Cap'n Mook

DEEPBLUE

2011-06-25T12:32:00.002+08:00

Everything has stalled except project DEEPBLUE.

Books read:

Tom Sawyer

Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe(All of em except Mostly Harmless)

Books reading now:

Leviathan (ponderous title. The book is as weighty as the title)

Introduction to Social Networks

-Cap'n Mook

2011-06-06T22:43:00.002+08:00

Managed to block facebook, which is no small task indeed. They keep spamming your email, even though you unchecked all options for them to send you updates. Took me awhile to figure out how to do so, and the rewards are paying off.

ARDUINO has currently stalled due to the lack of time, though I am resolute to continue DEEPBLUE. I guess I have to check out some 'must read' lists. There are simply too many books and so little that can capture the general imagination of the crowd. It takes time to pick the right books out, and sometimes, you might not even do so.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml

A couple of books I have already read, though I might want to try for War and Peace. But for now, Dune has captured my attention. Perhaps an alternating read between fiction and non-fiction might do the mind some good.

-Cap'n Mook

Untitled

2011-06-02T20:37:00.001+08:00

Pleasure is a state of the body,

happiness is the state of the mind.

Pleasure is being able to do what you want to do,

happiness is being who you are.

Pleasure lasts for the moment,

and happiness, my friend, lasts for a lifetime.

-Cap'n Mook

2011-05-31T07:49:00.000+08:00

I have nearly forgotten how beautiful the morning sky is.

-Cap'n Mook

Untitled

2011-05-28T23:16:00.002+08:00

Rarely does beauty, intelligence and humility come together in a single marvelous package. Ai, it is my fortune to watch, my luck to have been at that place, that time. Indeed, Fate is a wonderful worker and we ask ourselves, what if xx had not happened? Where would I be now? I think that if we look back, we have tread on the narrow crest of safety with destruction on either sides of that precarious path.

It has, and still is an honour to me indeed to have known such a person. Think back dear reader, of that people you would be most grateful to have known, and you'd know what I feel. Of course, there are others, but I will dedicate them another day, another time, another post.

-Cap'n Mook

This is for NWG.

Update

2011-05-16T20:04:00.002+08:00

PROGRESS on Project: DEEPBLUE

I've finished The Invisible Kingdom, which documents and gives a brief overview of the microbe universe and taken with a humourous perspective of a microbe. There are a few fascinating topics touched on in there, including bio-films, using viruses to combat cancer(which are essentially cells which have broken loose of the controls and begun reproducing on their own to the detriment of the whole system. And the ultra-cool Sigma Factor. There are also bacterial colonies, how cells attack each other, pass on genes, and evolve. Awesome? You bet. Makes me almost wishful that I had taken Bio. Almost.

PROGRESS on Project: ARDUINO

Brought some breadboards, wires, LEDs, switches. Built my first circuit on switching on and off a LED. Yay. Primitive, but yes. I will advance.

PROGRESS on Project: SYNCBOT

I have switched by to using LabView. It is much easier to program using that. Far far easier. I got my program running under thirty minutes. Plus, it is much more precise. Now on to testing of the accuracy of the NXT system. I suspect my work will take me beyond 12.

I've been thinking. (And away)

2011-05-11T22:40:00.004+08:00

Probably there is no one who comes here to read now. Just as well. Hahah. Anyway, I've been away for months, and I've limited myself to fifteen minutes of recording, so bear with me, future self when you read this, if I don't sound too coherent.

BEGUN on Project: SYNCBOT. I can't tell you the details, but its about simultaneous robotic systems working autonomously together. I finally figured out the code to turn the bot on the spot. It is actually OnFwdSync (x,y,-100). I must also remember to use Stop(B,C) after every command. Ok, now its on the developing the mapping pattern, but this I fear will be rather challenging, seeing that I have a test the day after tomorrow and thus have to study and I have to present my preliminary data on the same day. My bot has also run out of power too. Oh dear.

BEGUN on Project: ARDUINO. This is a personal project of mine to learn about microcontroller programming and possibly use it to construct a bot which allows me to add on modules easily. Examples are ultrasonic sensors, lasers... etc. The nice part is that I can build the robot exactly to my specifications and not be structurally limited. There appears to be a nice robotic set online, Blu Robotic Kit that I might want to check out. It looks quite sleek.

BEGUN on Project: DEEPBLUE. This is another personal project which involves reading about various topics that come my way. This is to develop general knowledge and interest in various fields. For this module(1.1) I will be reading up on Evolution.

COMPLETED: Reading of The Importance of Being Earnest

NetHack

2010-11-29T20:44:00.002+08:00

Ignore what I said about ROGUE - Nethack is the upgraded version.

Primary problems still exist though -> no food.

Bah.

Have you tried Rogue?

2010-11-28T16:15:00.002+08:00

Rogue - A very old game programmed in the 1980s. It is essentially a dungeon crawler stripped down to the bare bones of just the gameplay itself. You use a DOS screen to move your character around(a smiley face) and hit monsters by running into them. So far, I've yet to get past level 12, as this game mimics being literally in a dungeon. Sometimes, there seems to be no way out and you'll have to search all over the cavern you are in to find an escape route, and there is a slight possibility that you may die from starvation, though I have yet to do so. The game can be very unreasonable at times, throwing a Troll at you when you're just a level 5 character and thus, you die. Sometimes you have 30 hit points and still get killed by a miserable snake. So yeah, download it (0.1mb)

- Cap'n Mook

Heart of Darkness

2010-11-24T21:39:00.002+08:00

It is quite a dark book, and it deals with the deeper and more basic impulses of the human soul when the shackles of civilization falls away and there are no rules to limit a person power except his own power against others. It also deals with how we can revert back to ancient practices and superstition when all else falls away from us.

We?

2010-06-05T22:51:00.000+08:00

Teachers, students
are mutually exclusive(They hope?)
When one comes to school,
It hopes not to see the other.

©Cap'n Mook

Men In White

2010-05-31T13:45:00.002+08:00

Well, it wasn't really radical, as one might have hoped, but it is to be expected after all. The authors tempered the words of the other participants in the history of PAP's making with comments so as to tweak it back to the middle ground. But still, some views were not tempered with, like the one where the deputy prime minister(I think?) challenged Lee's position in the party and was removed subsequently. Very intriguing I must say, written so as to keep the reader riveted to the book and its 'plot'. If not for the historical narrative, it could have made a very good political novel.

7.8/10

-Cap'n Mook

PSLE Weightage.

2010-05-21T17:44:00.001+08:00

It was always best to keep silent before your betters.

So I kept my peace during the gatherings upon which we had to complete our long running project, which to this date, and to my strongly held belief that it was never going to finish, but then again, I kept my peace, so no one knew what I thought, and they never did say what they thought, so we continued with the project week after week.

Our group was small, three people in fact, including myself.

The leader was Wei Ti, a boy of lean build and athletically inclined. But despite of the hours spent on the field and open, though he did gain that darker complexion of being out in the sun all day, he did not gain the excessive bodybuilding the others had acquired after shorter times than himself. However, his character was as forceful as the will he displayed on the field, and probably that was why he was the leader.

Li Mei, on the other hand, was the exact opposite of Wei Ti, which was most likely the reason why they both usually worked together, as I suspected, opposites attract. She was fairer, and was blessed with a natural tendency to put people at ease. There was this slow, small smile that she had, and it revealed more than what she said about herself. From what I could glean, she had been and still was, a prolific reader on all manner of subjects, and at any given time, could interject in any conversation with a helpful addition.

Presently, we were at Li Mei's house, and I, quietly tapping away at the computer, nodded from time to time as Wei Ti grumbled about how badly the basketball team played at the recent game last week.

- And no, no pass, just a direct shot, halfway across the court. Halfway across the court! Even an idiot can see that he couldn't have scored. Thank you. Wei Ti finally stopped his ranting when Li Mei came out of the kitchen with two glasses of water, and placed them on the coffee table in the living room which served as our research center on weekends. She sat down on the sofa, opposite to Wei Ti, then shook her head.

Talking about that match again? You've practically been saying the same thing over the whole week. Give it a rest will you?

Yeah yeah. But all I'm saying is that -

As what I said earlier, she said firmly, and Wei Ti finally did shut up, though he still glowered and muttered under his breath. I saw Li Mei shake her head out of the corner of my eye. Boys, she said.

I nodded emphatically, concentrating on the words on the screen.

How is part two coming along?

I shrugged. Which meant that no major troubles had cropped up yet.

Oh yes, speaking of that, did you do the English homework?

Yes. I found it rather interesting.

I heard Wei Ti snort. Then the flipping of pages and then the clink of the cup set onto the glass coffee table.

When have you never did?

A few times, with that -

Okay, that's enough, I don't want to hear any more.

I mean, when have we ever got a chance to write about our education system? I was all against the downgrading of the PSLE mother tongue weightage.

Oh? And I was all for.

You did your work! For once before deadline, she added sarcastically. But still, why?

Well, I always didn't do well for my Chinese subject, and have always struggled. I remember spending an obnoxious quantity of time for that subject which never, and may I emphasize, never, showed any significant improvement despite the effort I put in, and I did everything in my power. I don't see why others have to suffer where I did.

She remained quiet for awhile, seemingly gathering her thoughts, and I realized that for the past four seconds, I had constantly depressed the 'q' button, and now three lines of a string of 'q's had formed. I hastened to delete and continue upon what I had planned to type.

So, this is about you then, struggling? But have you not thought of the other students who struggle in English? Surely they spend the same effort that you have put in and to be discouraged time after time that their results have showed no improvement? Besides, might I add that you are unable to use Mandarin as your first language in the 'O' levels. And correspondingly, English has to be taken into account, no matter F9 or A1. You must concede to my point that those who are strong in their mother tongue, in Mandarin, might already suffer from this handicap and thus, to lower the weightage for mother tongue is to disadvantage these students who are gifted in this aspect, adding too, that we pride ourselves on being a meritocratic society, which means giving everyone an equal opportunity to succeed, and we are only biting the back of our tongue if we chose to give those who incline towards English another unfair advantage.

Unfair? Hardly. English is an essential skill that is needed in this developing world, and it is the medium by which global business is conducted by. Only by placing English as our core priority, will we not lose our competitive edge, and this is reflected in the pragmatic policy of placing English first above all else.

Precisely we are losing our competitive edge as a link between the two great sides of the world, the East - in particular India and China - and the West, must be now enforce mother tongue as our new core priority, as you have termed it.

There was a slight smile on Li Mei's face as she watched Wei Ti struggle with having his own argument twisted and thrown back at him.

You do realise that it is because of this - draconian - policy that have forced families to move away from our country? This is a serious case of loss in talent which we must address and address fast.

Well, encouraging a defeatist mentality is no good way either don't you agree? If these parents wish for their children to have a easier time overseas, it is their choice. Surely you don't think a mere five per cent shift will pull all these families back? No, I believe while this policy plays a part, it is only a small role, as you have neglected to mention. There are other bigger factors at play; better opportunities, preference for another education system other than our country's pressure cooker, incentives and all others. This must be viewed from all sides, and not only from education, for uprooting a whole family to live overseas is no small matter.

You have thought this all out haven't you?

Yes. Thank you.

Another point: I remember my uncle once telling me it was mandatory to pass your mother tongue before you could get admission into a local university and this resulted a quite a large number of local students going overseas for further studies despite their results being quite good for all the other subjects, this matter, I believe, cannot be disputed.

