Friday 29 February 2008

B!TCH

I just want to rant on how some people have really taken for granted certain things that I've done...

Firstly, Class Comm meeting. Maybe it's just me, but I always felt as if Melvin, Ryan and gang are always pulling down my suggestion, labeling my suggestions with a huge "REJECT" before I even finished explaining my proposal. If it weren't for Matt [and my stepping on a couple of  heads, raising my voice], I probably won't have an audible voice during the meeting just now.

Secondly, Choir Prac on Thursday. 
I'm not posting this on the choir blog coz I don't think it's appropriate to do a PR stunt there and naming names of my juniors, kinda pai-seh to do it there. Rather my personal space which has little visible affiliation. 
Anyway, back to the point, Gabriel, our librarian, was charging Sherwin 50cents because he didn't bring his score, and he had to borrow from Gabriel. Ok, fair enough, didn't bring, just borrow. But don't forget to pay the fine. Gabriel reminded Sherwin to pay 50cents. Sherwin objected. He was all "why should I pay? since when got such thing?" He went all conspiracy-theory and tin-foil-hat. Like we're some corrupt money-grubbing organisation. Rebuttal? Well, in a lawyer-esque style, I got down and dirty into the solid evidence. Showed him the letter with the Official Choir rules attached.

Point 3, sub-point 1: "If they (the members of the choir) fail to bring their scores, they will be fined $0.50 for each score."

Did sherwin shut up and admit defeat?

No. He's a debater, my friends (and foes who read my blog. Yeah, I know who you are.). A debater who does not know when to admit defeat or when to accept facts. I know the way CCAs are run is pretty much authoritarian regime-ish / Communist-esque, but well, if you're not happy, just shut up, move back to your position, and learn your music! in two words: F*** off. Don't bug authorities about the unquestionable.


Which leads me to another thing I was thinking of. Why do people refuse to follow authorities? I was walking back to Bio Class towards the end of recess. He bought a packet drink and brought it to the main building. The school Discipline Master;s been emphasising that food and canned / packet drinks are not allowed in the main building.

ME: "You do know that's not allowed in the main building, right?"
Zexun: "Who cares?"



That's not the only case. I often see people in school  who think they strike a "coolness" impression across. Yeah, John, I know you're eating up this bullcrap. Well, maybe it's arrogance, maybe it's ego. A huge-ass ego 10x larger than him. 

Then there's the other genre of people. People who perceive me as an insignificant geek lurking at the back of the class, maybe in a drawer. You take him out when you need him, you leave him to collect dust and receive bullshit when you don't. Mostly "jocks", if your definition of a jock is a dude who plays sports and doesn't care about others. [Zong Ren doesn't count.]

Now I understand why Singapore needs NS. It's to brainwash these kinds of people to be patriotic people who will obey the law and their authorities. Get rid of the trouble-maker ideas, to wash out the country's bugs. Well, waiting till 18's not really helpful when the kid's still 15. They need to know respect. Before they can flaunt an 'O' Level Certificate, preferably.

I think people are taking for granted the fact that they exist. It's as if the world revolves around them. Well, if that's true, then move faster. The Earth seems to be slowing down, thanks to you. Literally, the Earth is slowing down. to Quote Wiki:

"Over millions of years, the rotation is significantly slowed by gravitational interactions with the Moon: see tidal acceleration."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_rotation


[btw, who was the retard to but the recycling bin for cans in the main building, next to the lift?]

OK, i think this rant really let go of some things on my mind. yeah, I know I'm in quite some shenanigans after this post. But hey, this is my blog. It's my psychiatrist who knows no privacy.

Wednesday 27 February 2008

MacBook Pro Price Drop [again?]

