Saturday, April 29, 2006
What about the other guy?
This will probably be my only election related post. Mainly cause I don't give a rat's @$$ about it.. secondary reason would be cause if I wrote anymore, my blog might get blacklisted.. oh the horrors.. haha..
Anyway my area will be contested. So on May 6th I'll have to wake up early, join a queue, put an 'X' on one of 2 names and shuffle off. Here's the thing about elections. You have several kinds of voters. 1) The kind that believes that their vote makes a real difference. 2) The kind that has never voted before and doesn't know the candidate. 3) The kind that has to vote but is forsaking his right to vote 4) The kind that says we should vote for the opposition but wants someone else to do it in case the current party wins.. hahaha.. Singapore is full of such people incidently enough..
Anyway I belong to group 2 (roughly anyway). I know the guy from the current party because the last election I asked my mum and she told me. That's 1 up for the current party. The opposition, well his name escapes me.. that's the thing. They announce the name so late, so this guy (if you can remember his name) remains quite anonymous.. he's the other guy to me.. So when people ask me who's contesting my area, I say "Oh, Chan Soo Sen and the other guy.." I won't be surprised if other people my age group have this same thinking..
So I was evaluating the pros and cons of who to vote for.. came up with this conclusion.. For my area at least.. it doesn't matter. No matter who gets elected, the status quo remains.. The current party is still going to be in power, means they have the final say. It's quite arbitiary.. so I'll probably be tossing a coin. If you hear a coin drop on that day in the voting booth, it's just me.
What about the other guy...
This will probably be my only election related post. Mainly cause I don't give a rat's @$$ about it.. secondary reason would be cause if I wrote anymore, my blog might get blacklisted.. oh the horrors.. haha..
Anyway my area will be contested. So on May 6th I'll have to wake up early, join a queue, put an 'X' on one of 2 names and shuffle off. Here's the thing about elections. You have several kinds of voters. 1) The kind that believes that their vote makes a real difference. 2) The kind that has never voted before and doesn't know the candidate. 3) The kind that has to vote but is forsaking his right to vote 4) The kind that says we should vote for the opposition but wants someone else to do it in case the current party wins.. hahaha.. Singapore is full of such people incidently enough..
Anyway I belong to group 2 (roughly anyway). I know the guy from the current party because the last election I asked my mum and she told me. That's 1 up for the current party. The opposition, well his name escapes me.. that's the thing. They announce the name so late, so this guy (if you can remember his name) remains quite anonymous.. he's the other guy to me.. So when people ask me who's contesting my area, I say "Oh, Chan Soo Sen and the other guy.." I won't be surprised if other people my age group have this same thinking..
So I was evaluating the pros and cons of who to vote for.. came up with this conclusion.. For my area at least.. it doesn't matter. No matter who gets elected, the status quo remains.. The current party is still going to be in power, means they have the final say. It's quite arbitiary.. so I'll probably be tossing a coin. If you hear a coin drop on that day in the voting booth, it's just me.
What about the other guy...
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Finally mastered Classical Gas!!
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
V for Vendetta 2
Why don't these things happen in NUS?
http://www.hedonistica.com/media.php?path=/videos/superman-in-class.wmv
http://www.hedonistica.com/media.php?path=/videos/superman-in-class.wmv
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Titanic 2: Return of Jack
Just like Brokeback Mountain 2, I now present Titanic 2!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfMqeas5wKA
Just like Brokeback Mountain 2, I now present Titanic 2!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfMqeas5wKA
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
The Great Equalizer
I dunno if I've done a post on this before but I guess it bears repeating what with the current atmosphere. Shakespere wrote in Macbeth that drink is an equivocator
"Therefore much drink may be said to be an
equivocator with lechery: it makes him, and it mars him; it sets
him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him and disheartens
him; makes him stand to and not stand to; in conclusion,
equivocates him in a sleep, and giving him the lie, leaves him. "
Death also is considered a great equalizer. No one escapes death. Death claims all from the rich to the poor, from kings to paupers, from young to old.