Yes. I agree to a certain extent that it was a little too much to expect of students to be studying at a junior collage level to pass their mother tongue exams. There is up till a certain extent that a language can be taught, and the rest lies in the student and the very basic foundations. That is why it was removed. But for PSLE, it is still at a young age, and teaching can be accomplished, not to say, even at 'O' levels. But will a primary six student slightly weaker in her or his mother tongue go overseas for further studies? Unlikely. The example which you have quote is too far for comparison. Even so, all this noise about talents leaving is rather amusing if you ask me. Talents will excel wherever they are, and if you are really a talent, let us just say that there are ways and means of getting into places.

Wei Ti took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I still support lowering the weightage of mother tongue in PSLE, for it will draw away attention and preoccupation with the marks, but rather, inculcate a deeper interest in the mother tongue itself.

Li Mei laughed, and shook her head. Weak argument Wei. Quite the converse, it will act in a vicious cycle, by lowering the bar this one, we will have to lower it again in the future when mother tongue is deemed again, too difficult and troubling for the current generation. What is lost will be the interest in mother tongue as by lowering the weightage, we are indirectly sending a message to the current generation: oh, we know you don't like your mother tongue, it's okay, we'll not make it so important for you to pass the exams. And what will this encourage? Exams bowing to meet the standards of the students rather than students rising to the challenge. Amusingly, it seems as though many things are topsy-turvy these days, with mandarin teachers expected to make lessons interesting rather than focusing on teaching students the language that is the access card to a whole new world to experience on their own.

At this point of time, she drained her cup and stood up, moving towards the kitchen. Wei Ti massaged his temples, eyes closed, and said. I will formulate an argument when you get back.

She threw a smile back, walking towards the kitchen. Be sure that you do.

(This article first appeared on Facebook)

©Cap'n Mook

A People's History of Science

2010-05-16T12:11:00.002+08:00

Rather readable interesting book. Talks about how ordinary people furthered science in general and not, unlike the popular opinion, the institutions and various other 'Great Men'(Think Newton). While they did advance the theoretical part of science, the physical experimentation always had to be carried out first - Galileo proved that the maximum range for a fired projectile would be when it was 45 degrees from the normal, but this wasn't anything new to the officers at the Vatican Arsenal.

So yeah.

7.9/10

The Physics Anota is Online!

2010-04-23T22:31:00.003+08:00

Your latest guide in a handy pdf file you can store on your phone!

http://www.mediafire.com/?mmm2wjqmzjo

Iphone users should download a pdf reader first. If I am correct, there are some free programs out there.

Contains definitions and equations.

However, do note that this version is a working version and does not cover Electromagnetism, Magnetism, and Electricity. I will add them at some later date. Do email comments to me.

-Cap'n Mook

Water World update one

2010-04-17T21:24:00.002+08:00

This will be what I hope to compete as a short story.

----Water World 1.1--------

His hand scrabbled on the edge, and caught onto a ledge. With a grunt, he hauled himself up.

He stood up, the wind fluttering his waterproof cloak and he sniffed the air. It smelt of a coming rain. He scratched his chin, a stubby growth there, and then hunched back down to his former crouched shape. The wind blew again, and in the distance, he looked very much like a weary traveler bent over with tiredness.

The landscape looked like the others: dozens of old derelicts, once they had color, they were now grey and tired and leaning against each other like unsteady old men. Some lay down, half submerged in the lapping waves, and across it all, a crazy tangled jungle of twisted metal and wires interlaced below the canopy. This was the highest point he sighted from afar, and below stretched blue and grey. He bowed down, and then looked again at the many shattered windows gaping like sharp screaming mouths in the holes of concrete, forever frozen in time. His hand had many cuts from scaling these structures, and was now rougher than before from the many healed streaks there. A gull cried somewhere far away, and he spotted a few circling in the air some distance away. There must be food there.

He slowly made his way back from where he had came from, careful not to cut himself over the many sharp parts that lay casually scattered about. You didn't want to attract the Watermen, nor the Crazies and definitely not the Titans. He nodded, then murmured softly to himself, and felt something bumping reassuringly against his thigh. But then again, even if you did, Nicker here could protect him, and he smiled wanly to himself, and touched the hilt of his sword to as how one might touch an old friend.

Nicker would protect him.

-------

End

©Cap'n Mook

Beginning download, stand by.

2010-04-15T19:40:00.004+08:00

As usual, this year, as I have for every year; I will continue my tradition. However, it seems that this year is harder to copy, but I will see what I can do.

For geog, you might want to look up our text.

_____________________________

SS - wiki would do.

For me, I used three questions:

What is it?

What did it do?

How was it significant to Venice?

Try to change them around a little.

____________________

To be politically correct, please do try out the Chem questions on your own first.

The answers are used at the user's own risk:

D/C/C/A/D/D/B/A/D/D/C/C/B/D/C/B/A/C/A/D/B/B/D/D/C

If there are any disputes, please do contact me.

En Route

2010-04-04T20:58:00.003+08:00

Well. Looks like it is time yet again that I have one of those bouts.

Here we go, knife in hand, cloak on head, into the shadows and the shaw winds.

And there the song goes again in that abandoned house in the middle of a sandstorm in the yellow-orange desert, playing on a old radio on a wound tape, drawing on power it has seemingly saved for such an event, and its weak voice plays on in the roar and surge of the thundering sands of the heat-melted hut.

-Cap'n Mook

Character Sketch: Mr Malory

2010-03-27T13:34:00.004+08:00

Malory always blocks out a fair bit of light when I peer through the peephole, for his appearance and countenance is that of a bouncy ball. Perpetually cheerful and boisterous, he could be a little irritating at times. But he is always blissfully unaware, so child-like in innocence that the irritation fades after a while, and grows again, then fades. This particular cycle it seemed, everyone who had met him was cursed to go through.

He was good for parties, better if the host had a bad estimate of how much food the people would eat. His eating curve was exponential, which was rather useful, for when the others where done and talking, Malory would be making his rounds at the tables, a perpetual terror for restaurants serving buffet lunches. Being cheerful, he never complained, even though there wasn't enough food at a particular gathering, "I can get more varieties in me at other places then." He winked once when somebody asked if the food was enough. To a black hole; it seemed to me at that time a rather silly question to ask.

2010-03-19T18:27:00.002+08:00

Completed:

The Culture of Speed by John Tomlinson

I have many things to say about its readability, and for the fact that it doesn't seem to have been written for the general public in mind. 67.5%

长安乱 - 韩寒

蛮好笑的。可惜最后还是悲剧。故事有些乱，可是也可能因为自己不会读些字。85.5%

2010-03-17T21:46:00.000+08:00

Completed Book: Collapse - Jared Diamond

What do we have 'ere?

2010-02-20T12:11:00.002+08:00

Here. Hmm. I always seem to forget what I want to say once I come online here. Maybe that I'm collecting various mythical creatures for the time being, perhaps to create a lorebook.

Later when I remember.

-Cap'n Mook

Write! One

2010-02-12T21:15:00.001+08:00

Write! One.

On People.

This article assumes that the reader is familiar with the standard nuances of the English language. This article is mainly focused on the first basic steps to getting a piece of fiction up to speed. Of course, I do not claim to have much experience, or much expertise in this field. But still, I wish to share with you, my reader, on how to firstly describe people.

Appearances.

Standard phrase, standard line. SHOW, DON'T TELL.

For example:

He was very strong.

So what? Strong itself does not bring any image to mind. What you want your reader to do is to principally see how is he strong, and that way, you set this very character apart from the others. Use descriptive devices, metaphors, similes, and personification is a good start. You don't have to use excessively flowery language.

For example:

He was well built, a large broad chest and thick logs for limbs.

Now, isn't that better?

Just some simple similes for a start, you drawing parallels with objects that your readers are familiar with. Even the dictionary also contains help. To describe someone as willowy, you bring to mind a tall and slim person, perhaps also suggestive of the movement aspect, where the person moves gracefully as compared to how the drooping leaves of the willow shift in a small breeze. There, with one word, you have already replaced a sentence.

However, vocabulary should be applied accordingly. If you use a word that the readers are unfamiliar with, you've already disrupted the flow of the sentence and thus the story. In some places, short phrases are better than obscure words. Some students overlook this fact and use bombastic words in their essays.

Bombastic: (Of language) Overly pompous words with not much significance.

I like this phrase

"... darkly wise..." - Alexander Pope

Used as a descriptive term, for me, it brings to mind a villain, sitting in a high armchair behind an empty desk set before a flickering fire, the uneven light thrown upon his chiseled features. His palms open and fingers joining each other, with his lips resting upon the tips of his index fingers. And behind those deep set eyes shadowed by the extruding forehead, a great dark mind at work, turning the world over and slowly, very slowly, tearing it apart, thread, by thread.

Powerful isn't it? Even plain language has the ability to create vivid images, and for that, I'm afraid, it is the road that you have to walk on your own.

NEXT: Characterization

-by Cap'n Mook

You all owe me.

2009-12-29T18:08:00.001+08:00

Yes, you all owe me. I want and need my reviews asap. Do it. And that is an order.

-Cap'n

Mass Spam

2009-12-25T10:58:00.002+08:00

Sounds kinda like Mass Effect. But that is not the point.

Don't you dislike those people who take three seconds to craft a message (the standard blah) then select everyone on their contact lists, and send it out. So 342 people got the same message as you. Oh yay.

Look. If you're too lazy to even craft a proper message to wish others a happy whatever, then don't send it. Yes, too little time, yes, too difficult, yes, you're lazy.

Then why in the world send it at all?

If you have too little time, send it to the people who matter and if they do, you could at least spend some time writing a unique message for each one of them. That shows that you care enough.

Too difficult? Again, limit it down to five or six people who really matter.

You're lazy? Worse excuse. Don't waste my time reading your message, there are another 341 people who will read it anyway, so don't send it to me.

For me, I don't do Mass Spam, so yeah, I'm exempted.

-Cap'n

(Oh yeah, you could Mass Spam this along to your contacts?)

Face Off

2009-12-22T10:04:00.002+08:00

Face off your darkest sorrows

Touch the deepest shadows.

Light the torch of hope.

For the end is not nigh.

2009-12-19T09:13:00.002+08:00

Firstly, I want to say: Damn you all.

Not you my dear readers, of course not. Now who am I damning? Well, read on.

From the heart: Damn you, this is MY holiday. And I chose to do what I damn well please. Threaten me will you? Hold a knife to my throat and force my head down? Put a test before me and tell me it'll be counted, and I better study during the holidays?

*A whole string of expletives*

I don't give a damn. You hear me? That is MY rule. This is MY life. I live it MY way. The more you force, the harder I fight. Oh no, yes, I seem to bow, but careful! You do not want to face an enemy who smiles at you.

So this is my holiday, leave me alone. I do not want to be bothered by scores. I will do it, but at my own time. You do not have to rush me, I will do my own rushing. Please, I need the rest.

Thank you.

And if you step on the trap outside of the door, good riddance.

*Spits*

-Cap'n

Currently Busy

2009-12-18T16:23:00.001+08:00

The Captain is currently busy, so I'll not be doing any blogging as of anytime soon.

*Silent night...Holy night...*

Cheerio!

-Cap'n

Lee Wei Ling

2009-12-13T14:26:00.002+08:00

Buy the Sunday papers, if not for the comics section and the pictures of food, then for this author's columns. It shares a life of thoughts and mild lessons to be learnt, yet not being too obvious at times. I sometimes sigh to reach the end.

Go read it, it might invoke something in ye.

-Cap'n

Restablishing connections Captain, stand by.

2009-12-09T11:09:00.002+08:00

Well, firstly, I'll start off by saying that I usually skip articles which I see to have more than 3 strings of numbers.

