Doo dee doo dee doo

Seven and counting

2008-09-10T23:18:00.002+08:00

Just finished Call of Duty 4 after months of procrastination. All's that left HL2 + its episodes, Mafia, Freedom Fighters, Bioshock, Crysis, Mass Effect...

Plus the Witcher: Enchanced coming out Sept 16/19.

So many games. So little time =(

Watchmen for videogames

2008-08-21T22:22:00.004+08:00

When Alan Moore wrote the Watchmen in 1986/87, it was not only an exercise to explore the 'dynamics of a post-Hiroshima world', but also an attempt to prove that comics, then widely considered to be a form of low-brow art, was capable of dealing and portraying complex themes.

It was a wildly successful attempt; the Watchmen made graphic novels a serious form of literary art, winning a Hugo Award and landing a spot on Time's 100 Greatest English Language Novels from 1923 to Present. It proved that graphic novels as a medium was not only able to get across a mature plot, but show subtle nuances that was unique to it. Just like books will always be different from film, the Watchmen created a line that set comics into a medium deserving proper consideration, with its own singular literary merits.

There are many videogames that have been praised for witty characterization, engaging storytelling, visceral action and visuals. But the problem is, that's not the point. Books can do witty characterization, films can do visceral visuals, and even graphic novels can fuse them into a grand work. Having a fantastic game within the current paradigm of artistic expressions isn't enough. Moore's Watchmen was a feat simply because it tore down the limits of what was believed possible, and pushed the boundaries into a place that only comics as a medium could reach.

What videogames need isn't a game that is great by the current gaming/artistic/literary standards. What they need is something that pushes the boundaries, uncovering new places that can explore the unique nature of videogames as a proper medium. Instead of trying to emulate past literary greatness videogames should examine themes, stories through their own eyes, not a mash of narration and cinematics.

Lets hope there's a Watchmen for videogames to make them an accredited artistic form and allowing them more freedom and respect to pursue the more interesting, varied and less commercial ideas that dominate the industry now.

Not dead

2008-08-13T12:57:00.002+08:00

Writing for the sake of a semi-convincing argument.

I should be writing how my life is the last a lot of months have been, but that's ridiculously boring even to myself not to say my non-existent readers, so I'll skip that and go to some philosophically/morally complex expository that can illuminate some sort of truth I've gleaned in my journey through life.

Or not. I don't really know what to write really. Other than the fact that what I'm typing now makes me sound like a really stuffy guy when I'm not. Or fifteen minutes ago where I would have been saying how BLEEDING EYES AND EARS ugly Bonnie Wright is. One hour ago how pretty Summer Glau is. Yesterday how Johnny Depp is rumored to star as the Riddler in the next Batman movie. A week ago raving how STUPENDOUS and STELLAR Alan Moore's Watchmen is. A month before screaming and kicking and completely and totally in stupidfied AWE of The Dark Knight. 2 months back how my posting is really kickass. And more than 8 months ago how I was in an almost transcendental admiration having finished Portal.

No, nothing much to say now.

Now listening to "Iron Man", The Cardigans.

Portal

2007-11-24T01:37:00.001+08:00

Am waiting for my father to FUCKING GO TO BED so I can play Portal in peace. It's 1:38AM and I've been waiting for more than ONE FUCKING HOUR and it's pretty much pissing me off

NEED TO CALM DOWN BEFORE I PLAY MY GAME GO TO BED FOR FUCK'S SAKE

Grr.

Mafia

2007-11-20T16:07:00.000+08:00

Just bought Mafia. Taking ridiculously long to install. It's been a long time since I installed games from 3 cds.

TOO LONG THE WAIT

Hellgate London

2007-10-30T20:16:00.001+08:00

~~Sometimes~~ Usually Digital Life's reviews are retarded. Like the most recent one on Hellgate London. "Beautiful 3d graphics" indeed they say - totally untrue. 3d graphics are technically complex, but just like how 3d art doesn't mean it's better than 2d art applies here as well.

Hellgate is a ugly game. When I say ugly, I don't just mean visually. Visually H:L is drab and bland. Post-apocalyptic landscapes are bleak, but being bleak has a certain atmosphere of hopeless and doom, which really isn't the same as painting everything in greys and muted colours and hoping for the best.

Twice I went into a dilapidated ruin of a building. Apparently Londeners in H:L have extremely common taste in wallpaper and carpeting and even personal effects (or lack thereof). Yes I'm sure there are two identical buildings in London.

Where are the personal effects? The little remnants of the lives that once inhabited there? Where's the little details like a small photo of a family, different broken furnitures, beds, books, diaries, paintings, bags, clothes, etc? Huge things like computers, the tv, or even antiques? A lack of human life on the topside doesn't mean every single thing that pointed to an existence of personal, unique lives goes missing at the same time. What ever sense of hopelessness/bleakness you are trying to convey immediately disappears simply because there isn't anything there for the player to care about.

Look at Bioshock for the an example of what carefully planned details can really do to a game's atmosphere. Even look at Diablo's charmingly despondent dungeons and lairs to see how a game can achieve this with randomly generated maps.

Hellgate London, as far as the demo goes, is a disappointment in terms of practically everything else except gameplay. And if I were to buy a game based on gameplay, I'll stick to Titan Quest or buy Unreal 3, thanks.

Now listening to: "Lonely Souls" unkle

Monolith

2007-10-12T21:03:00.000+08:00

They appeared as a shimmering mass, blinking just at the edge of the horizon. I looked at the sight idly, my eyes half parted in the stifling desert heat, and somewhere along the way my eyes closed, and I found myself awakened by startled gasps and excited chatters.

I looked at bleary world, where everything seemed to be a messy palette of smudged colors. I turned - there was a small crack in my shoulder - blinked and my vision cleared, and before me I saw a great looming tower, white and magnificent, stretching far to my left and to my right. I found my self standing, my neck bent as I looked upwards, squinting, following the white sight to a huge turbine, spinning languidly in the hot wind.

Then I whirled around, slowly, and saw thousands of white, gleaming towers, all spread before me, spinning with a dull swish and swish, rising above the sands like sinking masts above a yellow sea.

Money

2007-04-12T20:43:00.000+08:00

I like how the Government is debating about increase in minister's pay. How they say it's an indication of their open-ness and transparency. It almost makes this issue seem negotiable.

Restless

2007-04-09T23:44:00.000+08:00

I had this insane urge to write this afternoon, like a deafening call to the word processor. It was like a dark beast all snapping and scowling, pacing with forceful strides. A storm swirling, a powerful wind howling; they were all this strange, intangible cry that tugged at me insistently and left me swathed in hissing anger and hate.

I went home to read tho, and this dark beast laid down again. Hmm.

Now listening to: "Hysteria" Muse, Absolution

Storm

2007-03-24T00:17:00.000+08:00

I think when the sky is gray and threatening to spill its wet, wet wrath upon the earth, it is a beautiful sight to behold. When you see the world covered in a ominous shadow and the branches of trees being churned in the howling gale like seaweed, there is a sense of majesty, of an awesome might swirling around you. Standing there, amidst the loud, blaring traffic, everything seems to slip away, into this little pocket of surreal-ness. All the details jumped out glaring - the shadows were moving, fluttering back and forth across the gravel path - my senses ringing with rich, new experiences - the cars, passing swiftly, their tires scratching against the asphalt harshly - everything so unreal and clear in that moment.

As I walked towards home I looked up, into the sky, watching the storm come in large, marvelous dark clouds. Leaves flew unfettered past me, in long, snaking lines on the tail of the wind, and everything seemed to stand still for a second as the beauty of it all sank into me.