But there is a new equaliszer and that is the Internet. The Internet gives a voice to all who have access to a computer. No longer is information in the hands of the few privielieged. Several instances where this has been proven true. During the 2nd Iraqi war, there was a famous blog which blogged about the daily events of the war, events which even the media was not privy too at that time. The Internet offers an alternative view to the mainstream. Forums offer open exchanges and though they may sometimes be crass, they offer an exchange of ideas that has up till now not been seen in the printed media. This is probably one reason why the government has decided to make it policy for blogs to be registered if they wish to discuss politics. For just as there is freedom of information, there is also freedom of disinformation.
I dunno if I've done a post on this before but I guess it bears repeating what with the current atmosphere. Shakespere wrote in Macbeth that drink is an equivocator
"Therefore much drink may be said to be an
equivocator with lechery: it makes him, and it mars him; it sets
him on, and it takes him off; it persuades him and disheartens
him; makes him stand to and not stand to; in conclusion,
equivocates him in a sleep, and giving him the lie, leaves him. "
Death also is considered a great equalizer. No one escapes death. Death claims all from the rich to the poor, from kings to paupers, from young to old.
But there is a new equaliszer and that is the Internet. The Internet gives a voice to all who have access to a computer. No longer is information in the hands of the few privielieged. Several instances where this has been proven true. During the 2nd Iraqi war, there was a famous blog which blogged about the daily events of the war, events which even the media was not privy too at that time. The Internet offers an alternative view to the mainstream. Forums offer open exchanges and though they may sometimes be crass, they offer an exchange of ideas that has up till now not been seen in the printed media. This is probably one reason why the government has decided to make it policy for blogs to be registered if they wish to discuss politics. For just as there is freedom of information, there is also freedom of disinformation.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Plus c'est la meme chose, plus ça change
Was going to do this post somewhere in June, but since I was able to find the above phrase just now, I'll do the post now. As I reach the end of my 4 year education, I end one phase of life and embark on another. Looking back on when I first left army and started school. Things were so different then. More optimistic about a lot of things like school. Then now.. oh well.. as the phrase in the title says.. Much has happened since then, but somehow.. the situation is the same.
Is this a cycle, spiral or sinosoid?
Was going to do this post somewhere in June, but since I was able to find the above phrase just now, I'll do the post now. As I reach the end of my 4 year education, I end one phase of life and embark on another. Looking back on when I first left army and started school. Things were so different then. More optimistic about a lot of things like school. Then now.. oh well.. as the phrase in the title says.. Much has happened since then, but somehow.. the situation is the same.
Is this a cycle, spiral or sinosoid?
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Costumes: Practical or Bad Fashion Sense?
Tossing around a few thoughts in my head during the week while attending lectures and doing revisions. Why do superheroes wear costumes? In a real world situation, if there were heroes, would they wear costumes?
Below is a mock conversation between a superhero and a normal civilian.
“So you wear this costume to fight crime and help out people?”
“Yeah pretty much. But I didn’t start out with a costume really. I mean why bother. It’s not like anyone is going to be able to identify me anyway. I’m not a famous person. People in comic books have to cause, like Batman, well he’s Bruce Wayne… famous socialite… everyone would more or less be able to identify him. Spiderman, cause well he started out earning money taking pictures of spiderman, so people would be able to identify him. I mean can you honestly see him selling pictures of himself as Peter Parker? That’s just crazy. John Jameson would have him arrested. Also in the real world, it’s not like people are going to be able to see my face for that long, and even if they did see it, facial identification is still quite hard. Moreover, not many crimes need stopping. Most of the times I only read about them in the papers. Only on rare occasions do I actually stumble onto a crime.”
“What about photographs and videos?”
“Well, most people use digital cameras nowadays right? It takes them like 5s to switch it on after they find it, then focusing takes even longer. By the time they are ready to take the shot, I’m out of the lens. Same for videos. How often are people holding video cameras in a crucial life or death situation? They’d most likely be bad amateur videos. Shaky hands and blurry images. It’d seem like the hoax UFOs and Bigfoot videos.”
“So why’d you suddenly start wearing a costume then?”
“Well I used to do stuff in whatever I was wearing at that point in time. Mainly t-shirt and jeans. No fixed uniform. Didn’t have to carry extra clothing around. I’d be able to jump straight in without looking for a phone booth. And now with handphones, phone booths are a rare sight. But then, the laundry bill and cost of buying new clothes got expensive. That and my mum started getting suspicious about the state of my clothing. The rips and tears are one thing, but the sewage… ew… That was bad.”