Why?

Those strings of numbers usually represent to me financial issues - who is going to be investing in what and where...etc(You know the story). Furthermore, those statistics usually announce to the reader that the writer has nothing else to go upon and relies on these numbers to drag up old stories to lengthen the article, else, the essentials would be about two, or one paragraph long.

Next, I'll also avoid articles with lotsa, <<*******>> in them, since they represent a book or a title which I have never read before and the author goes on to say how this book is related to the article itself, which makes it extremely confusing to me as I have never personally read these books.

And so on, so forth, am I making sense so far? No? Good.

-When I think up of something else to write later.

A piece of candy

2009-12-08T17:40:00.004+08:00

The windows were smeared grey with grime. Hummer approached the building quietly, pistol at the ready. There was no telling what might turn up here. Shades perhaps. Maybe the monsters they called Wraiths. There was no telling.

Wraiths. Strange word. He thought as he closed in on the glass displays. There was a strange sense of detachment, with one mind running through the standard procedures of securing a building and checking for any signs of movement at the same time, while another mind was quietly sorting through the data he had accumulated.

The data that they had given him on these creatures were mostly vague recounts. But from sifting and matching the information, he concluded that it was somewhat of a higher species of Shades, the name they gave to the changed humans. Those were easy to eliminate, they made for you directly, not caring for any obstacles in their paths. They weren't like the zombies they showed in the movies though, they didn't make moaning noises, and that made them slightly more efficient. But something disturbing that was they sometimes looked like perfectly normal humans, and that brief indecision of a second worked to their advantage.

Overall though, they were easier than any human targets he had came across.

He looked around for a moment, pausing before the grimy glass. There wasn't any other sound, except his own, hard breathing. Nothing else.

He raised a hand to rub the glass, then stopped before he touched it. Something didn't feel right here. He pulled his hand back, then hesitated for a moment, before moving it forward to its previous position.

The fingers stretched and relaxed. He looked about again. Nothing.

Hummer laid his hand on the glass and rubbed a small circle.

Inside seemed untouched, the items still on their shelves and neatly placed, although they seemed to be gathering dust. He rubbed a bigger circle with his arm and peered into the store. It seemed as though nothing had been moved in four years, or was it five?

He shrugged, it didn't matter. Looking about again, and deciding that picking the lock on the front shutters was too troublesome, he proceeded to smash the window with the butt of his pistol. He snapped back almost immediately when the window shattered, pistol at the ready to shoot anything that might creep up behind him from the noise, but he doubted it. The monsters, much like their cousins, relied on what seemed to be their sense of smell rather than the usual senses, such as light and sound.

Nothing, silence.

He readied his torch in his hand, the other wielding the pistol. Despite the light of the day, the grocery store was sure to be dark. He crossed over the broken, jagged glass and into the shop.

The dust rose, stirred by his feet. It was a thick layer, and that indicated how long this shop had been left empty. Hummer moved around, the beam of light revealing expired items still on the shelves. He stayed away from the refrigerators.

Snacks... Instant food... Drinks... Ah canned foods

He unfolded the small packet that he had carried along. It became a small but strong bag, prefect for storing cans of essential food. He quickly selected a few that didn't seem expired, although everyone knew that the expiry date was just an excuse to throw out food so that you would have to buy more, but he couldn't take any chances on this one. Having a stomachache in the middle of a freezing wasteland wasn't the best of plans.

He zipped up the bag and hoisted it over his shoulders. He stuck back the torch into his belt and gave a last glance about lest he had forgotten anything.

No nothing.

He turned around and headed back for the bright sunlight of the day.

-

And when he shouts 'Teach!', you say, 'How interesting?'

2009-12-04T11:08:00.003+08:00

"And the desire of Singaporeans to master Chinese has grown. Nobody any longer asks, 'What is the point of wasting time on this?''

Obviously this man hasn't been on the ground. Or hasn't heard the cries that I have.

"So in an exam, you can bring an electronic dictionary along and ideally, everybody should have a keyboard rather than have the burden of struggling with the mechanics of memorizing and writing characters by hand.."

Ok, not good. While I support the part about electronic dictionary (YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE LOOKS OF THE CHINA STUDENTS FACES WHEN I SAID THAT WE WERE ALLOWED TO BRING IT INTO EXAMS), I don't really like the part about keyboard.

Why?

Firstly, let me establish that my Chinese is not exactly amazing (Having problems talking in Chinese, disgrace, I know.) but for this point, I am and will be violently fighting against it.

Why?

Firstly, writing the characters by hand is the heart of Chinese language. Look, the han yu pin ying are only placed in to help weaker students like us read the language easier. But take away the writing and hell, what the heck are you testing? The 'mechanics of memorizing and writing by hand' is a part of Chinese. Take that away and why not let us just learn French huh? Or Indian(Another upcoming superpower)?

Look, there is something called Chinese calligraphy, and I'm sure as hell there isn't any English calligraphy.

End of point.

-Mook

Will you look at that.

2009-12-02T12:38:00.002+08:00

Did any of you see what was on Life today? One bit of criticism I'll say. Seeing as how many fans there are for Twilight (I'm only putting this name up so I won't have to always refer to 'THAT STORY') this critic might be or not, headed into trouble.

You can very much rely on common sense nowadays. But it varies. A crowd of screaming teenage girls aren't very much imbued with common sense at the moment, as a crowd of teenagers won't be very much imbued with a sense of consideration for others at the moment. Hey, its the 'ME' generation, you don't expect much of them. Except, of course, to further mess up the world for what I suspect to be the 'WE' generation (seeing as how they would most likely have to work together to survive whatever apocalypse the 'ME' generation creates for them. But that is another story.

Back to Twilight. I laud the author for coming up with a vicious attack on the Twilight movie but no, I will not be sending in an armed squad for his protection. Wise of him too, to not include his email in the column, but I believe his name might be marked down for the blacklist no Twilight fans?

Anyhow, I hope I am very much wrong about this and that Twilight fans are mostly sane, level headed people who are just poorly informed of better vampire writers such as Anne Rice.

Who am I to say?

The Cap'n, thats who!

-Cap'n Mook

Where did they go?

2009-11-30T15:15:00.002+08:00

I'm always curious to find out where all the youngsters have gone these days. Trust me, I've checked from the Fourth Bridge to the Yellow Depths. But they seem nowhere to be found. Even in that newfangled town on the outer reaches... What was that name again? Facebook? It seems as though they aren't there. Plenty of activities there I'll say, but everyone cooped up in their own homes, not out in the streets, talking, walking, and living I'll say. It seems almost a ghost town.

Brr.

-The Cap'n

Thats great.

2009-11-29T19:56:00.002+08:00

After all those years, finally, someone senior owes up to their mistake. But what conclusive fix-up was planned? Only more creative teaching? You've been doing that for 30 years but it doesn't really seem to work does it?

My view, on how we may improve our lingua franca, is that we do not try to be too greedy and stick our hands in two pots at once. Look, I know the policy means well, and I am not protesting for a complete overhaul, but the fact remains: We are not all linguists. Heck, we can barely manage one language, and you demand that we master two? I don't think many will agree that we can master two in a short space of time. And in the end, what do you get? Only a half pot language of each where the world doesn't understand us. And that goes right against the policy's aims.

Perhaps one shouldn't demand. But entice. Make it not a requirement. The minds of students work against their teachers - The more you push them, the more they want to walk the opposite way. Let them discover for themselves, the wonder of each language, and when they push themselves, see them fly.

-Cap'n Mook

Gaming - cause or effect of poor results?

2009-11-28T12:59:00.002+08:00

Today, while reading the papers, I came across this article with the title - 'Long hours on the computer linked to poor results: Poll'

Well, they linked long hours to poor results, that meaning, academic results. But what I found consistently missing in the article and subsequent 'study' was the lack of description of the condition the gamers were in before they were classified as 'addicted'. There is no reason one who spends time on the computer would improve his results if the time spent were playing games. Just as if I tried to read English books to improve my maths. It is a moot point actually, to state that long hours on the computer is linked to poor results. And this brings us to my next point.

Computer games are created to be fun, and through fun, it is to transport the player into an alternate reality with different rules which he must play by to 'win'. Developers consistently seek to create engaging game worlds for the player to escape into. Therefore, games are actually a portal to escape the reality of life, it is true across the board, the sense of immersion only being more or less. It is also true, for many developing manuals, that the developer must 'create an engaging game world to provide a total immersion for the player'.

So establishing that game worlds are fantasies that people may escape to, it can be consistently found that students, those that play these games tend to be of poorer academic results as compared to this counterparts. What is it that draws these students to these games? It is the alternate reality which it provides for these students to escape, even if for a moment, from the stresses of life. To talk about it in the opposite way round, who would buy a game which is harder than life itself? Games are made to be possible for the player to win, and thus feel satisfied. When they are satisfied, most players would continue playing the game for that satisfaction and the cycle repeats. If they do not succeed in real life, they at least my succeed in-game.

Taking an excellent student, he or she, it may be found, will most likely to be found to spend less time on the computer than others. Those that perform well in school have less reason to escape reality if life is fulfilling in itself.

Therefore, gaming is an effect of poor results and not a cause, as much studies claim, for they do no formal report on the student's ability before they start playing games.

(Argument fix up pending)

-Cap'n Mook.

Taking the fight to the enemy!

2009-11-11T09:01:00.002+08:00

Recently, I engaged somebody else on Facebook on a certain topic concerning what was better - Speech or writing. But that was the aftermath. What really sparked me off was what the other person said about writers. Really un-based remarks.

Of course I replied(or this post wouldn't be here) and thus we engaged in a debate which morphed into the aftermath.

But then, he turned to making nasty remarks on the writer(yours truly) on other places of Facebook in places where he knew I would see em'.

An open provocation.

A wiser man would have said, 'Ignore it.' But the allure was too much to resist. I had to take him on.

So here we go. Gather the artillery! Dust the jeeps and roll out the tanks!

We are taking the fight to the enemy!

-Cap'n Mook

Unknown

2009-11-06T18:59:00.001+08:00

Of an unknown beat, a soundless whisper.
Time spun, wound, lost.
Unknown, of what all.
Perhaps the world, that rushes on by.

Lamblasting

2009-10-26T11:58:00.001+08:00

My analysis of writers in Trilingual Digest.

Here, I'll be doing a short commentary on the quality of writing found in the trilingual digest with namely, a few well known writers: ShuLei, Ruth, and Silas. I believe and assume the reader should be familiar with these names.

First up, ShuLei. In essence, this writer has churned out a number of works that are commendable in nature, unfortunately, I can't say the same for her latest one. There are a few points which went unexplained in her writing and a few extra terms, such as 'get' right after the hyphen. It will have made for better reading if she had removed this term, as well as 'It would be quite a pleasant...' The would indicates and impossible choice, and this is clearly not the case, as before, she had already mentioned about stepping outside. There was also a general overdose of advanced terms which saturated the writing and dulled the otherwise powerful impact the rainbow had on the reader. ShuLei, a word for you - Don't waste your paint on everything, for when you reach the main picture, you find that your palette is dry.

Ruth. As compared to the above, it was much more readable but also much less believable. While it took place in a school, the storyline was a fantastic one, and it bears a close resemblance to Twilight. For such a storyline, the background must be developed clearly through the use of stereotypes or otherwise. The author failed miserably in this aspect as she tried to derive an alternate storyline of an invalid suspicion within five pages, which was clearly not enough. Also, there were too many characters introduced within a five page essay and this made for poor characterization of most of them, making the writing seem patchy. The ending was a little feeble too, with the teacher not punishing the students for such an act, even though it wasn't malicious, it will not have been what a real teacher would do and this further alienates the reader from the essay. I will generally discourage students to write fantasy in a modern context as such a storyline would frequently clash with its background without strong development of the environment.

