Random Insanity

2006-08-06T21:39:00.000+08:00

Final Day

I wake up at 545am and keep my safari bed.
I take a short stroll along the beach and have one last look around the island.
I gather my bags and head to the jetty.

We board a boat that brings us to the barge that is further out.
It's the same 3 hour journey back and I'm one of the few who do not sleep along the way.
Instead, I enjoy the scenery and breeze while everyone is out cold.

We reach the mainland at 9am but the barge cannot enter port.
We have to wait for high tide which is at 10am.
Great, we have to wait around and waste even more time...

At 10am, the vehicles are unloaded and we head to west camp to return stores before finally heading to our own camp at 1pm...

2006-08-06T21:33:00.000+08:00

Day 4 and 5

After the short break, serious training resumes and the second group of people arrive on the island.
Breakfast consists of a chicken patty, slices of bread, strawberry jam and butter.
It's the same old routine - firing window opens, people take cover, firing is conducted, lots of waiting around...

Lunch is western!!!
Grilled chicken chop, fries, vegetables and fried rice.
Morale boosting.

We have another BBQ for dinner and the same items are on the menu.
We have a BBQ 3 nights in a row...
Oily, unhealthy and carcinogenic!
Mmm...

After dinner, we pack up everything and prepare to leave the island the next morning.
Finally returning to the mainland tomorrow...

2006-08-06T21:26:00.000+08:00

Day 3

I sleep well and am not bitten by anything the entire night.
Breakfast is kaya pao (again?!) and low mai kai…
Never liked low mai kai so I give it to my friend…

After breakfast, there isn’t much to do so I return to bed and sleep till 10am.
I decide to read my book and I do so till lunch arrives.
Wow!
Just when things start to settle down and seem alright, there’s another screw up!
The course people are returning to the mainland this afternoon and as they wait at the jetty, lunch arrives and they assume it’s theirs.
So being good soldiers, they consume their rations and in under 5 minutes.
The problem is that lunch was never indented for them!
They finished our lunch!!!
When they realized their mistake, it was too late...

Luckily, shortly after they left, reinforcements arrived!!!
Poker cards, mahjong, a gas stove, packets of instant noodles, a laptop along with the entire season 2 of Desperate Housewives and season 3 of CSI:Miami.

I have curry flavoured noodles for lunch and spend most of the day watching shows and reading my book.

Dinner arrives and I can't remember what it was.
Well. that's because it didn't matter.
We barbequed satay, chicken wings, chicken chops, otah, sambal stingrays and a whole lot of other food that night.

Oh yes, after dinner, someone tried to convert me...
Talked to me about Christianity in this run down training shed that had a black board in front and several rows of wooden benches...
It was like some village church or something...

2006-08-06T20:42:00.000+08:00

Johnnie Walker F1 Dogfight

"In a dogfight, a pilot experiences up to 5G for over a minute... An F1 driver experiences up to 5G for over an hour"

Kimi Raikkonen had secured pole position for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.
He led for most of the race but has just crashed out with 44 laps remaining...

Hoi mai gawd (omg)!!!
Alonso has just retired from the race!!!
Jenson Button leads Michael Schumacher by 23 seconds!!!
Pedro de la Rosa (in just his 2nd race this season) has caught Schumacher and is battling for position!!!
With 8 laps left, will Button be able to win his first ever Grand Prix?
Will Schumacher be able to hang on to 2nd place?

2006-08-02T21:21:00.000+08:00

Day 2

I wake up several times, mainly because mosquitoes are biting me - on my toes and at the sides of my feet.
They're still biting even after all the powder and insect repellent I applied.

Everyone gets up at 6am and we have to collect our breakfast from the jetty and at the same time, exchange for fresh water.

Breakfast is 2 fish nuggets, kaya pao and a sweet corn bun.
I find the sweet corn bun disgusting.
Threw it away...