“Sewage?”
“Yeah… you have no idea how many of my exploits used to end up with me in sewage or a dustbin. Like the explosion at the oil refinery a year or so ago for example. I managed to stop the whole plant from blowing up, but the shockwave from the explosion blew me into the sewage system. The accident at the construction yard with the piledriver? Yup, sewage as well. Do you have any idea how bad sewage smells? Also how hard it is to get sewage out of t-shirt and jeans? I have a whole newfound sense of respect for the workers who have to process sewage. I had to throw away like 3 sets of t-shirt and jeans in that month alone. Do you know how much that costs? Being a student doesn’t exactly pay well now.”
“So you decided to wear a costume?”
“Yup. Cause basically spandex is cheaper to replace. I have 3 set of spare costumes back home and they set me back… oh like … 30 dollars in total. That’s the cost of 1 pair of jeans! The only problem is sewing I guess. I don’t prick my fingers with the needle, the advantage of being invulnerable. However, I’m terrible at sewing. That’s why the costume is quite simple. No insignia and stuff.”
“So the only reason you wear a costume is not to protect your identity but because it’s a cheaper alternative?”
“Yes, that is what I’m saying.”
Tossing around a few thoughts in my head during the week while attending lectures and doing revisions. Why do superheroes wear costumes? In a real world situation, if there were heroes, would they wear costumes?
Below is a mock conversation between a superhero and a normal civilian.
“So you wear this costume to fight crime and help out people?”
“Yeah pretty much. But I didn’t start out with a costume really. I mean why bother. It’s not like anyone is going to be able to identify me anyway. I’m not a famous person. People in comic books have to cause, like Batman, well he’s Bruce Wayne… famous socialite… everyone would more or less be able to identify him. Spiderman, cause well he started out earning money taking pictures of spiderman, so people would be able to identify him. I mean can you honestly see him selling pictures of himself as Peter Parker? That’s just crazy. John Jameson would have him arrested. Also in the real world, it’s not like people are going to be able to see my face for that long, and even if they did see it, facial identification is still quite hard. Moreover, not many crimes need stopping. Most of the times I only read about them in the papers. Only on rare occasions do I actually stumble onto a crime.”
“What about photographs and videos?”
“Well, most people use digital cameras nowadays right? It takes them like 5s to switch it on after they find it, then focusing takes even longer. By the time they are ready to take the shot, I’m out of the lens. Same for videos. How often are people holding video cameras in a crucial life or death situation? They’d most likely be bad amateur videos. Shaky hands and blurry images. It’d seem like the hoax UFOs and Bigfoot videos.”
“So why’d you suddenly start wearing a costume then?”
“Well I used to do stuff in whatever I was wearing at that point in time. Mainly t-shirt and jeans. No fixed uniform. Didn’t have to carry extra clothing around. I’d be able to jump straight in without looking for a phone booth. And now with handphones, phone booths are a rare sight. But then, the laundry bill and cost of buying new clothes got expensive. That and my mum started getting suspicious about the state of my clothing. The rips and tears are one thing, but the sewage… ew… That was bad.”
“Sewage?”
“Yeah… you have no idea how many of my exploits used to end up with me in sewage or a dustbin. Like the explosion at the oil refinery a year or so ago for example. I managed to stop the whole plant from blowing up, but the shockwave from the explosion blew me into the sewage system. The accident at the construction yard with the piledriver? Yup, sewage as well. Do you have any idea how bad sewage smells? Also how hard it is to get sewage out of t-shirt and jeans? I have a whole newfound sense of respect for the workers who have to process sewage. I had to throw away like 3 sets of t-shirt and jeans in that month alone. Do you know how much that costs? Being a student doesn’t exactly pay well now.”
“So you decided to wear a costume?”
“Yup. Cause basically spandex is cheaper to replace. I have 3 set of spare costumes back home and they set me back… oh like … 30 dollars in total. That’s the cost of 1 pair of jeans! The only problem is sewing I guess. I don’t prick my fingers with the needle, the advantage of being invulnerable. However, I’m terrible at sewing. That’s why the costume is quite simple. No insignia and stuff.”
