L i t t l e b o y

Some updates

2008-10-05T04:37:00.002+08:00

Hey some updates! I'm still alive! (Surprisingly...)

Ok let's see... what's been happening...

Studies: Yeah so far still alive (shan't report my results on the www). Although the xiong midterms are coming up next week so I might die after that. And ICPC! Not sure if I can get selected but if I do then that'll be one more thing to mug for.

Life: No problem. I don't have much of a life anyway.

Food: Problem. Problem. Problem. Haha... I'm fine with the food here, but I really don't think they're very healthy. So taste-wise I'm ok, but consciously I think it's killing me.

TV: Haha interesting to be in the US now. Biden-Palin, Obama-McCain, Wall street collapse, lots of stuff to look at. PLUS Heroes Season 3!

Temperature: COLD. And it's going to get COLDER. Haha.

Yeah back to work. Bye.

Food!

2008-08-21T20:48:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered what food we get to eat in Pittsburgh? Some pictures!

CMU... Carnegie Mellon... "what melon?"... watermelon!
Oh and of course. Beef patty. PURE beef patty. Ooooooh..... gotta watch that tummy =)

Rows and rows of burgers, far beyond what the eye can see...

And of course. How can an entry on food not have ICE CREAM! Yum yum... =)
Ben and Jerry's is cheaper here too haha.

From pittsburgh!

2008-08-18T11:15:00.000+08:00

Heyo!

Ok really paiseh I haven't really updated anything since I got to Pittsburgh. So anyway... first and foremost... a big big BIG THANK YOU to all those who came to see me off, and those who couldn't but who sent their regards too. =) Really appreciated it.

So the flight was long, and tiring, and long, and tiring, and long, and tiring, and I'm typing this so many times because we went on so many transits. Singapore -> Bangkok -> Narita -> JFK -> Pittsburgh. Phew. And worse.... in JFK the flight got -delayed- due to thunderstorm, and we ended up sitting on the plane for 5 HOURS doing nothing. Just waiting for the green light from control tower.

What a way to spend 36 hours...

Anyway, here are some photos from the airport. Picasa seems to have a limit how many I can upload at one shot though...
Family!

Friends

RI (and RJ)

42!

Haha ok so thanks again all who came. =)

If anyone's wondering, Pittsburgh is still having nice weather now... almost like Singapore just less humid. So that's nice. I'm walking around in berms and there's no problem at all. Of course I'm guessing winter will come soon, but at least for now I can enjoy the weather haha.

Food-wise... well burgers are a staple part of (american) life I think... but there're quite a few chinese food outlets around, so that's not too bad really.

Had ice-cream today! Haha really cheap compared to Singapore. Yum =)

Ok more updates coming up in upcoming weeks! I suppose I'll be busy during next week's Orientation though... but for a 21 years old to join an orientation designed for 17/18 years... well... haha...

"Alright. So I'm hoping you guys don't do any alcohol in your dorms, because that'll be against the law..."

Not for me! Yay! =)

People are going to be nice to me soon haha.

Flying off

2008-08-13T12:56:00.002+08:00

Ok finally it's time to fly off.

The flight journey takes soooo long it's not even funny... well just hope they don't lose our luggage or anything.

Yups see you all (whoever you are) at the airport later! =)

On to CMU! The best uni in the world! (Of course, Stanford's close behind hahahahahaha....)

Wall-e

2008-06-27T01:14:00.000+08:00

It's already out in the US! So presumably by the time I fly over, it will be off the cinemas already. And Cathay only shows it in mid-August.

Sigh... I think this must be the first movie that I look forward to as early as a year ago. And now I'm going to miss it. Bleh tough luck.

Time to look for streaming versions haha. =D Shh....

Where the hell is Matt?

2008-06-24T20:04:00.002+08:00

Ok I don't usually post videos. But this is just SO cool... it's definitely worth seeing.

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Enjoy =D

3-legged stools

2008-05-30T22:59:00.002+08:00

It's a fact everyone knows: 3 points form a plane. And if you didn't know that, now you do.

(And no if you're going to argue that 2 points somehow form a degenerate plane or that 3 colinear points don't form a plane, then buzz off you pedantic little fellow =)

But perhaps few among us realise the significance of this piece of mathematical knowledge: A 3-legged chair/table NEVER rocks.

Doesn't that rock? (sorry for the pun heh)

So why is it that almost all our chairs and tables are four-legged?

It doesn't make sense, does it? We spend extra materials on the fourth leg, only to end up with a chair/table that rocks, and then we spend time stuffing paper under the legs to level it again. Seems like a lot of needless trouble.

Perhaps I should be fair: It does make sense to make tables with 4 legs, if it is a rectangular one. And some chairs are made with a seat on two inverted-U-shaped metal bars, so it'd naturally be easier to manufacture the bars in bulk and just attach them two to a seat.

But in other cases, it just makes no sense! I wonder where this "tradition" came from... Wikipedia ackowledges this fact, saying that tables usually have 4 legs, but it contains no citations for the source of that information. It does appear, however, from all the pictures of ancient chairs, that 4-legged tables/chairs have existed for a really long time.

I guess it's really just tradition. If it has always been done this way, why change it? Of course that reasoning makes sense, but we should not let it be a paralysing factor. If there is absolutely no reason for something to be the way it is, it's probably asking us to change it.

Perhaps every now and then we should look around us and see if there are reasons for us to do the things that we do.

We will find that many things are plainly ritual.

What other reasons can there be, that we sign when we pay by credit cards, knowing that no one actually checks the signature?

IPPT!

2008-05-29T15:51:00.002+08:00

Yups so I took my IPPT.

Chinup, shuttle run and situps were as usual no problems (5 points each). SBJ still lousy, got a D for that. And my 2.4! Haha ran only 11:50... that's what 6 months of inactivity does to you heh.

Yups but I got the $100! And maybe... just maybe... if I'm hardworking enough I'll see if I can double that. Gold is out of the questions definitely... one must know his limits ;)

Cute spam

2008-05-28T23:28:00.003+08:00

Haha. A spam got past the gmail filters. I think it was because the spam was trying to sell me adobe CS3 suite... so all the references to CS fooled the filter into thinking it was comp science related.

Anyway then it had these two paragraphs at the bottom, presumably to fool the statistical spam filter again.

"Terrified African immigrants continue to flee targeted violence in South Africa, as the leader of Gambia orders homosexuals out of his country under the threat of beheading. Plus, is Africa facing a problem with obesity?

It used to be common for women in Basra to wear makeup, play music, and visit the salon. Until recently, Shiite militiamen had been violently enforcing a strict code of Muslim living, and women had especially suffered. But life has changed for these women since the Iraqi army invaded the city."

Haha so... unrelated. I wonder if the text was auto-generated, or typed. Maybe it's auto extracted from reuters or something.

What I got out of army

2008-05-23T14:01:00.003+08:00

Actually it hasn't been that long since ORD. Only been like... 6 months? But I guess ORD is something like quitting smoking. Within one day, you feel better. Within one week, you almost lose the craving. Within one month, your body starts restoring itself to its previously healthy state.

So what did I get out of army? Let's see...

Well definitely I was forced to do more exercises. People who know me in school know that I'm that (ahem) nerdy guy who's indoor like 99% of the time. Not fat surprisingly, but not fit definitely. And I suppose if I hadn't gone into army, I might still be stagnant now.

I'm not so indoor now, although my hand-eye coordination is still non-existent, which is why I jog. =) No need for hands or eyes. Just a lot of patience, which incidentally, is forced upon you in army too. (Stone, or do work. Make your choice. =)

Then there's all the vehicle work, which involves mostly unscrewing things and screwing things back. Real heavy things. With lots of oil and grease. So we complain a lot. But I guess deep within me there's a deep dark crazy psychotic JJ who actually liked all these mechanical work. After all it's like Lego isn't it? Just a hell lot heavier, more dangerous (sledgehammer no less!), and you usually have a lack of proper tools (Sawing a screw? I'm amazed it worked. =)

Then there's all the friends I made in army. I don't talk much on MSN and all, but hey I remember you guys ok? I'm just not a very MSN chat person haha. Nor facebook for that matter. But yeah I remember you all alright.

Then there's all the (ahem) non-friends I made. For a very long time my perception of the world was to see the best in everyone. Give everybody the benefit of any doubts. But somehow you begin to learn that some people just do not deserve such an optimistic treatment. And so some people become friends, while others become mere acquaintances.

The two years also gave me time to think. To think about things. Life, what I want to do in life, all the usual reflective stuff. So that was a very long pit-stop. You're stopped from moving forward for two years, so there's really no rat-race (or paper chase or what-you-have-it) distracting you.

But I ask, was a delay of two years worth it?

Of course, I shouldn't be questioning the -worth- of it all. It's National Service, where we serve the nation and protect her from external threats to our society. Problem is, I'm not so sure I can fight a war if one really breaks out. Unless the soldiers of other countries are as lousy as I am (and I don't think so), I'm really going to be no more than another shield, blocking around 2-4 bullets. And that would be all. How useful's that?

So back to the question: 2 years. Worth it?

For someone who looks beyond his study+bond period of 8-9 years, 2 years more is really a drag. So instead of finishing my bond at 27, now I will finish at 29. 29! That is sooo old. I'm not sure what will happen then, but I'm quite sure I will have a lot more load on my shoulders. And that sucks doesn't it?

I'm a lucky one. I only got flat foot out of army, which doesn't really affect me much. Other people that I know, with joint problems, ankle problems, backbone/spine problems, those are the really unlucky ones. Much as we talk about wanting to downgrade and chao-keng, no one wants to downgrade by having a real disability. That'd just be stupid.

So, what would I do if NS is made optional? I'd skip it. Sad, but true. I'm sorry if I'm not that patriotic, but my experience just isn't the best that one can get. Lots of work, lousy bosses, lack of support (in terms of resources, and mental support).

It just isn't worth it at all.

Opinions do change. Someday in the future I might have a different view. You never know. But it will take a huge epiphany before I have a different view in this matter.

Moving too fast

2008-05-22T15:39:00.002+08:00

Perhaps it's a symptom of urban city life. Or maybe it's just a worldwide phenomena. But we're all moving too fast.

Ever done something like this? You start off doing something, with a really clear idea what it is you want. Then you proceed, and continue, and suddenly, along the way, you realise you've forgotten what it is that you started out to do. And you don't remember why you do things anymore, it just seems "natural".

So you know, you've got to slow down, and reevaluate things.

What if you can't slow down? Like, for example, if there's a time constraint? Do you slow down anyway, because it's better to be late than to be lost? Or move along in the haze, knowing that there's no way you can fight Time?

I would do the latter, but I'm afraid I might be chasing an empty shell. Then what?