Now listening to: "Beautiful" Darling Violetta, Parlour

Blood Money

2007-01-02T01:19:00.000+08:00

Oops. Missed the 1st. It's only 40mins from New Year's Day tho', so I guess this will do. School starts tomorrow (although today feels like yesterday), and I really don't feel like repeating greetings.

So, Hitman: Blood Money. I got it over the hols, and Holy Shit is it good! The intense feeling you get as your hit gets buried under a pile of fallen twisted metal, or a cool breeze that passes the spot he was in before you pushed him to his death. The cold, satisfying pride that brims out of you as the target slums lifelessly back onto a sofa back, seemingly asleep as you walk past his guard and leave the place a silent assassin.

The music is an exhilarating complement (I have no idea how it lost to Oblivion's score for Best Video Game Soundtrack), and it builds the mood splendidly, like acrylics to a drawing, and it brings out the already terrifically vibrant colors and enhances dark, inky undercurrent that is always there, slinking. Some places are opulently lavished with detailed richness, both in atmosphere, and as a physical entity, where the cold, hard cash hides the shady secret of a hidden battlefield. Other places are seedy, perhaps dilapidated, like a faded name card to a past era of glory long wasted away. The quiet sea breeze, the creaking planks, the grim chime of bell, the loud music - they are all little nits that your hits hears, right before the world blackens out, the faint glimpse of a bald, cold man, impeccably dressed in a neat suit with a regal red tie the last thing they see.

10/10

2006

2006-12-31T23:19:00.000+08:00

This is my last post of the year! This year has certainly been interesting.

I am finding it extremely difficult to post something here other than meaningless drivel. So, instead of posting the exciting sneak-peeks into my life the past year, or the various exploits I have done in this holiday, I shall be just short, and end off here.

2007.

Psychonauts!

2006-12-30T00:54:00.000+08:00

This is one amazing game! It has a crazy engaging storyline, with characters and even voices reminiscence of Invader Zim (The voice actor for Razputin, the main character, is in fact the same person who voiced Zim), with beautifully drawn settings.

The places are so exquisitely named, with things like Lair of the Lungfish, or The Milkman Conspiracy, like a throwback to all those old cartoon classics I grew up with. You have characters that are insane, bullies, pitiful and as varied as a real summer camp adventure would be. The level designs are extremely, extremely good, and they show a creativity I haven't seen for a long time. The worldscape is really well done, and I just can't stop myself playing, just to see what happens next in the story.

10/10

This place is starting to remind me of high school...which is really strange since I'm only ten. -Razputin

New Layout

2006-12-29T11:38:00.001+08:00

It is so sexah. I love my new layout. Props to myself! ;D

Now listening to: "POWER OF LOVE" Judy and Mary, Fresh

grr

2006-12-27T00:33:00.001+08:00

this is why i hate doing my own layouts

Test

2006-12-27T00:31:00.001+08:00

Test

Love Actually

2006-12-25T01:27:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I would type something more here, but it's late, and I'm tipsy from the lack of sleep and the festive joy.

Cheers!

Now listening to: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" Olivia Olsen, Love Actually Soundtrack

Nostalgia

2006-12-22T22:53:00.000+08:00

Listening to Our Lady Peace reminds me of past time, of a younger me and my actions which I decide now are embarrassing. It's pretty strong, this warm feeling, surging forward like a silent wave, up through my chest to the back of my ears. As the music plays on, I suddenly find myself younger, staring at the screen wide-eyed. Everything was a marvel then, this fast, shifting world of the internet, and I found myself growing up in this mad community.

It reminds of a sunny day, with the clearest blue that filled the sky. It is a hazy impression, completely silent, but is touches me deeply, like a warm caress on my soul.

Now listening to: "Innocent" Our Lady Peace

3x FASTAR

2006-10-11T15:54:00.000+08:00

Oh yeah, my internet is now THREE TIMES FASTER. OH YEAH.

Anyway, Vivocity is empty looking. And it reminds me of Johor's giant malls. Hmmm.

Now listening to: "Leader of Men" Nickelback.

Oops.

2006-09-17T22:26:00.000+08:00

This is why the Grab function in ffdshow shouldn't be turned on when watching.

Selfless

2006-09-14T19:11:00.000+08:00

"Volunteers need both selfish and selfless motives to sustain their interest" Natalie de Combray.

A teacher called me selfish because I did something that benefit myself. Of course I'm a selfish person; walking out of a college event constitutes the very basis of not rudeness, but selfishness. God forbid I actively seek out what was good for me, even when it doesn't affect anyone negatively. I'm a selfish bastard alright; I actually went against the event, which was complusary because teachers wanted students to be there, because I wanted to leave. Conflicting interests, I know, but the teacher always wins, because their caring, selfless concern makes their forced event less selfish.

Now listening to: "チカラ（LIVE BAND style）" BeForU

Lacuna Coil...

2006-09-02T15:51:00.000+08:00

....is cool. Very very cool and haunting.

But I still want my Darling Violetta =(

Now Listening to: "Falling" Lacuna Coil.

Rain

2006-09-01T15:19:00.000+08:00

I walked down the road silently. A tall wirefence stretched past me. Its green wires were torn and tattered, the bare metal exposed and rusted. They stood criss-crossed, unmoving as the wind whistled past them. Traffic was quick and blaring. The red and yellow light streaked past me, bright and blazing beneath a howling sky. The trees rustled nervously.

The yellowed pavement was first dotted by a few wet splotches. Then the wind whipped harder, and the pavement was soon swept away in a darkened gray. Leaves were swirling in the air, pulled by the frivalous tails of the wind. The proud green crowns of the trees drooped and trembled in the torrent, their trunks a heavy brown of shame.

In the silver sheets of rain I stood wide-eyed and wet, watching the world dance in darkened expression and abandon emotion.

My comp is lagging.

2006-07-22T11:43:00.000+08:00

And I seriously need to find a way to get every single Darling Violetta album out there in the world. I wish Singapore wasn't so muscially dead -.-

Honeslty why is my comp lagging. It's like. Fast. Fast fast. And yet Mozilla Firefox is stuttering. WHY?

I have no idea. Damnit. Darling Violetta is awesome.

Now listening to: "Cure" Darling Violetta

5 Random Things about myself?

2006-07-14T21:19:00.000+08:00

Got tagged by my friend to this -.-

1) I love watching japanese dramas. Romance, comedy, mystery are my favourites! I guess it's abit amazing, since I don't look like the type to like them.

2)I think Johnny Depp is sexah.

3)When I played Quake 4 after my breakfast, I felt like puking. Strogg levels were freakish.

4)I'm finding this 5 random things thing extremely hard to write -.-

5)I have albums of songs on my computer I've never listened to before. Haha.

Yay, I'm done!

Now listening to: "Bullets" Augustana

Music

2006-07-12T16:42:00.000+08:00

The harp purrs, it's tone pitching up and down, and the music rolls off its strings. The notes are like dancers, their feet pit-patting across the ground in quick, graceful steps, then spinning, and turning and jumping into the air, their bodies curved.

They were silent, their feet made no sound when they landed, and they crouched, bending low, sweeping one leg in a circle around them before rising in a twirl. Their forms were fluid and smooth, and when they jumped, it seemed effortless, bounding across the stage with long leaps. Then their steps became more abrupt, more hurried, with sharp, quick turns and twists, darting zig-zaggedly on the stage, swirling in graceful circles before becoming hasty and sharp again, the fluidity replaced by a poise of confidence, then hesitation, then shyness, before finally elation, as they bowed and twisted and leaped across the stage, their forms flowing with their movements, swaying like paper.

Then the music stopped, and they collasped, the lights were down and then the darkness crept in, and it was the end.