We wait till the firing window opens and it happens again!
The bunker remains locked because some idiot takes it with him to the firing point... again...
We think it's pointless to stand against the walls for "cover"...
So we carry on to walk around camp as normal.
Our opinions change quickly when debris start landing in the sea just several metres in front of us!
Soon, the smell of smoke fills the air and it starts to rain ash...
I wonder if this is what it's like to be on some island with an active volcano...
We are informed that several fires have started due to the flaming debris.
They are unable to control the fire and we are told to be prepared if it reaches the camp site...

Lunch arrives and it's actually alright - steamed fish, curry chicken and otah.
After lunch, I rest awhile before going up to the firing point at 2pm.
By this time, the fire has already been put out but it still rains ash.
At the firing point, I see first hand the extent of damage and how far the fire spread.

We stay there till 5pm because the debris must be collected and burnt with kerosene in a crater.
Lots of thick black smoke is produced when we do burn it.
People take pictures up close even.

I return to camp and dinner is already there.
It's fried rice, steamed fish and a fried chicken wing.
Even better, I am pleasantly surprised when 2 bottles of coke and 3 bags of chips are presented to me.
"Reinforcements will arrive soon, hold out till then!"

Anyway, I totally understand the simple pleasure of sitting back, relaxing and enjoying a glass of ice-cold coke along with some chips.
It's just like how some would do the same with whiskey at the end of a hard day.
Bathed and am laying in bed at 8pm listening to the radio, the waves in the background, having a chat with some people...
After awhile, I drift into sleep...

2006-07-30T00:34:00.000+08:00

Kimi Raikkonen set a qualifying lap of 1:14:070 and will start the 67-lap German Grand Prix from pole position.

Michael Schumacher looks strong and is strongly tipped to win the race.

2006-07-28T16:11:00.000+08:00

Figures of characters from Kingdom Hearts II. The first picture shows Kairi, Sora, Roxas and Axel. The second and third pictures show Sora in Valour and Final forms respectively.

2006-07-28T15:43:00.000+08:00

Day 1

Now I distinctly remember being informed during Friday's briefing that we were moving out at 0600.
The entire bunk is awoken at 0500 and told to get ready and assemble in 5 minutes.
The last time, for at least a week, to use a modern toilet (one with indoor plumbing), to wash up, get changed, grab our bags, move down 4 floors and assemble... right!!!
At 0515, we leave Seletar camp and head towards the west coast pier...

The driver is half-asleep or lousy. Probably both.
He comes close to causing an accident at least 3 times before we arrive at Tuas...
Breakfast is provided and is fried bee hoon...
Beggers can't be choosers...
We wait until the gates leading to the docks are opened...
6 five-tonners, 3 land rovers, 1 excavator and 1 bull-dozer and loaded onto the barge before we get on...
So we're off!

There's no proper place to sit on the barge and we're not allowed to get inside the vehicles during the journey...
So the only choice is to sit on the muddy floor.
It's quite warm but soon there's a gentle breeze...
The wind eventually picks up and starts blowing sand into our eyes...
Great...
Being on the barge gets boring fast and I decide to watch the ships in the distance, looking out for fish at the same time...
The entire journey takes 3 hours and along the way, I spot a rainbow...
I think to myself, "Hmm, maybe this won't be that bad after all".
It soon starts to rain...

A 5 day stay and if you didn't buy any uniforms, you'd only the 5 originally issued...
But you'd only have brought 4 (you're wearing 1, 3 are in your bag and 1 is reserved for parades)...
So even before you arrive on the island, your uniform is soaked...
Demoralizing...

Immediately after arriving on the island, the vehicles leave the barge and are parked in designated areas.
Next, we unload all the stores and help in setting up the area.

The stores include:
Several large boxes containing anything from gortex jackets to safari beds and medical equipment.
Power generators, 100 filled jerry cans, insulators, signal sets, picnic lanterns, foldable tables and benches...
Not to mention our own personal items (clothes, toiletries, food and other necessities) to last us the week...