How handphones should be used

2008-04-30T22:59:00.002+08:00

Handphones are great. You can call anyone from anywhere. No more having to dig for change and find a public phone. But some people just have no idea how to use it properly.

Here are some thoughts (my thoughts, on my blog. Sorry if you disagree):

1. Turn to silent mode when in a library, movie theatre, concert, seminar, talk, etc. This is probably basic courtesy, yet almost without fail, there will be one or two buggers who absolutely -refuse- to turn their phones to silent mode. Buggers indeed.

2. If you are going to "chat" on SMS, then turn to silent mode as well. SMS are so cheap nowadays many people use it as a form of "chatting". Send an SMS, wait for a reply, reply to the reply, etc. But if you're doing that, please please turn to silent mode after the first SMS! No one should have to listen to "Umbrella" or some weird ringtone over and over and over and over again!

3. If you're in the office and your phone is just on your desk, then turn it to silent mode. Same reasoning as point 2. No one should have to suffer hearing the same song snippet 10 times a day.

4. If you are talking to someone over a serious matter, please don't multitask and do something else at the same time. Again, this is basic courtesy. Whether it be a customer calling a salesperson, or a friend calling to chat, do NOT multitask. It might not be visible, but it can definitely be felt. The simple rule is, do what you would do if the other person was physically there. Follow that rule, and you can surf the net, use the phone with one ear, and listen to your ipod with the other. Your friends would understand since that's what you'd do normally anyway.

5. If someone asks a question over SMS, and you don't reply till much later, please elaborate what it is that you are answering. SMS has a time-stamp. You can see when the message was sent. A reply that says "Yes" or "No" sent 5 hours after the question was received would not explain things much. Of course the other party can check his/her "sent messages" folder, but should he/she be going through all these trouble? Be nice, just elaborate slightly: "Yes, I will be free to go for the party." Much better isn't it?

So if I control the world everyone would follow these rules. And the world will be a better place. But of course I don't control the world. Which is why we all will continue to suffer at the misuse of handphones.

The story about Pacman

2008-04-29T21:32:00.005+08:00

Haha isn't the Pacman on the right cute? =)

Actually, Pacman is done using the Chart API from google. It allows you to plot charts without having to draw anything! Details at http://code.google.com/apis/chart. It's a long list, so here's a snippet.

For example, if the url is

http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p3&chd=t:60,40&chs=250x100&chl=Hello|World

Then the graph will show up as this:

But if you change the "cht=p3" part to "cht=p", then you get a 2d version instead:

And if you change the "chd=t:60,40" to "chd=t:3,1", then it's a 3/4 pie:

Imagine: All these pictures without needing to use paint, or upload pictures onto geocities! Quite cool isn't it?

Yup so I guess it's obvious by now what the Pacman is made of... a couple of pie charts with different ratios. With a setinterval() function to cycle through the pictures every few seconds.

It's childish, I guess, but hey that's how I started with Pascal... the nice nice nice language. =)

Exact code for the javascript:

     where = 1;
     image1 = new Image(200, 200);
     image2 = new Image(200, 200);
     image3 = new Image(200, 200);
     image4 = new Image(200, 200);
     image5 = new Image(200, 200);
     image6 = new Image(200, 200);
     image7 = new Image(200, 200);
     image8 = new Image(200, 200);
     image9 = new Image(200, 200);
     image10 = new Image(200, 200);
     var clicked = false;
    
     function showpic() {
       image1.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:50,10&chs=100x100";
       image2.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:52,8&chs=100x100";
       image3.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:54,6&chs=100x100";
       image4.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:56,4&chs=100x100";
       image5.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:58,2&chs=100x100";
       image6.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:60,0&chs=100x100";
       image7.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:58,2&chs=100x100";
       image8.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:56,4&chs=100x100";
       image9.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:54,6&chs=100x100";
       image10.src = "http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?
cht=p&chd=t:52,8&chs=100x100";
      
       if (clicked == false) {
         intervalID = setInterval("rotatepic()", 50);
         clicked = true;
       }
       else {
         clearInterval(intervalID);
         clicked = false;
       }
     }
    
     function rotatepic() {
       where=where+1;
       if (where == 11) where = 1;
      
       img = eval("image" + where + ".src");
       document["pacman"].src = img;
     }

Pangea Day!

2008-04-21T08:50:00.002+08:00

It's in Singapore time 11 May 2am. Do gather around and watch the event!
More at http://pangeaday.org/index.php

Microsoft questions

2008-04-20T22:42:00.002+08:00

Using puzzles as interview questions isn't really a new concept, although sometimes I fail to see how questions like "You are bungee-jumping off a cliff 100m high. how long should your rope be?" really test anything.

Here are some more question, taken from another website:

How would you determine the weight of a Boeing 747?
Given an opaque box with three light bulbs inside and three switches outside, how would you determine which switch corresponded to which bulb if the box could be opened only once and only after all the switches were permanently set?
You are at a ravine with three others and need to cross a rickety bridge. You can cross it in one minute, the three others can cross it in two, five, and ten, respectively. A flashlight (your group has only one) is always required to cross, and only two people can cross at a time. How do cross as quickly as possible?

And proposed answers:

I’d ask Boeing… I can’t ask Boeing?! Uhh, I’d ask a librarian… Of course a librarian would know, they look stuff up, that’s their job!
Who would build such a stupid, broken box? I’d fix it of course… I haven’t even seen the stupid box! How do you know I can’t fix it?
Obviously, we’d leave the slow guy behind. We’re clearly in a bad place, in a bad situation, and we don’t have any time for the big fat fatty to slow us down. It’s survival!

Haha. Full article here.

Depressed demoralised

2008-04-18T08:41:00.000+08:00

Wah... sigh...

Ideas I don't agree with (last part)

2008-04-17T11:50:00.000+08:00

Interesting. Found these articles on Wikipedia and Google. Clearly I'm not the only one who thinks Google and Wikipedia is not everything.

"Wikipedia breeds 'unwitting trust' says IT professor"
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1828979092

"How Social Networking Could Kill Web Search as We Know It"
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4259135.html

And seriously that's all I'm going to bore you all with Wiki / Google. Stop reading, time to get back to tearing page 1 and 2 out! Haha... =D

Ideas I don't agree with (II)

2008-04-16T22:43:00.003+08:00

Now don't get me wrong. Google rocks. Seriously. In the words of Steve Ballmer, when it comes to internet search, it's "Googlegooglegoogle". (You're supposed to imagine that in his accented voice =)

Anyway, we all know Google is the great, mighty search engine right? It's so ubiquitous that "google" has become a verb in everyday language. Or JFGI, another acronym that has appeared.

But of course we know what I'm getting at. Google is not everything.

At the heart of google is simply a big complicated algorithm that sweeps the internet and records down what it sees. No matter how smart, how complex, how much maths is involved, google search will not be perfect. It is merely a machine, a maths formula.

Say, for example, you want to figure out how to do something in ASP.NET. (That's a common problem lately =) You could google all day long but no solutions will come up. (If you're still wondering, yes this is first-hand experience)

What you could do, with a higher chance of success, is go to some web forum and bug the people around. Politely of course. It's always amazing how friendly and helpful most people are.

Maybe you don't code. So here's another example (real life again).
Say you're travelling overseas and is looking for a hotel/motel. NEVER google for hotels. It just isn't one of their strength. Instead, I'm guessing (on hindsight) that it would be better to announce on Facebook that I'm looking for a hotel! After all, I'm sure within 6 degrees there will be people who will be able to recommend something good.

Convinced now that Google isn't the find-all engine yet? Good. =)

Disclaimer: I really have nothing against Google and Wikipedia. I use them on a regular basis. I only dislike the fact some people think Google/Wikipedia is all there is when it comes to internet sources. That's wrong of course. Google is merely a search engine, not a source per se. And Wikipedia has a policy that whatever is in its article must be "verifiable", which means in a sense whatever you find there is only secondary sources.

Ideas I don't agree with

2008-04-13T21:10:00.007+08:00

We live in the age of information technology. If you are sufficiently young enough, you would think that there was always only 3 search engines around: Google, Yahoo! and MSN (In that order of popularity). It wouldn't occur to you that an encyclopaedia that worked on the premise of being free for all to edit would work. Indeed, I would not be surprised if people said they didn't know what Britannica was.

So well, there's nothing wrong with not knowing what Altavista, Hotbot, Excite, or Lycos is (they're all search engines), but here are some ideas that some people seem to have which I just don't agree with.

1. Wikipedia is the know-it-all
Seriously, Wikipedia is great. For one thing, nowadays no one argues anymore whether it's "encyclopedia" or "encyclopaedia" or even "encyclopædia". Of course, that's if you still remember what an encyclopedia is.

Secondly, Wikipedia is a "success" story. Back then no one believed that it would work, or that Wikipedia could be a credible source, since, well, it could be edited by anyone and everyone. Of course, Wikipedia's "success" is really debatable, since behind the scene there are really many people managing it to make sure it is working. But there is seriously no doubt about its popularity.

What I find weird is how some people (mostly students actually) think that Wikipedia is a know-it-all. Sure, it's a good platform to find facts. Indeed, sometimes I skip searching altogether and just go straight to Wikipedia to find information.

But it is NOT a know-it-all. There will invariably be things that are not in Wikipedia. Subjective opinions, for one, is definitely not in since it wouldn't fit into the "ideology" of a factual source of information.

Another problem is that sometimes Wikipedia just isn't the best place to look for information, simply because it is too factual. Imagine you are a Sec 4 student trying to read up on "Haber Process". Search that on Wikipedia and you will get a whole barrage of information about reaction equilibrium and catalyst mechanism and you will simply be left wondering if "adsorb" was a typo or if it's a real word.

Similarly, try searching "knapsack problem". Now, this is a classic and easy problem in programming, but on Wikipedia the solution is reduced to four lines:

A(0, j) = 0
A(i, 0) = 0
A(i, j) = A(i - 1, j) if c_i > j
A(i, j) = max(A(i - 1, j), v_i + A(i - 1, j - c_i)) if c_i ≤ j.

Which really isn't wrong, and is in fact a very elegant and succinct way of expressing the solution. Problem is, how would a beginner learn this?

So conclusion: Wikipedia is great. Really great. Plus it's free and ad-free. But sometimes, I guess we just have to be aware that there do exist other sources of information.

Next up: Why google is not the find-it-all so many think it is

Results of NOI

2008-04-12T23:30:00.002+08:00

See it here: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~noi/results.html

Wow I'm so happy at the results. At the very least, everyone got a prize. That's really not bad. And of course, RI got top school for the 11th year running! Muahahaha...

Another narrow escape... but I'm quite confident about next year already. After all Hubert, Kah khang and Chuanqi aren't banned yet. Heh =) Jiayou!