Run-on sentences galore. Wheee!

Now listening to: "La noyée", Yann Tiersen, Amélie OST

On Love,

2006-07-03T19:55:00.000+08:00

In Sadness, Jason Mraz.

Hey, hey hey, something's different in my world today, they changed my traffic sign to a brighter yellow

Hope you enjoyed today (= <3

Carlton > Branch

2006-05-30T19:47:00.000+08:00

I never knew Vanessa Carlton's first album was so orgasmic. Ok, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but YOWZA, that's some fucking awesome bunch of songs. Piano, rock and roll, melody, PIANO, guitars and that sweet, deliciously drown-able voice of hers.

I can just imagine those lipstick hugged lips, parting open to reveal rows of smooth, soft white teeth; then those pearls would part too, and chords and words would roll off that talented tongue of hers in sync with the tune that her fingers play dancing across the keys of her piano.

Black, black, white, black, white white white.

I see a red door and I want it painted black.
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black.

Now listening to: "Paint it Black" Vanessa Carlton.

Soy Milk....

2006-05-27T23:52:00.000+08:00

....is good. So anyway, the supermart downstairs sells this cool, nice soy milk drink in a glass bottle for 65cents, which is really cool. Anyway, I bought one bottle yesterday, but my mom made grass jelly drink too, which is just as equally cool.

So then, I faced a dilemma. Grass Jelly or Soy Milk. BLACK OR WHITE? LIGHT OR DARK DUN DUN DUN DUN

I drank both in the end. Haha I win =D

Now listening to: "In Loving Memory" Alterbridge

FUCK YOU OPPOSITION

2006-05-07T00:59:00.000+08:00

Asswads. Why the hell did you have to suck? Yesterday Singapore was 82-seats communist. Today, Singapore is still 82-seats communist.

GOOD JOB FAGS.

INSERT SOME TITLE HERE

2006-04-18T21:55:00.000+08:00

YAY! I got it to work with foobar 0.9! Now i can totally show my sexy songs off.

God I think I sounded like some fangirl in my previous statement. Fuck.

Ok much things have been happening. Temasek's really....green. Got two sleek smooth and sexy files, an orange pen, some some other stuff. Man this is gonna be one retarded post. And Temasek's too bloody GREEN.

EDIT:I don't believe I forgot to put my title.

Now listening to: "A PLACE TO GO" HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR

Vexy

2006-03-25T23:48:00.000+08:00

Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and villanous vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

Spectacular. Sweet. Inspiring. Stupefying. V for Vendetta can be said to be one of the highlights of this year. Natalie Portman excelled in her role, but it was Hugo Weaving, with his eloquence and poise, with his sleek, flowing movements, his smooth gestures that stole the show as the mysterious and passionate V.

It is inspiring, it is majestic, it is tragic, and above all it shows hope, freedom and wonder. It's an emotional piece of art that shows justice, vengence; a vendetta that has spurned the people to rise and make their own choices and stands.

March update, yay!

2006-03-19T17:31:00.000+08:00

TESIV: Oblivion's shipping on the 20th; the strategy guide came out on the 15th. Hopefully Singapore gets it within this week. For all it's supposed advanceness and being up-to-date in current trends, the country is fucking dead when it comes to entertainment.

Boo.

Single-sex schools suck. And seeing the aftereffect it has wrought onto the students, makes me alot more vehement in this opinion. The effect is highly varied of course, and it could be just my point of view, but it is more often than not, damaging, and the damage on their social skills is almost sad to witness.

All of us went through change, to a certain degree, and not all of it positive. And sometimes I wonder, would these changes, especially the negative, been minimized had the school been mixed?

Now listening to: "Tripping" Robbie Williams.

9999

2006-02-19T15:40:00.000+08:00

Gah, I lost my awesome shoutbox D:

ID: 9999! What a sexy number, and I LOST IT.

Anyway, I was wondering if I should change my template. Hmmm, I did make one long ago, but don't know whether it's worth the effort to do the switch. It's not as if I post everyday or something.

Now listening to: "PLANETARIUM" Otsuka Ai

Music

2006-01-31T22:50:00.000+08:00

I have forgotten how delicious Dido's music can be. Sweet, smooth; it is like this tantalising mix of whipped cream and caramel bits. Her voice is unique, rich with a British, and a slightly tinge of French accents.

I still prefer her older songs tho'. They have a smoother mix, so to speak. Cheers.

I have never knew Sixpence None the Richer was this good. They sound like a chirpier version of The Cardigans, with more raspy vocals. It is different enough to be unique, but similiar in terms of rhythm, pace, general mood. The Cardigans are more abstract, especially in their latest album. Sixpence is a christian band, which surprised me. It's music is excellent, both vocals and lyrics.

Now listening to: "Hunter" Dido

Quick post. . .

2006-01-23T22:31:00.001+08:00

. . .because my friend wants me to post more.

Blizzard has released a new Diablo book, by Richard A. Knaak. Looks snazzy. I'm tempted to buy it.

Also, they've released a streaming mp3 player on Battle.net. Pretty awesome.

Players can now listen to their favorite in-game music from the Diablo series with just a few mouse clicks. The Diablo 2 MP3 player features many unforgettable tracks from the game, including: Tristram, Toru, and Hell! Click below to check it out.

So, yay, one post + blockquote. I'm out.

Now listening to: "Art of Life" X Japan

Post numbar 2

2006-01-12T19:25:00.000+08:00

The sky has been this constant grey, which is awesome, if not for the pittering rain and wet ground that had followed along. Walking home in the rain, especially when your shoe is made with a mesh-like material that promotes fast drying and easy sogging is not a good idea.

Stupid cold weather. Now every shower I take I see steam coming off myself, which really scares me, but what can I say, hot water is like good cake. And cakes are awesome.

Now listening to: "Till Kingdom Come" Coldplay

Holy shit?

2006-01-12T12:00:00.000+08:00

So I missed Christmas, New Year, and about 3 months? Oops.

Started JC life. It's fun, I guess. Orientation was boring, the cheers were retarded, but at least my OG was fine. And the dance gave some extra points to the 'camp'. The school days now are ok, but obviously not as fun as the holidays, and I still find myself waiting anxiously for the weekends, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. For now.

Quake 4 (single-player) is fucking scary. Oh God, I don't even dare play it at night. Stupid zombies. Fucking Strogg. It's a sick, twisted and vile game, one that makes you queasy at certain points, scared out of your mind at others, and your adrenaline pumping, always.

Unfortunately, there is no official bots for the multiplayer. Boo. Still, the campaign mode is pretty awesome. Borrow it if you can, because it's worth it.

Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines was an awesome RPG. Just got it a few weeks ago. It'd do until Oblivion is released. The plot was pretty good, although the ending was pretty short. Slightly buggy, but there are unofficial patches to fix that. Graphics were great, and the lip-synching of the models ingame was amazing. From the quaint traquil of Santa Monica and the dark alleys of Downtown L.A., to the sex-filled, bustling area of Hollywood and the bright neon lights of Chinatown, the game is beautifully rendered. Seven clans: Nosferatu, Malkavian, Toreador, Ventrue, Brujah, Gangrel and the Tremere; all for you to choose. No multiplayer, unfortunately. It is an amazing RPG, although the somewhat openended-ness of Morrowind has left me craving for more in Vampires.

As for the last paragraph, all I have to say is watch Wallace and Gromit. Movie of 2005. Seriously. It's better than Narnia, King Kong, Harry fucking Potter, or any other inferior movies you can think of. And get the World of Warcraft OST. It's sweet.

Now listening to: "Haste to the Wedding" The Corrs.

Bishie action!

