Back to Reality!

So exams have finally ended! Hooray~

I swear, that was one heck of a roller-coaster ride - pretty fun, yet pretty vomit inducing as well. I mean seriously, there were some golden moments which were laugh out loud hilarious, and some holy-freaking-shit moments - it was pretty hair-raising at some points. One thing I can say for sure, though - it was not good for my heart. At all. Jeez.

Still, there were a couple of moments that I clearly remember, such as:

1. 3-5 DNPH and Specific Heat Capacity being J per kg per mol.

2. Praying during the Math exam, especially during the graph question.

3. Panicking on the day before Math Paper 2, when I was making mistakes like 4 + 2 + 1 = 9

4. Losing my head over English Paper 1.

5. Drooling over my English Paper 1.

6. Losing my head over Geography

7. Accurately predicting every single question except for the topic that I was best at for Geography. (I swear it's a miracle)

8. Freaking out because I misread and careless'd my way to a near 6 for Physics

9. Doing Math Paper 3 without thinking

Well, all in all, this is kind of a meh post, just getting all the obligatory "this is how I felt about the exams and shit, you know, because you all actually care" - soon, I SHALL BE BACK WITH MORE INTERESTING STUFF.

Like Starcraft! Hell yeah, shit is finally starting to happen! StarCraft2.com got updated, and my gosh, the new Battlecruiser artwork is UNBELIEVABLE. As per Cherilyn, it looks like a freaking Star Destroyer now! Can you tell how much I'm drooling over this? Can you? Can you?

Anyway, I think this particular baby is the Hyperion, Jim Raynor's flagship, equipped with Plasma Torpedoes, the Yamato Cannon and the on-board Defensive Matrix, not to mention that upgrade which grants it rapid fire AtG lasers. Still think it'd be vulnerable to Vikings, Void Rays and all that jazz though. Oh well, it looks bloody cool still, and I think everyone else would just die by looking at it. Yep, that's right!

On a related and yet not-so-related note, the MSL and the OSL groups have been finalized, with really interesting matches coming up. The MSL looks by far the more interesting competition, although the OSL has more tradition behind it - can't really think of a proper sports analogy, but it'll come to me eventually. But hell yeah, both groups look to have some epic games coming up! Stork vs. Flash, Bisu vs. Savior - AND HOLY SHIT, THIS WEEK'S PROLEAGUE EVEN HAS BOXER VS. YELLOW! I SENSE A SET-UP!

Well, enough of that incomprehensible stuff. I think I shall probably go to sleep now or something - tomorrow is going to be a really busy day, especially with all the cleaning up to do. Gawd, why do I have to do so much cleaning up~~ It be a plague, a plague I say! Upon the innocent, unspoilt mind of a creative child~ Oh, the humanity!

Ah well...not like that beautiful mind is being used on any useful endeavors. Not yet, anyway.

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.

Exam Results - Time to Bounce Back

So it looks like exam results are back, and no one's blogged about that yet. Truth be told, I can understand why - these exam results were craptastic, and it was through no fault of the examiners. None of the exam papers were hard per se, except maybe for math. It was mostly careless mistakes and being non-exam smart, like spending 45 mins on the first question of Chem Paper 2. And in the end, everyone got full marks for that piece of shit, because it was ECF all the freaking way. Sian.

That said, I'm overall preeeety okay with my exam results. Considering how shitty I felt after most papers, I think this was a pretty good result, yup. I mean, seriously, for Geography, I didn't think I'd get a 7, much less top the level. Geography is a full of shit subject - the question I spent the least time (30 minutes) on got 15, and the question I spent the most time (45 minutes) on got 14. Wow, talk about time management.

In the end, my results looked like this:

Chinese 7

English 6

Physics 6 (SHOULD HAVE BEEN A 7 ASDF)

Math 6 (COULD HAVE BEEN A 7 ASDF)

Chem 6 (SCRUBBED OUT ASDF)

Geog 7 (THE ONLY PAPER I'M HAPPY FOR~~)

6 for English was a pleasant surprise, because I was totally expecting a 5, maybe even a 4 if my paper 2 was unlucky. By the grace of God, I somehow managed to get a 16 for Paper 1, which was about...6~7 marks higher than what I was expecting. Similarly, I only got 18 for Paper 2, which was about 4 marks lower than what I was expecting. Oh well, life's like that.

I guess I feel a little pissed at myself for missing out on Physics, Math and Chem 7s, but what the heck, I got what I deserved - except maybe for Math, because I really thought I did well for that paper. But yeah, not mugging definitions for Physics and being an idiot in Chem Paper 2 really took its toll. Ah well, what can I say? Time to mug for the Prelims.

In any case, I ought to be very thankful, because it seems that a lot people died. I know cherilyn, demel, lexyXD got lower than what they expected. Dndy got what we all expected him to get, so that was fine. Even the Light only got 39 - his LangArts is really becoming his Achilles Heel. But still, I think we were all pretty emo about the results, some more emo than others, and emo for different reasons.

Ah well, another round of exams over. Time to prepare for the next round - such is the life of an IB mugger.

A Fruitless Endeavor

Well, well, well...It has been a long time since this blog was updated.

Of course, I don't think I should go into all the excuses about why I didn't update the blog, such as the slew of exams, the follow-up IAs such as World Lit and Geography IA, and perhaps most importantly, the obtainment of a certain novel called When the Seagulls Cry.

Speaking about When the Seagulls Cry, I highly recommend it. It is epic mindrape. Perfect for dealing with post-exam trauma and for a bit of escapism now and then.

However, this is not the main reason why I have decided posting today. As much as I'd like it to be (I'll probably come back and post on Seagulls one of these days), I realize that I cannot keep this secret any longer!

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Wait for it...

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It's coming soon....

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I AM GAY! ZOMG!

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Okay, just kidding, I'm not. But what the heck, I can't really think of a reason why I should post today, mostly because my most well-kept secret has ALREADY BEEN EXPOSED. I am not sure who exposed it, I'm not sure how they exposed it, but apparently it has made its rounds and now everyone knows it!

Now everyone is talking about taking me to fruit buffets and tying me to chairs and throwing fruits of various shapes and sizes my way (not the durian, not the durian, NOT THE DURIAN - cue splattering noises, drip drip drip - kihihihihihihihihihihihi). It is a terribly disturbing thought, but in the end, all of your efforts will bear no fruit! I WILL NEVER EAT THEM! NEVER!