End of my journey with chemistry

2008-04-08T19:53:00.003+08:00

Ok so I finally finished my teaching stint in RI. Which probably means I will no longer have any contact whatsoever with chemistry. Still, I'm amazed at how I still remember my chemistry stuff... apparently it was always there, just waiting to be dug up. =)

Well so here's one last "experiment" that can be performed, things that teachers never teach you.

Objective: Measure how fast your fingernails grow.

Apparatus: A piece of bench cloth from RI chemistry lab.

Procedure:
Step 1: Clean your bench top with the cloth, and then rinse it. This is an important step! Make sure you rinse the cloth, so the stains get to your nails.
Step 2: Wait.

So now, I know that my nails grow at around 2-3 mm in one week, since I did the "experiment" on my last day in RI, 31st March.

Teach chem... not only do you revise chem, you learn bio! =D

Not enough boys?

2008-04-05T21:59:00.003+08:00

Time magazine: "Affirmative Action for Boys?"
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1727693,00.html

What I don't get is why people are so worked up about the whole issue. C'mon, universities need money too. If there isn't a quota, things will just get worse wouldn't it? Think about it:

First year:
Uni has 7-3 guy-girl ratio.

Second year:
Uni attracts the gung-ho type of guys. Repels the girls who'd prefer more girls.
Ratio drops to 8-2.

Third year:
More gung-ho guys come in. Even less girls apply.
Ratio drops to 9-1.

Eventually:
Becomes a boy school!

That at least, is the crux of the HDB quota isn't it? So that the races will not eventually settle into a lowest state?

So why are people wondering that girls are not "marching in the streets", or that they are not "saying something about it being not fair"?

Perhaps... Those girls understand that this is necessary? So that schools don't segregate?

Btw.. I'm not a feminist or misogynists. The rumour is that in Computer Science, girls get in more easily, for the same reason. So seriously I'm at the bad end of the bargain. So yeah, there's no reason for me to help the "boys" mentioned in this article.

But let's just say that I definitely wouldn't mind if more girls study computer science. Especially if the pretty ones come to CMU. Heh heh. =D

Greedy?

2008-04-01T23:51:00.002+08:00

When is enough enough, and when is wanting too much considered greedy? Is it right if one is too greedy, leaving little left for others?

Challenges of the new generation

2008-03-26T00:49:00.004+08:00

You know how some people laments the fact that kids nowadays no longer have to remember phone numbers? Unlike the kids now, we of my generation (and before) had -real- address books, physical entities where we had to -write- down phone numbers. And of course, since it was troublesome to carry it around, we would remember common numbers, like those of our parents/close friends.

Now all you have to do is to click around your phone and voila! the number shows up.

Indeed, I blame the unchecked proliferation of technology as a reason for the lack of numerical ability of our students. Handphones and graphics calculators are the two main culprits.

But it is not all bad. The current generation has a different problem, one which they have to solve themselves.

No it's not global warming or any impending doom. It's the curse of the wires. Take a look at my floor:

And that's only 4 wires: 2 laptop chargers, 1 modem and 1 phone charger. Yet it looks more tangled than the Gordian knot.

So, if kids nowadays are not good at numerical manipulations, at least we can take heart that they are getting better at spatial perceptions. It is definitely no mean feat to untangle wires as messed up as this. And when wireless networks start having problems connecting with each other, that is when they will need to improve their abstract spatial perception skills.

But that would be for the next generation to discover.

1 week now

2008-03-20T17:14:00.002+08:00

"What would you do if the world ends tomorrow?... And what are you waiting for?"

It has been an interesting week. Decisions have been made. Decisions that came with lots of thoughts, and even more uncertainty. Decisions that affects lives.

Nothing's easy. But isn't it also true that often, the best things never come easy?

I guess Pi day was a good day to make the decision. After all, what else could be a better symbol for something so transcendental and irrational?

5-iodo-cyclo-octan-ol.

=)

Software

2008-03-15T02:40:00.002+08:00

All software will crash at one point or another. What matters is, is it able to recover elegantly? And from all the crashes, can the coders make it better in the next version?

I believe it will get better. With luck and a lot of effort, the prototype could be the final version. And then it will still need work. But at least it's one step taken forward.

CS vs Maths

2008-03-10T00:05:00.003+08:00

Just starting to read "From here to infinity" by Ian Stewart. In the first paragraph he compared music to mathematics.

Music, like maths, have terminologies that outsiders will find hard to understand: 5 lines and lots of black (and white) dots just don't make much sense if you don't know music. Similarly, if you're not a maths person all the x, y, and z will confuse you tremendously.

Unlike maths, however, even an untrained person can appreciate music. This is where maths is different. Whereas music can be appreciated from several points of view: the listener, the performer, and the composer, in mathematics there is no equivalent to the listener. Even if we find an analogous listener, (s)he'd be appreciating the composer, not the performer.

I think here's where CS is slightly more interesting. I think of researchers, language creators, framework makers as the composers, programmers as the performers ("performing" the language, for example), and end-users as the listener.

So although an end-user will not be able to appreciate the technology that goes behind a fine piece of work (the ajax behind gmail for example), they do know something good when they see it (the "smoothness" in gmail). And if you do appreciate the technology that's a whole new level of admiring the piece of work. Admiring google suggest is no different from looking at the Egyptian pyramid and being amazed at the engineering achievement. And the programmer will have to thank whoever came up with asynchronous javascript, the internet, etc to allow them to have a language to code in.

Long post. But I think it explains why CS appeals to me more than maths. There's something lego about it, where the world is for you to create, and also something dynamic about it, the "how" rather than the "what". Very relevant for a pragmatic person like me.

By the way I seldom promote things, but PicLens is really cool! Do check it out: http://www.piclens.com/site/firefox/win/

Chinese python...

2008-02-24T13:56:00.003+08:00

...I'm referring to Python, the programming language of course.

I've always thought that English will remain as the language of computers, because so many programming languages exist in English. Although foreign coders can use variable names in their language (Spanish, Hungarian, etc), they still had to stick to English reserved words.

Not anyway, it seems.

Enter ChinesePython. Haha it's cool just thinking about it... coding in Chinese!

A code block from the website:

答 = 整数(输入("请告诉我你的年纪: "))
如 答 == 0:
   写 "别开玩笑了, 你刚出生吗 ?"
不然 答 < 0
   写 "哇! 妖怪!"
不然 答 > 200:
   写 "哇! 妖怪!"
   写 "不! 是老妖怪!"
不然 答 < 40
   写 "嘿! 小伙子"
否则:
   相差 = 答 - 1
   写 "你好, 你的年纪比中蟒大", 相差 , '岁.'

Seriously, is that cool or what? A language in chinese =)

New day, new discovery.

NEmation08!

2008-02-20T21:52:00.003+08:00

I wonder how many people read this blog. But anyway, help spread this message!

This is a call to all you reading this to go to http://www.nemation.sg/votingpage.html and vote for RI! Haha... ok if you don't want then just vote for the best 3 among the ten. And hopefully RI is one of them.

And who knows, you might just win yourself a prize! Top prize is a <I forgot!> But there is a prize... seriously.

And although logic will dictate that you tell no one about this, so that it increases your chances in the lucky draw, don't! Give you friends a chance to win too! =)

Computing in A levels

2008-02-14T22:01:00.004+08:00

http://www.seab.gov.sg/SEAB/aLevel/syllabusSchool_Info.html

Chanced upon the syllabus of H2 computing today while doing research, and I must say I think computing is now a more viable subject than before.

1. Knowledge with understanding
Candidates should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of

1.1 problem solving methodology
1.2 concepts and techniques in programming
1.3 principles and techniques of algorithm design
1.4 definition, representation and manipulation of basic data structure
1.5 applications of computers and their impact on people and organisations

2. Practical skills and experience Candidates should be able to demonstrate practical skills and experience in

2.1 problem analysis and formulation
2.2 problem solving through computer programming
2.3 designing, testing and evaluating computer solutions
2.4 organising and presenting ideas/solutions clearly

Well it does seem like this is an improved version of the computing of yesteryear. The previous syllabus gave me the impression that it was a technical education, whereas now it has slight tendencies towards computer science. In particular I'm glad these are in the syllabus:

3.3.1 show an understanding of homogeneous data type (e.g. array) and heterogeneous data type (e.g. record) and relate the choice of type to given application requirements
3.3.2 demonstrate an ability to implement and maintain common data structures: array, linked list (with pointers) and binary tree
3.3.3 show an understanding of static and dynamic implementation of data structures, and relate the choice of implementation to given application requirements
3.3.4 describe algorithms for the insertion and deletion of data items in linked list, stack, queue and binary tree
3.3.5 understand and implement algorithms for pre-order, in-order, and post-order traversals of binary trees

Of course these are only the basics, but I think having these knowledge would help a student if he intends to pursue CS in university, since there is at least some foundation.

Hopefully, in the next few years, CS will increase in relevance and maybe even a H3 syllabus drafted out for A levels.

If Maths H3 contains geometry, graph theory, combinatorics and differential equations, why can't we have a computing H3 that covers GUI, web programming, advanced networking, and algorithmic theory?

But of course it will take time. We seemed rather entrenched in the thinking that science = physics, chemistry, biology, and humanities = literature, geography, history. As time goes by science might include CS and psychology, and humanities religion, philosophy and theatrical studies.

But of course, it would be best if one day computing is listed under "Science", instead of "Others" which is where it is listed currently.

Hamster

2008-02-11T21:03:00.000+08:00

They say that an owner and his pet tend to look similar over time. I doubt so, since I don't really look like a hamster do I? (Why am I a gopher anyway =P)

But I've come to realise that the owner will learn from his pet hamster. And sleep and sleep and sleep and sleep and... you get the point haha. Which might explain why I'm sleeping at 5am and waking up at noon.

Well at least I don't bite like my hamster does. I'm a peaceful person ^_^

Chemistry!

2008-01-27T14:41:00.001+08:00

Oh my god I found my chemistry file!!! Turns out I didn't throw it away! Haha... somewhere inside me I must have known that I would need it again =).

So now I can mug! Yay.... actually it's quite fun knowing that I'm reading to refresh myself, not for exams. Without exams everything seems a lot more fun don't they?

=) Mug.

Taxi conman

2008-01-24T19:38:00.000+08:00

Saw this on the news today: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/324665/1/.html

Now I have nothing against the taxi driver, but the MO used by the conman is really clever. According to the news, he kept on changing the alighting location to confuse the driver, so that in the end he doesn't even know what he was doing when he handed over the $50. While $50 is not a small sum, it is also not a very big sum so I guess that's fortunate.

However, I couldn't help but notice that this "distraction through confusion" method is very similar to what I saw on another website: http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/M/mindcontrol/trick/lost.html

So, although we have no intention to be conmen or conwomen, here's a reminder to everyone reading this to always be alert, and never let yourself enter the state whereby you "shag cannot think" or "confused cannot think". Being aware is always the key here.