2005-09-17T13:41:00.000+08:00

If I were gay, I'd do Cloud. He's halfway there to being a girl anyway. Or maybe Reno, with that long sexy red hair of his. RAWR!!

Ok, Advent Children. What can I say about this movie? Kickass, badass, utterly mind-blowing, fucking godly are the few words that come to mind. Even if you never played Final Fantasy VII before, just watch it for the action. The god-like, surreal, totally awesome and smooth piece of drug that is Advent. And Tifa, with those big honey-colored eyes. Or Sephiroth for the fucked up, demented crazy half-god.

I'm not even making sense here. Seriously, Advent Children, is flawless graphically. Be prepared, if you haven't played the game, to be totally confused about what the hell's going on in the movie. Don't bitch about it having no character development because all those were done in the game. It's a sequel for a bloody reason; I won't stand for having idiots moaning how crappy the film is because they can't understand that it's a sequel.

The story has an abstract theme, covered by a confusing plot of Kadaj and Geostigma. The directing of the scenes could have been clearer, such as some of the flashback scenes and the parts with Kadaj and OMFG SPOILERS Rufus. The flow of the story is slightly choppy in the first 40mins or so of the movie, but comes together beautifully in the latter parts. It truely reflects on the children, both literally and figuratively (Jenova's Children), and shows how Cloud finally OMFG SPOILERS forgives himself for Aerith and Zack's death. The movie is mainly about Cloud finding inner peace, tying his end up nicely.

It may feel a little rushed, considering it's only 1hr 30mins, but the movie still is able to deliver. Some awkward parts, yes, but only minor issues. Fight scenes are rendered beautifully, and when it comes out on DVD I am so fucking gonna get it.

Finally, I'll just like to rub it in that Cloud doesn't love Aerith! NAHAHAHAHAHAHA! It's heavily implied in the movie that Cloud only remembers Aerith because he feels that he failed in his duty to protect her. Plus, Aerith appears with Zack at the end of the movie, showing that whatever affections she may have shown towards Cloud in the game were probably because Cloud resembled Zack.

Besides, in the final fight while Sephiroth was taunting Cloud about what he finds important, the guy thinks of Aeris, then Tifa, then his friends, then Tifa with Denzel/Marlene. Tifa twice, Tifa in the last thing he thought most important, and everyone knows the last thing is always the most important. Oh and err, spoilers for the last two paragraphs.

Heh. Anyway, FFVII: Advent Children gets a 9.5/10. Totally kickass, fucking godly.

Now listening to: "She Spider" Mew.

Ok fine, I forgot my blog address.

2005-09-09T23:27:00.000+08:00

So sue me. It's been a busy these few days, with my modem crashing, my OS getting corrupted, and an accidental reformat. I would go into details, but nah, too troublesome.

It took me a bloody afternoon to get ABC up and running smoothly. Gah, I hate Window's firewall. The only its enabled is because it protects one port Sygate doesn't. Hmm.

Anyway, I was pretty pissed, since I lost everything. Plus, my the cd-drive doesn't work, so this new config is totally clean of games and my precious PHOTOSHOP. Gawd. It was a pain setting the fucking internet up already. And, I lost all my written work. My fanfics! 118 pages gone. Fuck.

While I'm on the topic of swearing, it's interesting to see a letter to the forum page today about blogs having vulgarities. Haha, what a pussy. Nah, I'm just kidding, the writer's just uptight.

I say fuck pretty often. Almost once every hour. Did I turn out into some uncouth ruffian? Hmm, don't think so, although if I have to be dishonest and unlawful I prefer the term evil genius.

Seriously, I don't really see anything bad about the word. It's just a fucking fuck word, you fucking fuckers. A fucking word from a fucking language that we are the fucking creators of. Kinda ironic that we term our own creation taboo, isn't it? Must we create something, then cast it into the pit of condemnation? Be honest. Read through the last few sentences, the ones which the large and exaggerated amount of 'fucks'. Is it vulgar? Perhaps, to some. Is it insulting? Do I single out a certain person, a nameor identity before applying these vulgarities onto him/her/it? If I don't, then how is it insulting? Also, don't you find the large amount of 'fucks' absurd? Stupid? That's one thing I rather write in a comedy than a flaming in a forum.

Go on, say FUCK out loud. Does it hurt? Will it burn your virgin mouth or scald your chaste ears anymore than the harsh cruel world can? It's just a bloody word, something that we created. It is no more vulgar than the word "holy". It is no less than any other word. It merely is subjected to the general agreement that the word is 'unacceptable' in this place we term 'civil society'. There's no reasons for this 'unacceptableness', other than the reasons we, ourselves created. We made the reason that caused us to find it unacceptable and rude.

Quite stupid, isn't it. And this is a pointless post. Whatever. Fucker. ;D

Now listening to: "Zips" T.M. Revolution

Quirk.

2005-08-28T22:48:00.000+08:00

'Tis was a wonderful day! There were sunny skies and bubbly clouds! The lake was tranquil, like a shimmering, peaceful sheet of glass. The birds were chirping, the deers were running and squirrels were jumping. The grass was green, a cheery emerald that reflected the bright mood of the wonderful day.

Yet, on a rock before this glass-like lake sat My Other. My Other was depressed, you see, and his dark aura was an obvious taint in this otherwise joyous day. It was like a dank shadow, one that hung over this broken figure of My Other like a clinging veil.

It continued on, for quite a while. The sun, however, still burned brightly and with much cheer. It was then, when A Nother came upon this strange scene. He saw My Other, still hunched over the water, with his black cloak still wrapped possessively around his shoulders.

"Hello!" greeted A Nother.

My Other grunted in response, shifting his onyx eyes to one side, watching A Nother with wary eyes.

"What is this, hmm?" cried A Nother, throwing his hands up into the air before thumping My Other soundly on the back. "What is this dark aura you have, dear friend? Why the gloom and doom on this wonderful day?"

My Other glared at him, finally shifting to face A Nother with a irritated scowl. "I am frowning, for my day is most depressing, and I would like you to be going. Far away, most preferably, to a place where you cannot disturb me and my brooding."

A Nother going chuckled, flashing his brilliant white teeth, and only patted My Other lightly on the back. "Now now, my friend, pray tell, for I am listening, this depressing day of yours which has brought you down so."

My Other only shrugged off A Nother's grip, standing and drawing himself to his full height. "None of your business, I would say! Be gone, I repeat, before I do to you what I did to a fucking fucker."

A Nother gasped; his hands clasped over his mouth like a little girl who uncovered a secret. "A fucking fucker, you say? Who could this charming person be, this figure of such wonderful alliteration?"

Then he screamed, as a dark shadow passed over him. It was a fleeting darkness, with a freezing coldness and a thousand cutting knives within its billowing folds. A Nother shrieked, spitting blood and heaving air. His lips were blue, shuddering as Death touched him, in the most painful of ways.

The sun dimmed, slowing winking away. The skies rumbled, trembling under the steady beat of drums, roaring to a howling gale. The taste of copper blood was in the air, sweet and tangy, bitter and deathly. The earth was sundered, its grass and trees and pretty flowers wilting, shedding to a tattered, rotting mess. The water froze, remaining ever still in the face of time while a large, evil hating consume the land. All cheer disappeared in its gaping maw, leaving a dull mottle of red and grey. Blood flowed, twisting like twirling dancers across a desolate plain of decay.

All that was left was My Other, his onyx eyes glittering. A ruby streak stained his cheek, a startling sanguine stream upon his ivory skin.

"Leave me be, to my scowling and frowing, for today is most upsettling, and I wish to be ruminating."