The strange thing is, although many have asked, I myself do not know the reason why I do not attempt to even try these kind of foodstuffs. Like some people have craving for sweet stuff and things like lurpak (like, what the heck is that), I have a strange enmity with anything that has seeds in it. Tis' strange, tis' foul. Perhaps it's in my genes, but if that's the case, then I don't know which side of my family it came from. Gwehhhhhhhhhh, I wonder what makes me like this.

Oh well, I have a feeling it remain as one of the mysteries of the universe. Anyway, it is currently the least of my problems. Exam results are coming out soon, and I'm not exactly looking forward to them. I think I "failed" most of my subjects (meaning I didn't get 7, which is what we should all be aiming for anyway), and I know I already failed physics. Moderation or not, this means more mugging of definitions.

Hmm...in terms of side-projects, most have been brushed aside by the juggernaut known as When the Seagulls Cry. They'll be back though, and I already have an idea of what my next unfinished project should be. Hehehe, we'll try and resolve this one, shan't we?

In any case, I hope that I'll keep this blog alive. No time to write anything these days.

This has been a good day!

Language Arts Marks Successfully Salvaged

Felt really good about this test. And when I say good, I mean punch-the-air-and-scream-I-have-salvaged-my-langarts-marks kinda good.

Starcraft 2 HD Videos

This just speaks for itself. MOAR HYDRALISKS. MOAR ULTRALISKS. MOAR PHASE PRISMS. EN TARO ADUN. FOR NERZHU - I MEAN, FOR AIUR. OR SHAKURAS NOW, AIUR'S A DUMP.

Oh hot damn.

This is my Jam.

This whole Zerg thing's nothing but a sham.

We don't understand

Bring the Protoss Band

Back to Aiur, A - Aiur, Aiur, A - Aiur

Aiur, A - Aiur, Aiur, A - Aiur

Can you tell I'm excited about Starcraft 2?

CLANNAD Kyou Chapter out

This speaks for itself as well. CLANNAD has always been a favourite of mine, and despite the fact that the Kyou chapter is the angst episode in the entire series...ah, what the heck, it's CLANNAD. That alone is enough to watch it, and it's gonna be better than the Tomoyo arc, anyway, because the Tomoyo arc was, IMO, one of the poorer arcs in the series.

Playing Poker/Taiti with my Dad.

How do you spell the name of the game anyway? Forget it, I'm not even gonna try. Safe to say that this was my favourite moment during the day. It's not often that you get to play with your Dad, and even less often when you trounce him spectacularly. This was pretty special for me, not just because it reinflated my ego (stupid kid), but also because my Dad's around only 100 days out of 365. It's really important that we play around when we're together.

No, we weren't playing with money - suffice to say that my Dad has to make me 8 drinks and has to cut me 2 fruits before he settles the debt. Hurrhurr, this provides me with enough betting power for the next round of poker! =D

Together Forever

This post is NOT going to be a sappy, idealistic love story about a boy and a girl falling in love with another and living happily ever after.

No, this is a real life story of two people who have lived together all their lives, who have never been apart even for a second, who have grown to live with each other through all the pains, the sufferings, and the sadness of life.

This is the story of Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, two brothers who have lived together all the years of their life. Born in Dayton, Ohio on October 28, 1951. Since their birth, they have been through 57 years of life - a life filled with more than its fair share of trials and tribulations. By saving up money from their shows, the brothers have saved up enough money to retire and return to Ohio, where they will live out the rest of their days together in peace.

For those of you who have to take a long bus ride home everyday, you will know who I am talking about. For those who don't, Ronnie and Donnie are the world's oldest living set of conjoined twins and have somehow managed to get through life - a life filled with more pain and suffering than any of us will have in our lifetime.

There is something incredibly moving about the fact that despite their disability, the twins have managed to triumph over all the obstacles that life has had in store for them. In order to earn money for themselves, they had to do the only thing they could: be freakshow attractions, earning and enduring the disgust, the pity, the ridicule of their audiences; the laughs, the taunts, the sneers from passersby on the streets. I cannot even begin to imagine the willpower needed to endure that kind of pain.

Perhaps it was the fact that the brothers had each other. Perhaps, despite all the suffering that they had to go through, they knew that they could count on each other to comfort them, knew that one completely understood the other, in ways that one could not possibly imagine. Whatever the problem, they'd always be there for each other to provide that pat on the head, those words of encouragement, that warm hand on the shoulder.

But even this might have failed some times. The brothers had different likes, different personalities, different wants. They must have disagreed, must have argued, must have fought. They must have hated it - hated to be in the same place, in the same body as another. They wouldn't have been able to walk out of the room, to just walk away from it all. They'd have to face reality every time they opened their eyes, unable to run away from the fact that they would never live a normal life.

What could they do? They could have given up, could have thrown in the towel.

But they didn't. They learnt to live with each other, to help each other, to love each other, and to do things that they could not have done by themselves. They overcame all the obstacles that faced them, and eventually, through the money earned from their shows, they managed to retire with their younger brother and now reside in their hometown of Ohio.

It's a pretty well-known fact that I'm moved by the simplest of things, and this is no exception to that rule. Sometimes I wonder if my brother and I will have that kind of relationship when we grow older and leave our family. I can safely say that we're much closer than some of the siblings that we've seen out there, and we can talk to each other about embarrassing things.

There have, of course, been times when we've fought and quarrelled. I remember several particularly painful incidents when we were young, but that was a long time ago. Such conflicts are now often solved by a cry of, "HOLY SHIT FMA IS AWESOME", followed by a heated discussion of whether Ror or Edward was the better alchemist, often resulting in a toast of juice downstairs.

There are times though, when I wonder if this closeness will carry on into the working world. I often joke about earning the money while my brother helps me with the laundry, but that reality is almost definitely not going to happen. Still, it makes for a good laugh around the table now and then, and there are times when I am doubtful that this closeness will continue - the world does not have a good track record when it comes to familial relationships once you leave the family.

Ten, maybe twenty years into the future, will we still be able to drop work or play to go and help the other? Will we be able to take time off to sit down in some small cafe and talk about the latest chapter of One Piece (it should be around Chap 1023 by then), and make small talk about our lives? When we're old and withered, would we spend time to go and visit each other, and maybe have a small coffee and talk about old times?

So, my dear brother, fifty years from now, whether or not we're rich and successful or poor and destitute, whether or not we're healthy and fit or sick and dying, whether or not we're married to the love of our lives and have children or all alone in the world...let's take a vacation to Japan or Hawaii or New Zealand or Spain or some other country in the world, and sit and watch the sunset go down.