Let's take the middle-range model MacBook Pro [the higher-end 15.4"]


Before: SGD 4267.00



Now:


"MacBook Pro 15-inch 2.5GHz 250GB HDD - S$3,889.00"


What you gain...
  • 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo [65nm Santa Rosa]--> 2.5GHz Core 2 Duo [45nm Penryn]

  • 160GB HDD --> 250GB HDD

  • NEW: Screen Cleaning Cloth

  • +256MB to GPU

  • Updated: Multi-touch

  • 6MB L2 Cache: Up from 4MB

  • SSE4 on the Intel


  • What you lose [yes, you lose some things, some of which would have been cool...]
  • Apple Remote: now an option for S$30

  • S$400 off all MacBook Pro models [this is cool.]


  • I say: buy those MacBook Pros!

    [unless you're waiting for Blu-ray, Nehalem, the return of the inclusion of Apple Remotes, New keyboard / larger trackpad, thinner case, more durable MagSafe connector, cooler bottom, or DDR3. Oh, did I stop you from buying a new MacBook Pro?]

    Tuesday 26 February 2008

    apple store down...

    could my predictions be right???

    Only time will tell...

    UPDATE: MY MacBook Pro prediction was right! iPhone one? not so much...

    Apple Prediction of the week!

    Since it's been noticed that Apple does something every Tuesday of 2008 so far,

    I thought I'll predict before every Tuesday what Apple is planning to do every Tuesday!

    And because of the GMT difference, that means I'm still making preditions!

    So here goes!


    Tuesday, 26 February 2008.
    • Apple releases iPhone SDK.
    • Apple updates MacBook Pros.

    Monday 25 February 2008

    Why Macs Are Superior - Sounds

    Macs have OS X built-in. Yeah, you can install Windows on them, but I think you'll prefer OS X.

    Why?

    Well, for one, it has nicer warning tones!

    In fact, it's so nice, you can put them together into a song!

    How?

    That brings us to point number two - Using iLife and GarageBand. The latest version is always in the latest Macs, and you can get to do fun, creative stuff with it.

    Put One and Two together, and you get what you're about to see, and hear. Enjoy!




    UPDATE:

    Windows gets this. dunno what app, and the sound seems to be modified just to get the chords. So MIDI!

    Saturday 23 February 2008

    Juno

    Just watched Juno. 

    I must say, sitting in Row 2 is really an awkward feeling looking upwards at the screen. 

    But otherwise, I think Juno was a great movie. Good mix of hard-hitting stories, plus humour and puns. Very original, and definitely not over-commercialized. And I like Ellen Page. She looks cute. Kinda reminds me of some X-Men movie character...

    Juno's very well-written. I'm just kind-of sad that the movie is so low-profile and that it's given an NC-16 rating. Nothing too explicit in the movie, I felt. Other than quite a lot of junk / sexual references and that middle finger shot. But besides these things which are already so ordinary to teenagers and pop culture, the movie would have been suitable for more matured teens. Well, what can I say? the local censors board's screwed anyway. They gave "Heroes Season 1 DVD" and "The Office [USA]" NC-16s. Jokers.

    Well, enough complaints about the censors. I think those who rarely watch movies [and are above 16] should give this film a try. It's not necessarily the theme that you'll relate to, but you'll be immersed in the film anyway.

    Oh, it's not more than 2 hours. In fact, it's just 90 minutes.

    My rating: 4.5 / 5

    Wednesday 20 February 2008

    App of the week: WebKit

    "WebKit is an open source web browser engine. WebKit is also the name of the Mac OS X system framework version of the engine that's used by Safari, Dashboard, Mail, and many other OS X applications."

    The WebKit guys do nightly builds of the engine. I've been using WebKit 3 Build 30368, and it's screaming fast compared to Safari 3.0.4, and definitely much much faster than FireFox. Do try this out. 

    [works only with Safari 3 installed. Works on Windows with a little hack.]

    I'm only human!

    30.5 / 50 for E Math.

    that's bad...



    51 / 80 for HCL!

    that's a pleasant surprise!

    Sunday 17 February 2008

    What I'm down with...