Now listening to: "Won't be home for Christmas." Blink 182

Dear world,

2005-08-14T22:15:00.000+08:00

It was nice knowing you. To hear the rustle of the trees, the faint whistle of the morning breeze. Or the beat of the cooling gale, howling in the stinging rain. The mottled clouds of blue and grey, swirling lazily, meandering like a twisting dragon across a darkened sky.

The kiss of Life is torn away; like a piece of tattered cloth it floats. The air I breathe is sweet no longer; the fires of sulphur fill my nostrils. Thy blessed water flows no more; blood pours, from every orifice, a red river of death and decay that laps against its banks. Souls cry, they weep. I hear the violins, the sounds streaking swiftly, the music playing quickly. Hate is in me; welling up in me. It comes, surging through my veins, embracing me. I am lost, in this land of shadow, in this rife world of darkness. The chalky evil kisses me; Hate in my blood, its love for me spreading. Like a blackened vine it entwines my soul, wrapping its honey-dipped thorns around me. It poisons my body, yet it clears my mind; and like a fleeting nightmare it is gone, to the nether winds it disappears. . .

11 days.

Now listening to: "Clockwatching" Jason Mraz

Esther Blanchett.

2005-08-06T15:28:00.000+08:00

Trinity Blood. Hot girl, well, in the anime anyway. The manga version looks psychotic.

Well, just made another wallpaper. Found this gorgeous scan of Esther, and spent an hour or more extracting it/cleaning it. Hope you enjoy it.

EDIT: Wheee, just uploaded my wallpaper onto AnimePaper

Now listening to: "Vestige" T.M. Revolution.

Advent Children is sexy.

2005-07-30T11:26:00.000+08:00

Just downloaded the perfect trailer encode. 100 megabytes T.T But it was worth it. Gawd. I want the movie now so bad. The need overwhelms my soul.

Now listening to: "Believe" Yellowcard

To Her.

2005-07-29T22:37:00.000+08:00

Condolences to all affected.

Playing on a See-Saw...

2005-07-16T20:33:00.000+08:00

Hmm, long time without updates, eh? Well, the past week has just been fabulous - in both good and bad ways.

First off, the NKF fiasco. It's funny how greed leads to stupidity, and stupidity leads to downfall. Obviously, if the Durai guy didn't try to sue SPH, which, may I add, Singapore's only paper and thus has much influence, he might not have found himself in such deep shit.

Honestly, it is quite surprising how the public went up in such an uproar over his salary. I mean, c'mon! Did everyone honestly believe NKF was some goody-two-shoes charity with only the welfare of its patients in mind? Someone must have been leeching off the funds. I'm only surprised it wasn't more than $600,000 per year.

Then again, if Durai could get the company to pay for his car, what ever is stopping him from using it to pay for his house? Pfft. Worse still, I find it strange to see people supporting him. May I say, "Wow, how stupid can one get?"

Today, while reading the forum page, I saw someone actually agreeing with NKF's tatics on garnering donations. Amazing. I never thought I found have saw a person as blind as that writer, but today I have. God bless me.

As a charity organisation, its first and foremost goal is to ensure the care of its patients. You don't make sure your own salary is high. No. 600,000 dollars is not the way to go. It isn't justified, no matter what you say. If you wanted a high-paying job, you don't work on a non-profit board. Pay in a charity is low or just sufficient for oneself most of the money gather should be channelled to the sick. Reward in this line of work isn't money; it's the satisfaction and joy of seeing an ill person surviving to see the sun the next day. It is about the subtle smiles, the infectious, lively laughter they have when they escape Death again. It was never about money, or recognition or anything "entitlements" shit like what Durai had.

A charity lives and pracitically breathes on the public's trust. An organisation that pleads on the people's morals and ethics should have an upstanding integrity on their own. This isn't just about the gross amount of money Durai had entitled himself to, or how they had lied to the public with a straight face. It was how they ran NKF like a business-oriented company, and in doing so, slowly blinding themselves to their original goal: to help.

I'm a cynical person, but I'll give them the benefit of a doubt: perhaps they did start out as a group that wanted to help. Yet, through the years as they aggressively targeted the public with emotional-blackmailing shows and adverts, NKF has obviously been gradually intoxicated by the scent of money, slowly losing sight of whom they were. They ran themselves as a business-oriented organisation, and with that, place getting money as the topmost priority, with the patients themselves added almost like an afterthought. In their wealth and success they forgot what it was to be poor and only sought to be rich.

Business isn't charity. You don't "help" in the corporate world, you backstab. You plunge knives into each other's backs, and as they wither and die you take over them. And thus, it was like that: NKF grew bigger, and the smaller charities died out. People thought it was the only charity. . . with that sort of insane publicity I'm not surprised.

I never liked NKF in the beginning. I long suspected the CEO of NKF already had like half a million per annum as his salary. Rest assured, I won't donate to NKF. Ever. It's not really about being selfish (tho' I have doubts about those to seek the subsidies. . . I've seen them dyed their hair even when they're supposed to be poor and dying), but honestly, 30.5 years more before the reserves runs out on current subsidy rates is alot. Nothxsverymuch, I'll keep the money to myself for my own family and friends.

Moving on, episode 38 of Gundam SEED DESTINY had a new opening/ending song. Wings of Words by Chemistry is the opening song and also by far the worse opening song ever. Gawd. Horrible, Terrible, just plain Shitty. Kimi wa Boku ni Niiteiru by See-Saw, the the ending song, is the best ending song so far. Best, Gosu, Holy Fucking Shit kind of good, with a side dish of exaggeration. Kinda balances out, I guess.

Also, Harry-fuckingpieceofcrap-Potter, Book 6 is out. Wonder if there's more loopholes being added into this cliche plot. Gah, I'm too lazy to write a tirade for this. Potter can eat shit and bite the dust for all I care, and even if it's ending is the best thing that graced the Earth (impossible, but fans can dream), it still doesn't discount how bad the starting was. Or how much the book has twisted something as amazing as magic to a mundane, annoying plot device.

Now listening to: "Kimi wa Boku ni Niiteiru" by See-Saw

The Art of Fanfiction.

2005-07-05T19:29:00.000+08:00

Slacking off from my studies, I've come here to post this: The Gosu Arts and Techniques of Fanfiction writing, by yours truely.

Honestly, the stuff I see people churning out can be bloody retarded. I have seen great fics. I have good fiction, with a plot so well written it leaves you craving for more. I have seen these stories, these little kilobytes of information contain a better insight, a more indepth and engaging tale than the original itself.

Reading fanfiction is a daunting job, and shouldn't be attempted unless you want to be: 1. fall into a hopeless pit of dank addiction which you never really be able to get out of; 2. spent time sifting through the massive piles of fiction, dividing it into THE shit, or just plain o' shit. It's quite sad to see many fics falling to the plain shit section, because they basically have a crappy plot and/or they have horrible english.

Take Harry Potter for example. I hate the books with a fiery passion, but for some reason, I like the fanon. Strange, I know. So anyway, while on my epic quest (seriously epic, considering thereare 193417 fics in the HP section) to find a good read, I saw several things:

1. Anything fic with chapters that have below a thousand words are usually crap.
2. Trends happen. There was a trend of "harry-becomes-an-elementalist-or-some-stupid-crap-like-that" some time ago, and for a while you could see a few pages straight filled with these sort of trashes, drowning the good fics who started in trend in their stupidity.
3. People seem to have no creativity. At least, on FF.Net. I mean, c'mon, every "six-year-fic", or in other words, some great re-write by some random guy ends up like this: Harry mopes, then he snaps out of it, then he decides to become stronger by "training". Somehow, in one summer, he becomes g0su, and can basically own everyone. Through training, he also gains some sort of godly body, which every girl suddenly wants. Wait, there's more! Ginny also becomes hot, like a Greek Goddess, and thus through mutual lust, the two find "love". Add in some angst, some spice, and alittle oh-so-sick-sweet-love-crap, and there you go, a typical fiction.

