Emo.

5 for Language Arts results in emo.

What else can you expect?

At least I got 7 for Geog.

Dreaming

The Space Race was between the two greatest superpowers of their time - the ever-present USA and the now-defunct USSR. The race between them catalyzed some of the greatest endeavors in the history of mankind, and within the short period of 1957 - 1975 made great leaps of into the realm of space exploration. It really is quite remarkable - the achievements accomplished by these two superpowers is laudable. Indeed, look at the short time in which the human race managed to accomplish the seemingly impossible.

Oct 4, 1957 - First satellite (Sputnik 1) into space

Nov 3, 1957 - First animal into space (the dog Laika)

Dec 18, 1958 - First communications satellite

Jan 2, 1959 - First rocket to achieve escape velocity + detection of the solar winds

Aug 7, 1959 - First photograph of Earth from orbit

Sep 13, 1959 - First impact on another celestial body (Luna 2 on the Moon)

Oct 4, 1959 - First pictures from the far side of the Moon

Aug 16, 1960 - First plants/animals to return alive from space (Sputnik 5)

Within the span of three short years, scientists from both countries had, together, had managed to progress from spaceflight into the ability to sustain life in orbit - note that this period is shorter than our Secondary School life. It is the advancements in the next decade or so, however, that truly amazes me.

Apr 21, 1961 - First man into space (Yuri Gagarin)

Dec 14, 1962 - Interplanetary flight (Mariner 2 flyby of Venus)

Jun 16, 1963 - First woman into space

Aug 19, 1964 - First geostationary satellite

Mar 18, 1965 - First extra-vehicular activity

Jul 14, 1965 - First flyby of Mars by Mariner 4

Within the next 5 years, we somehow managed to achieve interplanetary flight - that's shorter than my entire life in a particular institution known as ACS. Our ability to traverse space, of course, did not stop there - 1969 saw the famous lunar landing, while the USSR still kept sending probes such as the Venera and Vega missions to Venus as well as improving space station technology. The USA, on the other hand, concentrated on designing re-usable launch vehicles and manned flights.

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So what does this have to do with anything? Well, just take a look at the 2000 - 2009 period. Virtually nothing has gone into space since the start of the new millenia. NASA has only been in the news for things such as the 2004 disaster and whenever they get budget cuts to fund the Afghan Wars.

Okay, so what am I trying to say? Perhaps I am just a little bitter about having my dreams of space travel and space flight fade into nothingness before my very eyes. What happened to our desire to cross the stars? What happened to our drive to explore new worlds, to break through the final frontier? Alas, the people around me do not share these desires. They are more interested in the latest winner of American Idol and books such as Twilight, or about studying for their IB Exams. Indeed, the people I feel sorry for the most are those who study to answer questions - those who refuse to move beyond the syllabus. Where is their desire for knowledge? Though I try, I cannot answer that question.

"Some look at the things that are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" - George Bernard Shaw

Clearly, priorities need to be set out clearly here. Note that I am not condemning activities other than space travel - indeed, I have great respect for some of the professions that my friends are aspiring to - Psychology, Particle Physics, Doctors - all are noble professions - perhaps even more so than my own. Indeed, I have great respect for doctors and those who help the poor and needy - human geography has taught me that much. Of biologists and researchers in the laboratory I am a little more cautious - but I still respect them for what they do. Even students of literature, which I find a most detestable subject...I like to think that I feel something for them as well.

"I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he is not fit to live" - Martin Luther King Jr.

Unfortunately, there are quite a number who do not share the same ideals. Indeed, I find that people have a chronic lack of knowledge - almost a crime in this world were knowledge is so easily accessible. It leaves me greatly disheartened, and perhaps slightly worried about the state of the world in the generations to come. Some people have never heard of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov or Greg Bear (although this I can understand...to a certain extent). Some people don't know where Cairo is. Some people question why we should go to other planets in the first place...and perhaps what worries me the most is that people ask me why I read stories - after all, they aren't true.

"Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air: they are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau

Admittedly, I am being biased. Perhaps I am forcing my own principles upon others. After all, I am not well-versed in pop culture today - if someone were to ask me, I wouldn't be able to tell you who Ellen Degeneres is, who last won American Idol, or what the latest trend in fashion is. Indeed, I have often been mocked for my taste in music, which can only be described as "My Dad's Generation". I confess that much of the supposedly "good music" holds no attraction for me. I admit that I do not see why anyone would want to know whether Adam Lambert is gay, or about Ris Low and status of her beauty pageant. The thought, in fact, disgusts me.

"Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real." - Tupac Shakur

But truly...I feel that our world has forgotten how to dream. People do not see the need to explore, do not find satisfaction in doing more than they ought to. Perhaps it is just this small little city, on this small little island. Perhaps the strains of a capitalist lifestyle has crushed our dreams underfoot - smothered them in a world were results, power and money trump all. Indeed, how many people dreamed of becoming astronauts? How many people have dreamed of being writers, marine biologists or other bombastic professions that one must have harbored in their youth? How many people have dreamed of walking on the moon, of climbing the greatest heights, or exploring the deepest depths? How many still do that today?

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage the pursue them" - Walt Disney

I am truly thankful of the opportunities given to me. Though there is still much that I want, all my needs have been provided for - a good education, a world where information is easily accessible, and great friends who will forever encourage me in their own special ways. After all - great dreams mean nothing if there is no one to share them with. Let me end this with a quote from the author of one of my favorite books - a little gem called "The Little Prince". It is almost a children's story, and though you might have excuses about not having enough time to read Asimov, at least read this short story by Antoine de Saint Exupery.

"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." - Antoine de Saint Exupery

Exams are over. Time to start studying.

Phew! Exams are over, people! Technically they were over nearly 48 hours ago, but hey, who cares man. Certainly not I - mostly because the exams didn't really feel like exams in the first place, plus I didn't actually study for these so...whatever, I'm just happy that exams are over, because that's how I'm supposed to feel when exams are over.

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That said, there are quite a few customary things that must be done after exams end. Unfortunately, the titular exams being the Prelims restrict the possible options. After all, despite the fact that most of us (save for the unlucky ones) are 18, boozing, partying and all other synonymous activities are not really an option because of the fact that we only really have one month left before our real exams.

Putting things into perspective, we have approximately 40 days left, and considering we sleep about 5 hours a day (worse for me because my body functions at a minimum of 7 hours of sleep), we have...let's see...570 hours left. Also considering about an hour for meals (which is really an underestimation) and we have 540 hours. Also considering that we spent about 5-6 hours in school, of which perhaps 4 are actually productive, we waste another 1 hour until the 15th of October, which is lets see...oh forget it, about 2 weeks away. Now, we have about 700 hours left, rounding to the nearest hundred. Since we all have 5 subjects (except for you poor souls who have a 3rd language), that limits us to 140 hours per subject. Which is effectively 5 days per subject. And note that this doesn't even include screwing around, trips to the arcade. OH JOY.

So. Screwed.

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Okay, now that we've killed our egos a la Siddhartha via the limited hours of studying we have left, let's move on to something more...exciting? No, that's not the word umm...oh forget it, I can't think of anything to describe it.

In other news, I now have a copy of The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke. STRIKEEEEEEEEEEEE! And goddamn, this is mouth-watering stuff here. There are so many stories that I remember, so many stories where the twist (and I love ACC's twists) are on the tip of my consciousness and can barely remember it, and wow, all the White Hart stories are immensely entertaining. I'll probably write about this stuff in a new blog post, because it's just so awesome to put into one post.

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In further news, Starcraft has gotten a lot more entertaining for me, not because I'm getting better at it (okay, so its true that I've doubled apm (actions per minute), which wasn't very spectacular because my initial apm was like...10? I dunno.), but because I've gotten into the culture of the sport. I know the Federers, the Nadals, the Agassis, the Jokeovics. I know all the stories, memes, and insider jokes.