I know I'll be damn pissed if I got conned this way, not because I lost money, but because it would prove that I'm kinda dumb. So let's hope I never get conned.

CDs that die...

2008-01-16T01:03:00.000+08:00

You better watch out,
you better not cry,
You better not pout,
When your CDs die out,
CD-Rs do not last that long.

Check out this blog post complaining how CDs don't last as long as they are said to last.

http://popsci.typepad.com/popsci/the_grouse/index.html

And yes I'll feeling the effects too. Already some of my CDs that were burnt back in the good old days of RI are getting mouldy. Mouldy! Why would mould grow on CDs? Either that or it's oxidation haha. I can't really tell. In either case my CDs are dying...

Let's hope my portable hard drive lasts a bit longer.

Swim...

2008-01-14T15:23:00.000+08:00

Does anyone want to teach me how to tread water? In return I will teach programming =). Or equilibrium (once I relearn it), whichever you prefer.

As a bonus you will also get my utmost gratitude! Isn't that wonderful?

Sigh it sucks not knowing how to swim... ='(

Diary!

2008-01-11T01:22:00.000+08:00

Got meself a diary! It's orange and says "DELIGHT - wherever you go, whatever you do, you are simply a delightful person to all of us". Not sure who that is addressed to, but orange is bright and nice. ^_^

Um... available at all popular stores if anyone's interested haha.

Target for diary 2008: Entries shall be in chinese! Um... other than names I think... I wouldn't know how to write most names haha...

=(

2008-01-10T11:30:00.001+08:00

Sigh

Chemistry!

2008-01-08T11:38:00.000+08:00

Muahahaha... I'm teaching chemistry at RI! Ok so that's probably the last subject I'm willing to teach, but I'm not -that- bad at chem anyway. Just need to brush up my equilibrium so I can convince the students I know my stuff =P. (Never knew secondary students nowadays need to learn equilibrium. Even if it's just one special class.)

And it's just for a month only... which means I still need other ways to supplement my income. Seriously isn't it the new school semester at NUS? Means there will be people who needs help with coding right? Haha. Tuition starts at $50 per hour, individual assignments vary. Help spread the message!

New year: 2008

2008-01-06T03:48:00.000+08:00

It's the two-year anniversary of my enlistment! Hmm maybe it isn't so healthy to use NS stuff to remember dates. It's bad manners.

Anyway, 2008 is here, and it shall be a fresh start and a new chapter for my life. First for some new year resolutions (everyone has them so I must have it too =). I've decided to keep it short this year since I always forget my resolutions.

Give myself a book budget of $500 for the year. Will increase if textbooks turn out to be really expensive. But library will still be my top priority for books.
Find myself. I've been going around in circles for a while now trying to find myself, which has been really difficult. I'm still on this amazing journey. But this year I shall be true to myself and true to others.
Follow my heart. Just do what it tells me to.

Short and simple. The magic 3.

It's also about time to do some positive thinking:

My unibrow is not ugly and doesn't make me fierce. Instead, think of it as a soaring bird, lifting me high into the sky.
Don't complain if you are constantly busy. Because if you are you must be doing something you like or working towards something that you will like. So look upon that as the reason why you are busy.
Winter might be cold and everywhere grey. But how else would you be able to appreciate the colours of spring?

New template too, since it's been rumoured that black screens consume less power and hence is more earth-friendly. Of course it's a myth but hey you never know what new research will show. Better be safe than sorry.

Interesting thoughts

2008-01-06T03:25:00.000+08:00

From an email that I received:

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
When you say "I love you", mean it.
When you say "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.
Be engaged at least 6 months before you get married.
Believe in love at first sight.
Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
Don't judge people by their relatives.
Talk slowly but think quickly.
When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
Say "Bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
Remember the 3 R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
When you realise you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
Spend some time alone.

Rather interesting thoughts no?

Eventful december

2007-12-11T22:26:00.001+08:00

Wow it's not yet the middle of December yet, but it feels like so many things have happened already!

First off, the standard chartered marathon. I guess I REALLY underestimated it haha, since at first I thought I'd only die at around 25km mark. I was so -wrong-. Right thigh started cramping as early as 18km, then the left thigh joined in. I tried to run it off (following kenneth's advice) and it worked for a while, but then when it came back it was twice as bad haha. So very soon the calves joined in, and my lower body was just aching with each step. Then the STOMACH joined in too. I'm not sure if this is what the term "stomach cramp" really means, but imagine your abs flexing by themselves. Yeah. That's how it was. So all these muscles took turns to cramp as if they were dancing or something, while I took one step by one step thinking of the finish line.

Since the distance is finite (42.195km), and with each step my distance to the endpoint was monotonically decreasing, it was inevitable that I would reach the finish line sooner or later. Clock time: 6 hrs 25 mins 57 secs. But since my target was to complete it I have no issues with that time.

Surprisingly, the muscles didn't ache for too long after the run. By the third day they weren't aching anymore, short of the thighs which was still a bit tight. My conclusion is that it was really quite fun and cool to run the marathon, and thanks Yong Tat for coercing me to sign up for the full run instead of the half marathon although we were both unsure about it.

Next one: Sundown! (http://www.sundownmarathon.com/) Yeah if possible I'd like to run that one too. Before I leave for CMU.

==========================================

Next interesting thing. I installed Fedora Core 6 on my old desktop! Haha finally... although for now I'm just (very) slowly trying to learn the shell commands. Oh and the games of course =). And my ADSL modem doesn't work with linux so it's an offline terminal for now. Totally secure against hackers ^_^.

===========================================

And I went for LASIK! Just did it yesterday actually. Been thinking of it for quite some time, even before ORD, so finally decided to just go for it and hope for the best. Till now everything has been great, no dry eyes or irritation like I was worried about. But vision is still a bit unstable... supposedly it takes one to two weeks to stabilise, so I'm just being careful for now.

The actual op was actually really painless (they use numbing eye drops) but psychologically it was quite scary. I was shaking while they were laser-ing my eyes actually, though it might be because the room was very cold (apparently to maintain the equipments). You can't feel it, but you know what's happening at each step: Using the clips to hold open your eyelids, suctioning your cornea, cutting the flap, lifting the flap up, laser-ing, putting the flap back, sweeping it down, and finally putting on the bandage contact lens. Sounds scary, but the actual procedure is actually less than 5 mins. Really fast.

So for now I'm just being careful with my eyes, and hopefully there will be no ill effects, and my vision will be stable from now onwards till I get old and get lao hua yan.

Yups, it's been eventful isn't it? For those who want to meet up for lunch/dinner just give me a call, I should be free anytime since I'm not working now. No more internship too because they gave me a plane (fang fei ji). Pissed but can't do anything about it.

So for now still enjoying my ORD... it's only been one month but it feels like it was so long ago... ^_^

Chain mails

2007-12-04T21:54:00.001+08:00

Chain mails have been around for longer than email itself. Long before computers were already invented, there were already letters circulating saying things like "copy and send this to 6 people, and good luck will come your way!". Back then they had to really copy the letter BY HAND, and PAY the stamp fees to get it forwarded. So even if I received a mail from them I guess I would take a second look and pay more attention.

Email chain letters are far more common of course, because you can just click "Forward" and immediately send the email to 10, 100, or 1000 people (depending on how many names you have in your contact list). Now that's the problem. C'mon people... we are SMART IT-savvy users of the 21st century. Do you SERIOUSLY think that forwarding an email can bring you money, luck, or a girl? I prefer to EARN money, hope for luck, and get a girl by charming her with my charisma =).

And who else has been receiving the irritating Facebook chain wall message? The one that goes "What's wrong here"... either I don't see what's wrong, or you really need to forward the message before you realise what's wrong. In any case, the wall was designed for people to post short messages/notes, like SMS just more public. It is NOT for spam! So please stop propagating these meaningless "What's wrong here" messages! Especially if you see that someone's wall ALREADY has like 3-4 of the same message, don't add to it! This is not a time for herd instinct!

And if you really want mind puzzles I guess there are a lot on the internet. Try these:

http://www.gamedesign.jp/index_en.html
http://www.timtang.com/ttt/
http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~wwu/riddles/intro.shtml

Or google for more.

(Yeah so I'm not a party-goer I guess. But that's why I've removed SuperPoke from my Facebook account as well. Poking started as a feature that allows you to do "something", something that can't be quite described, like -poke-. And now almost everyday I get a sheep, beer, slapped, etc etc by someone it loses all its flavour. If you really want to, just give me a regular, Facebook poke and I'll be more than happy =)

Scary...

2007-11-20T21:01:00.000+08:00

Wah got a scare this afternoon... for a moment there I thought the ghost has yet to leave me... 冤魂不散. Bleh. Luckily it turned out to be nothing.

Less than two weeks left!!! I am so dead...

What's on your mind?

2007-11-18T16:30:00.000+08:00

Imagine that there is going to be an epidemic in Singapore that will kill around 600 people. If preventive plan A is adopted, exactly 200 people will be saved. If plan B is adopted there is a 1/3 probability that 600 people will be saved and a 2/3 probability that no people will be saved.

Now think real hard, because this is a life-and-death situation. Which plan will you choose?

What if I phrased it this way:
Imagine that there is going to be an epidemic in Singapore that will kill around 600 people. If preventive plan A is adopted, exactly 400 people will die. If plan B is adopted there is a 1/3 probability that no one will die and a 2/3 probability that 600 people will die.

Now what?

This makes me feel really weird, because I know that if I am under time pressure I'd most like choose A in the first case and B in the second, even though with some analysis we all know that the two situations are mathematically equivalent.

Scary isn't it?

http://www.spring.org.uk/2007/03/nobel-prize-winning-research-on-risky.php

Sniff...

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

One year 10 months and I don't fall sick. Less than one week from ORD and here I am sniffing and having a sore throat. Sighs~~

And you thought your life is bad...

Secret

2007-11-07T01:26:00.000+08:00

Just watched Secret (不能说的秘密). And since I'm a sucker for this sort of simple sweet romantic stories, it definitely struck a chord with me. (Er.. get the pun?)

Next I'm going for My sister's keepers and nicholas sparks books... Muahaha...

Hmm btw the girl quite cute also ^_^

ORD lor!

2007-11-06T15:41:00.000+08:00

And with that I end my 1 year 10 months as a NSF. It has definitely been an eventful two years, filled with interesting memories. How my buddy and I pitched a "basha" together in BMT field camp, how Zhenghong taught me how not to horse kick, how Eu Jin reminded me that real soldiers don’t drag their duffle bags, how Wei Lin is a shopaholic + eataholic. And all the (ahem) wonderful memories of 42 SAR, the saikung battalion.