Honestly, its completely stupid. Oh, did I forget to mention: somehow, Harry would have a birthday bash, which he has never gotten, and after years of building up his emotional walls the boy decided to go all crying and wussy-like in front of his friends and reveal his terrible past. Oh, how completely realistical.

This goes the same to Naruto fiction. Even if you go copy a basic ploltline, the least you could do was make it different. Like not the same. C'mon! In HP, I believed some guy posted a fanfic that had a Harry-going-to-Azkaban-but-innocent plot, and a Harry/Bellatrix pairing. Honestly speaking, it was a decently-written fic, but at least the plot was original. He twisted in a way that the Potter guy was the Lord of Azkaban (through some lame-o method, but we can forgive that), and added the Bellatrix pairing quite nicely. . . at least as nicely as it could go. I've never seen a realistical HP/BB pairing on FF.Net, so what the hell. Anyway, not half a week after the fucking thing was posted, pages of fanfics started to pop out, with HP becoming lord of something, usually Azkaban, and marries Bellatrix, despite the fact that she killed his closest family. Gosh, how completely original. In fact, even Naruto has better fiction, despite the more linear plot.

The one thing about fanfiction is that no matter how you twist it, unless its a crossover (which has special rules), you should always try to fit it in with the original universe. Evil!Harry and Demon!Naruto, or Killer!Kira is fine, but you must explain them carefully and not too technically. It ruins the fic, or at least to me it does, when you put stupid shit like a character named "anne" in Naruto, or somehow Bellatrix becomes lovely-dopey and "good" and regretful of her actions after like, what, 20 years of pure torture and death? That's a retarded transition.

Yup, I'm a crazy Fanfiction Reader. Maybe I'll write more on this. Scratch that, I will write more on this ;)

Now listening to: "Gifts and Curses" Yellowcard.

Sweet Fear.

2005-07-03T11:59:00.000+08:00

I rest my head on my arm, leaning against the seat in front of me for support. My eyes swivel; the black orbs darkening as they traced imaginary, intricate patterns on the wooden floor. I scanned the ground, and a wispy ghost of a smile peeked through my blank facade. Faint amusement welled up in me, like a soft caress against my skin as I saw the winding wood grains lay sprawling in the irregular strips of wood. They were a dizzy landscape of shifing sand dunes, ebbing up and down in long, lazy sweeps.

Time was not a matter, and the air hung heavily on me. Silence reigned, and the sweet, sickly taste of anxiety filled the large hall. I licked my lips, tasting the invisible fear, sniffing the honey-like syrup of tangy worry that wafted around me like a thick, slow-swirling swamp. It was delicious; a tantalising taste that left a growing crave in my stomach. I lapped hungrily, my mouth soaking the human emotion. It was intoxicating, this fear, and I enjoyed every drop of it. It was refreshing, like ancient wine that tickled my throat. . .

Then I was jerked back to reality, and my joy was lost. I felt my humanity rearing its digusting head, and I tried to hold its weakness back. My strength left me, and I felt myself shuddering in tingling nervousness. I wanted to scream, but my body did not obey. The rush of emotions suffocated me, drowning me in a numb, painless agony. I felt my muscles quiver; my chest heaving as breaths came in short and quickly.

Soon the panic wore off, and I regained use of my body. My. . .humanity receded, but not before leaving its loathesome taint of vulnerability onto my perfectness. It angered me, and my eyes flashed a dangerous red. I held my rage back, and set my mind back into calmness.

I sat back, waiting, watching, and quietly observing this failed, fragile species.

Wally Pally numbar ONE!

2005-06-18T14:24:00.000+08:00

Was fiddling with Photoshop today. Huggles to custom brushes for making this pic possible.

Click on the thumbnail for the full picture. 677kb big, BTW.

Now listening to: "One Winged Angel" Nubuo Oematsu

The Dead Priest's Toll.

2005-06-16T15:08:00.000+08:00

...I believe the title of the post is the name of a song in the Hellsing OST. Track 7.

Anyway, whenever funerals come rolling about, especially from my mother's side, expect much screaming, shouting, arguing, blaming, then perhaps some crying, but definitely more shouting. Ah, the joys of having my house phone tied up with hundreds of calls from either Johor or Singapore.

My uncle died. I was never close to him, and the most recent memory of him I have is me kicking him. . .what? Don't ask; it was him who started it anyway -.-"

So despite my not-so-fond experiences with him, I respected him as a crazy sonaofabitch with a strong soul, but maybe not a strong body. See, alcohol and smoking does kill. Anyways, I ~~got dragged by my parents~~ decided to go Johor yesterday to pay my last respects.

Now, the last time I checked, Singapore was efficient, fast, and a thousand times better than the snail-like Causeway toll-point over at Johor. Of course it has been a long, long time since I've been to "the other side", so imagine my self-stragulation when my father basically zoomed into the Checkpoint at 100km/h, only to be stopped by a literal mob of motorccyles blocking everything. They weaved in and out, cut in front of us, completely overtook the car lane like a swarm of fucking bees and even smashed the car's sidemirror. Hey, what an awesome job the police must be doing! After all, this is a great service! I mean, although there wasn't any sort of enforcement on the chaos on the roads or, you know, some sort of decent traffic control right outside their fucking headquarters, it's ok, we understand, the police are incompetent! We can't blame them.

Right. So, right after that horribly boring nightmare of a traffic, we got to Johor. Me, being the paranoid, pessimistic dolt that I am, declared that I rather die than face the chance of our car being stolen in the middle of night. I had a show to get back to by 11:00PM, damnit! In the end, we ended in some hotel. Ate spagetti. It was awesome, and strange, seeing how I'm in Johor eating spagetti in some hotel restaurant that had no other customer.

So, after dinner, we finally got to the, err, funeral place. Watching the rites was, again, bloody boring. I should have brought cards =|. Especially since the funeral hall beside us had a table with 3 strangers playing cards. Damnit, I wanted to join in T.T

Anyway, we only left at 11:00PM. Luckily my friend could record my shows for me, or I would have been crying like some deranged lunatic (that was a repetition, but I don't care). It was strangely satisfying tho', to see the paper house, and gold, and car, and servant go up in a big, beautiful fire. The intense heat was so soothingly calming; the way the orange light crackled and licked at the ashen paper embers; or how the support frames, left bare by the fire, collapsed into a mass of tangled lines that soon became a charred pile of grey dust. . .that was beautiful.

I know, I have problems.

Now listening to: "Blind" Lifehouse

I pray with a poem.

2005-06-13T22:36:00.000+08:00

The stars are singing,
The clouds a-drifting.
Heaven is awaiting,
Its pearly gates shining.
I watch, my eyes silent,
As he walks through it.

I kneel and pray,
May he taste sweet wines of Heaven.
May he touch sacred joys of Celestials.
May the gift of happiness find him there,
And may the scars of mortality leave him.

I sit and wonder,
My mind thinking and tinker.
I mouth my question,
One of amazement, of curiousity,
Of innocence and strange detachness.
How is the view from Heaven, I ask, I wonder,
How does it feel to watch from up there?

Boredom.

2005-06-08T22:16:00.000+08:00

Best. Star Wars. Comic. Ever.