And wow, I have to say that Starcraft is goddamn awesome! It has everything - controversies, dedicated sites (teamliquid.net), famous personages, old timers, playing-for-fun games, hilarious personalities - the list goes on and on! Oh, I know of thousands of people that'd laugh at the very idea of Starcraft as a sport - not a game, but a sport - and hundreds more who just don't really care even if it was. But I tell you solemnly - you've really got to let go your prejudices and let yourself get into the groove! The world of Starcraft e-sports is pretty epic, with all sorts of notorious plays (Boxer triple bunker rush against Yellow), comedic moments (Stork's One Piece and WoW jokes), and Epic Titles (The Six Dragons, the Tyrant Killer, the Emperor) - it's a really amazing world out there. Maybe one day I'll write an entire blogpost about it.

Alternatively, you can read Slayers_Boxer's biography (yes, I know, the very idea of a progamer writing a biography must be galling. I know it was to Jarrel, and Jarrel is one of the most unflappable people I know) at boxerbiography.blogspot.com. It's kind of touching really (yet another remark that will garner hate), because if you think about it, pro-gaming really is one of the most misunderstood and stereotyped things in the world (gaming addictions and added violence, anyone?). To be honest, I think I've grown a lot more accepting of the world at large because of it - I mean, if I want people to understand Starcraft, I've got to try and understand the rest of the world as well, right? Read: Ellen Degeneres and all sorts of other weird people I should know but don't.

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Hmm...I think that's it for tonight. Tired and have to prepare for OSL PRELIMINARIES TOMORROW! MST today was quite bad, because none of the old-timers made it out of their groups with the exception of JulyZerg and Daezang. But heck, it's all made up by the fact that HYUK ALSO QUALIFIED! GO HYUK!

Oh yeah, before I sign off, does anyone know what's the difference between shutting down and hibernating? They seem the same to me, the with the exception that hibernating it actually still keeps browser windows open and stuff. I dunno, maybe I missed something or other.

Fire and Ice

Fire and Ice

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know of enough hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

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I think that this is a bloody awesome poem. It's pretty short, kind of like Route 62, but you know - I find that short poems generally have the most meaning in them. Plus, the subject matter of this poem is pretty interesting, and is pretty damn abstract as well. But heck, that's cool.

Also, for some reason, this poem gets me fired up somehow. Makes me want to write a commentary on it! O_O

Maybe later...for now though, I wonder what you guys think of it. It should be pretty interesting to see what kind of ideas you guys can come up with. Unless, of course, you see the same things as I do. Even then, the poem itself is cool. I like.

Oh yeah, and it's by our favourite poet - Robert Frost

Formal Education

I like studying. I love learning. I hate education. Contradictory? Possibly not.

I hate examinations, but for a completely different reason as compared to everyone else.

Everyone hates exams because of the studying that you have to do. I, for one, like studying - it lets me remember all the things that I've forgotten, or all the things that I missed when I fell asleep in class. And anyway, after studying, you realise that there are things that you're really interested in, even though you hated them when you first started out. Wood Pile, anybody? Heck, I'm starting to like weathering even as I type.

Everyone hates exams because it takes up hours of your time. Like, hours and hours and hours of it. And because time seems to pass so slowly when you're studying. Which, people tell me, based on the Theory of Relativity, is true. Fortunately, that isn't a problem for me, because I have 28 - 48 hours in a day (the number varies from person to person, I think), and so I've got time to waste. In fact, the problem is that I feel that I should be studying when I've already been studying my arse off.

Everyone also hates exams because of how you have to mug. Ah har! For once, something that I actually agree with. Who the freak mugs for exams? Seriously, exams are supposed to test your ability to cope and deal with the subject, not your memory work. If you wanted to test your memory, then go memorise the names of all 493 Pokemon. In Order. Hey, if Dwee can do it, so can you. And heck, if you can memorise 3 x 18 freaking pages worth of IOC essay, then you can bloody well quit life. Seriously, I have no respect for people who memorise blindly.