So after most things are settled, we attend a briefing before the live firing exercise commences.
Most of it is pointless and not worth mentioning.
The briefing ends at 2pm and the trainees head to the firing point which is on a hill that is accessible only through the dense jungles.
It's late and we haven't had our lunch...
Of course we're hungry...
So we ask the officer in charge about lunch and this is how the conversation went,

Us: Sir, when will lunch get here?
Sir: Huh? Everyone already had lunch on the barge!
Us: No... we haven't had anything to eat... during the briefing on Friday, we were told lunch would be provided...
Sir: Hmm, let me check... Oh, we made a mistake and did not indent your share. We ate the extra we had.

Well, an apology wouldn't have helped but it might have been appreciated...
We didn't get one of course.
Soaked, exhausted, warm and hungry...

Of course everyone brought food but no one had planned to be eating any of it on the first day.
Remember, all this was bought using our own money...
No allowances or reimbursement
Imagine if we hadn't brought anything with us, choosing to believe and rely on the army to provide us with something as basic as food...
Incompetent bastards...

Training commences and we settle our own lunches.
The warm weather makes everyone drowsy and we wait until we are informed that the trainees are ready to fire.
The arrangement is that everyone at the camp site takes cover in a bunker when firing is conducted.
The commander with us realizes that the key to the bunker is with an officer at the firing point.
Another screw up!
So instead of taking cover in the bunker, we stand outside and along it's wall.
We stand there, under the sun for close to an hour and wonder if the people at the firing point have forgotten about us...

Eventually we do get to return to the camp site and sit around while waiting for dinner to arrive.
For your information, dinner is usually served at 5pm... dinner arrives at 9pm...
Now think of the people who didn't have anything at all for lunch...

After dinner, I had to go up to the firing point to collect some stores.
There are no lights at all, it's pitch black and the island is rumoured to be haunted.
Isn't the 7th month starting soon?
Or has it already started?!
Doesn't really matter...

I move up the hill towards the area where the stores are.
The ground is uneven, littered with potholes and has all sorts of debris lying around.
I carry the stores to the land rover and at that point, I look up and remember how nice is it to look at the stars when you're lost in the middle of nowhere...

Anyway, I get back at 11pm, have a shower (you fill a thrash bin and scoop water out of it) before I get ready to sleep.
What's there to do?
Pack your bags and apply lots of insect repellent and powder.

I sleep on a safari bed, just 5m away from the beach, there's a nice cooling breeze and you can hear the sound of waves crashing...

2006-07-28T15:13:00.000+08:00

Prelude

On Friday, 21st August, I woke up at 0400 and participated in a 15km run at west camp.

While everyone booked out from there at 0930, I had to make my way back to east camp and prepare stores for next week's island training exercise.

To make things worse, I had to return to west camp for a briefing at 1600...
The briefing ended at 1800...
Bad enough I didn't get to book out at 0900 or after finishing stores at 1300 but to book out at 1800 when the usual timing is 1730?!

Factors that cause frustration and irritation:
1) I was never suppose to be going for this exercise but due to the incompetency of several individuals, I did...

2) Said individuals who in my opinion were equally at fault tried to push the blame onto each other... typical...

3) Having to travel back and forth between west and east camps... traveling time was long and time wasn't a luxury I could afford... sure, I could afford the $12 taxi fare but if I wasn't involved in the exercise, would I be paying in the first place? NO!!!

4) If I wasn't going for this exercise, then I wouldn't have to waste any money on buying food to sustain me for the week long exercise... is there an allowance or do I get reimbursed? NO!!!

5) On Sunday night, I took a taxi (another $12) to west camp... the bunks provided were meant for NS men... having not been used in months, the plastic-covered pillows and mattresses are covered with dirt, dust and dead insects... the bed sheets and pillow cases they promised on Friday never do come... the parade square lights shine directly into the room... the night is warm and the plastic-covered mattress sticky and annoying... of course everyone doesn't get a good night's rest and Monday comes...