Alrighty, I'm done. Just wanted to spread this around. Besides, only the ending fight scenes in the movie were actually good. The dialogue lines were retarded; and how Anakin turned to the Dark Side was really stupid. Perhaps it was just bad acting and lines, but that scene made me gag. The stupidity of it all astounds me. To quote my friend:

Coltz says:
yeah, and SWIII sucked. =P
Coltz says:
i went to watch it and wished i never spent that much money on the tickets

Oh wells. Decent movie fare I guess, and if you look deeper, it does make sense. Sadly, Lucas doesn't go deep enough to explore and expand on the plot. The movie has, however, set me on a Star Wars fanfiction craze. . . Weird, neh?

Now listening to: "Wordplay" Jason Mraz

Fire.

2005-06-07T14:12:00.000+08:00

Usually, I don't explictly say much of what I do in real life here, but eh whatever. Last Friday, I went to a barbeque with my class. It was fun, it was hot, and my friend brought his laptop. Yes, I know, it rhythmes.

Anyway, it was interesting and of course pretty awesome. Our class were split into four groups: one listening to my geography teacher telling ghost stories; another watching South Park on the laptop; another playing Bridge; and the last bunch abusing my friend's skateboard.

Skateboarding was fun, and thus I stress than I was the only person who managed to not fall down while learning how to skate. What can I say, but repeat the fact that many do not get: I am awesome.

Anyway, my luck was also amazingly good on the that night, with me getting 6 to 7 cards of the same suit during bridge. The wind was kinda strong, which kinda sucked, since it blew the cards all over the place.

Came home at about 10:55, just in time to record my anime. . . I actually wanted to post this on Friday, but was too lazy to type something on that night. Oh well, whatever. Basically, that night rocked, we shoudl bring laptops to parties more often and stakeboarding is fun.

On to other things! Gundam SEED DESTINY is becoming better, tho' Shinn is more of a cocky bastard than ever before. I watched episode 29-31 today, and I've noticed one thing: Is it me, or is the show trying to turn into some kind of Kira hate-fest? Gah, hopefully Shinn can get off his high pedestral and grow a little.

Firefox is fun. It's exactly like Internet Explorer, except that it has less security flaws. Also, it has tabbed browsing. Very handy. I won't ask you switch, but it's a good alternative.

Anyway, I'm bored, and I can't continue any longer. I dislike Asuka Shinn, Athrun is becoming a pussy, Naruto 263 should come out right now and I have several fic ideas running amok in my head. That's all.

Now listening to: "My will" Dream

I am losing my mind.

2005-05-29T11:51:00.000+08:00

I am not kidding you. I am close to going insane. What's up with those retarded chinese characters anyway! A little dot here, some slashes here, and oh, some lines and FUCK THIS I CAN'T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE.

Even my recently accquired Matrix OSTs can't sooth my frazzled mind. Well, granted, it doesn't exactly play soothing tones... but that's not the point! Chinese is a metal torture, like some sort of mental rite of passage Singapore has, or maybe a weird and mysterious sifting system that CRUSHES THE MIND OF INNOCENTS LIKE ME.

...I'm beginning to sound like Maito Gai. That isn't good. And um, Joe Hishashi is an awesome composer. And Judy and Mary rules, even if they broke up. I wanted to play them on the last day of school on the class computer but I doubt my teacher would have allowed.

Damnit. I hate chinese. Congratulations, Mr Minister of Education, the-man-who-canno- get-his-head-out-of-his-ass-to-make-more-coherent-policies-instead-of-the-messy-and-retarded-shit-us-students-are-in-now, on making chinese the most wonderful piece of Hell I've ever tasted. In fact, have a cookie, and this Calvin and Hobbes comic that sums up my thoughts nicely:

TV is becoming retarded. . .

2005-05-28T08:06:00.000+08:00

. . .and local programming has gone all the way to hell.

It is quite saddening to note that since Channel i shut down its operations after the merger, our the shows on TV, especially homegrown ones, have become horrible.

Channel i has always been the better english channel, better than Channel 5 despite the supposed label of it being the lesser. Channel 5, and Mediacorp in general, have always been the more "friendly" one, resulting in the company hiring actors and actresses left and right. They currently have a giant amount of artistes, half of them barely able to act. Homegrown showns, especially chinese ones on Channel 8 are becoming increasing boring, with unattractive filmatography and flat acting.

When I watch the shows, I cringe and slap my hands against my shut eyes, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. It's bad enough that the people in it can't act for shit. . . but watch it and see the obviously cliche moments and shabby, overused plot. . .

. . .it becomes more of a comedy than a serious drama.

Beside that annoying fact, Channel 5 has an irritating habit of dragging chinese artistes into english shows, forcing viewers to deal with shoddy English spoken with a horrible accent that makes the most perfect and elegant of English sound completely retarded.

The scenes in any drama is poorly filmed, with bland lighting and weak taste of hues and colors. This is a huge contrast to Channel i, whose last drama, Six Weeks, is better on all levels as compared to the current shows airing now. In fact, if one were to watch Chase, which is nearing its end, one will be able to see a huge similarity in style to Channel i's previous films. The colors and lighting of the set, the filming in general is exqusite and obviously painstakingly created. The cast is good, with only two new-faces, Utt and Linda, whom have progressed very well in the course of the drama. The rest comprises of experienced actors/actresses, such as theatre artistes like Janice Koh and Keagan Kang. The casting is therefore good, as the more experienced ones are cast into supporting roles so as to help and guide the newer actors in the lead. Chase has a great plot, being adapted from a script-writing competition winner. Several twists and superb acting help give this otherwise boring idea life, giving the very obvious impression of CHANNEL I PROGRAMMING, anyone?

It is so very much obvious that the drama was made with the people who had moved from MediaWorks. Even in 'death', Mediacorp still loses to its rival. . . thus showing which truly was the better channel.

Now listening to: "Hounds of Love" Futureheads

I am very sad now.

2005-05-23T06:04:00.000+08:00

Some insect somehow found its way into my beloved banana cake, rendering my favourite snack into a useless piece of rubbish. That bug, which I ruthlessly flicked it into oblivion, reduced my salvation from mugging into trash lying at the bottom of the dustbin.

Thus, I am currently feeling depressed. Exams seem to have a way of giving you depression. Depression is a wicked high. It can fling you across the high mountains, straight up into the bubbly skies before pouring liquid lead into your eyes, leaving them a charred mess as you descend straight into the 2nd level of Hell. You'll feel as if the angels abandoned you, leaving your sorry ass directly above the howling, searing barbecue pits of Satan.

Then, a sudden thought of you wringing the life away from your most annoying foe will strike you, releasing a intense rush of bloodlust in your veins as you hyper-ventilate with a vividly-coloured euphoria. When the devilish thrill boils tantalisingly high, it will disappear, leaving you back in reality with a strange sense of warped wonderment.

Depression is a wicked high. And my banana cake is ruined. By an insect.

Now listening to: "Happy?" Judy and Mary

The Horns.

2005-05-14T11:47:00.000+08:00

If one were to read today's newspaper, the Forums section, he/she might notice the small warning issued to a certain wannabe-rocker-idol runner-up, Sylvester Sim. Since my scanner's not installed, I can't scan the article, so a rough sum-up of the letter would have to do. The letter states that Sim often does the "calf sign" to give off the impression of a rocker, since his voice obviously is too lacking(eh, well, the letter doesn't say it so harshly as I did, but its true).

Anyway, after a fruitless consultation the Holy Grail that is Google, I suddenly remembered the "calf sign" are actually the "horns", so I decided to search on that, and thus got this:

Many modern Pagans use it as a symbol the Horned God that adherents might use to identify each other; in this context it is referred to as the Sign of the Horned God. Its counterpart is the fig sign above.