Silas. Now this essay, while with its small errors, is what each student should aim to aspire. Assuming that the writer wrote without aid of any material, it will be one of the 'stand-out' essays from the standard mush of others. He provided a clear context of events that occurred in a informative yet interesting manner by introducing irrelevant titbits from time to time. While he might not have explained some things, ie, how does the joke about four-dimensional objects reinforces the notion that the objects described are four dimensional, it can be overlooked easily by the reader.

There you have it, my analysis of the writers.

Should you want a more in-depth review of this, please contact me.

Moving out

2009-06-23T16:03:00.002+08:00

After a year on the high seas, I've decided to move out.

Yes. Move out of this ole ship so you may drop a post of (Dead) beside it. It has been fun posting answers and other stuff, but I've found my loyalties and they are not on the seas. I may come back once in awhile to touch the rails and to breathe the salty air, but I don't think it'll be anytime soon.

See ya me hearties!

-Captain Mook, over and out.

Answer loophole in Maths!

2009-06-05T11:50:00.002+08:00

Hey people, lucky you that I found another loophole in Heymaths, other than sharing answers of course.

Did you know that the programming is slow enough for you to look at where have you gotten wrong? Of course, this might not be much, however, for the four seconds that it gives you, you may.. Heh, select another answer, quickly scroll down to 'submit test' click on it and score it correct!

And there, my hardworking friends, may you get your answer.

Captainmook.blogspot.com is not liable for any consequences that the user may suffer through use of our answers.

Monster Hunter Freedom 2

2009-05-24T15:58:00.002+08:00

Recently played a game on my PSP called the above. It was recommended to me by a couple of friends and thus, I purchased the game, looking to see what was so addictive about it.

I started slightly turned off by the main menu's graphics: They looked like the menu from an old arcade game. I mean, this was supposed to be quite an advanced game right? Ok, putting the menu aside, I started the game.

Again, turned off. No intuitive controls. For about fifteen minutes, I was stuck in the house, tapping away frustratedly at any key in an attempt to exit the house.

When I finally exited, I was disppointed. I just had a small town, nothing more, to wander about in, seems like the developers threw out all the exploring elements: the town had only the most essential elements, a smithy, a weapons shop, a general supply store. There were no other domestic houses in sight. Even the people were placed there for a specific reason, nobody more, not to mention that they stayed the exact same place.

Seems like they are just there to serve you.

Also, there is an option to go direct to a shop, cutting travel time even more. This totally dropped my suspension of disbelief, that meaning that I wasn't immersed in the game any longer, also, I had to attend a boot camp before even starting on a mission (I didn't know what to do during the missions). I spent about 45 minutes on the boot camp, then went straight into the mission.

Horrible it was, the first mission I tried, I couldn't even kill the monster after two deaths and 45minutes. After that, I gave up. There is nothing else in the game except killing monsters, collecting items and buying stuff. Thats it.

Total score:4.3/10

Final statement: This is a game definately not for the casual gamer.

-Alson

Warfront

2009-05-14T19:10:00.004+08:00

May 14 ~ D-Day

The night held a mist over the dark sea, concealing all. Such that it was that the defenders knew nothing as they chatted over glowing cigarettes, laughing at jokes that had grown old with much use.

The a wave crashed, and it would be long before it would be as clear again.

The metal planks dropped, and squads of men rushed out, yelling battle cries. The defenders jerked to their nerves, dropping their cards, their smokes. Grabbing the guns and loading chains.

The battle of the beachhead had begun.

Streams of bullets streaked across the sandy beach. Men scrambled over those that had came before, firing wildly at the holes which the machine guns poked out from. Those who paused to aim were shredded by unforgiving metal slugs, tearing chunks of living red meat out. The first wave made it to the anti tank defences, but half their number was lost. The second wave landed, but they were not a lucky to have the element of surprise. Many opened to death of the bullets, killing all within the landing craft. Artillery started to whistle overhead, one ship lifted over the crest of a wave, and was blasted to smithereens, men and parts of men flew out in all directions and the remainder of the craft turned over like a dead whale.

But the assault continued.

The first wave rushed forwards. Half of their number were killed the moment they emerged from their hiding places. Bullets ricocheted around the metal structures, turning the entire area into a deadly pinball game. As men rushed forwards, others at their side fell. Those who stopped were killed, those who rushed were shredded. All around, men rallied for a charge, but the missiles of death destroyed those notions, blasting groups to smoking craters and bloodied corpses.

None of the several hundred men of the first wave made it.

The second wave used the first wave as human shields. Men crawled under the shrieking bullets, those who were unlucky were killed. Those who survived died the next second. Men leaned down, picked up corpses and marched forward. The bodies jerked as bullets pounded into them like sweeping waves. But the defenders wised up, and concentrated their fire at those moving dead bodies. Good defence as they were, the bodies couldn't stop the concentrated pinpoints of fire.

The assault stopped.

But slowly slowly, the few random bullets from a few rifles replied to the screaming whail of the machine guns. One suddenly jerked, then leaned over, silenced. Men yelled, then surged forwards. Bombs blew up groups, but they still surged, an unstoppable wave. Something screamed, not a shell, overhead. Men looked up and saw a flight of bombers crossing overhead, carrying their insigna. They cheered, even as their number fell, as one, two, turrets exploded, leaving smoking structures.

There was nothing that could stop them now.

The defenders reconised this, and abandoned their posts, firing wildly back as they retreated. The men captured the beachhead, but at a cost of many of their number. Some died in the boats, some died on the beach, cowering behind inpromptu defences, some died rushing, catching a bullet in the throat, still yelling, gurgling as they died. But some made it, and some would live to tell the tale.

The tale that I tell you now.

-End

-Alson

*My thoughts as we made past the exam days. Great job guys!*

Sparkring: Chapter 6

2009-04-26T16:28:00.003+08:00

"I had no idea," He puffed as he cycled up a particularly steep incline, "That you have grown so heavy."

I twacked him on the head with my free arm before quickly latching back onto his bike lest I fell off. After searching throughhalf of the flat, we were dismayed to find only one bicycle that was still in working condition, or at least, Mich was. Nevertheless, we still set out upon the old and creaking bike, with me sitting sideways on the small platform behind.

"Keep your eyes to the road mister and your mouth shut mister,"I growled, "Or you may find yourself with more than a bruise on the head."

"Seriously..." He said, but continued no more as I made a threatening noise in my troat.

The streets were small and snaking in this area, along with various ups and downs. There were small roads leading off into even smaller roads and narrow alleyways no bigger than for a child to pass through. Sometimes, in those narrower areas, wet clothing were hung out to dry, crisscrossing the above with so many bamboo poles that it almost seemed that they formed a continuous, wet, dripping roof overhead; it was too sometimes I wondered if those clothes ever dried.

However, now we were on one of the 'main roads' or so they called it here, it being no wider than a two way line for cars to pass by each other. It was precarious riding on those roads; with cars zooming past no further out than an extended finger on one side, and a deep drain that could swallow a bicycle whole on the other. It was also too, why we often rode on the roads.

Beyond the deep drains, sometimes with a board lain across parallel to serve as a bridge, were various sleepy storefront houses. These flaking two story houses usually served both as a shop and a house, the first story for being the latter and the second former. Mostly, there was a five foot way leaping from storefront to storefront, mainly for people to traverse. And being set back further into the building, these storefronts were usually shrouded in a veil of shadows, giving it an atmosphere of a secret time long past. Family run coffee shops selling nothing more than a hot breakfast were commonplace here; indeed it was such so that people would flock to certain famous shops for that very special yet simple breakfast of eggs, bread, butter and coffee. Of course, there were also many other shops seeking to ply their trade: from saloons to art centres, whether the glass fronts or an open wall, each had its own special service to offer to each traveller that walked past if they would only glance in the right direction.

"Where to?"

He didn't reply, keeping focused on trying to catch his breath. He gave a final push and we were over the incline. Then, accelerating, we swerved right and down one of those one-way lanes. Cycling for no more than several minutes, he turned left at an intersection and down an incline. A sharp jam right again with me clutching on the bicycle for dear life, he braked suddenly. I crashed into him with a yell and scream and into a confused tangle.

"Can't you ride properly?" I said, rubbing my head after it had cracked against Mich's.

He grinned apologetically, "Can't help it."

I shook my head, then turned towards the building we had stopped at. "So this is the place?"

"Um hmm." Mich replied, righting his bicycle and wheeling it past me. "Come on."

It was and open front shop, except that from the faint smell, I suspected and was proved correct that it was a fish store. Row upon row of blue illuminated tanks, with fishes of assorted shapes and sizes swimming about their turquoise environment. From bulbous goldfishes looking out with their equally big eyes, to tiny tetras in small swarms that went this way and that in perfect corordination, and even a few fresh water lobsters twitching their antenne, there was, what I felt, every single type of fish each in their glorified wonder.

"Well kids?" Someone addressed us as we turned around from watching the fishes.

He was in his fourties, late forties I suspected. Dressed in simple bermudas and a singlet, he came towards us with an easy smile reflecting in his eyes. Not exactly well-built, but good enough to do some heavy lifting when the circumstances needed it; he gave an impression of a laid-back store keeper, more interested in his art than selling it.

"Uncle," Mich addressed anybody who was older than himself as such and this man was probably his father's friend, "My father sends his regards."

"Thank him for me then." He replied, his voice a light merry tone, accepting the tin container. He gave it a wiff, "Congee? Thoughtful."

"Erm, we might have mixed up the other incredients slightly, so..."

He gave a laugh, a pleasant sound it was. "They were going to be mixed up anyway so no worries. I'm not particular about my food." Coming back, he continued, "Well I'm going to have it now, no better time then the present as they say; and if I'm not wrong you might be raring to go off somewhere yes?" He quirked an eyebrow, "Teenagers these days..."

"Not really."

"Then you may wish to browse the shop if you wish", he indicated it with a wave of his hand as he turned his back. Probably off to eat in breakfast in peace.

"Who was he?" I asked Mich quietly as soon as he was out of earshot.

I reckoned wrong however, as he whirled around, eyes glinting with humour.

"What? What poor manners you have boy! Not to introduce me to this young lady." He turned to me, face suddenly serious, "I am the student of four honour rolls, degree holder of Organic Studies, friend of many and a trekker of continents. Which do you want to know me by?"

I paused, at a lost of what to say.

"Or" He continued, a smile playing on his lips, "You can call me Dong, One Hand Dong as they call me around here parts."

Facebook

2009-04-24T19:42:00.002+08:00

Facebook. How that name sullies my tongue. I do not believe what is the hub-dub all about it. It is just another networking site. And what do networking sites hold for me? Networking site = Random useless infomation + time wastage.

Currently, with the new revamp of facebook, they have introduced all sorts of lil thingies that feed you, well, feeds, every other second, every other minute, every other hour, every other hour; if you get my point. I do not want to know what have you scored in blah game, in blah quiz.

Quiz.

Another one of the site's devious creations. Useless tests set to 'test' you on your intelligence on certain specific things. Like DOTA? What character are you? Why the bloody heck do I want to find out? So what if I do? I just don't get the point! I've got better things to do if you ask me.

Again, games.

Granted, the games there are great, so great until some of my friends treat the site as a gaming site rather. Digressing...