Which leads me to the reason why I hate exams: It stifles my creativity. Exam techniques? Definitions? All of these kind of questions encourage memorising and intensive mugging, which I believe is completely detrimental to your mind in general. Even wonder why Singaporeans never hit it big on the scientific scene? Ever wonder only the Japanese seem to be making leaps and bounds in research?

It's because Singaporeans can't stand to see anything new. Heck, I could open this to pretty much any Asian country. Note that I'm not criticising Asians in any - I greatly respect the Asian penchant for hard work - heck, I subscribe to that philosophy as well. But you know, there is a pretty big difference between hard work and mugging. Mugging doesn't use any brain power - hard work, on the other hand, does.

Why do we laugh at those Japanese inventions? All that crap we see over there? It's because it isn't in the books. It's because we've ever heard of them before. It's because we don't have the imagination to come up with something new. The only new thing we can come up with is which shopping mall to buy our clothes from. And that's what really irks me: Singapore, and Asian countries in general, just aren't open minded. We have no imagination, no innovation, and we don't think. All that Innovation Projects we had in Primary School? Bullshit, they don't teach you how to innovate, because you can't bloody teach innovation.

The only way to cultivate innovation is to make new things acceptable. Make them accessible, allow them to prove their worth. This invention doesn't work, not practical, too exclusive or inefficient? All right, no matter, try the next one. And the next. And the next. Don't put people down just because it's something you think is dumb. Suction Cups on Hats so that you don't fall onto other people when you're on a train? HAHAHAHAHAH WTF WHAT KIND OF SHIT IS THAT. Typical social response.

Creativity is being crushed by the social world. No one dares to do crazy, weird things because of the social backlash, because of the fear of being laughed at by other people. Everything that is considered "strange" by the community is laughed off, telling the inventors that it would never work, that pursuing such interests is stupid and a misuse of resources. We should, in fact, be putting more money into designing clothes. Indeed, yes, that will totally improve the quality of our lives.

So, where did this social attitude come from? Perhaps it didn't come from anywhere. Perhaps it was there from the dawn of time. Or perhaps it was because we all got a formal education, and forgot how to think for ourselves.

Starcraft Fanboyism

So.

It seems like I begin every blogpost I make with the word "So." I think this is a fault rather than a virtue, but what the heck, it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. In any case, it doesn't have any bearing on what I'm going to be talking about.

But yes. Starcraft. One of the best games ever created, and the best RTS in existence, in my honest opinion. It says a lot that Starcraft is considered South Korea's national sport, and there are at least 5 different major competitions being held in South Korea even as I speak. Write. Whatever.

For the uninitiated, let me talk about Starcraft in general. Starcraft is a Real-Time Strategy Game, also known as RTS genre. It comes from the same category of games as Company of Heroes, Dawn of War and the Red Alert series. The only difference between them? Starcraft is about a decade older.

Part of the reason why Starcraft has lasted so long is due to the seeming lack of imbalance. Even in the most recent RTSs, you can always hear screams of "That's Imba! F***ing Kangaroo!", the infamous Armoured Car rushes, and the complete and utter impossibility of balancing 10 different races a la Dawn of War: Soulstorm. The supposed scissors-paper-stone arrangement between Terran < Zerg < Protoss < Terran can't be seen at all at the pro-level, and it says a lot that the top three players in the world are Jaedong (Zerg), Bisu (Protoss) and Flash (Terran).

Yet another reason why Starcraft is such a draw is because of the amazing atmosphere that you can get playing the games, as well as the completely different feeling that the three races give off.