“So the only reason you wear a costume is not to protect your identity but because it’s a cheaper alternative?”
“Yes, that is what I’m saying.”
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Presentation Day Tmr!
Tomorrow is my CA3 for my FYP. Basically need to present my entire body of work. I'm quite ok with it, just that while rehersing it just now, it felt very wordy. I don't like wordy presentations. Why can't I just go like "Nah, this is what I did and what I found out. It's all there." Why do I have to go thru a long tedious and boring process.. The findings are interesting just that .. have to go thru a lot of stuff before I get to the good stuff.. ugh..
Tomorrow is my CA3 for my FYP. Basically need to present my entire body of work. I'm quite ok with it, just that while rehersing it just now, it felt very wordy. I don't like wordy presentations. Why can't I just go like "Nah, this is what I did and what I found out. It's all there." Why do I have to go thru a long tedious and boring process.. The findings are interesting just that .. have to go thru a lot of stuff before I get to the good stuff.. ugh..
Sunday, April 02, 2006
By the power of GOOGLE!!!
Been listening to this song by Mandy Moore and Jonathan Foreman called "Someday we'll know". Lots of interesting questions asked by this song which I shall attempt to answer with the power of Google!!
Someday we'll know
Ninety Miles outside Chicago Can't stop driving
I don't know why So many questions Need an answer Two years later You're still on my mind
Whatever happen to Amelia Earheart (I think she died somewhere during her flight. Plane might have crashed.)
who holds the stars up in the sky? ( God created them in Genesis chapter 1. Sticky tape holds them up)
Is true love just once in a lifetime? (hmm.. good qns.. google says "ask again later")
Did the captain of the Titanic cry? (I bet he cursed a bit.. something like "!@$!%! iceberg)
(Chorus)Someday we'll know If love can move a mountain...(according to Jars of clay, it's faith. :) )
Someday we'll know Why the sky is blue... (gases in the atmosphere cause only blue to be reflected, or marnchi's understanding is that our eyes interpret the wavelength of light coming from the clouds to be blue)
Someday we'll knowWhy I wasn't meant for you... (irony of life)
Does anybody know the way to Atlantis? (Go straight turn left)
Or what the wind says when she cries? (Woo? )
I'm speeding by the place that I met you For 97th time...tonight (Round-about.. bad traffic. Unable to leave)
Someday we'll knowWhy Samson loved Delilah...(Predestination and free-will)
One day I'll goDancing on the moon...(done.. hence Moonwalk)
Someday you'll know That I was the one for you... (Que sera sera)
I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow,And watched the stars crash in the sea,
If I could ask God just one question...Why aren't you here with me?...tonight (More bitter irony)
Been listening to this song by Mandy Moore and Jonathan Foreman called "Someday we'll know". Lots of interesting questions asked by this song which I shall attempt to answer with the power of Google!!
Someday we'll know
Ninety Miles outside Chicago Can't stop driving
I don't know why So many questions Need an answer Two years later You're still on my mind
Whatever happen to Amelia Earheart (I think she died somewhere during her flight. Plane might have crashed.)
who holds the stars up in the sky? ( God created them in Genesis chapter 1. Sticky tape holds them up)
Is true love just once in a lifetime? (hmm.. good qns.. google says "ask again later")
Did the captain of the Titanic cry? (I bet he cursed a bit.. something like "!@$!%! iceberg)
(Chorus)Someday we'll know If love can move a mountain...(according to Jars of clay, it's faith. :) )
Someday we'll know Why the sky is blue... (gases in the atmosphere cause only blue to be reflected, or marnchi's understanding is that our eyes interpret the wavelength of light coming from the clouds to be blue)
Someday we'll knowWhy I wasn't meant for you... (irony of life)
Does anybody know the way to Atlantis? (Go straight turn left)
Or what the wind says when she cries? (Woo? )
I'm speeding by the place that I met you For 97th time...tonight (Round-about.. bad traffic. Unable to leave)
Someday we'll knowWhy Samson loved Delilah...(Predestination and free-will)
One day I'll goDancing on the moon...(done.. hence Moonwalk)
Someday you'll know That I was the one for you... (Que sera sera)
I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow,And watched the stars crash in the sea,
If I could ask God just one question...Why aren't you here with me?...tonight (More bitter irony)