And let's always remember that no matter the physical difference between us, no matter our different personalities, no matter what our lives are like, we're connected by something that runs deeper than just the space around us. That no matter where we are, we're going to be together, forever.

How well do you know Jonny?

Hmm...considering that I don't have a Facebook account, and that I'm too lazy to get one, I have decided to blog about this instead. This is the inevitable "How well do you know Jonny" quiz, and I must say, not many people know me well. Heck, even my brother only got 11/20.

Well...have fun with the quiz, lol. I'm willing to bet that no one will get above 15 for this test. Some questions are giveaways, while some are insanely tough. Whatever, just do your best!

1. If Jonny had a daughter, what would he name her?

a) Katherine

b) Carol

c) Magdalene

d) Sophia

2. If Jonny had a son, what would he name him?

a) Alain

b) Thomas

c) Ivan

d) James

3. If Jonny had to retire somewhere, where would he go?

a) Greece

b) Spain

c) New Zealand

d) Japan

4. Where does Jonny have 9 stitches?

a) Left Shoulder

b) Right Leg

c) Right Hip

d) Left Forehead

5. Which of his limbs has Jonny broken?

a) Left Arm

b) Right Arm

c) Left Leg

d) None of the Above

6. Which of these authors has Jonny not read?

a) Philip Reeve

b) Robin Hobb

c) C.S. Friedman

d) Steven Erikson

7. Which of these games does Jonny know how to play?

a) Company of Heroes

b) Melty Blood

c) Dead or Alive

d) Left4Dead

8. Which is Jonny's favourite comic?

a) The Far Side Gallery

b) Foxtrot

c) Insanity Streak

d) Calvin & Hobbes

9. Which Shopping Mall has Jonny never been to?

a) Paragon

b) Junction 8

c) Wheelock Place

d) Compassvale

10. Which is Jonny's favourite movie?

a) Terminator 2

b) Stardust

c) V for Vendetta

d) The Bourne Supremacy

11. Which fruit has Jonny eaten?

a) Durian

b) Mango

c) Coconut

d) Pears

12. What is Jonny's favourite colour?

a) White

b) Blue

c) Green

d) Red

13. What is Jonny's favourite mythical creature?

a) Manticore

b) Sphinx

c) Phoenix

d) Minotaur

14. Once home, how many hours does Jonny spend working everyday?

a) 2 hours

b) 3 hours

c) 4 hours

d) 5 hours

15. What is Jonny's weapon of choice?

a) Pistols

b) Longbow

c) Sabre

d) Scythe

16. Which is Jonny's favourite mythical weapon?

a) Kikuichimonji

b) Gungnir

c) Skadi

d) Lorelei

17. What time does Jonny wake up on non-school days?

a) 7am

b) 8am

c) 9am

d) 10am

18. Jonny got sent for Counselling once in Primary School. What crime did he commit?

a) Stealing

b) Forging signatures

c) Fighting

d) Truant

19. Which of these did Jonny not get hospitalised for?

a) High Fever

b) Concussion

c) Asthma

d) Bronchitis

20. Who is Jonny's role model?

a) Michael Schumacher

b) Tiger Woods

c) Roger Federer

d) Lance Armstrong

Heh, most of the difficult questions are in front. They're meant to scare you!

Anyway, as motivation, anyone who gets above...15. I'll treat them to a drink. =)

The Project Project

Geez...work is really getting on my nerves...I really can't wait to drop all this project work and start mugging my ass off. At least then I won't have to think about what I'm doing, and can actually start writing PROPER blog posts again. 

On the bright side, these time constraints have actually given me the opportunity to write about non-serious stuff, ie. "Dear Diary, today I went to the morgue to visit my friend, Joe..." That kinda thing. So yeah, perhaps this is one of those blessings in disguise things.

So...so what's been happening lately, other than the EEs and IAs and the to-be-coming TOK essays? Quite a few things, actually. We'll start on the ones that were quite some time ago, and the ones everyone should know about first.

Okay, so I think it was 2 weeks ago that Dneo got 3rd place in that Melty Blood Tournament. Kudos to him and his epic picture with the hot arcade chick. Kudos for choosing Maid Team over Kohaku as well, because I must admit, I had a lot more confidence in his Kohaku than his Maid Team. But I guess the novelty of it all must have paid off, 'cos no one knows how to fight a Maid Team. Nice play, Dneo, nice play.

Another nice play must go to Kuang in that same week when he won the Realm's Championship. Err...at least, I think that's what it's called. Well, even if it isn't you can read Kuang's commentary on the final game if you ask him nicely...and even then, he might not let you if his mood is too foul. Especially after his abysmal luck at the Darkmoon Faire, where I hear he did not do so well...nevertheless, good job, Kuang! I will always support you, man!

Speaking of the Darkmoon Faire, I did manage to get a chance to see Brad Watson, who is apparently the best WOW TCG player walking the planet right now...he went 7 - 0 yesterday, and as the Top 8 were playing today, I don't actually know what place he ended up with. But I have a feeling it isn't anything lower than 3rd. Utopia is an imba card in sealed (I sense much disagreement).

Moving on, it appears that Ryougi Shiki and Asagami Akiha vids are out! This might not mean much to anyone except about...four of us, but heck, it was awesome enought to talk about. Ryougi is animated almost exactly the same way she is in the movies, and Akiha...is Akiha. Wow...like really wow. Looking forward to crashing Junyi's house when he gets his hands on the game. And I'm sure Dneo can't wait to get his hands on the Kohaku-MechHisui team.

Backing up a little, I finally managed to beat Phantasmagoria of Flower View with one credit. Granted, I used a cheapo character who's EX ability is so freaking imba it shouldn't even be allowed in the game...but heck, it was worth it. Yay, so now I've managed to beat all the Touhou games on the normal difficulty, with the exception of SA, which is just insane, so I'm not even gonna try that one yet. Kudos to JK and Junyi for the advice about the PoFV.

Next up, the Final Fantasy concert, which I didn't actually go for. That's pretty unfortunate, really, 'cos they ran out of tickets before I even heard about the damned show. Okay, to be honest, I'm lying - they did have tickets, but only single seat tickets - what's the point of going to a concert without sitting with your friends? That's just retarded, even it is a Final Fantasy concert. Well...according to Cleon, it was one heck of a show...he even got Uematsu's autograph, the bastard. Ah well...maybe next time.

Anime is next, with both Haruhi and Eden being the highlights of the anime this week. Haruhi Season One With Extra Episodes is out - good ol' Haruhi. Same as before, but with slightly different animation. It's not that noticeable, but it looks like Lucky Star and K-ON have taken their toll on the team, if you know what I mean. Nevertheless, Haruhi is always good. 

