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.