    Out of curiosity of the name of the illness I have, I went on to WebMD.com. It's a good site for most people who understand a bit of medical / bio terms to learn more about symptoms of certain illnesses and ways to treat.

    I did a search for "throat inflammation", and this was what I got:
    http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/esophagitis-topic-overview

    oesophagitis... how cute...

    [p.s.: yes, I can vomit my food as and when I choose to. Can be scary at times...]

    Friday 15 February 2008

    on MC...

    I'm at home, resting...

    Feeling much better now.

    Anyway,want to thank those who wished me a happy birthday. I must say it was a sad one, actually. Lost 15m in e math test cos not enough time. And my Physics SPA was super messy. Few error, but messy.

    Oh, I couldn't blow nor eat my bday cake till this morning. ( didn't blow. Just eat. Nobody was around for the candle-blowing)

    Anyway, I must say, I haven't taken MC for 7years (because I normally fall sick during December holidays. Not that my immune system is impregnable or anything.) but it's a very relaxed feeling to just be at home doing nothing but lie on a bed. In the midst of a school term.

    But enough of me. How's school?

    [Blogged on an iPod touch.]

    Wednesday 13 February 2008

    Happy Birthday to myself!

    Thanks to Blogger, by the time you read this post, it will appear to have been posted on 14FEB08 instead of the actual time I am typing this.

    Anyway, yes, I'm turning 16 as of 14 Feb 08!

    And it's not exactly my happiest B'day, it appears. I'm slightly ill, and I have common tests right smack on the day of my B'day itself. Well, at least it's not the 'O's...

    Anyway, I shall celebrate the week of my 16th Birthday by watching Heroes and hopefully, Juno, both of which are rated NC16 in Singapore. w00t!

    Influenced.

    Thanks to BenSee and Puke-boy [that's Luke Tan, to the rest who have no idea who that is], I am starting to like this song... enjoy! [or not]

    Tuesday 12 February 2008

    very ill...

    Joint aches, fever, and splitting headache...

    Can I still go to school?

    Hmm...

    Monday 11 February 2008

    stuck in the middle...

    I have HCL Test 3pm - 5pm; I have ART test 2.15pm to ?. 

    So, which option should I go for?
    1. Go straight for HCL test.
    2. Go for Art test: forget about the HCL test.
    3. Slice myself into two, go for both before I bleed myself to death.
    4. Get an MC. I've been having nose bleeds and my nose has been sneezing... seriously.
    5. Get the MC, but go for HCL test.
    6. Do my Art test during my free period. Continue after school if necessary, Run to HCL after all these.
    And by the way, I've been bottling up so much stress, thought I have to start voicing out on my blog before I get psycho. To quote Mr David Glozs' blog [not exact words]: "I can't afford a psychiatrist, so I have to settle for the next best thing: my blog". Kinda true in my case, since I can't afford [the time for] a psychiatrist.

    There's too much things to do, and yet so little time...

    I want to sleep!!!

    Sunday 10 February 2008

    This will get weird...

    I think I'm gonna be a bit more "self-centered" on my blog...

    meaning: I'm gonna blog more personal stuff, opinions, etc...

    yeah, you get the point.

    Anyway, I'm back in Singapore now...

    [well, since 4pm, actually.]

    I must say, CNY this year is kind-of an eye-opener for me, as well as being a more "ignorant-to-superstitions" one.

    Certain things I think [and know] I shouldn't type here, which I won't. But anyway, I cut my hair on Day 2 of CNY, my family had to sweep the floor on Day 1, and yu shen is not nice without the cinnamon powder and salmon. Oh, did I mention Cinnamon Buns ice-cream from Ben&Jerry? It's fantastic when eaten with either apple strudel or avocado.

    Well, now that CNY's past [the 'red' dates on the calendar, that is. not the full 15 days], it's time to bury my head in books and be a genius by O Level. After which I'll just pop alcoholic drinks and be a tech-pundit. Yes, I'm talking about you guys, Diggnation...