To Chaotes practicing Lovecraftian magick, it is called the Sign of Voor or the Voorish Sign.

Some say that it is meant to ward off – or to bestow – the evil eye. It is also a representation of the Devil by some Satanists. The gesture's origin is believed to be an imitation of the shape of a goats head, which has many associations with the concept of Satan in Christianity Satan's Goat

It has a variety of other meanings as well, depending on culture and area. In some places, it is a sexual insult, charging a man with being a victim of cuckoldry. Perhaps because of its occult significance, it is used as a salute by fans of heavy metal music. If one reverses the extended fingers, one gets the "inverted heavy metal salute" which can be given as a reply to a heavy metal salute, and combined together into a "heavy metal lock", intertwining the two hands thus presented. In addition, when this gesture used with the thumb extended and is positioned roughly horizontally, it is an imitation of Spider-Man's typical finger positioning when he fires one of his webshooters.
Quote from: http://encyclopedia.lockergnome.com/s/b/Gesture#Horns.2A

Hmm, how amusing! Well, that's what you get when you have some wanna-be singer being what he cannot be.

Oh and today's Friday the 13th. How apt to have such a letter published today, eh! And yes, I seem to be in a slightly-more delirious and insane state of mind today.

Edit: 5 edits in a row =/. This is why I never type without my glasses.

Now listening to: "Moments" Ayumi Hamasaki

Piracy, Creativity.

2005-05-09T03:58:00.000+08:00

While doing maths, I usually have my ears plugged in with a pair of headphones, listening to the radio. Of course, the radio plays horrible music nowadays, but having your hands on the keypad, ready to switch channels if need be can give a decent listening experience.

Now, I often hear this advertisement being played on Power98, telling people not to download music, to buy original songs. The idea is that if one were to support piracy, it would kill creativity.

Woah, woah, wait a minute. Supporting piracy kills creativity? Since when? Since when did creativity mean the amount of money you earn from your songs? Has everyone become so blinded by money till they have to give ingenuity a monetary value?

Creativity does not equal money, nor does piracy kill it. In fact, if your songs are the most heavily downloaded songs on the net, you should feel great, because the essence of music is not to make money, but to entertain. Sadly, albums nowdays are being rushed out, with songs of soulless, techo-lised beats that hum in tandem with meaningless lyrics. The fact that music is an art that inspires people, an art that is to be shared within friendly company has been lost in the bloody propaganda money-mongering record labels are carrying out.

Creativity is already dying. Hip-hop? Rap? R&B? Hip-hop is a genre for shitty music and retarded beats, so that people like Missy Elliot can earn her retirement through people whom are better off deaf. R&B is overdone, with every song about love, crack, drugs, heartbreaks --- in no particular order, of course. It's also not exactly good when half of the R&B songs tend to mix with hip-hop. Rap is supposedly a way to tell a story, but is kinda hard to understand the story when you can barely hear what those mumblings of the songs mean. By the time you decipher them, the meaning is already lost.

Honestly, when you sing like crap, and your sales are declining, don't blame P2P for your problems. It doesn't help that more than half the Internet population are made up of idiots and trolls and people who download everything for fun. With these crappy songs, its no wonder creativity is dying! Its no wonder people download things off the net. Who the hell pays for crap?

Piracy is the result of the lack of creativity, nothing else. Aaand, I would just like to shout-out to everybody in Singapore who thinks Singapore Idol is a big deal. No it isn't. It meaningless, it's like crap, it doesn't mean Singapore is any more special than half the countries across the globe that also have an Idol competition. It does nothing, except show the the general populace of Singapore have an awful taste in music.

[/endrant]

Now listening to: "Neodammerung" Composed by Don Davies, Matrix Revolutions OST

Physics is not easy.

2005-04-30T11:06:00.000+08:00

I hate physics. It hurts my head. It takes a huge hammer and whacks my poor, pitiful skull repeatedly, driving huge, wordly nails into my cranium. It takes a gigantic cannon and blasts my sanity to little itsy bits. It is a creature from the deep, dank depths of HELL, determined to ruin my life.

Now that I've got that out of my system, I would like to say that Chapter 257 of Naruto is godly. Itachi! Kisame! KICKASS ACTION. It's like sex, without the actual intercourse.

. . .err, bad analogy, heh. Ah wells. I don't really have much to say today, save that the English exam was ok, and I hope I do well for once =/. Oh, and that the Government should postpone Labour Day. I mean, who in the right state of mind WOULD PUT A HOLIDAY IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EXAM?! Yes, it does gives me a longer time to study, but it also prolongs my torture.

Anyway. . .off to study chinese. Yes, chinese. No, seriously. Chinese.

. . .well, after I watch Shaman King anyway.

PS: Tagboard's up.

Now listening to: "Scars" X Japan

Blahblah---EXAMS SUCK---blahblahblah.

2005-04-29T11:11:00.000+08:00

It sucks when acRO, fanfiction, Shaman King, Last Exile, and awesome new fic ideas start popping into your head right before exams start. Or that the coolest thing you saw the past few days was a crow literally peel a flattened frog off the blood-splattered road.

Granted, that is pretty cool, but the fact that exams are starting tommorrow kinda' puts a dampner (damper. . .or however you spell the bloody thing) on things. I know I should be studying now, but. . .meh. I need adrenaline. Or caffine, but I don't take coffee. Maybe sweets. . .yeah, let's all get high on sugar.

Ah wells, I think I'm going insane. Not that it's anything new, mind you. So, I would just like to end this off by saying that. . .

I CAN'T BLOODY WAIT FOR COLDPLAY'S NEW ALBUM TO BE RELEASED!

Now listening to: "Evolution" - Ayumi Hamasaki

Oooooo. . .first post!

2005-04-21T13:18:00.000+08:00

Blogspot is a bugger. It took me twenty tries just to finally sign up an unused site-name. Besides the fact that I'm being somewhat hypocritical, the fact still remains that Blogger has waaaaay too many users.

Probably a quarter of them don't even use their accounts. Hell, perhaps even I might become one of them. Oh the irony!

So, well, anyway. . .onto more thoughts! Like why am I typing this little posting out when I have several unfinished fics to complete? Oh, and exams too. Have I mentioned I absolutely detest exams? Hmm, well, I believe that's the case for every normal student. No offense if you actually like exams, tho'.

Oh, and being a Singaporean, maybe I should fill this post with stupid ramblings of my opinion of the construction of the two casinos! As if the news haven't blown that up. Every article, save for one, in the Forum section of today's papers are filled with eveyone's thoughts about this "intergrated resorts". One even subtly (<-is that how you spell it? Too bloody lazy to check.) insulted the PM in his letter. Hint: Don't write letters when you're in a bad mood. Duh. Well, my two cents would be that I don't care because its goning to benefit me indirectly, and I don't see the point in gambling anyway, so I doubt end up with an addiction that I can't get rid off. Also, this stupid crap about how "Singapore is growing up!", and all the self-pats on our backs must stop. Now. Honestly, being grown up or not is matter of opinion. We are apparently going make a name in the world's tourism map with our "boldness" and "creativity". Yet, we lower ourselves by subjecting the country to the views and opinions of outsiders. If we wanted to be bold and new, then these sort of opinions shouldn't matter! Aren't we the country that cares not of the world's opinion on our way of handling internal matters?

Of course, that's probably why our country has a crappy tourism industry. And, err, I just countered my argument with that single statement.

. . .I need sleep.

Ah wells, I'm too lazy to continue. I'll end this off with the fact that the new Pope looks positively evil. And Blogspot needs a strikethrough effect. And the new Gundam SEED DESTINY Opening/Ending songs were horrible.

Now listening to: "Yellow" by Coldplay.