Eden is rocking our socks off with every episode, as usual. Super Illusion Material is now the in-thing, and damn, but that was one heck of an illusion. The thing is, I'm worried about the storyline...Eden is only what, 11 or 12 episodes long? We still haven't met all the Selecao, Johnny Hunter ain't dead yet, Careless Monday's not been explained, Mr. Outside hasn't been found, and who the heck is the damned Supporter? So many questions, so few episodes.

Moving on to more personal stuff, The Three Nightingales story is taking quite some time to write, partly because I'm procrastinating and having to dig myself out of the EE hole, but also because...well, it's not the kind of thing that people generally like. I mean, what the heck, it's too freaking idealistic and romantic and all the things that are me. So yeah...people don't like that kinda thing, unfortunately. Too bad.

On a more positive note, the Fire Emblem game is going along pretty well. It's kinda funny how I have more fun actually creating the game than playing it, but what the heck. I'm pretty damned sure that some of the characters I've created are imba, and that the usual people will have the normal criticisms, but I don't really care...it was quite fun making it all up! The storyline's pretty interesting as well, although even I think it's cheesy!

Finally, as you can see on my nick, I'm giving tuition *cue laughter from Herrick, Jarrel, Junyi...and pretty much everyone who is more pro than me, which is a lot of people* to anyone who wants it. My tuition doesn't cost a lot (maybe an iced milo in the SAC one day) and even then, I don't usually collect it (at least 24 people still owe me beer for the math port). But perhaps the selling point of my tuition is that I like to pride myself on being pretty clear. So yeah, if you need any help, I'd be happy to do so.

Haiku School Life

Geez...it's really been too hot this week, both in terms of the temperature and the amount of work and arcading that's been going on. There's been absolutely no time to do anything than I want to do, which is a really sad reality. Ah well.

Never mind, I shall cheer myself up by making some Haikus. Haikus about...school! Yes, Haikus about school. Okay, very good, let's go!

EDIT: NOW WITH FANMADE HAIKUS

Riezz:

My mom makes cookies

Jonny keeps jewing cookies

He's such a bastard

I CHOOSE MAGIKARP

MAGIKARP! USE SPLASH ATTACK!

BUT NOTHING HAPPENED!

JSCY:

People are stupid

They can't even understand

Graduate math texts

Nidorina:

Hello, [insert name]

I got third in the tourney

Will you be my friend?

i like my sister

 iluma chiobu fine too

 i want her number

tourni winning strat

Qns: what's better than incest?*

Ans: Maid team twincest!

Yukarin:

Noel is moe

Fcuk, he can see my DP

This shit so imba

noel is awesome

 hyaa hyaa hyaa hyaa blue fiyahh

 2d owns dneo

oh my god sz

 you are a fucking pedo

 stop raping sister

Huazz:

Diglett used Earthquake.

But...there isn't a target.

The sandstorm rages.

*Apparently, Qns is pronounced as kyuns. o_O

Okay, I'm bored now.

Shucks, I really have to make a proper post one day.

The Corridor

"Ah great. Just what I needed."

That was the final thought of Cpt. Darius Valentine as his experimental fighter jet crashed headlong into the Nevada Desert. It was quite funny how these experimental fighter jets always exploded in a large nuclear-bomb-esque mushroom cloud. It's also funny how the military always tells the pilot's families that their son/father/husband died in a traffic accident today. And it's absolutely hilarious how these accidents always happen in the Nevada Desert. 

Unfortunately, Mr. Valentine wasn't laughing. It might have been because he had never read/watched many of these movies, but it was mostly because he was dead. 

In this world, anyway.

Because instead of finding himself in the middle of that mushroom-shaped cloud of fire and smoke, Mr. Valentine found himself lying on a cold, dirty-green, marble floor. Now that was something that Mr. Valentine found funny. It wasn't everyday that you were saved from a plane crash only to end up in a world of green marble. 

It was a few hours before Darius regained consciousness, and it was another half before he finally sat up to take stock of his surroundings. And so you couldn't have blamed his two companions from being a bit miffed. Surely you would be too, had you been sitting and watching an injured man for close to 4 hours.

Darius blinked, his eyes getting adjusted to the strange green light being given off by the marble structures. His two companions looked very strange, and it wasn't the light. Despite their unique appearances, Darius was quite sure that he had seen them before. One of them had an outrageous hairstyle, and a guitar strapped around his back. The other...well, he had an equally outrageous hairstyle, and some very dangerous looking claws. 

"So you're finally awake. Good. Any longer, and I'd have taken his head off." - This was Dangerous Claw speaking.

"Aww, come on, Victor. If you were pissed, you should have said so...I'd have calmed you down with some of my soothing tunes." - This was obviously the guitar guy.

"Good idea...then I wouldn't have to kill this fellow. I'd have taken your head off instead."

"Well, that's fine, considering that we can't really die in this world, right?"

"I don't know, and to be honest, I don't really care. I just need to kill something once in a while."

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" asked Darius, getting just a little freaked out by the proceedings. Someone was going to take someone's head off, and by George, Darius wasn't going to let his head be taken off by anyone.

"Oh, so our sleeping beauty has finally rediscovered his vocal cords. You're one lucky punk; I was about to rip 'em out of your throat."

"Now, now, be nice," said the other man. Darius looked at him closely. He really did look familiar, but Darius just couldn't place him. "Now, let's start with the introductions. What planet are you from?"

"What...?" Darius lifted one eyebrow in puzzlement. "Why, Earth, of course. The both of you look like you came from there as well."

"Oh, stupid me...sorry about that, I should have asked you which reality you came from. Like this guy here, his name's Victor Creed. Know about him? No? Well, I guess that means you ain't from the same reality."

"Victor Creed? Isn't he Sabertooth from that comic...err...I think it was called X-Men."

"Oh, so you do know him? Splendid! Interesting, even. Well, then, do you know me?" The man beamed as he said this, giving Darius a full view of the white suit that he was wearing...and suddenly, something clicked in Darius' mind.

"Oh my god, you're Elvis Presley. The freak are you doing here?"

"Well, it's a long story, and I think my friend - you call him Sabertooth, right? - wouldn't be very pleased if we tarried around here for too long. Anyway, there are people much better suited to telling you about this place. Come on, let's get out of here before IT gets here."

"IT? Who the hell is IT? And how come I can suddenly pronounced capitalised words?" Darius was pretty confused. 