I don't see the point of Facebook. Or any other social website. Social is to interact, to interact with fellow human beings. I don't see how comparing results from a certain game or tagging each other's boards help in any interaction. It is just a computer, a stoic screen. I'd prefer the good ole method of verbally, verbally guys, talking if you still remember how is it done. They say it builds it good social network without stepping out of the house. I say seeing is believing.

Friends.

So what if you've got 13024 friends on facebook? Do you know them? Do you know their lives? Can you share your innermost feelings with them? No? Then they are not friends. I've got a small circle of whom I consider friends, less than twenty if you were wondering, but I can share things, little facets of life that you'll never hear or find out on any social website or other.

There. I've said my piece, if you'll excuse me, I'll say Facebook ain't worth your time.

A mark of a successful social being is having a small but true circle of friends. Not having a large army of apes that do nothing to help you when you're in need.

So leave that computer! And venture into the world beyond!

Probability Theory

2009-04-19T20:26:00.002+08:00

In the probability theory, every possible event has a non-negative number between 1 and 0.

For two random events to happen, like for 0.3 for stock market to go down and 0.6 for it to rain, it is 0.3 x 0.6 = 0.18

Therefore, if you want to know two exclusive events happening for the stock market to go up, like a clown striding into the room(0.0004102) and the lights going out for 1 second(0.000032).

Add them up to find out. 0.0004102 + 0.000032 = 0.0004422

2009-04-17T22:09:00.002+08:00

Why these murmured sentences and when I ask, you say nothing?

Why?

Why you you look away when I talk to you? Is it me? Is there something wrong? Why do you just shake your head?

Why?

Is answering me that difficult? Am I a hindrance? Am I annoying? Do you need me to go away?

Please. Just.

Just tell me
-Alson

Sparkring : Chapter 5

2009-04-12T19:35:00.008+08:00

One thing that my uncle and father were similar in was their love for cooking. I had heard vague stories about this coming about as a result from my grandmother being something just short of a legendary cook. While my father tended towards western cooking, my uncle preferred eastern style dishes.

Thus so, when I first stepped out of the room, a wild mix of distinctly Chinese cooking assailed my nose. Making my hair and turning the corner of the corridor, I glimpsed the dining table crammed to the teetering edge with small plates filled with various types of food; half of which I couldn't even start to identify, and the midst of it all, sat a black pot of congee.

My uncle, a stout balding man in his late forties, dressed in a simple garb of a t-shirt and trousers was already halfway out of the door, fitting his left shoe on as he half-hopped, half walked out of the house. "You kids enjoy yourself ok? Just don't let me find firefighters at my gate when I come back."

As casually as he had said that, Mich replied calmly, without missing a beat, "No dad."

"Hmm." And he was out, the door closing gently behind him.

"No homework?" I said as I sild into the chair before Mich. He shrugged, giving a grunt as a reply. "What about the food?" I eyed the massive display before me; I had no doubt that this was some propaganda-ish challenge. I would mention this meal to my father, and he would in turn prepare a meal that would raise a few eyebrows. I was a messenger of sorts I suppose, in this unique style of sibling rivary.

"Pack it up, donate." He paused long enough to reply, then slurped another spoonful into his mouth.

"Ok." I replied, finding no other sources of conversation and ladled myself a bowl of congee.

With about fifteen dishes to choose from and someone used to three or everything piled on a single plate, the myriad was intimidating at best. But seeing Mich randomly picking from a different dish each time with no bias, I tried following his example and soon found out why.

Each dish was a different experience. Out of the four tastes; sour, sweet, bitter and salty, each taste was mixed in a different order to provide each dish with a exceptional taste that was its own, told its own story, whether it was from the cold mountain tops, or the placid fields; each story was like its taste, unique. I tried each one to the other, resetting my taste buds with the plain white congee from time to time. So for the entire breakfast, it was the simple click-clacking of porcelain spoons on similar bowls. Gradually, by the side of which light from the sun streamed into the living room from the balcony, the soft morning light gave way to the harsh mid-morning beams, serving to wake up those who were still lazing in bed.

I finished my meal with a sigh, it being a wonderful trip to the finish. Mich wordlessly took away my bowl to the slushing of water in the kitchen. When he had lost his mother at a young age, Mich quickly learnt the ropes of cleaning and generally keeping the house clean. When other boys were running about with their soccer balls, Mich, as I've heard, would be stuck figuring how to best unblock the toilet's drainage system without causing a devastating flood. To date, the largest event I had participated in cleaning was the sweeping out my room.

But still, I offered my help; and yet on time like a ritual, Mich declined staunchly, stating that I would be of a better help watching the news. To that, I playfully stuck out my tongue at him while he just rolled his eyes.

"Just tell me what happened yesterday will you?" He said, precariously balancing a array of bowls and plates into the kitchen.

"Earthquake, blah blah blah. Turmoil, blah blah blah. Threat of war, blah blah blah." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes, "Honestly, why do you care?"

"Why?" He repeated my question from the kitchen as I moved to the grid-patterned couch, "Knowledge is power."

"This doesn't seem much like knowledge to me." I said, flipping through the newspapers that lay, scattered all over the coffee table. Probably the work of my uncle. "Besides, reading the news will turn your head to mush."

"A quote from your literature text?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued "Actually, it goes by reading about local news, not world news. To know the - "

"Hey yeah. Here's an interesting article." I cut across loudly. While Mich's advice was usually for the better, they were long winded in a way.

I began to recite the article, cutting to the main points and leaving out the statistics, to me, they really weren't relevant. For example, out of a full page article, the statistics could fill up to half to three-quarters of the page. And they were only there for show, I mean who would check up on your numbers? I could just place an extra zero or put in a nine and no one would notice. The main meat was the content.

"Oh, Andrea." He poked his head out through the kitchen doorway as I turned up from the article I was reading, "We will need to do a little walking. Or cycling. Chose." His head disappeared from the doorway and I heard the tapwater being gradually turned off before he emerged again, carrying a tin carrier of sorts. It was devided into various segments, each, I suppose, for storing different kinds of foods to avoid getting them mixed up.

"What do you think?"

He looked at me for a moment, puzzled; then mock-slapped his head "Oh, I forgot who I was talking to. Going against traffic or walking?" He shook his head, "Cycling it is then."

2009-04-12T19:23:00.003+08:00

Hmm... Seems like history is repeating itself in Thailand.

Let us remember last year where the pro-government yellow shirts sat out in Bangkok's international airport, causing distruption in the country's tourism as well as tarnishing its image.

The yellow shirts now seems to have completed that and further.

During the ASEAN summit. Premier Wen Jia Bao had to turn back due to the yellow shirts storming the hotel. Various other leaders also had to be evacuated via helicopter. All this happened while the world's eyes were trained on the summit. For weeks before, the Thailand's prime minister had assured that everything would go well.

Apparently, it didn't.

Now, as I see it, history is going to either repeat itself once over.

Ah well.

(edit: And the yellow shirts have captured an army tank)

-Alson

Sparkring : Chapter 4

2009-04-11T22:13:00.004+08:00

Day 4
Time : 12.42am

We make our way along the side of Black Forest, a plateau with steep sides. As I look out of the window, the mountain falls away from the winding crude path that we are traveling on. The jeep holds up, thankfully, as the wheels beneath me skid slightly as they try to find purchase on the crumbly gravel. Hopefully, as our driver says, we will reach the guesthouse by nightfall.

.

I blinked. The words were blurry and somehow at a strange angle. Then, upon realising it was me who was at a strange angle, I straightened up, pushing my blanket off. I felt around for my torch, a hard round cylinder, found it, and switched it off. It must have burnt through the entire night.

A knock attracted my attention and I looked up, Mich was standing by the door, hand posed for another rap on the open door if need be. "Morning."

"Morn' Mich." I yawned and stretched my cramped muscles luxuriously. The book fell away somewhere beneath the folds of the blanket. For some reason or other, I was slightly surprised to find myself feeling protective over the book as soon as I saw Mich by the door. By most counts, I was generous with my items, a favor returned by Mich. But this time however, I didn't want to share my find with him; not yet anyway.

"Dad," He said, referring to his father and my uncle, "Made breakfast."

I waited expectantly for him to continue, sitting in my current position with my hands folded over each other. Mich made to open his mouth, paused, thought for a moment, then jerked his thumb helplessly towards the kitchen in an indication that I should get going before disappearing from the doorway.

I shook my head. He had been like this for the past few times, getting tongue-tied the first day or two. While I didn't exactly know why, I had a mild suspicion that he had been getting those adrenaline rushes and sweaty palms, translation: He had fallen for some girl.

And without telling me too. I shook my head.

Ah well, there is plenty of time to wheedle it out of him later. Scratching my head, I pulled my grumbling body from the bed and dragged my feet towards the toilet.

A day in time of an endless river.

2009-04-11T21:58:00.002+08:00

After looking through the few other blogs that I linked to, I realised that my blogging is a little under the water. Ah well, my english proficiency isn't that high anyway, all lil' Ben can do is just managing a little primary writing.

Nods to MK: Love the expression, sets your blog away from the rest. Good eye for detail too. I'm sure Ms Foo had told you or will tell you that you'll go far. Yes I'm green. :]

Lan : Watching you. So far so good.

Javier: Noted. Trying to pick on my lil' errors will ya? As a outright defiance to you and the rest of the English literate world, I'll leave it as it is.

Went for CIP today. Fun would be an understatement, since I had two hours of outright insanity of delicious fun. I'm never going to go for another Flag Day again. Never again false smiles and thrusting of metal cups under a pedestrian's nose and utter humiliation!

Nothing much to report. As I'm sitting here with an ancient computer and a scratchy internet connection. While the fan stirs, not lazily, but steadily above me.
-Alson

Sparkring: Chapter 3

2009-04-10T10:50:00.003+08:00

A coin flip.

Heads.

We had spent many a moment in this house, devising various plans and ideas, testing out theories. But it wasn't like that, it wasn't always like that.

When I had first came here, sent by my going-overseas parents, I wasn't pleased. I was old enough to stay in the house by myself, old enough to make my own meals, old enough to clean up after myself; and old enough to hold my own parties it seemed. They made arrangements the night before and before I knew it, I was pushed out of the door and unceremoniously dumped at the front of the door with only my luggage and a threat that if I ran away, I would be grounded for an indefinite amount of days.

The threat worked.

But they didn't leave me without anything though. Armed with the technological marvels of the twentieth century, I had planned to surf my way through the holidays.

However, my laptop crashed on startup, leaving me largely unconnected to the rest of the online world. I had my phone however, but it couldn't compensate for a working laptop. I didn't sleep well that night, listening through four albums of Nine Inch Nails twice and listening to the night sounds of the estate around me. A cat yowing and the cymbal crash of the dustbins echoed the yelling of voices somewhere out in the night as a stale smell of refuse seeped into the room; I huddled tighter, wishing I was someplace else.

I awoke to daylight and the dancing dust. Blinked a little, then registered the strangely familiar shape at the doorway. It said, "Good morning. Up for a bike hike?" before I had fully recognized it for what it was. That was the most significant memory of the first night of I had ever stayed here, the rest blurring into a mixed concoction of various activities, both insane or dangerous and sometimes a mixture of both.

A coin flip.

Tails.

I, under the blanket and in the soft light of my LED torch, opened the tattered cover of the book.

I had found it two days back, jam-hidden in the midst of some other annual reports of companies long gone and forgotten. It had my father's name on it on the bottom left corner, nearly faded, nearly invisible, but I caught sight of it as I jerked the book up from its dusty hiding spot in the attic. The handwriting too, a scrawling of wavy lines, affirmed this. With some pre-flipping, I apparently had discovered my father's journal of his travels; him in his younger days being an avid adventurer.