I can’t say I’ve learnt nothing from these two years, or that I haven’t forged friendships that I know will last a lifetime. What I’ve learnt I’ll probably use for the rest of my life, things like sticking to your values and living by them, working hard to achieve a goal, learning how to demand things from others. These were all things that I never knew, or weren’t tested out in real life.

But sometimes I weigh the pros and cons of it all, and I’m just not convinced that it was all worth it. Just last night, while having dinner with friends, did I realize how rare it is that I could be there, having dinner, on a non-crowded day. So many reunions, meals, trips, celebrations I’ve missed because of NS, so many that will never happen again. So many opportunities lost, so many things left undone.

But it’s partly my fault too, for not wanting these things hard enough. For not fighting to take more offs, for not taking more MCs (which are technically just another kind of leave). For always thinking that I might be needed somewhere when that is obviously untrue: we are all dispensable.

I hope that in my 2 years of service I have inspired someone, motivated someone, or just plainly made someone rethink something for the better. I hope my sincerely towards my men were felt by them. I certainly know that my vehicle understood my sincerely well: it never threw track or broke down on me (well, except once).

And some people that I really need to thank, for making my life in 42 SAR a livable one.

My section, who were always there when I needed them. (Except when they all went on off)

Mr Bad Karma, who brought me into running and gave lots of tips everyday.

Kelvin, whose dedication to his work reminded me that I was never doing enough...

Alvin, with whom we had great fun with Neo =)

And with that, here’s wishing all the best to everybody who has ORDed!

Kaffir specs rules! (Haha I added Ngo to the picture!)

Keychains

2007-10-21T00:16:00.001+08:00

A list of key chains that I have collected over the years (in chronological order):

Bought during OBS in Sec 3. "To Strive To Serve and Not To Yield"

Souvenir in IOI 2002. The description on the casing: "Dan-cheong is generally a kind of a style of decorative art and it is painted with a symbolized picture or a pattern on a wall, a pillar, or a ceiling in a wooden building by using many various colors. The Dan-cheong of korea is mainly designed by mixing the national colors which are mostly blue, red, yellow, white and black and the Dan-cheong of korea especially has a distinctive quality that shows a gorgeous, elaborate and elegant style."

Sec 1 Orientation 2003: REACH

Bought this during IOI 03 in US. It has a one-cent coin which can be spun around so you can "toss a coin" without really tossing it into the air.

RJC Orientation 2004: Jaxoras

Bought this in Japan during Supercon 04. Looks nice right? =)

As the picture says, I bought this in Greece during IOI 04. And the centre part spins like the Chicago key chain! Just that both sides have the same image.

And a photo of all the keychains together:

I would have bought one during ROC training last year, but I saw none that really caught my eye. And I wouldn't mind a 42SAR keychain but there isn't any sold =( So nopes. I do hope they sell CMU keychains though so I can buy one to add to my collection =).

Is there anything good about men?

2007-08-23T20:44:00.001+08:00

A rather interesting article I found online. The person who wrote this speech is clearly worried that he'll be misunderstood for being sexist, and repeats time and again throughout that he is in no way trying to discriminate against one gender or another.

http://www.psy.fsu.edu/~baumeistertice/goodaboutmen.htm

It may be a bit long but it's really quite interesting. =)

Is there anything good about men?

2007-08-23T20:44:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday!

2007-08-15T10:34:00.000+08:00

Wow I'm 20 already. That's really old... but who cares? I'm littleboy =)

Anyway the day started with a company chalet on monday. Dinner was meant to be potluck but I think eventually we brought a bit too much... so much of the food had to be thrown away.

Look at all the -good- food!

But actually the "chalet cohesion" just meant mahjong, as can be seen by the three tables that we opened haha.

Mahjong!

And then at midnight after the results for campus superstar were released (which was kinda sad cuz those I supported got eliminated) it was cake time!

August babies!

Many thanks to everyone who were there, who weren't there, and all in between. To those who were there, thanks for not dunking me in the pool... to those who weren't there thanks for leaving so you couldn't get funny ideas. And to all in between... whatever.

(***********************************************)

And then dinner was time to celebrate with sixireon! Or like I always say, the OG is dead, let's just call ourselves "my group of good friends!" ^_^ Yeah but seriously thanks for coming down people, I know everyone (other than me who's on leave) is busy with school/work so I really appreciated it.

Dinner at nyny...

Then a surprise cake appeared. It was hidden so well I didn't see it all the time we were at nyny! =)

And a shot without much of a pose since we could barely find a good surface to put the camera for timed shots.

Right so in all THANK YOU EVERYONE! Enjoyed my birthday hee hee... thanks for the cakes, the socks, the shirt, the surprise, and the gopher card (do I look like a gopher?)!

And thanks astee too for her wonderful graffiti with the 20 candles!

A free man...

2007-08-02T22:48:00.000+08:00

... at least for now.

No more acct, no more vehicles to worry about. Yeah! Things are clearing themselves up one by one... and soon in 94 days I shall be a free man! Time to plan for post-ORD events heh.

Off today. Had a great day away from camp and work. =)

It's over. Now what?

2007-07-15T17:50:00.000+08:00

Ok so finally finally (finaaaaaally...) ATEC is over! Frankly speaking it wasn't really that xiong compared to the rest of the outfields we had. Or perhaps that's just because the front forces were too good leaving no enemies for rear forces like me to engage. So mostly during those four days I was just doing nothing...

The good thing about this outfield? It's the final one! And because of that we went all out to ensure a comfortable ride. Tons of food, sweets, drinks... you list it, we got it ;). And I realised (perhaps a bit too late) that having an insulator is sooooo important! Still, I ate a bit of combat ration to... er... ration the amount of fibre entering my body...

So we had our fair share of fun I guess. When you're outfield even simple things become good.

Results for ATEC isn't out yet (and I've no idea when it'll be out), but I'm guessing a REDCON 2A or 2B, as I've guessed all along. If we (somehow) get REDCON 1 I'm gonna be really (pleasantly) surprised.

Alright so now that it's over, what next? Things are still going to be busy, but hopefully there'll be less chaos and last-minute things popping up. Personally I have some plans of my own...

IPPT. I'm only 9 seconds away from that elusive gold! So hopefully I can build up to my pre-ATEC fitness level and get that extra $100 that's lying at the endpoint! =)

More running. I'm setting my sight on standard chartered 21km run. Simply because I don't think my body's ready to run a full marathon by December. But 21km should be no problem.

Learn swimming. Well all my life I've been a really good floater, which means I won't really drown, but it's definitely more fun to swim rather than float isn't it?

Travelling. This would probably be a post-ORD thing. And I haven't really put much thought into it yet. Specifically I haven't allocated a budget for this. Oh well if I end up with a small budget maybe a Malaysia trip would be fine. But I might cancel travelling plans totally if...

Lasik. Yes that's right. I'm considering buying myself out of slavery for a few grands. I've been wearing specs since like 7 years old (if I remember correctly). That really SUCKS doesn't it? I've been a slave to my spectacles for 13 years! Problem is lasik is going to be expensive and I'm not sure if I'm really really really willing to spend the money...

Computer-related plans. First I intend to pick up algorithmic programming again, and this time I'm setting my sights on ACM-ICPC of course. A bit too soon perhaps, but nobody said I'm going to spend 24hrs a day on it. Maybe a few hours per week tops?

Going to contact Avaya after ORD to see if they have space for an internship. Actually they said they'd prefer first year students to do internship, but seriously I'm not -that- far off from a first year am I?

And going back to RI and see what I can do for the Infocomm Club. Personally I prefer the name Computer Science Club, but since my era is over I'll just let the younger guys pick their own name. But no way should RI not get top secondary school for NOI!!! NO!!!....

Last on my long list of plans? Meeting up with people!!! There're so many people I haven't met in a long long time... it's time to meet up for lunch and dinners. So please don't think I have a favour to ask or something when I ask you out for a meal. It's just a meet up session ok? =)

Right. So littleboy has finished fighting a war, and soon the government will stop paying for his meals and lodging. Is anyone looking for a tutor or know somehow who needs a tutor? Or is there anyone taking CS1101??? Haha...

Where's your nearest bomb shelter?

2007-07-08T15:07:00.000+08:00

Say... we all know that underground MRT stations are used as bomb shelters in case of war. But do you know where is the nearest one from your house? (It might not be the nearest MRT station...)

SCDF has a handy search page for you to find the nearest place to hide in case of emergencies: http://www.street-directory.com/scdf/index.htm

But actually, I wouldn't go to the one that's nearest my house in terms of distance. Instead, I'll see what the shelter is currently used for.

Some shelters are used as neighbourhood gyms, some as tuition centres, childcare centres, etc. But I'm gonna look for the one nearest my house that is being used as... a grocery store!

The reason is simple isn't it? If you're going to be trapped in a room you wouldn't want one with lots of screaming kids, or one with lots of gym equipment (which serves no practical purposes except to take up space).

But food! and drinks! The things that you can find in grocery stores! Those are the important things you'll definitely need.

So go ahead and find the nearest useful bomb shelter for yourself (and your family). You never know when the information might come in useful you know?

(Wow... imagine if NTUC Xtra is a bomb shelter... =)

Live earth

2007-07-08T11:08:00.000+08:00

For those who doesn't know (how can you not know!??!), 7.7.07 is not just a romantic day where 777 couples married in Singapore. It is also the day of the Live Earth concert, where concerts are held across the world over a period of 24 hours. The purpose? To raise awareness for global warming and how we can help to reduce the rate of warming.

So here are some tips (or visit www.liveearth.org for more information):

If a million people each replaced just 1 incandescent bulb with a Compact Fluorescent (CFL), we could eliminate more than 200,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

If just 1 million homes switched entirely to solar power, we’d cut yearly CO2 emissions by 7 million tons.

If just 1 million people shut down their office PCs overnight, we could eliminate up to 45,000 tons of CO2 per year.

If just 1 million people replaced a 5 mile car trip once a week with a bike ride, we could reduce CO2 emissions by about 100,000 tons a year.

If just 1 armour battalion chooses not to move out for its next 4day-3nights outfield, we could reduce CO2 emissions by a lot.

So everyone, please do your part for our planet. And start reducing your CO2 footprint. Personally I think I'm helping already. I'm breathing in so much CO2 in camp they're probably all absorbed by my lungs.

Did I mention outfield starts tomorrow? And it's 4day-3nights?

(Ok I admit. The last point was mine... =p)

How easy is it to take down the internet?

2007-06-29T16:54:00.000+08:00

Let's say a super-smart terrorist group made up of all the geniuses from all the ivy-leagues came together and tried to destroy the internet. Would that be possible?

I don't mean doing it physically, like blowing up the world with a nuclear bomb. That would technically be a solution but there wouldn't be anyone left to celebrate the achievement. And secondly, it's just not -elegant-.