"IT is a giant brain that lives around here somewhere. He's got quite a few henchmen, but nothing that Sabertooth here can't handle. Sure, the Man with the Red Eyes might be a bit of a problem, but...nah, I don't think we'll run into any trouble. And about the caps...well, you'll get used to it."

"Can we hurry up?" Victor growled, his eyes looking hungrily at Darius. "I sense something coming over here, and I'm not entirely sure that it's edible. I don't want to fight something I can't eat."

"Oh, it's probably not edible. But I agree, we should get the hell out of here." 

Elvis pulled out a string from his guitar, and twisted it into an unusual shape, before sticking it into one of the walls. There was a sudden burst of light, and a loud tearing sound, as if the very fabric of reality had been ripped apart. Which it probably had, really. After the tearing sounds had ceased, Darius was unsurprised to see a door in the middle of the wall - these funny fantasy-stories always had doors appearing out of the strangest of locations.

"All right, guys...let's get the heck out of here!" And with that, the three of them walked through the door, disappearing from the Green Room forever.

Just as the three of them had left, a young boy named Charles Wallace walked into the room. He looked around, saw the wall where the door had been, and swore. "IT damn it, can't those idiots learn how to smooth time nicely? Geez, it's going to be hell getting rid of all these wrinkles."

-----------------

As Charles Wallace was complaining about the need to smoothen out reality, Darius was staring in disbelief as he found himself in a strange corridor. The green marble had disappeared now, to be replaced with white concrete. Opposite him was a door made of silver, shimmering slightly in the pale light that came from the ceiling. Looking around, Darius could see that there was a door every ten metres, of various shapes and sizes. 

The Corridor seemed to go on forever, stretching out into the distance as far as he could see (which was very far - pilots needed to have perfect vision, after all). Darius looked back the way they came, and saw Elvis locking the green marble door behind him. 

"Well, I guess it's time we got going...we should have been back nearly 3 hours ago, I suspect," said Elvis with aplomb. "Or maybe it was 3 days. I don't know, after 45 years in this place, I still can't tell."

"Yeah, yeah, now shut your trap and hail us a cab..." growled Sabertooth as he filed his nails on one of the concrete walls. "I sure as hell am not going to walk all the way back."

"But that costs money, you know...God knows I don't have a lot left..." said Elvis forlornly, searching his pockets for coins. "Come on, Darius, you're loaded...I don't suppose you'd care to lend us any?"

"What makes you think I've got anything? Anyway, how'd you know my name?"

"Ah, don't ask useless questions. Hurry up, give me that shiny thing on your shirt...or else Sabertooth will tear my head off...that would hurt, I think."

Darius looked down at his shirt, and saw that his medals were still attached to his sleeves. Well, they wouldn't be much use here...he might as well play along with these guys. "Yeah, whatever, take this one...Anyway, I assume that there's some head-honcho around here who will tell me what the hell is going on around here? Like, about the fact that I'm supposed to be dead?"

"Oh yes, of course. You'll meet her later. For now though, we need to get ourselves a cab..." Elvis took the medal from Darius, inspected it closely, nodded slowly, and then said, "You might want to try and stay close to the wall." Darius had only just registered Elvis' words before the King snapped his fingers.

There was an enormous gust of wind so strong that Darius was nearly blown all the way down the Corridor. Only the handle of the green door saved him - it had caught unto one of the straps of his jumpsuit, and using that as leverage, Darius managed to stay upright for the duration of the gale, which ended as quickly as it began. 

"Whew...awesome. We managed to get this cab. We're in luck, Creed 'ol buddy." 

Darius looked up at the cab, expecting to see one of those yellow taxis from New York, or even a Carriage from the Victorian Era. He didn't, however, expect to see a B-52 Bomber. His surprise didn't last for long - after all, his guess about the Victorian Carriage wasn't too far off the mark. He jumped after Elvis and Sabertooth as they climbed into the back of the B-52, which had been specially enlarged for up to 10 passengers.

"Where to, Sir?" asked the pilot as he gunned the Bomber's engines. "Back to Town?"

"Yeah, I guess so...I don't see where else we can go. You want to stop anywhere, Vicky?"

"No. And don't call me Vicky."

"Right. How about you, Darius? Got anywhere you'd like to visit before we take you to see the Commander?"

"A morgue."

Elvis looked concerned. "Hey man, don't go all suicidal on me...we did take all that effort to pick you up. Not to mention that the Commander will slaughter me. And if she doesn't, then Sabertooth will."

"I was being sarcastic...come on, let's go meet this Commander of yours."

Elvis looked very cheered up by this fact, and quickly instructed the pilot - or cab driver - to take us back to wherever the Commander was. The pilot nodded, and the engine burst to life, sending the Bomber rocketing down the Corridor, past hundreds, thousands, millions of doors. 

As the Bomber flew onwards, the atmosphere became a lot more relaxed. Sabertooth pulled out a piece of wood from the inside of his coat, and started filing his nails on it. Elvis pulled out a glass of wine from somewhere above him, and started drinking, while pulling out a book from midair. 

Darius, meanwhile, couldn't resist going back up to the cockpit. It hadn't been long ago that he nearly crashed his experimental jet, but flying was an addiction that Darius hadn't yet gotten over. As he entered the cockpit, the pilot gestured for him to sit down in the co-pilot's seat. As Darius did so, the pilot took off his helmet, revealing a pair of bright blue eyes and a youngish face that couldn't have been older than 25.

"You're USAF?" asked the boyish pilot. "Cor...haven't seen one of you guys for a long time. Did they just pick you up?"

"Err...well, I'm not sure. I guess they did. I don't really know too much about this place..."

"Well, I wouldn't expect you to. Hell, I'm pretty impressed. You're doing a much better job coping with this than I did."

"Yeah, well...I read a lot of fantasy books. I reckoned something like this would happen one of these days. What's your name, pilot?" asked Darius, curious about the boy's identity. It looked like the boy had come from the USAF as well, and perhaps Darius would be able to recognise the boy's name. 

"The name's Johnny Taylor, sir...Don't worry, I suspect that you won't recognise the name. By my calculations, it's been nearly 70 years since I went missing from the USAF. Of course, I might not have disappeared from the reality you came from...but I don't really know much about these reality things. You'd have to ask the Commander that."

"Who is this Commander person, anyway? Seems like you guys look up to her a lot."

"Sure we do. She's the one who keeps everything running around here. Without her, this place would have collapsed a long time ago...especially with all the havoc that the Azores have been creating."

"The Azores? Who're they?"