The Terrans, the human race in the game, are exactly what you'd expect from a bunch of humans trying to scrape out a living in the backwater regions of the world. The Terrans have by far the best defenses in the game, but this can easily turn into an attacking option (contains, anyone?) and are the only race capable of surviving the entire game on nothing but two bases. Their strength, like all humans, lies in their adaptability, and with the flick of a button (literally), the Terran can easily switch tactics to respond to an opponent's attacking style. Unless, of course, you're iloveoov, in which case you just spam him to death.

The Zerg are perfect as the disgusting, all-consuming, biological alien plague. Unashamedly taking ideas from the Tyranids in Warhammer 40k, the term Zerg Rush is still used to describe a powerful, merciless, all-in move from one player to another. The Zerg will often outnumber you, and their flank attacks can be especially devastating due to the advent of Lurkers. The Zerg play exactly how their lore works - expand everywhere on the map, so that you're rolling in the cash and can outproduce your opponent to high-heaven.

The Protoss are the stereotypical, hyper-advanced alien race that seemingly dominates all. Several people say that the Protoss are the most imbalanced race in the whole game - at first, it might seem that way - it requires 4 Marines or 6 Zerglings to kill 1 Zealot, making the Zealot the most fearsome Tier 1 unit in the game. Reavers deal insane amounts of damage, High Templars have the ever powerful Psionic Storm, Dark Templars wreak havoc on unsuspecting bases, and who can forget the Carrier. And yet, despite this almost complete domination one for one, the Protoss suffer because they are like fuel-guzzling car. Without the cash rolling in, the Protoss can't do nuts. And when your opponent is containing you (Terran) or has taken every other expansion on the map (Zerg), you're pretty much screwed.

Unfortunately, it's getting a bit late, and I can't really talk more about this. I think I shall speak more on this subject tomorrow.

Dance.

So.

I bought the dance ticket on a whim, mostly because I knew a heck load of people in dance, including half my math class, about 5 other random dancers and a couple of people from my class. I, of course, expected a pretty damn good show, mostly because drama wasn't as good as last year's, and because dance got gold with honours at this year's SYF.

And so I watched the Dance Festival of Arts. And it wasn't a damn good show.

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IT WAS A F***ING HOLY-SHIT-INDUCING, EVIL-LAUGH INVOKING, STANDING-OVATION, WOLF-WHISTLING, SCREW PUNCHING PERFORMANCE. (okay maybe not the last superlative. but you know what I mean.)

Getting back to the topic at hand, Dance was good. And I mean real good. There were a whole ton of people I knew dancing, and some of them danced like gods. If only I could put the notion of how good they were into your heads..."Better than Michael Jackson"? Would that be a good description. Then again, it's not like Michael Jackson exactly. Aiyoh, I think I'd rather you see it for yourself. I wonder when their DVDs are going to come out, if they come out at all!

Sigh...that has got to be the best 10 bucks I've spent this year! Holy shit, it was just so worth it, I don't even have enough superlatives in my vocabulary to describe the damn thing. It was made all the better because I had awesome seats (thanks Bong), and because most of the awesome dancers were my friends.

The American dances were cool because of the breakdancing and the general appeal of American music + dance routines, the Capoeira was insanely awesome because of Jesmond doing handstands and shit that I could only dream of and Gareth acting completely out of character. The Argentine tango was fcuking good because of the slick moves and Joshua and Asalie being the total ballers that they are. Chinese Performing Arts Club's drum routine was as awesome as ever, the Filipino dance reminded me of my primary school days when I had to do something similar. The SYF piece was...gold with more-than-just-honours-like-sword-and-axe-and-full-suit-of-runic-armour-kind-of-honours.

If you can't tell that I was completely bowled over by the performance on Friday, then you a) need to learn English or b) need to learn English. Because the only thing was preventing me from laughing evilly throughout the entire performance was the Key threatening to beat the shit out of me.

To all those who watched - I think you'll agree it was a show worth watching. To all those who didn't, I think you should just jump through the nearest window right now. Because you missed one heck of a show. Kudos to the dance team.