Paying only the slightest of attention to the soft murmurings of the late-night television outside, I began to read.

Sparkring : Chapter 2

2009-04-09T12:19:00.005+08:00

His room was swept clean; it always was. Sometimes, it just made me wonder if he was human for all the neatness that occupied, dominated, reigned over the room I peeped in. Desks devoid of any loose sheets of paper, books stacked neatly to one side and no trace of any visible stationary. The bed, made to as though no one had slept there the night before. Nothing on the ground except his bag and some other typical stuff that a teenager might own, yet still, were placed in that infinitely neat order that somehow seemed to irritate me mildly.

"What?"

Thump, thump, thump.

Michael struggled with my suitcase behind me. From the doorway to his corridor was about ten, eleven steps; yet he seemed like he had travelled ten metres. To tell the truth, he wasn't any physically gifted hulking teenager. A lanky and awkward one perhaps. A little weird too, considering that his favourite hobby; when he thought no one was looking, was watching the little potted cactus in the balcony grow. But he was fun to be around, with all his quirky ideas and... schemes, never a boring moment.

"Your room, how do you keep it so clean Mich?"

"Erm... well I basically pack up stuff after I finish, you know... the standard. And how many times have I told you not to call me Mich, Andrea? You know how I hate that name... Sounds like midget..." He trailed off as he gave a last despairing shove at the luggage that sat immobile.

"You really are a sorry excuse for a teenager."

"Hey!"

"Oh well, guess I have to move this myself." I grabbed the handle and pulled, the thing moved easily, leaving me to wonder how had Mich managed to struggle with this thing. "Oh yeah, where's uncle?"

"Out. Busy with his work." He replied, following me to the room specially set aside for me during the holidays. It was, as the house had three rooms and two occupants, leaving a guest room, which I claimed after the third visit. So this was offically, my room.

Measuring slightly over five by six, it had a spratan look and feel. A wardrobe, a single plain wooden desk and a bed were all placed in a neat symetrical manner, no doubt the work of Mich, a lover of neatness. Well that was one thing on my list of things-to-do: One, mess up the arrangement of my room.

The walls were whitewashed, making the room seem brighter and bigger than it was, along with a bedside table and my alarm sitting neatly on where I had last left it since I came here, it was kind of cozy I suppose. Over time, I had left things here; a book, a pencil, making it all the more, well, me-like.

I was home.

A math

2009-04-09T10:22:00.000+08:00

A math

M^3=343

47days

8=5^(log58)

none of the above

log497=1/2

x=4 y=36

x=24 y =2

x-5

1989

Chemistry

2009-04-09T09:56:00.001+08:00

As I could not find the rest, here is question one and two workings

1)Mass/Mr = 9.7/(65+32)

=0.1mol

0.1 x 2 = 0.2mol

0.2mol x 24dm^3 = 4.8dm^3

ANS: D

2)Looking at reaction, we would need the mole ratio of 2 to 1

1.0/100=0.01mol

0.01mol x 2 = 0.002mol

0.02mol/1.0mol/dm^3 = 0.02dm^3

= 20cm^3

ANS : B

-Alson

2009-04-09T07:32:00.002+08:00

OK, as of 7.30

Phy - completed, posting of answers -pending

Chem - completed, can't see the chem MCQ

Now - 8.10

Geog completed, answers coming up.

Now - 10

A math -completed

Emath - completed

-Alson

Sparkring : Chapter 1

2009-04-07T21:43:00.003+08:00

My cousin

I rang the doorbell, three long, three short.

It was my special code, mine only. Of course, the internal occupants would certainly know it was me out here. I fidgeted nervously as no sounds of awakening came from within. Behind, a happy scream of a small child carried out through the grills and across the short corridor; five steps away from where I stood. To my left, as I glanced out, beyond the railing, was a view of the swimming pool of the condominium and a couple walking along its still waters. The soft overhead sky cast a deep orange hue over the place; the walls, people, water leaving none in its wake of changing.

Soon, it would be night.

With my boredom, I glanced at a spider spinning its intricate webbing of structures consisting a delicate blend of physics and chemistry. The lines radiated out in... I counted, in six different directions, holding up its own net of lines. I briefly contemplated the possibility of it branching out like a huge silvery tree.

I think it was said that a spider's thread is stronger than a steel wire of the same diameter.

The door unlatched with a creaky click and swung back all the way to reveal Mich in his slight tan and accompanying smile. Unlike the house behind me, his didn’t have grills, probably because of my uncle’s family philosophy of what goes around comes around. There was no need to fear anything if you’ve done nothing wrong, was his favorite phrase to instill into anyone who unfortunately happened to be close by.

Mich pushed the door back further, latching it and turning towards me, that small smile still plastered on his face.

“Hello again, come to stay for the holidays?”

2009-04-06T21:15:00.002+08:00

"Believe it as you will. The Cresendo awaits those who can walk the path."

~The forth line of the Charter.

New prologue coming up. As well as answers on most topics on thursday, just give me some time on the day itself to do the work. Check in at about 9am, the first answers will be here.

-Alson

Codename: Alpha-Tango-Charile

2009-04-03T21:40:00.002+08:00

"Hold."

Ok, wish I could sent a covert operations team with Kang, but hey, apparently, no. I don't have the standard one million to support the team for at least five days. Too bad I suppose.

-Alson

2009-03-30T21:43:00.002+08:00

Erm, yo guys? I believe Earth hour, while a commendable effort, is a wasted one. Yeah, I switched off my lights, cool right? Literally. My air con was running at 16 degrees, awesome yeah! I voted Earth!

Seriously? It doesn't help.

I'm telling you, I save more energy than my whole block by using, or rather, not using air-con alone (My usage is hovering at 4~5 times a year). Hah! In your face, so-called-Earth-advocates!

Ah well, on to other topics.

Did you know that there are some places in Singapore that have parking lots designed for ladies? I mean, wow cool, Girl Power! But do they really help?

There are some reports of people parking into those designated spots. Now, before you go on saying 'kiasu', I want you, as my reader, to muse upon this. Are those designated spots necessary?

In my opinion, no. I reckon that they should change it to family parking lots as with their current method, it kinda makes girls seem weak to need a space set aside just for them. Don't get me wrong, I fully believe that girls are more, and I mean more than, capable to find their own parking lots. Besides, people could always move the barriers away and park there.

Times up. Gotta go.

-Alson

2009-03-22T16:54:00.002+08:00

(Edit: answers are correct apparently I forgot to include the last one)

-Alson

2009-03-19T11:07:00.002+08:00

90% of the blogs I see are about what they ate for last night's dinner. Oh god. Why would anyone want to know what you ate? Oh, that was speaking metamorphically. But seriously? I don't want to know what you did yesterday, or the day before or what are you going to do tomorrow, because chances are, you're going to do the same thing all over again, and again, and again(unless I was your girlfriend or boyfriend that is). What I really want to read, are the interesting facets of your life.

Pictures do well for awhile, but after about the tenth picture; unless you were an extremely good cameraman, which most of the people aren't, it tends to get boring after awhile.

Heck, why am I even posting this. This is getting stupid.

-Alson

(Who will not likely be returning anytime soon due to other pressing concerns, like engaging in intellectual discussions with others)

I-manage

2009-03-18T19:32:00.002+08:00

Hmm. I do suppose i should get a hook up to the blogging ecosphere as I do believe that my blog is rather obscure.

Spring cleaning isn't done yet! I'll have to sweep out those links and get rid of unimportant, random stuff to place in The Treasure Chest.

Oh well, back to work
-Alson

Spring Cleaning!

2009-03-16T12:20:00.001+08:00

I've decided to clean up the links and all that. Rearrrange everything essentially. Hopefully it'll be smoother.

-Alson

If you ain't out to kill, you ain't out to kill...

2009-03-15T16:39:00.002+08:00

Ok, now since its the holidays, I really should take a break, from all that insane studying. Jess says so, my mind says so and my eyes say so. The only problem is that they are not agreeing on how I should rest. One says write more, helps you relax. The other says play more! The last one yells, go sleep! Hmm...

"You are an idiot if you try to be brave in war; for the war is won by those who cower, hide, shoot and live."

So true. In a game, you rush; gun in hand, heart on kill. But hey, Bang! You're dead. Never mind, start all over again.

But is it like that in real life?

Do you get the chance to start all over again? No.

Sit back, stay back, snipe and live. That is the motto of the day.

-Alson

2009-03-11T22:06:00.002+08:00

First off, *Shoots Javier for copying without permission* Direct traffic here goddamn it! OK, on to other stuffs. Of course, nothing much to say as usual, at least, not anything I'm going to tell you as my reader. Its private. Heh.

Let them die in their beds I say.

Half of which, I know of my friends, will not be up before 10am in the mornings. A advantage or disadvantage depending on how you'll look at it. Either way, my plans are play play play! Play until I lie dead infront of my computer. Muhahaha!

Lover of A-math,

Lover of Chemistry,

Lover of English.

What will you love?

-Alson

2009-03-10T21:31:00.003+08:00

The moon. Brilliant tonight.

I wonder are you watching it with me?

I wonder many things you know, on the high seas when the others are sleeping, watching the sea, the sky, the moon, all blending into a single seamless form. The sound of the waves lapping against the brow of the ship, my hand on the oak rail. Listening. The salt of the sec spray marking my lips.

I would use more words, if i could, for the beauty which you wield, but i cannot. A flowing, soft grace of which you walk, your laugh, your smile. That smile. So innocent, yet so beautiful. A flower, a rose.
So many times i've longed to tell you. So many.

But its my fate. Chained to this ship, until destiny complete. So wait for me! Wait for my return! For then, i'll never let you go, never let the tears fall from your eyes. Never again.

I swear.

2009-03-01T14:39:00.002+08:00

Sighed, the wind did.

He puffed softly, a white mist swirling before his lips, then gone; blown into the frigid surrounding air. He trudged through the thick white drifts of snow, drawing his coat tighter about himself. Cold, it ate him, nibbled through the cloak that shadowed him. He tucked the package deeper into his arm.

Nothing, silence on the streets. The snow was falling again; slowly, beautifully, drifting through the lamp lights, landing silently on where they lay, not even a murmur of discontent in their placing. One after another, falling silently.

Glass panels, all facing the streets, had creased their incessant crowing and parading of their merchandise of the day, now, watching, as if in a held breath, of the falling snow. Slowly, slowly, a blanket of whiteness was laid.

He, pushed through, noting nothing except for the thoughts that swirled around in his mind; so much like the snow that did in the physical world. Grey, dull lampposts of the day, turned into a candle of white wax in Mother Nature's caress. Burning softly to light the path of the man that saw, but did not notice; felt, but did not feel. A white landscape of nature's making painted through the dark, cold city.

He sighed, hunching over to drive out the cold. The day had taken its toll, now the night was going to give it back. She held it out, with two hands, but he walked past her without a slightest indication of he had noticed. She sighed, then resided back into the soft shadows that was her enclave, and waited while the snow, like a cloak, drew about her.

He stumbled, catching himself, he straightened up, hoarsely cursing the darkness as he did so. The lamps quavered, but did not give up. It had became a norm for them to be blamed for nearly everything bad that went on in the night. By time, they had gotten used to it.

Maybe, if he had looked closer at what he had thought was a trick of the light, he would have seen her, a dim figure, watching silently from the swirling snow as she had always been.

2009-02-01T00:58:00.002+08:00

So. Seems like i'm back here.