    P.s.: last bit: not a joke. If any tech media company wants to hire me, I'ld love to work as a part-time intern...

    Saturday 9 February 2008

    L!

    EF16-35mm f/2.8L II USM

    i got it!

    and "The Six Million Dollar Home"... 

    I have it...

    YAY!!!

    Happy Birthday in advance to me!!!

    [thanks mom!]

    P.s.: Flying back to Indonesia tomorrow afternoon.

    p.s.s.: the shop salesperson told me t&s cameras are very "rarely used"... so i listened...

    Thursday 7 February 2008

    I'm in Indonesia! [and it's not flooded where I live!]

    Thank God the Airport highway's no longer flooded. And really, thank God that my home's safe from the flood...

    Managed to see the flood from the sky for myself [while the plane flew past North Jakarta]. An eye-opener, seriously. You couldn't see anything except brown water covering hectares of land... Very depressing sight.

    Anyway, my whole family tree's celebrating CNY at my house today... So I may be blogging much later. Sayonara for now!

            祝你
    恭喜发财,
    万事如意,
    身体健康,
    学业进步,
    步步高升

    Wednesday 6 February 2008

    at the airport security check line

    yeah,I'm going back to indonesia this Chinese New Year. bye!!!

    Blogged on an iPod touch.

    Sunday 3 February 2008

    must... post... locomotion...

    Music & Album chart

    Haven't done a music chart in a long, long, "nong", "nong" time...

    Anyway, to make it up, im making one now!

    Top Music for da moment - 3Feb08 
    the best music in my iTunes Library and on my iPod for the moment...

    1. Feist - So Sorry
    2. Kylie Minogue - Speakerphone
    3. Radiohead - Reckoner
    4. Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music
    5. Kanye West - Good Life
    6. Mike - Relax, Take It Easy
    7. KT Tunstall - White Bird
    8. Colbie Caillat - Bubbly
    9. Radiohead - 15 Steps
    10. Kylie Minogue - In My Heart

    Bubbling Under: Kylie Minugue - 2 Hearts


    Also, Since it's 2008, and I forgot to do a year-end album review for 2007, I'll do one now!

    Album chart for 2007
    For the best albums released in 2007. [if there's doubles, it's a tie. Don't ask]

    1. Radiohead - In Rainbows

    2. Kanye West - Graduation
    2. Timbaland - Timbaland Presents: Shock Value

    4. Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad
    4. Kylie Minogue - X
    4. KT Tunstall - Drastic Fantastic
    4. Fall Out Boy - Infinity On High

    8. Linkin Park - Minutes to Midnight

    9. Natalie Imbruglia - Glorious: The Singles 1997 - 2007

    10. Feist - The Reminder

    11. Good Charlotte - Good Morning Revival

    12. James Blunt - All The Lost Soul

    2007 has seen the production of many interesting albums. We saw the first major artist's album to be distributed at an open pricing format [Radiohead]. We Also saw the very dramatic war in the R&B / Hip Hop World as Kanye and 50Cent both released their albums on the same day (11Sep). However, in the end, it appears Kanye won! We saw a lot of come-back albums for many artistes as well, such as Linkin Park's long-awaited album, Kylie's first album since her cancer operation, just to name a few.

    This year, we see lots of more mature content. No more pop-princess Hillary Duff or Lindsay Lohan. And JoJo said she'll only release her next album when she's 21 or something. [the "Beautiful Boy" thing doesn't count as an album.]

    Sidenote: Unfortunately, Mika's "Life In  Cartoon Motion" was released in 2006, according to iTunes. Otherwise, the album would have ended up between the number 4s and Linkin Park. Oh Well.

    Oh, speaking of "Beautiful Boy" by JoJo, Here's my list of most irritating songs for 2007... Just  so you know...

    1. Rihanna - Umbrella
    2. Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girl
    3. Soulja Boy - Crank That