"Oh yeah, you wouldn't know about them. Well, they're kinda like the bad guys around these parts. They keep screwing around with reality and time and stuff like that. I don't really know the details, somewhat 'cos I'm just a cab driver, but mostly because I don't understand this stuff. But yeah, I've been told to shoot them on sight. Now, if only I knew that an Azore looked like..."

"They aren't dangerous, are they?"

"Well, of course they are. Why'd you think we have Hunters crawling around every inch of the Corridor? Don't worry though, they wouldn't dare attack a Bomber like this one. Apparently they only affect the rooms." 

Darius scratched his head, totally confused by now. Taylor glanced and grinned at Darius' obvious puzzlement. "Heh, I had to go through the exact same thing. Don't worry man, nothing's going to happen for a while...the Azores wouldn't dare attack this Bomber - this baby's still armed and dangerous."

Darius' eyes widened. "You've got nukes on this thing?"

"Close. Conventional payloads would be the proper term, I think. Don't really know, I flunked my theory test."

"I'm surprised that they even let you near this ship."

"My practical round was excellent, apparently. They just couldn't let me go. Not that it matters any more, of course. Not since I found myself here one day."

"Where is this place anyway? I gather that this place is called the Corridor, but is there anything else about it?"

"Well, I'm not sure of the details...but apparently this place is a connector for all the various possible realities. Each of those doors leads to a different reality, some dangerous, some benign. One of our realities lies somewhere behind one of those doors...the only problem is finding the right door, which - to be honest - is completely impossible."

"How'd we get here in the first place, then? Shouldn't we have come through our own door?"

"Well, that's the thing you see? The Commander thinks that it's because of the Azores that people like us appear out of nowhere. Sure, it happens on a regular basis when the Corridor gets warped out of its usual orientation, but apparently the Azores are making it worse by bending time and reality in individual rooms, and...okay, you know what, I think you'd better get the Commander to explain this to you. Even I don't know what I'm saying. All I know is that the Commander can predict when someone's going to fall into the wrong reality, and when that happens, she sends Hunters to pick them up."

"So...Elvis Presley and Victor Creed are Hunters in this world."

"To be precise, Elvis is the Hunter. Creed's his Adept. Basically, Elvis is the one with the key and the maps, whereas Creed's the guy with...the violent tendecies. Don't worry about not getting it the first time - just know that they're good at their jobs."

"Right...forgive me if I'm a little skeptical about that. Especially Elvis...he doesn't seem to be the reliable type."

Taylor laughed, and said, "That's true. But don't you worry, he'll pull through when the time calls for it. Which is to say, not during salvage missions. By the way, I suggest you get yourself a bit of sleep. This journey's going to take some time."

"Right...if you don't mind?" Darius leant onto the window of the passenger seat, feeling quite worn out all of a sudden. Being dropped into another reality all of a sudden is a tiring business, even for an ace fighter pilot. Just as Darius dropped off, he asked Taylor, "You know...what would have happened if Elvis hadn't picked us up back then?"

"Well...then the creatures in that reality would have gotten you. If you were lucky, then you'd have been assimilated into their reality, without knowing anything about the Corridor. If you were unlucky, then you'd have been killed in a war, or eaten by a monster, or worse. Of course, if you were really unlucky, then you'd have been taken by the Azores."

"Ah great. Just what I needed."

Labour Day

Labour Day, the first of May.

What would we do without Labour Day? As the name suggests, this is the international public holiday given to us so that we can catch up on all our work. Just look at all the Internal Assessments, TOK/KI, EEs, random worksheets, studying for tests...even I'm having a hard time dealing with all this crap (FYI, my average sleep time has decreased...I now sleep at about 11 every night, especially if I want to watch anime). 

Thankfully, some kind soul has given us time to catch up with of all this work, giving us a brief respite from the piles of projects and work. Imagine the horror if Labour Day fell on a Saturday! For one, the prices of movie tickets would skyrocket. Goodness.

So...yes, now that Labour Day has finally arrived, I have actually found time to post on this blog (which is not dead yet, might I remind you). Impossible as it is, work has actually kept me from doing the things I'd prefer to be doing - nevertheless, such a thing will not happen again...or at least, it won't happen after term 2. 

Once again, we need to thank the kind soul who gave us Labour Day...what would we do without him?

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Of course, Labour Day wasn't really created so that we could catch up with our work. That's pretty dumb, since the whole point is that you were supposed to be taking a break from your work in the first place. Nevertheless, some people do indeed believe that the above is true - Labour Day exists so that we can labour through our backlog. The fact that we were actually able to book a badminton court today speaks multitudes about the culture in this country (admittedly, it could also do with the fact that many of us don't like exercising). 

Well...okay, so let's get into the crux of this, shall we? I'll assume that you guys already know what Labour Day was supposed to represent...if you don't, then Google it. It's not that hard, as Jarrel keeps telling me.

To me, Labour Day is about seeing and appreciating the fruits of your labour. Many of the IB students study because they have to - they don't really know why they're studying. Oh, sure - many people study 'cos they want to be doctors, lawyers. But why Doctors and Lawyers? Well, because they earn the most money, I guess.

Okay, so I'm making one heck of a generalisation there, sorry. But hey, some people do have that kind of motivation. What about me, you ask? Well, according to the lastest thingymabobby that our school has given us, geologists are the least paid of all jobs in Singapore. Can't remember the figure, but it was at least a digit smaller that most. Poor, poor boy I am.

So...why Geology then? It pays dirt. Literally.

Well, it's 'cos I like studying Geology, just as some people like studying Medicine and some like studying Law. Unfortunately, I believe that we're kind of a rare breed. Of course, I know quite a few people who studying 'cos they like what they study...but trust me, they're few and far between.

---------------------

Anyway, I  think we kind of went off track there. Missed the point, you know? We were at appreciating the fruits of your labour. Well, our labour doesn't just refer to our work and studies. It shouldn't, really, because we haven't actually garnered any fruits from our studies yet. 

So what other fruits are there? Well, there are the fruits of your social life. How many friends do you really have at this moment? There are few friends that will stay as your friends through your life - those that do are increasingly difficult to find these days. As much as I'd like to believe that I'll never forget you guys, and as much as I'd like to believe that you guys will never forget me, there is always the chance that one of us will forget the other.

And so...I'd like to take this chance to thank all of you for being my friends. Mostly because I might not have the chance to do so in the future, when I will look back on my teenage life and remember all the people who made me...well, me. I'll try my best never to forget you guys (there are some guys I know I'll never forget), but please forgive me if I ever forget any of you. I'm not perfect, unfortunately, even though I try to be!

