that 6-pointer by hook or by crook.

Why?! GOD WHY ?!

2010-01-26T00:04:00.004+08:00

Today is a special day for gamers worldwide. Science fiction nerds and professional gamers in the 3rd person shooter genres gather outside video game stores today to celebrate the release of a landmark videogame. Yes, today, we all celebrate the release of Mass Effect 2.

At the same time, an Asian adolescent by the name of Nicholas weeps quietly in the background. No, he is not a victim of the Haiti earthquake. He is a victim of another great tragedy. The inability to purchase what would go down as the best video game in his Xbox360 collection. He screams:" Damn the 'O' levels! Why 2010 ?! " Nicholas is left contemplating ... with a pile of Mathematical homework at his side ... while millions of gamers achieve orgasms watching the Normandy SR-2 take flight. A wave of anguish and misery overwhelms him. He writhes in bed, reminiscent of that girl in New Moon when her albino boyfriend leaves her. Ok, this is going out of hand. I hate this feeling. Period.

By the way, do show your support for the Haitian Earthquake because there are true tragedies out there other than a sickly 16-year-old kid begging to play a computer game. Peace.