I'm thinking more along the lines of science fiction stories, where they release a super-virus which spreads to every node (preferably through backdoors) within what we call the internet and destroys it from within. And I'm thinking it should be (within all reasons I can think of) an impossible task.

A virus like that would need to know the bugs and security holes of every server, from commercial ones like Microsoft to open source Apache. And then it'd need to attack each one separately depending on version number. Not to mention whatever arcane software someone somewhere in the world might be running that doesn't react to the virus because it's so primitive.

So it seems that the internet cannot be taken down totally.

But.

It can certainly be taken down one part at a time.

So perhaps a very coordinated efforts by many groups internationally can indeed take down the internet. The only problem here is that they'd have to plan and communicate using a very reliable medium so all actions can be synchronized.

And that would require non other than...

The internet.

What a paradox. =)

Transformers!

2007-06-29T02:51:00.000+08:00

Woot!

Wow think it must be one of the first times I watched a movie on its opening day. A midnight show some more. Really enjoyed it because I watched it at AMK Hub, so I know that no matter how late the show ends (actually 2am) I'll have no problems getting home. Oops not so convenient for some of the rest =p.

Anyway I'm not a movie critic so I shan't even bother to attempt to comment on whether the show was nice or not. Suffice to say that I found it interesting, funny at times and great graphics. A bit confusing at times during robot-fighting scenes (robots all look the same - shiny, metallic machines) when you can't tell the good guy from the bad. And lots of fire fight with lots of explosions.

Yep and that's why at 3am now I'm still online because it's past my sleeping hours. I'll probably drop dead around 5 to 6 am and sleep till noon.

(I'd love to have a car who can drive itself... really cool isn't it? ^_^)

Do you sleep safer at night...

2007-06-16T23:10:00.000+08:00

... knowing that soldiers are protecting the country?

Don't be. Because seriously, if everyone is somewhat like me, we just aren't ready to defend the nation.

Here's a comment I found on the internet, from someone called fujianyongchun (maybe (s)he's really from fujian?):

1996年中国台湾关系紧张时有位台湾阿嫂说:你看看我们的四眼兵怎么去跟人家打?
几年前有两位印尼匪徒在柔佛州打抢然后从哥打丁宜乘船逃到新加坡时,新加坡有如面对恐怖份子袭击!真正去搜寻的是gurkar兵 .
我不是瞧不起你们,但我怀疑这些四眼兵真的能够保家卫国吗?

Not a very wrong opinion is it? And btw, Singapore is a rather urban society but most training seems to be for jungle and field warfare. Where does that leave us?

So please hope that there is no war in Singapore, or at least don't depend on me. I don't think I'm trained for it.

Really sian cuz there's a really hectic one month coming up before things (hopefully) gets a bit more relaxed. Outfield! Sigh...

Revelation

2007-06-10T19:40:00.000+08:00

No one serving NS should ever, EVER complain that he is "bored". That is an utmost crime in itself.

Look I'm really not against the idea of learning how to fight so that we can have some sort of national security. Nor am I against the fact that I am, very unfortunately, a specialist in a combat battalion where specialists are sandwiched all the time. I have long accepted it.

But accepting does not mean I'm happy with it. It simply means, as the saying goes, "ta-han and tong along". And sometimes, you can't help but think how much you are -expected- to sacrifice.

Perhaps it's because I happen to be at the lower end of the scale. Stay-in, combat, armour specialist, vehicle commander. In a platoon where my men don't really bother with me despite all my efforts to bother with them. It can be really depressing at times, when you book out and see how different your life could have been, if only you had a different appointment. Signal spec, or PES C for a fractured ring finger, or something along that line.

Haven't I sacrificed enough? While there are people out there who stay out, or who do nothing in camp whole day long, I don't get enough time to do the things I want. It is quite tough when you want to work on a project and all you get is two days per week, in which you'd need to sleep (cuz you're tired), meet up with friends (cuz if not you're really really out of the loop), and who does a project like that anyway? All momentum is lost!

I'm not being cynical. I'm not picking feathers from an egg. This is the fact. And one thing to think about: how much of the approx 57,024,000 seconds spent as NSF really contribute to our military strength? Would, say, sweeping the floor make the army stronger? Does listening like a dog to childish, unreasonable BOSes (and you know you're smarter than them. no elitism implied) enhance the nation's defense?

Or is it the truth that only (say) 50% of that 1 yr 10 months is useful in contributing to our security, that allows our citizens to sleep soundly at night? Then what for make us sacrifice more than we should, for the same purpose? To hold us back in life so we cannot move forward?

Or is this the point? To hold you back for really really long so you get to think about what you really want in life?

The answer: Not an armour specialist in a stay-in, combat battalion.

It has been a bad weekend I guess. Although frankly, nothing much happened out the the ordinary. Just my brain.

Miss the holiday...

2007-06-03T19:04:00.001+08:00

After a long weekend, it's finally sunday again! The dreaded day of the week where I gotta book in...

Anyway some short update. I bought a new phone! =) Ok so it isn't new... but I just need it to last till ORD, so let's not complain. It's a Nokia 6210 that I got from CashConverters. Hope I didn't get cheated... but it was the cheapest phone around that I could find, so I guess I didn't have much of a choice.

This has been quite a long weekend. Feels much longer than 4 days. Met a lot of people, both old friends and new faces, and somehow the same old screwed up feeling is back: that I'm currently in NS. These two years are really "neither here nor there" and it just breaks all the momentum there is. Sometimes you just miss the good ole school days...

Met all the old raffles people. A pity I don't have an interest for soccer nor dota nor wow. Kinda puts me away from all the common topics around. I mean... let's talk about 09 F9! Or... or... sigh...

Talked about the mt sinai campus. Can we find a day (say... Dec when all have ORD) to raid the mt sinai campus? Since it's empty anyway... just sneak in and hold a rjc party or something. Too bad my camera died in mid-J1 so I couldn't take photos then. (And I haven't been trigger-happy for a loong looong time now)

ATEC stage 1 coming up this week. Not that I have any feelings for 42SAR, but I suppose even as a NSF I'm considered "working" (or is it more slave labour?) so let's just do whatever I can. Gotta be professional even though I don't like the whole army system. And if we do get redcon 1 there -should- be offs given so the men will be happier. Offs seem like very important stuff to them. To me it's worthless. Infinity plus one equals infinity.

Oh oh and one BIG announcement I just remember. I passed SOC! Yay!!! Haha... yes I know it's no big deal to all you people out there reading but at least it's something small that I worked for... been running you see... ahem. -beams- ^_^ Thanks mr spidey for being my running partner...

154days more. 撑下去！

Horrors of the wisdom tooth...

2007-05-27T13:25:00.000+08:00

Oh no...

I think my wisdom teeth are coming out...

And one of them's been rubbing against my cheek so now I have an ulcer.

Wonder if I should see MO or visit an external dentist... I mean... No offense to SAF medical department, but when it comes to real illnesses, I just don't feel safe letting them treat me.

Meanwhile I'll just bear with the pain. Sigh.

How to make money

2007-05-20T11:14:00.000+08:00

I've discovered a great way to make money!

All you'll need is some capital to rent a drink vending machine (those coin-operated ones that you see everywhere). Then tweak the machine such that it'll accept coins normally, "swallow" coins normally, but dispenses NO can drinks.

Most people who get cheated this way will just forget it, since they'll just assume it's a machine malfunction, and not care too much about their $1 or so. However, imagine if you put this "money generating" machine somewhere crowded... What's more, some people will even try twice, giving you twice the profits!

Just in case you think I'm such a genius (which I am, of course =P) I don't take full credit for the idea. Apparently (whether intentional or not) this trick has been used at least twice in a certain place that is "Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything". Unfortunately, too, I was one of those victim who tried twice, and so got my 2x$1 coins eaten up.

Still, I suppose $2 is a cheap fee for such an important lesson learnt. And now that you have read this, you have learnt something too! Shouldn't you... ahem... pay some tuition fee? *hint hint cough cough*....

And a bonus... something on e-culture...
^_^ <- This is a japanese emoticon
:-) <- This is an american emoticon

Don't ask me why. It's just that in Japan the former is more commonly used, whereas in the US the latter is more used.

1 litres of tears

2007-05-13T18:02:00.000+08:00

If you're kinda bored during the summer break (wow summer break!!!) or army is too sianz I recommend watching this show: 1 litre of tears. Where to get it? Youtube of course ^_^

Anyway it's a very very very touching -real- story about a girl who got a disease and slowly loses her motor functions, and how she fights against the disease. One of the most touching show I've watched to date and I must say 10 out of 5 stars for it. Makes you really think about wth you're doing with your life.

Plus the lead actress is pretty.... I like the scene where she attends the wedding of her teacher and she's all dressed up. Although it's kinda sad too cuz it's near the end of the series.

Yup so go watch the show!

=======================

Btw to all those struggling (or who have struggled) with cs1101 don't despair. I finally realised how much more difficult C++ is to C when I borrowed this book on C++.

I get confused by const, constructors, destructors, copy constructors, pass by reference/value, STL, operator overloading, templates, wow that's a long list! No wonder they say C++ is hard.

I can probably get by with a program that has dangling pointers all over the place... but then I might as well not code at all haha.

(So much for C++ though, I'm trying out Java since need to know that in CMU....)

Where's my life going?

2007-05-06T17:30:00.000+08:00

(Somehow my entry got deleted. So I'm irritated now and shan't bother retyping. =( )

Return from a hiatus

2007-05-03T15:44:00.000+08:00

So there it is. Changed my template to something lighter and brighter in colour. Hopefully it'll help to improve my mood, although the countdown on the left is still rather irritating. As I speak (I mean type) there are still 185 days more to go, but since I've long given up on downgrading I guess I'll have no choice but to slave it out.

I'll try to post more often, perhaps once a week or more, so that:
1. My English will not deteriorate beyond what it has already deteriorated into.
2. Well... so that I can share my thoughts and feelings! ^_^

Right. So that's it for the introductory blog entry. More shall come in due time!

No more tagboard

2007-02-09T21:35:00.000+08:00

No more tagboard. So if you want just leave a comment =)

An early "Happy cny" to all.

Another blog post

2007-02-04T12:43:00.000+08:00

I used to think that life will be better after 5 Nov. Maybe not anymore. I wonder how long more life will suck.

At least till 5 Nov that is.

42 is an irritating place...

I attract rain =(

2007-01-20T19:56:00.000+08:00

Ok now I'm really convinced that I attract rain.

Evidences:
- Rain during outfield.
- No rain during atec because it wouldn't affect me anyway.
- No rain today, -until- I was on my way home. Then it POURED. And then when I reached home the rain subsided.

Now let's hope my luck improves.