Hehe, you guys are the best, really! And please remind me about that in the future, because one of my major failings is taking things for granted in this world. At the risk of sounding like a lucky bastard, I would say that I've really been blessed with good luck (even better than yours, Darrell). 

Come on, how many of you have the chance to play games like Pen and Paper Fire Emblem with your IB Year 5 brother and Sec 2 sister? How many of you have a chance to talk one on one with your father about the problems with your school life, especially emotional problems and troubles of the heart?

And perhaps the most valuable of all...how many of you have the chance to sit down on the floor as your great-grandmother tells you how much she loves you?

I may not be able to play Blazblue. I may not be the most reliable person around.  I may not be able to sing, dance, or play an instrument. But God damn me if I'm not the most blessed person around these parts.

So appreciate the world around you. That's what Labour Day is about. Remembering everyone and anyone who made this world possible. And damn it, this world is good.

-----------------------

And of course, now I've got to go back to my EE. Hopefully, my next post will come sooner.

Dreams of an Otaku Part 2

Frank: Welcome back folks, welcome back! We are once again back upon the fields of this lovely stadium, once again ready to plunge into one of the zaniest sports ever, once again prepared to face a life  and death struggle against the opposing players, all the while remembering that salvation awaits the victor and darkness awaits the loser!

Frank: And so, folks, let us welcome back onto the field, the two teams, the Heroes and the Villains!

I sit up, groggily rubbing my temples with my palm. What’s with all the racket? What’s with all the noise? Why does it seem like I’m in another stadium? Why does it – HANG ON, THIS IS TOO FAMILIAR!

I sit up hurriedly, glancing around dugout. This is my dream again! The one with the baseball and the funny anime and manga characters running about! Oh gods, you mean I still haven’t escaped this place?

I sigh, and place my head in my hands. Well...I might as well practice my swinging...who knows when I’ll be called up again? Why, it feels like Furukawa will once again start rapping me on my head as soon as –

I was interrupted by a sudden rapping on my head, and I whipped around to see Furukaw – hang on, that’s not Furukawa! That’s...damn, I think I forgot his name! Shoots...but one thing’s for sure...he’s not an anime character...and he doesn’t seem to be playing baseball...for one, he’s got face paint all over him, and he’s holding an American Football.

...Oh no. Don’t tell me...

...

Too late.

Encik: “Stop slacking around lah! You think everyday Sunday, is it?”

 He looked like a mean, lean, fighting machine, and he spoke like a Singaporean. Definitely not an anime character.

Encik: “I tell you siah, if you don’t kill those guys over there, I’m gonna knock you upside down!”

Herrick: Yes, yes, I’m going, I’m going...

It turns out this really was American Football. What a queer change. In fact, both the Villains and the Heroes changed as well. Everyone around here was familiar to me, but I just couldn’t quite place their names. But none of them where anime or manga characters. Which is a good thing, really. I didn’t want to get kooshed by Mr. Don.

Suddenly, the guy next to me passed me a plastic bag of green powder. My god, he was so strong, he nearly knocked the wind out of me just by passing me the bag.

Herrick: What’s this, man?

Booster: That’s creatine. Eat the whole bag, boy...you’re gonna need your strength for this match! And don’t forget to stretch!

Herrick: Well...don’t you need some as well? There has to be at least 100g of this stuff.

Booster: Don’t worry, I already took 5 bags this morning.

Herrick: FIVE BAGS?! ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS!?

Booster: Yeah...don’t worry, I don’t need such a large amount for a match like this! We’ll crush these small fry without much effort, you’ll see!

He stalked away, and I was left with a bag of Creatine. What the hell am I going to do with this?

Suddenly, the whistle blew, and everyone rushed to their starting positions. Looking opposite me at the opposing lineback, I saw that my opponent was a thin, sickly looking fellow. What the hell is he doing at the lineback position? Oh well...I’m doing the same thing, aren’t I?

Suddenly, there was a huge roar, and I charged at the enemy, intent on holding him off while the Heroes’ quarterback launched an attack deep into the enemy half!

The other sickly guy charged me back, yelling loudly like a madman

Stalker: I AM A PEDO!

Herrick: YOU’RE A WHAT?! AND WHY THE HELL DO YOU HAVE A NAME LIKE STALKER?!

I was so surprised, the other guy pushed me over with ease. But my trailing legs caught him, and he fell over without much resistance. Just as I was about to hold him down, a giant sword crashed into the ground next to me.

Fate: HI NUBBIES! WATCH ME PWN THE SHIT OUT OF YOU, BITCHES!

With those words, he started flailing his sword about, chasing after both me and Stalker.

Herrick: Goddammit, who’s team are you on? AND SINCE WHEN WHERE SWORDS ALLOWED IN AMERICAN FOOTBALL?

Fate: Screw off! This is Insane American Football! No one gives a shit about the rules, nubby!

Herrick & Stalker: KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Meanwhile, at the quarterback’s position.

Fortello: Now, if I could just get this thing to work...

Mutuhaha: What’s taking so long, Mr. Quarterback?

Fortello: This electrical glove is taking pretty long to start up...hmm...I think it’ll be done within 30 seconds...you think you can hold them off that long?

Mutuhaha: Err...you might to see that their tank column is – I’m sorry about that – their linebacks are breaking through our defences. Look, there’s one here now.

The Lord of Darkness: Hahaha! Bow before me, weaklings! If I defeat you here, I’ll be able to kope Herrick’s GDC for the rest of the year!

From the other side of the pitch.

Herrick: WHO THE HELL SAID YOU COULD DO THAT?!

Back to the action.

Fortello: Ahh! Come on, you stupid thing! Hurry up and recharge!

Mutuhaha: Excuse me, Mr. Quarterback, but should I engage the enemy?

Fortello: What? Aww, hell you should! Hurry up, or we’re actually going to lose ground this Down.

Mutuhaha: I got you, Sir! AIRBORNE DIVISIONS! CALLING IN SUPPORT!

From the other side of the pitch.

Herrick: THIS ISN’T COH GODDAMMIT! AND DON’T YOU PLAY WEHR?!

Back to the action.

The Lord of Darkness: Huh? What is this Airborne Division you speak of? You’re weird.

Mutuhaha: Don’t look down on the power of the American Army! Charge, my warriors!

The Lord of Darkness: Hmm? Parachutes? So you weren’t kidding when you said – HOLY SHIT, THEY’RE HAMSTERS?! What is this, Fumoffu?!