Money, cash?
Relationships, deal?
What is dear to me is walking away from a meeting with a new friend.

Hmm, got to know this girl, 17, or around there.. kinda those self-assured kinds, really nice to talk to. Don't ask me about outward appearance, I'm a little bias right now..
-Alson

2009-01-27T15:27:00.002+08:00

Aye. Time. Seems like there is not enough of it to in around these days. I will update this blog once a week for those who still come here. But no promises. I've my own life to lead too. Hmm, what can i say? Stuff of dreams. Darned ink in the pen is running out again. *mutters darkly*
-Alson

2009-01-25T17:34:00.002+08:00

Lemme see.. Yeah. Raindrops right?
Composer: Alson
Typist: MingKang

RAINDROPS.

A solid gray state of unchanging matter washed across the sky.

It had been like that for the past few days, with only short periods of muted sunlight wavering its way past the grey ceiling. Some places were starting to flood or already flooded. The amount of water was too much for the town’s drainage system to handle.

Taking shelter in a pavilion on a spot of low ground in the park was starting to seem like a bad idea.

“Now what?” my younger brother said, his tone dripping with barely concealed disdain. “Genius?”

I struggled to place my feet in a more comfortable position, for the fact that we were huddle on the small table. The water was already knee deep and it was rising rapidly. Neither of us, I believed, wanted to leave this little island and wade out into the rain. On the other hand, staying here until the sea of water resided was not a sustainable idea too, not with a cranky brother trying to push you off the table and into the water.

I growled and placed my feet where I had taken them from, after finding no suitable area to rest them on. To my annoyance, that space was already occupied by Jin’s hand. “Move aside.”

“Not until you tell me what you plan to do. Not sitting here like an idiot, I – ow!” Apparently, sharp stamp with my heel was all that I needed to persuade him into silence and shift his hand away, albeit with him muttering threats of some horrible retribution that I would certainly suffer once we were ‘out of here’.

To tell the truth, I had absolutely no idea how we were going to extricate ourselves from this mess. Being the elder as I was, however, I was obliged to do something.

And something was what I did.

“We’re going to sit out the rain and see how it goes.”

“Brilliant idea Diane! Now, why did I think of that? Hmm…” Jin pretended to ponder for a moment, “PROBABLY BECAUSE THE WATER IS ABOUT TO ENGULF THE TABLE!?”

The yell, or scream, or what one decided to call it, ended on a high note and the murky water submerged the last traces of the chair I had been resting my shoes on. I snatched them away hurriedly, not wanting to become wetter than they already were. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jin doing the same; probably the cause of the high-pitched whine.

I probably should have noticed the mud on the seats when we first came in, but then again, could you really have blamed me? The rain was already falling hard at that time, each meteor crashing painfully on exposed skin. A gift from the heavens, I thought sarcastically.

“Diane! Your shoes –“

I snapped around immediately, expecting to see one of my articles floating, or sinking, into the murky depths that surrounded us.

“– Are wetting my shorts!”

So that was what he had called me for. By now, I was quite ready to slam one of my dirty, wet, maybe slightly smelly shoes into my moaning brother’s face.

A brilliant flash. A bolt of pure energy.The deafening crack of the whip came, nearly simultaneously with its physical partner.

Jin jumped, as high as I ever saw him go.

He is one of the few brave souls whom I know to be able to stay in a supposedly haunted house alone for a night just to get the kick out of it. There were only two things he feared, namely fruits with seeds (because he had choked on one when he was younger) and lightning.There was no particular reason to fear lightning. Reason and logic dictated that the only time one should fear it was when one was the tallest object for miles around.

But fear did not need a reason. Nor logic. You just felt it, that urge to run, move, cower. I smelt his fear wafting from him, betraying his innermost thoughts. The loss of his pompous attitude was immediate as his hand found my wrist. It was sweaty.

“Dy?” Jin uses ‘Dy’ whenever he wanted a favour from me or an intimate talk.“Yes?” I replied.

“My friend says that lightning can travel through water. Can it?”

I glanced at him. His small and now frightened face. I sometimes could forget that he was only eleven, a year’s time and he would be learning about electricity.
But young as he was, I did not wish to burden him with thoughts of electrons and protons.

“Dy? It… It can’t hit us here, right?”

I looked into his face, suddenly tired. I could, of course, take my revenge by scaring him. But then, the thought passed only with the brightest of moments; it being slammed to oblivion by the greater, damned sense of sisterly duty.

“No Jin, it can’t.”

-End

2009-01-23T22:10:00.001+08:00

One of the blessed,
Death of the rest.
Power of a thousand,
Wielded in one.

Upcoming, one of my works: Raindrops. Kindly typed out by Ming kang.

2009-01-18T10:13:00.002+08:00

Cackle.. Could anyone have thought. Fear of skin. Roll over to javier's blog if ya don't know what i'm talking about. Skin? Man, so you're gonna scratch yourself till you have no skin left? What about the fear of gravity? Now that just seems pure weird. How can you fear something which has an effect everywhere? I suppose it is the fear of falling objects(javier, error..). Heck, i'll fear falling objects as well, who doesn't? Sheesh.. But mayhap it be a fear of an object falling, like if i dropped a pen from waist level. (come to think of it, i'll dear dropping my pen too, cause it would mean a dollar wasted if the pen choose so to land on its nib)

We all have a fear of something. Time to conquer it.

Noo! Don't drop it! Agh..
-Alson

2009-01-17T09:17:00.003+08:00

Think not of the future,

Waste not the time,

Time waits for no tide

waits for no man.

Friends come and go,

Family will leave you so.

The one who will only be there for you

will only be yourself.

-Alson

2009-01-16T18:14:00.006+08:00

In the darkness shadows lurk,
paths of darkness, overhanging.
Twine, ivy and stone. Slashes, cuts, trips.
Blood.

But push yourself up again.
Never regret, never fear.

For what doesn't kill you,

Makes you stronger.

-Alson

In the light, the guiding sphere,
one you shall see, one you shall follow,
from the screaming knifes in the darkness below.

2009-01-15T21:13:00.002+08:00

"Believe not in the power of tears, for they work not."

Saying so, why do we cry? Its because of frustration.

We get frustrated as we can't do something, or anything. We would very much want to do it, but everytime we try, we are denied. Think, about those times you cried, they have the root of frustration do they not? Thus so, comes them tears.
-Alson

"..there is no such thing as no time, its because you do not have it as a priority"

2009-01-08T21:55:00.002+08:00

Well, I suppose with the school starting up and all, I really shouldn't have much time blogging, but yes, today i managed to complete early and thus am able to do this, although I suspect it would not be before long that I log off.

The workload is showing signs of a sudden increase, although the teachers are nice enough not to demolish our spirits so soon. Like Gaza. Hell, with all those missiles flying here and there, who's gonna profit? No one, game theory my friends. The more you bash the serpant, the more heads it grows to bite you back. Nor shooting into another's territory and potentially cutting off your food supplies. No, if everyone sat down and started talking like civilised people should, then maybe the conflict would be solved won't it? No, if you start to slap me, man, I'll slap you back. In the end, those two would look like children with puffed up cheeks, each not better than before.

Humanity is such an interesting specimen to study don't you think?

-Alson

2009-01-06T21:07:00.002+08:00

A little about myself. Hectic days, aye, not a one that is wasted. Time waits naught for man, nay, it runs, always faster that we can catch it. Like a shadow, no matter how hard or fast we run, it will still escape our grasp. But say, if you slow down. Yes! Slow down, it will too, slow down. Friend, slow down and see the sights and time will too.

-Alson

Have people no time anymore?

2009-01-04T22:39:00.002+08:00

Just a moment ago, i awoke to a dream. Not a nasty one, nor a particularly nice one either. But what happened later was what that triggered this post.

I logged onto msn, meaning to speak to someone about my rather illogical dream. Surprise, surprise, i found my helmsman there. However, after a quick chat, he promptly went back to his game and placed a 'busy' sign above his head. I was left wondering what i had said wrong. What i'm trying to say here is that has technology progressed till a stage where we have barely enough time to talk to people whom we consider friends? Or is it just that people are just too easily distracted? Often, i find myself comparing people to Sparky. She has scant little distractions, except writing, but still, she takes up time to talk to me about anything under the sun, from cat hair, to video games. Also, she never uses video games as an excuse to escape a conversation. Or anything for that matter, our conversations are never forced and are long and varied. Aye, comparing her again..

I need a journal.
-Alson.

2009-01-01T17:00:00.001+08:00

Sigh. I'm letting this blog die quietly. May you, be guided by your compass.
-Alson

2008-12-31T17:57:00.003+08:00

Hmm, with the new year, we have, note: have to give thanks for everything we had.. blah blah...

Well... Lets say I'm very, very thankful for all the great friends I've garnered..Yuking for one.. Helped me lots! Thanks! As well as Sparky. Who shared with me nearly everything. One year older. One year wiser, and as I and Sparky put it, "one year closer to our deaths"

May the light shine forever!

-Alson

2008-12-29T09:42:00.002+08:00

Forgiveness. That is what i would want to speak about today.

If one holds a grudge, it is akin to holding a hot stone with the purpose of throwing it. But in the end. You get hurt. I think that is why most religions preach forgiveness. Because it is one of the more powerful aspects in life we can wield. After love and hope. I think forgiveness stems from love but it may not be necessarily so.

One who grasps these mentioned values and holds them close to the heart are one of the few naive and weak people you will meet in life. But you will also find these people innocent and never falling. For with these values. You will overcome the hardest of hits, pass the darkest of nights and still manage to find your feet even after crawling out of the deepest of pits. Find these people.

And cherish them, no matter if it was a five minute meeting or a lifelong friendship.
-Alson

2008-12-25T22:51:00.004+08:00

This is to Liz.

Why put 'him'? Why not just put down my name? I'm tired of your childish ways of thinking. You never did cherish anyone. Why sully me? Calling me dumb? Why not take a look in the mirror? I did you no wrong, in fact, had even helped you in the past. I admit, i have to thank you though, for teaching me that people to the likes of you, no matter how smart or influential you foolishly believe yourself to be, you'll never gain any friends who would open their hearts to you.

You bitch and whine about your own problems. But you never think of other's. The universe, your little world which you live in, does not revolve around you. Of course, the message might not get through, considering how self-centred you are.

Have you considered what were those 'small' problems are? Of course, the high and uppity miss won't dirty her hands with considering others would she? She's too high for that.

Pity, i am too, fool enough to invest in something that will always bite me back. But at least i've learnt something.
-Alson

2008-12-21T20:22:00.002+08:00

Oh man, just found out that Sparky would be staying for the entire week. Just entered into a collaboration with her. Hopefully, everything will turn out great.

Also I have gotten my PSP! Yay! Playing FFT(Final Fantasy Tactics) now and seriously? I'm only beginning the game and have so far spent up to four hours I think. Great games such as this should be banned as they waste too much of one's life away...

-Alson

2008-12-19T16:04:00.003+08:00

In the darkest of nights,

the shadows leap,

the chanting sounds,

And monsters rise

-Alson

Yawn.. The afternoon... is warm and fuzzy.. I want to sleep.. Right... Sparky comes online this weekend! Whoot! Christmas is coming! Bigger Whoot! Yawn...

-Alson

A letter to Santa

2008-12-18T22:42:00.002+08:00

Dear Santa,

How are you? Well, i know i'm not really qualified to request for a present and all that because i've been mouthing off my math teacher.. But how about if i request a present for someone else?