Hate the rain...

2007-01-14T21:09:00.000+08:00

Got seriously drenched this week. Outfield in the rain.

Slept through the whole week end. What a waste of time.

Don't want to book in. Seriously feeling dammmmnnn sian...

Sigh.

I'm a sad guy.

Little little thoughts...

2007-01-05T18:12:00.000+08:00

NS is not a "ritual" where "boys become man". At the age between 18-21 boys -become- man anyway, regardless of NS. Rather the most important few years are taken away by NS impeding development of one's well-being. Haiz.

Army is, however, a great place to understand why Communism failed. It is the reason why people take years to clean a rifle, things get damaged, and everyone learns from Cyclops. Because there is no sense of belonging or ownership, no one cares.

For those who loves photoshop, but who doesn't use all its advanced features, and are reluctant to use a pirated copy, consider Gimpshop. It's designed to -look- like photoshop. How closely it does that I do not know since I'm not really proficient in photoshop anyway. Link

I know of quite a number of romantic chinese songs, but few english ones. That's bad because chinese songs get "lost in translation". Astee I need you to influence somebody... =p

I'm not going to learn driving till I ORD. Figured the peak hour lessons charge could be used for better things.

For those who know, I have been on OM course for the past few weeks. The paradise is going to end soon though, as I venture back to Sungei Gedong camp. (Just typing those words make me eeeekkkk...)

I've been playing Super Mario on my comp (should be clear by now). So fun =)

I have a master lock that I can't break even though I used the methods described in several webpages. Sigh.

I'm extra-free for now. That means I have finished serving my extras, not that I'm very very free o.O

Oh and I'm using IE7. Not that I like it. Impedes my keyboard movements.

I'm growing fat. Oops.

Mario and princess

2007-01-03T20:54:00.000+08:00

And Mario saves the day! Yay!

IE7!!!

2006-12-26T23:35:00.000+08:00

Oh no. Accidentally upgraded to IE7. Think it's because I shut down properly so it updated itself automatically.

Turned off tabs 1 minute after trying it. Reason? It doesn't work with Alt+Tab, my most common keystroke. So there. Ctrl+Tab works but that required my pinkie and ring finger, unlike Alt+Tab which uses thumb + ring finger.

In short, where's my IE6?

Oh well.

Add-on: Not to mention it lags my comp even more than before, and the scroll wheel lags too. I'm suddenly VERY tempted to download firefox. Sigh.

It's been some time

2006-12-23T15:55:00.000+08:00

Wow been some time since I last complained about outfield in the rain. Thankfully this week there wasn't any outfield. Imagine spending 18 hours inside the bx doing nothing because it's CAT1 all the way. (Wonders if that is good or bad)

Anyway, I'm kinda enjoying life for the next 2 weeks or so, since I'm on course at OETI (and we all know what that means). Life is very regimental, e.g. there is compulsory breaks for breakfast and tea break, and we are dismissed at 5pm -sharp-. Omg I am REALLY going to miss this life once 8Jan comes. Which is the day I have to report back to (ahem) kaffir...

Anyway. Christmas is coming, followed by New Year. So here's wishing everyone MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

My primary resolution for the new year:
- Continue to cover my own ass and not get so many extras.
- Countdown to 5 Nov 2007 which is the day I get promoted to civillian.
- Downgrade if possible =)

On another note, I want to buy a camera! JC1 I had sooo many pictures because my camera was working. JC2 the number of photos I took plummeted, because by then the camera gave way. And this year... well most of the time I'm not allowed to take photos. And when I book out also I don't have a camera.

Photos photos... if you have photos with my face taken this year (2006) please send to me?

Btw I'm convinced someone somewhere has something against RI people. 8/26 from 4M are in the worst camp in Singapore, ie SG camp. That's 30.7%! Of ALL the camps there are in Singapore! Clearly it is not a random distribution. But what can we do? Suck thumb lor.

Let's see... 3M/4M met up, Sixireon supposedly meeting next week, anyone for 1B meetup?

Petition: No outfield from Nov to Jan

2006-11-25T17:44:00.000+08:00

There should be no outfield from November to January. Weather sucks in these months. Rain rain rain. Field training can always be carried out in the other 9 months.

And don't say we need to train in rain to get the experience and make it realistic. Or I'm going to load my universal rounds and shoot.

Bang bang!

(IA IA!...)

365 more days...

2006-11-05T13:52:00.000+08:00

Today is a good day. It's the 5th of November 2006.

In one year I'll be collecting my pink IC.

Countdown to one year!

Summary of life so far as a 3SG

2006-10-27T23:30:00.000+08:00

2 words.

Overworked. Underpaid.

Time to enjoy life?

2006-10-24T20:25:00.000+08:00

Ok so I admit. I've been in a horrible mood for like the past month or so. And whatever's causing this mood doesn't seem likely to be going away in the near future. It definitely won't disappear tomorrow, or go away next week, or clear itself up next month. I don't know when all these will end anyway.

But perhaps it's time I take a new perspective to life.

Perspective. Powerful word indeed.

Being an armour spec in 42 may suck but at least I'm the vc (means less dismounting) and I have my friends (primary sch, RI/RJ, new ones from bmt/sispec/aisl). And I'm in kaffir (hopefully a good company).

I may think that 重色轻友 is ok given the limited out-of-camp life I have, but abandoning an entire group of people for one might not be a good idea for all. I've got to be understanding.

And if I'm supposed to be the secret phantom to the new group of friends, then phantom I shall be too.

Being a guy I'm not supposed to be attention seeking as well. So there's nothing wrong about it.

So if I simply quieten down, suck my thumb and accept everything that life throws to me, I would be a happier person.

Right?

(I'm ok with army. For the rest... help me out ok?)

Haze...

2006-10-22T15:53:00.000+08:00

The haze is starting to get onto my nerves. It's bad enough to make me sniff and cough, but since it never reaches 200, it's not enough for training to be cancelled.

To make it worse, the psi shown on the TV is the average over the whole of Singapore. Which is probably why you see 70 on the screen but it smells like it's 150. Oh well.

The psi reporting should be zone-based, much like CAT1 reporting. That would help make the readings slightly more accurate.

Sniff.

Fucked up

2006-10-14T00:15:00.000+08:00

I've been actively trying not to swear when I book out. But perhaps I am allowed to use it in my blog just once.

Just once I can't think of any other words to describe my feelings. How are you supposed to feel when nothing in your life seems to go well? NS life doesn't seem ok, CV life doesn't seem ok, what's beyond that? Divine life? I'm too young to step into that realm man...

5.5day week. So what.. expect me to spend 78+% of my life in some stupid camp and not feel stupid? 2 years ago that would be fine. I don't watch soccer, I'm not addicted to comps, I don't shop, I don't have a life. But what about now? Am I supposed to be so devoted to the defence of our nation to WASTE my life like this?

I'm thankful this comp I'm typing on isn't crashing or something. I might just throw the monitor onto the ground.

Thank you HP for not crashing on me now.

I hate change.

2006-10-08T12:59:00.000+08:00

"A friend is one who walks in to you when the rest of the world walks out."

Or is it that you and your friend are the only two who are not moving along with the rest of the world?

I'm really not one who adapts fast. But it seems like I have to do so, since everything is just changing and changing and changing.

I should move on. But I don't know where to go.

x.x.xxx
xxxxx..

Bah.

What is enough?

2006-10-01T10:01:00.000+08:00

Hope.
To hope. To have something to look forward to.

Faith.
To have faith. To know that it will come one day.

Belief.
To believe. That it'd all work out.

Trust.
To trust. That all efforts have been put in.

Is that enough?

Sms tone

2006-09-30T22:10:00.000+08:00

New day new discovery.

Just realised that the Nokia special ringtone for incoming sms, the one the goes "bi bi bi - beep beep - bi bi bi" actually refers to the morse code for "SMS". Three short, two long, three short.

Haha so coool! =)

I'm an INTJ (and some predeparture notes)

2006-09-07T10:54:00.001+08:00

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.

In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.

Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations.
This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.
Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.

from http://www.typelogic.com/intj.html

Ok. My personality hasn't changed since Sec 2. INTJ all the way. Unfortunately(?) that's also dear rosie's personality. Bleah. The only part I disagree? That I am a self-confident person who is extremely arrogant. I only do that -sometimes- not all the time... heh.

Oh and I'm not a perfectionist. I'm a normal guy who's merely trying to finish 1 yr 10 month before I disappear from the saf.

Leaving tmr night for 21 days. I'll be back when september ends k?

Erm. Gd luck and all the best to huiling and astee! Sorry I won't be able to see both of you off... one is right after my departure and one is just before my arrival. What bad timing. Stay in contact yar?

And to a certain person. Life will only get more hectic as the term goes on. Bear with it? Relax during tests/exams and everything will be fine. Because I know your mind goes blank everytime you step into an exam hall. Relax relax and relax. Breathe.

Now, which stupid lecturer will give a test on the week just before I fly off?

Blardy hell.

The lousy L torch?

2006-09-03T19:47:00.000+08:00

SAF could do well to consider this: http://www.newscientist.com/blog/invention/2006/08/light-speak.html

One thing for sure. Then I won't have to go around looking for those white led torchlights. Which I don't know where to get.

I hate Sundays. Sunday bluuuuuueeees.....

Fact or fiction?

2006-09-02T15:06:00.000+08:00

Haha check this out: http://www.steorn.net

It's a company that claims to have invented a technology that creates perpetual motion machine. Go wikipedia to find out more. Quite cool if you ask me. The webpage is really well done up too, except for the content part. I'll check the webpage again after I come back from training, and let's hope by then the technology would have been proven/disproven. I'm ok either way, just find this company quite cool. Wasting so much money on something that the world says is impossible? I wonder what they're doing.

Leaving next week. So it's good bye Singapore for 3 weeks.

Wake me up when september ends yah? That's when I'm coming back.

Click!

2006-08-27T12:09:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered how the phrase "at the click of a mouse" came about? I mean... it's supposed to mean that something online is making life more convenient. But why "the click of a mouse"? Being a rather keyboard guy I always have a preference for using the keyboard over the mouse. I mean... how do you, using the mouse alone, nagivate the internet? Isn't there a need to type in URLs? Sure you can jump around using hyperlinks, but let's say you're reading this blog entry. How do you expect to get to an internet page related to, say, the benefits of joining the army? (Haha nothing on this page will tell you the benefits...)

Ok that was half joke and half serious. But it was still half serious.

Selling flags

2006-08-20T10:54:00.000+08:00

I was walking around city hall yesterday, and the whole place was just swarmed with students trying to get me to put a few coins into tin cans while getting a sticker of immunity. And I just wondered, why do they need 10+ students to cover one street??? Does statistics show that people will feel embarassed/irritated enough so that when they reject the first 9 students, they'll donate to the 10th one?