Fortello: Hey, that’s cool...when did you get those?

Mutuhaha: Ahh, I got ‘em cheap off this company called TNN. Pretty shady business, if you know what I mean. Anyway, you got that glove o’ yours ready? I don’t know if my little infantry division is going to last much longer...

Fortello: All set! Alright, get ready to fire. In three, two, one...!

Mutuhaha: ...

Fortello: God damn it, I hate it when this happens, what doesn’t it – WHOA!

From the other side of the field.

Herrick: Holy shit, what the hell was that? A rocket or something?

Stalker: I wouldn’t be surprised.

Fate: Shut up, Nubbies, you don’t have time to be talking! Stop running so I can troll you high heaven!

Herrick & Stalker: STOP SWINGING THAT SWORD AROUND!

Fortello: Well...that went better than I expected.

Mutuhaha: What kind of artillery was that, Sir?

Fortello: That was a railgun...experimental, of course.

Mutuhaha: Ahh. Accuracy is an issue, I take it.

Fortello: Only when things go wrong. Like...now. I wonder where it’s going to land...

About 50 yards down the line...

Homework: Hey, you! Get out of the way, damn it! Can’t you see I’m working here?

Lolicon: Huh? What’s that?

Homework: Any idiot can see that I’m building an airport! Now move aside...you aren’t even in my team, damn it.

Lolicon: Oh yeah...which team am I on again?

Homework: ...The Heroes’ team. I have no idea why I’m on the Villain’s team, but it matters. Not, now, if you please, would you mind...

Herrick & Stalker: KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Fate: Come back here, you Nubbies!

Homework: Damn it, get...off...my...AIRPORT! RARGH!

The four of us: Herrick, Stalker, Fate and Homework start brawling. I think that the three of them fought amongst themselves more than me. Ahh well, I guess they’re not called the Villains for nothing.

Lolicon: Wow, that looks painful...anyway, that looks like a...THE FOOTBALL! Hah! There is no one standing in my path to VICTORY!

Jekay: Oh really? With my 4.6 second 40 yard dash, there’s no way you can catch me!

Lolicon: Oh no! You Villain! Never mind, I shall make up for it with my CROSS-HANDED PLAYING STYLE!

Jekay: ...What is a “Cross-Handed Playing Style”?

Lolicon: It’s amazing for grazing...look, all I gotta do is this, and then...

WHOOSH! The ball ripped past both Lolicon and Jekay.

Lolicon: Hah! See, I told’ya! Did you see that graze? God damn, I’m good!

Jekay: Weren’t we supposed to catch that?

Lolicon: OH NOES!

Herrick: You’re both idiots!

Suddenly...

Frank: TOUCHDOWN FOR THE HEROES!

All: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?

Herrick: Who the hell made that touchdown?

Jax: Heh. With my ability to hide my existence from everyone, I am the perfect player to score sudden touchdowns!

Suddenly, there is a gust of wind and...

All: WHERE DID HE GO?! HOLY SHIT, WHAT A SCARY GUY!

Frank: Uhh...well, ignoring that, the score now stands at 5 – 0, with the Heroes having a chance to gain another points either by a touchdown, or by kicking the ball into the scoring area. Let’s see what they’ll do, huh? Hmm...it looks like the Heroes are bringing out their star kicker, Tora!

Herrick: ...Our star kicker is a girl?

Tora: DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT?!

Herrick: A...ahaha, not particularly, no?

Tora: Oh...that’s good then!

Herrick: ...Never mind. Let’s get this over with, shall we? So who’s our opponent? Hmm...it looks like that guy is going to try and stop us...what’re we going to do?

Tora: He’s kinda short, don’t you think?

The Seng: Hey, watch out, man! I’m tall in stature.

Herrick: ...I’ve heard too many of these jokes before...sigh...

Frank: Enough of the chatter! Even now, the players are lining up, ready to try and prevent Tora from scoring with that deadly kick of hers! There she goes, smashing the ball into the air!

Herrick: Ooh, that looked like a good shot!

Tora: Mmhmm...okay lah.

The Seng: What the...this is so broken! How the hell am I supposed to reach that?

Young Boy: Hey, Seng! Take this!

To my horror, the Young Boy sudden kicks the Seng in the...the...well, you know what I mean.

The Seng: YEEEEEEEEEOOWCHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Young Boy: Whoa...he’s flying, he’s flying!

Herrick:  ARE WE IN A CARTOON OR SOMETHING?!

The Seng: Oh no...my voice just went twenty octaves higher...hang on, I’m now the same height as the ball! THIS IS WHAT ALL MY 6 YEARS OF GOALKEEPING HAVE PREPARED ME FOR! Here goes nothing!

From the ground, we can see that The Seng is tipping the ball a little off its course, leading the ball to certain doom!

Herrick: God Dammit, we need to do something!

Booster: Leave it to me! Astro! Hang on tight! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!

Grabbing the poor boy – Astro, I believe his name was, Booster threw him high into the air, sending the boy somersaulting into the atmosphere! CRASH! It appeared that his flight into space was stopped only by the ball, which was struck back into its original path by Astro’s hair! Almost in slow motion, the ball slowly, but surely, flew closer and closer into the scoring area, somersaulting once, twice, thrice...

Herrick: GET ON WITH IT ALREADY!

Frank: Oh, fine! It’s now 6 – 0 to the Heroes! Congratulations!

Herrick: I have absolutely no idea how the hell that happened...but whatever. So I suppose that it’s the Villains –

WHAM! The Seng comes crashing down onto the ground, creating a man-shaped hole in the ground. Knowing the circumstances, the poor boy’s perfectly fine. What about Astro, though? Hmm...ahh, there is he is...wait...there’s something wrong about the guy using his hair as a parachute, right? Ahh, whatever, I don’t really care anymore...

Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling, and a giant tank...no, not a tank, but a Pershing smashed through the stadium, guns ablaze.

Pershing: Hey there, Herrick!

Herrick: ...weren't you a Gundam 00 the last time? 

Pershing: But this is so much more stylish, don't you think? In any case, good job, you're about halfway through getting out of these weirdo dream.

Herrick: Didn't I already get out of the dream in the last baseball match? What am I doing here?

Pershing: Ahh...I don't know such things, unfortunately...the world is kinda warped around here...it  must be Ranka's singing, it always screws up the continuum. Irritating woman, I never liked her songs anyway.

Herrick: Err...getting back on topic?

Pershing: Yes, well...to be honest I have no idea what's going to happen now...we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

Herrick: ...here we go again...