Well, I do hope that you get yourself a GSM 2000 Nitch and Lite rocket powered boots(You know, the ones that the military uses but never tells anyone). They are really zippy and will get you round the world in seconds(Very useful too for delivering presents through the windows of HDB flats). Oh yes, i sincerely apologise for the lack of any lack of parking lots on christmas night because singapore is a very small place you see?

But if you do manage to find one, i have enclosed a weekend parking ticket just for your sleigh(so you don't have to waste time and breath cursing the samman auntie).

Oh, yes, just in case, i have too enclosed a empty cashcard and a cashcard reader just in case you run into any erp gantries that might still be open during that time to 'ease' traffic congestion. Just remember to top it up. I heard that got samman if you drive.. Wait, fly through the gantry without a loaded cashcard.

Merry christmas!
-Javier and Alson

2008-12-18T08:58:00.002+08:00

I'm starting to hate messenger now.. The loading never starts. I have waited even until the connection to the server was timed out. Ok, on to other things.

Yes! Finished my first work of fiction! Finally.. Now, its in its editing stage. Some of it reads awkwardly so yeah. Need some work on my vocabulary and grammar.

Well. On to work! Part two here i come!
-Alson

The guy-gal theorem

2008-12-17T08:46:00.003+08:00

Been sitting round my head a little. Thought i should post it.

Guys, try to understand gals. Of course, they usually fail.
=
When they do, they usually lose the upper hand in arguing.
=
Thus, when the rule 'if ya can't beat them, join em' comes into play.
=
Therefore, guys tend to agree with girls on everything.
=
Hence, the rule 'she is always right' is true.

-Alson

2008-12-16T08:30:00.003+08:00

Had a rather engaging talk with a girl yesterday(yeah. Wow. I seem to be talking about girls nowadays..) well.. I wondered if our lives. What is it there for? What do we live for? The biological cycle dictates that our lives are just for the continuation of the species. But.. Humans have developed conscious thought(along with it thousands of problems). Thought that is not driven by need. Surely our lives are supposed to have some other purpose.

Once, i have read that our bodies which we view as a singularity(me), is actually many different cells, billions upon trillions of these small items, each without its own purpose other than the one it was created to serve. All of which are connected in so intricate a manner, that we actually view ourselves as a whole rather than a collective of sorts.

So what is our purpose? Mankind has created so many things to connect himself to the rest of the world. Is our purpose that one of we find faster and better ways we might connect each other? Might we all be, one day, lose our individuality as nations and merge to form one pangea? Maybe, maybe not. This is but a simple statement that which would allow you to build your own theories upon.

Would you control your destiny?
-Alson

Back

2008-12-15T14:04:00.002+08:00

ok. Back from my foray into cameron. Basically, the trip was slightly better than boring mainly because of my cheery tour guide, who, if he was not there, it would have been horrible. Many shopping trips into various supermarts. All of which sell only food. Oh. Speaking on food, the meals there, which i would mean lunch and dinner, were awfully much. Too many things. View wasn't bad, nor good. Mostly, my seat faced the wall of the mountain. Much to my disgust.

It set me thinking though. What are you grateful for? For one, i am grateful for having great pals, a wired city(it gets awkward sometimes when speaking of new things to Sparky.) and a hobby which helps me in life.

What are you grateful for?
-Alson

2008-12-10T17:37:00.002+08:00

I hate going overseas. Now, I'm potentially going to a place which has no entertainment, null, zero, empty, devoid, nothing. How many other words I can find for boring you say? Bah humbug.

As you can see, there are a few changes to the duty roster. With Yuking taking over the cooking, navigations, lookout and cleaning while I and my first mate finish this round of drinks and cards eh? Oh sailing through the mighty sea without a licence... Yo ho ho a pirate life's for me!

Ok, on the more serious topics. Well, I have been up and typing the entire day, maybe thats why my back hurts. I think I found a new artist. X-Ray Dog, go for it.

-Alson

2008-12-09T20:31:00.002+08:00

These days guys. Working on a new piece of work, so many things i could have wasted your time on. Or entertained you. But to my dear reader, you. I am, or will not be posting anytime soon for this work requires my outmost attention. I have but only three days to work on it as i am going overseas. Sparky must get the work before I leave.
-Alson

2008-12-08T08:46:00.002+08:00

Dudes. So sorry for the late posting. Well, this weekend has been a blast for me. However, what i wondered was where had all the everyone gone? My entire contact list has virtually been empty. And i expected it to be throbbing with energy..

Firstly, i thought about activities, such as ccas and immediately decided against it. The day which i had wondered was on sunday, and the ccas dont operate on the weekends. At not more than one time, my friend, i had only a maximum of six on my contact list.

The next thought was work. I mean, those kids foolishly signed themselves up for work and a reasonable number of them should be at work yes? No. If i am correct, only four work in the mornings, most of the others do night work.

I scratched my head a little and sat there for a moment. Then another flash of inspiration caught me. Teenagers are night dwellers! So? You say, well, i am one of the rare few (self praise) who can manage to wake up before 11. (I slept at 12.30 last night) obviously it was too early for the rest! Surely that would have solved my question? Ah. No.

Problem was that i am nearly continuously on throughout the day(yeah right). Well, most of the times, but that did not exceed the amount of six. Although there was this one time at night i managed to see eight online at once.

All that and still no? Well, they could be bored and not log on. But it seems like not the case. During term hours i have more people online(although its not relevant to mention 85% are usually frantically asking for solutions to answers on the day's homework). Well then, i chanced upon the most fantastic idea that i have came up with so far.

Could the above all be combined? Surely that will make up the numbers. And yes, that does make up the numbers. Most of it anyway..(some might have blocked me for all i know)

But i'm not that annoying...

Am i?
-Alson

The hundredth post

2008-12-06T16:32:00.002+08:00

Today Sparky came online and unsurprisingly, i found it hard to do anything else. No offence guys, and gals. But she only comes online during weekends and well.. You understand.

Many a time I have laughed but didn't put 'lol' or 'haha' cause there were simply too smany times i giggled over here.

Well.. Nothing much today. Again. Unless you count eating a plain congee. With olive and salted fish. Urgh. I like olive myself but the salted fish.. It was too salty.

I have no idea what people see in desperate housewifes. Its just another household politics show. If you know what pulls people to it, hell, just leave a message why.

Lobby (my freshwater crustasion) managed to lift himself nearly all the way up the tank. Don't underestimate these creatures. One even managed to escape in the past. Heh. Explains the lines of water i found in the living room after it escaped.
-Alson

2008-12-04T13:39:00.003+08:00

Here i am. Sitting through the rain. A slight breeze blows by me, ruffling my clothes, bringing with it a kiss of calmness in the midst of the chaotic rumble of the thunder.

Here i am. Sitting in a corner of the house. Fiddling with my phone, feeling the cooling sigh of the wind that passes me. Listening to the patter of the rain.

You say we are done. Finished. But you left without saying why. As i lean in this corner, something is pressing into my back, but that is minuscule compared to the sharp ache that i am feeling now.

You are mean. You know that? Capturing my heart in a single glance. So many silly things i did, just for your attention. Your smile.

So beautiful. As you always were. Many a time i paused my steps outside the music room. Hearing you play. Notes.. Scales. Cruel ones, each only serving to draw the unwitting in. Suffice to say, i was hopelessly attracted to you.

Would the rain stop? What do you think? Funny as it seems but rain has the same numbers as pain. 7246.

They say time never waits. But for you girl, I'll stop time itself. I've never said these three words before to anybody you know? But then again, they were only reserved for you.

I love you.
-Alson

2008-12-04T09:41:00.001+08:00

Early and gaming.

Bah. Nothing much except that I managed to waste a considerable amount of resources. One more day till Sparky. Not sure if mom will come back..

Nobody is online in messanger.. I wonder... Watching Transformers. As you already know, I watch nearly everything. Its ok, but I've watched it before. So no surprises.

Bah. I dont have to water my plant. Its been recycling water. Like Earth. Continuing on my story writing. And getting hungry, wonder what time mom will be home?

Minibond series, I guess you all should have seen this? Well, I don't think its anyone's fault, since they also had no prediction that the market would fall so fast. But its sad for everyone, since humans would pin the blame on the banks. And the banks lose money, and there is a credit crunch since everybody is afraid to pass money around since they are afraid of going bankrupt too.

I think PSLE should not be so commercialised, people giving their children the best, yes, but so what? You're just hard-training them.. No use apparently, when they go out to work.

-Alson

2008-12-03T21:53:00.003+08:00

Finished The Amethyst Road. Quite... an interesting read. Considering its about a girl and a guy traveling on a road. Discovering who they really are. It twists quite predictably. Probably came from reading too much novels, maybe thats why it didn't surprise me. Much. But still, since I control my

I would recommend you to pick it up if you have nothing much to do.

Rating :3.5/5

Argh. Sparky REALLY does only come online during weekends.. Man, my source of amusement. Gone.. That girl is a testimony to how witty one can be. Looking forward to her being online.

My hamster is extremely cute. It, he, curls up in a foetal position when sleeping. A round, living, furry ball of cuteness. :]

-Alson

Lost One

2008-12-02T14:18:00.004+08:00

Well, the captain would like to say that kuay chap requires a huge amount of skill to eat. Stupid...*Noodles slip down* Chopsticks.. Also, one, if eating in a group. Has to have a quick mind, and an even quicker hand if one is to eat most of the other incredients.

Found an old friend yesterday. Then lost her. Apparently, she isn't the girl that I had known from the past. She had... changed. It's extremely sad, she was one of the more active and outgoing ones. But I think now, she has overstepped the line between good taste and pure wildness.

In life. We lose some, we gain some. I only wish that I knew what to do..

On a lighter tone, my parsley that i had not yet cooked, after putting it in a bottle of water. I'm glad to say I've given it a new lease of life. I like plants. Easy to grow and fulfilling. The chili plant i had before, died due to some insects. Oh, i too, have a terrianium which i tried to grow chili plants in(silly me) which failed and now houses algae and suprisingly, a colony of small, white insects which only came after the algae. Blessing in disguise huh?

-Alson

How to Better your English Essays!

2008-12-01T19:06:00.002+08:00

Aye, the promised land.. I mean guide.

One: Always use proper English.

Not everywhere, but at most places, like on your blog, try to practice using proper English, that why, your blog will seem more professional and its liable to draw in other people than your usual viewers.

Two: Characters

Oh please. So many essays I've read. None, absolutely none, of your characters seem real. Make them real. Give them a human edge, nobody likes a perfect character. At least, not me. Shape their personailities. I don't know why some essays are given 21/30 when their characters are so weak. I just have no idea.

Three: Believable Plots

There is where you all, mostly fail. Plots that are solid are more likely to score higher than those are not. Use your brains, and ask yourself, is it believable? Can the event happen according to the circumstances? No? Tear it all up and start rewriting. That is the only way to be better.

-Alson

Earning cash?!

2008-12-01T16:09:00.003+08:00

Man, looks like whenever its the holidays = Ways to make cash. Or, WTMC. I feel that this is laughable. When kids try to sell clothes I mean. Its laughable at best, commendable at worse.

Argh, first mate took a vacation, mopping the floor of this deck here is backbreaking, now that I am doing it. Cleaning three rooms with their various knick-nacks is a feat in its own right. I deserve a medal!

Thousand curses! I still have to work out the Bit Torrent! I can't do it. I JUST CAN'T DO IT! All that talk about opening your floodgates for the torrent to work... Curses..

Just got news that my PSP is... Denied. What the... Seems like its a lil too expensive but as I always say, can't get something good if you dont sink in the money first.

-Alson