Or is there just a over-supply of students because everyone needs 80 hrs of cip?

I've been through that too, doing cip for the sake of clocking hours. But now that I no longer have to do 80 hrs/yr it seems kinda obvious why, when I was a student, some people were so cynical. I guess it can't be helped.

Anyway, in a few hours I'll be back to my 120hr/week service. And that's if I don't volunteer to do weekend service.

Seriously speaking, I'm getting more cynical, more selfish, more irritable, more everything. I wonder what it is that they say you learn in army.

Hokkien?

Updates!

2006-07-30T09:51:00.000+08:00

Wow perhaps I've forgotten I have a blog! Haha... anyway so here's some updates on my life... randomly typed so they're in no particular order...

I'm still in AISL. Most of other people that I know of are already in their last phase or something, preparing their uniform for a new rank, etc. On the other hand, people in AISL are about just near the halfway mark of their course. So... it'll be a long long wait till we pass out. And that's assuming I can't find an injury to downgrade =).

I'm getting more and more selfish. At least when I'm in camp. Sorry to all my coursemates. But sometimes I realise that being nice serves no purpose. No one appreciates it anyway. So why bother? I'm gonna be mean and selfish, and if I lose my muzzle you better take goood care of yours... heh hehe...

IDA offered me a scholarship under a partnership with Avaya, and I'm taking it. The only problem now is that I'm wondering if I should study CS in CMU, or take up the SMU-CMU SIS fast track programme. Basically I'm debating whether I need some non-technical knowledge so I won't have such a high chance of losing my job to some Indian or Chinese.

I'm really kinda lost as to what I want my future to be. Does this happen to everyone or is it just me? A bit late I guess, but I'm starting to look everywhere to find an answer. So far I'm still looking. Wish me luck.

Who's flying off when? Haha if I'm not already overseas by then I sure would want to see some of you off. After all it'll be a year before we meet again.

I want to go back to RJ to find teachers, just to catch up. But army doesn't allow me that freedom. Oh well.

Was doing a vector question and realise that things didn't come as naturally as they used to. I'm losing my touch. Perhaps that's because in army you don't really need to use vectors =p. Feels scary... knowing that something which used to be second-nature is now no longer within your grasp...

Took a personality test again. INTJ again. Since sec 2. Nothing wrong with the personality, they say. But I would like to be a bit more extroverted. Just a bit more. At least so I can project a false sense of confidence to other. I used to think after becoming a 3SG this would happen, since I'll get more chances to speak to people. Now I think not. Sigh. I need to learn from Joshua =p

Enough rambling? Haha... till next time when I'm bored again!

Lazybum

2006-06-25T12:16:00.000+08:00

Haven't really blogged for quite some time. Too lazy I guess.

AI sux =p compared to sispec. But I guess I'll wait a while more before commenting.

Meanwhile I shall continue to be a lazybum.

Cally Tcube birthday

2006-06-04T21:29:00.000+08:00

Hi people. In case anyone wants that photo that we took at pepper lunch, here it is.
Enjoy =).

I'm back and alive!

2006-05-14T09:46:00.000+08:00

Woah... nutcracker's finally over. Actually (and I've no idea why) it really doesn't feel as bad as some people described. "It's the lowest point of your life." "You just dig, dig and dig and don't care about anything else anymore." Fine. I admit I wasn't really that hardworking. After all my trench only went up to hip level by 6am? Long long way to the target chest level.

Heh but I guess I was lucky... rain disrupted training and we didn't have to build the fopk. Which means the trench wasn't used. Which means in fact, that alvin's knee level was enough. What lucky slackers we are. But now that I have learnt how to dig properly (I hope) the next time it'll be better. At least now I know how to do it with the proper technique.

Well but I think the lowest point last week must have been the route march. Normally I wouldn't care about route marches since I think I'm quite seasoned to it already. But our dear OC had to turn a 4km/hr march into a 4km/45min march, and with blisters already on my foot it wasn't that fun, unlike back in Jaguar when we had fresh feet. So anyway I think the only thing that made me stayed on was the fact that everyone else had blisters so it wasn't an excuse to fall out. Thinking back maybe I shouldn't be so garang. It's sunday already and my muscles still haven't recovered. How to do grandslam like this??? =(

Talking about grandslam. Going back to tekong tmr. Hope the place hasn't changed much. (Read: Hope it's as little mosquito as during bmt)

Anyway. Yesterday went to bowl and pool with melho wen and sean (aikido friend). Thankfully they didn't climb because my muscles were still aching and blisters haven't healed yet. Bowled two games. Scores: 82 and 69. Good for a first timer? No idea. Bowling was good because I know that even if my left hand (the bowling hand) became tired it wouldn't affect my right hand which was my rifle hand. So no prob there =). For a moment, it felt like I was back to civillian.

Truth sets in. 9 hours to book in.

Murphy!!

2006-05-06T17:35:00.000+08:00

Murphy is right again. Bus took decades to arrive, people took centuries to reply to sms-es, meetings that never happened, blah blah blah. So now I'm back home again after leaving house for nothing.

Anyway.

Nutcracker's coming up! And that means dig, dig and more digging. Actually I've never really dug before so I don't know how bad it's going to be. Oh well. Can tahan one lar. Just dong for a while lor.

Election today. Guess who'll win? Not that I really care. Call me apolitical or something. It just doesn't matter to me.

3 more weeks in bslc. Wow. And still I have no confidence in the SAF. After all, how many IAs have we seen since enlistment? Clearing IA while charging up a knoll doesn't seem very smart does it? I wonder how the US army does it... fighting war with M16. Maybe that's why they couldn't win the Vietnam war. (Was there any analysis on this as a factor?)

And btw. Could anyone access the new NS portal properly? It doesn't let me change my password. Keeps on complaining that I have %@#$%@^$ illegal symbols in my password when it doesn't. Shrugs.

Ok. Nothing much to say eh? Haha. Pls pls pls pls pls I don't want to go aslc... =P Not that it's up to me.

Life sucks

2006-05-01T10:59:00.000+08:00

Army doesn't suck. Life does. Army merely makes the pressure difference larger. Yeah.

Part II

2006-04-30T03:40:00.000+08:00

Ok. Just paid. That's US$500 for a place in SCS, CMU.

So there.

A long update for a very long time...

2006-04-29T19:38:00.001+08:00

Haven't updated for a really long time. Mainly cuz there's not much to update? I dunno... think I'm just being lazy. Anyway I don't really have much to complain about sispec anyway, think it's a pretty good school. Other than the fact that (when i finally pass out as a 3SG) I'll be an ant (to quote yx). Don't really know how I'll handle being a 3SG but I guess eventually I'll figure out.

Anyway. 4 more weeks to becoming a corporal. Time really passes quickly. Hopefully it'll pass this fast during exercise nutcracker and grandslam. Xiong ah, xiong.

Army really sux. Not because it's xiong, for I believe with enough insect repellent you can survive anything. Hmm, maybe add in some blister plaster. But the fact is that I am now stuck for 2 years and I can't do anything about it. Especially since I'm an ant-to-be.

And now I am really troubled with my future. Really really troubled. No news for scholarships (although I haven't got an official rejection letter yet - assuming they'll be nice enough to send me one), and it's really irritating having two universities to decide. Not that I have much to consider. I don't really know either university well.

So now I have around 3-4 hrs to decide. CMU or UCB? CS or CE? I know I've always said that I prefer CS over CE, but is that because I was never willing to sacrifice money experimenting with hardware? Would I be interested in CE if I got a chance at it? Qns qns qns. This is really mind-boggling.

Stay tuned though. My final decision will come soon. This is surely going to be more exciting than the GE at Ang Mo Kio. (WP vs PAP. Who will win?)

For now I shall spend some time at sudoku plus.

I miss bmt...

2006-03-26T18:52:00.000+08:00

One week in SISPEC. I miss bmt. I miss stan, kay yong, wang wei, khairy, zedong, brandon, jiayan, stanley, zhen xiang, ian, zhenghong.

I miss lame stan (but he's just beside me in section 3).

I miss kay yong who's so pessimistic =)

I miss wang wei whose alarm wakes me even before mine does.

I miss khairy and how he talks cock.

I miss zedong and stanley and how they chao-keng together.

I miss jiayan who cannot spell from one to twenty.

I miss brandon with his weird "bekerak ke-kiri be tigga tigga".

I miss zhen xiang who had to saw his lock open =p

I miss ian the nice nice guy.

I miss zhenghong, the section beach road shop.

Wah lau eh... miss bmt sia... think it'll be another 3 months before I'll bond with my current section like before. But platoon 4 section 1 will definitely be in my heart.

Hope you guys are having fun at your respective units. =)

Random thoughts

2006-03-19T13:14:00.000+08:00

Ever wondered why humans have so many xx-seconds rule?

Two second rule: When driving, make sure you pass the landmark that the car in front passes at least two seconds after the car.

Three second rule: When food drops onto the table/floor, pick it up within three seconds and it will not be contaminated. (I don't know if this is true)

Four second rule: When advancing, make sure you reach the next bound in four seconds. (Nah. I think marksman can still get you)

Anymore such rules?? Sounds interesting sia... bleh I'm sian again. Guess why? =p

Back to packing...

SISPEC here I come!

2006-03-17T19:23:00.000+08:00

Yep. Posting result's out. I'm going to SISPEC.

Sigh. All of a sudden reality sets in and I realise that I only have like... 2 days to the end of block leave? And I'm spending the whole of tomorrow in Biopolis doing some A*Star assessment. Now why couldn't that assessment be earlier / later so I get to book out...

Ok now let's hope sispec is not as xiong as they make it out to be. Or at least it'll be progressive. Oh well... but boon lay still sounds far. Now I'll be travelling to the west part of singapore. I wonder if cab fare to boon lay is more/less than to pasir ris. Soon I'll find out.

Sian ah...

Weird meals

2006-03-11T19:58:00.000+08:00

Hmm realised that I have been eating weirdly lately. Had a packet of oreo mini for dinner last night, then today ate a top bar for lunch. (That's "TOP" the brand)

Shall cook instant noodles for supper tonight. Yum yum =)

And on a totally different topic, CONGRATS to the NOI team from RI and RJC!!! You guys have once again made Raffles the top schools in NOI! Don't worry too much if you didn't get gold, silver is still a very very VERY good result...

=)

post POP

2006-03-11T12:03:00.000+08:00

POP!

Sigh... you would think that after pop you can get a good rest and all... but the truth is, all the scholarship boards are so smart, all my interviews are in the block leave! So that's 2-3 days gone. Sigh sigh...

Need to continue working out. If not my lungs will crash then all my stamina will disappear again.

NOI results at 2pm. Good luck!

Enough of random thoughts. =)