2006-07-21T20:43:00.000+08:00

The past few weeks have been positively horrible...
But I'll just be blogging about the recent one because it was more... interesting... than the others...

This week was all about dodging bullets and getting hit by arrows...

On Sunday, I was originally scheduled to be on duty but accepted to swap duties with a friend upon his request.
Later that night when I booked in, I noticed all vehicles were not at the standby area - definitely not a good sign.
Apparently there had been not just one but two activations on that day!
1. Someone had called and threated to set a bomb off at IMM.
2. An object, highly suspected to be a World War II relic, was found on Sentosa.
Amazingly, both were false alarms.
It felt that those bullets had originally been intended for me...
I'd be on duty on Monday so I expected that the real activation would occur then...

Monday was uneventful... it came and went just like that...
On Tuesday, I handed over duty was normal and while still at the standby area and wearing my operations attire, the siren went off!!!
It felt so surreal to just sit there watching the excitement, activity and panic that unfolded as the sirens blared on.
Another bullet dodged...
I was supposed to go for off that day but out or nowhere, I got arrowed to recce a safety evacuation route...
The safety rover was to pick me up at 1000 and so I waited... and waited... and waited some more...
Until at 1200 and having called the person in charge to no avail, I got quite angry and just returned to my bunk to sleep...
Later at 1330, I received a call and apparently the recce had been cancelled...
Excellent... I could go for my off now... wee...
I guess it's still better than nothing...

Then it was Wednesday and this was when it seemed to have just rained arrows...
One after another, I got shot...
Before I could pull one out, I'd have been shot by at least another...
* to be continued*

2006-07-08T08:59:00.000+08:00

More screen shots from when the city of Al Zhabi is under attack by the Mamooj Ja Savages.
Raxime and I watch from above as the enemies breach the city gates and cross the moat into the parade square.

Being over enthusiastic, I rush to meet the enemy!
Unfortunately, I find myself outnumbered as my comrades choose to stay and wait for the enemy.
At least Fatimah joins me soon enough at the frontline.

The siege lasts well into the night and several of the Serpent Generals are wounded.
We manage to defeat the enemy and force them to retreat.

2006-06-30T23:24:00.000+08:00

~ Divine Might ~

18 people gathered together in Ru'Aun Gardens on Tuesday, 27th June, to take on the challenge that is Divine Might.
Divine Might is one of the most challenging battles there is in my opinion.
Battle strategies are made and timed down to the second.
If a certain Ark Angel is not defeated within a set time, chances of success is nearly impossible.
I've tried the normal method and died at least 4 times at that time.

This time round, 14 members of the alliance were black mages.
Now this was quite a gamble.
Normally, 16 black mages would barely be enough to defeat the Ark Angels.
If any of the Ark Angels survived the initial barrage of spells, the entire alliance would be annihilated within seconds.
The most dangerous of all would be the Ark Angel EV.
She could heal to 100% health in an instant with Benediction and follow up with Invincible.

We went in and failed the first round.
I knew something went wrong and was the first to run.
Amazingly, the Ark Angels run pretty fast.
They should have been slowed down, slashing and killing people along the way.
Somehow, they managed to catch up with me.
Ark Angel MR, Ark Angel GK and Ark Angel's wyvern were all attacking me.
Next thing I know, they're all dancing on my character's corpse.

So we get ourselves raised and exit the battle field.
We only have one more shot at this battle.
But because we failed the first time, some people decided to leave.
We were down to 16 people - 2 black mages had left.
If we didn't stand much of a chance with 14, how would we fare with 12?
We decided to just try anyway.

Everyone used Elemental Seal and successfully cast Thundaga III on the Ark Angels.
It seemed like we had failed once again.
All 5 Ark Angels were still standing and had survived our barrage.
Demoralizing...
And then, 3 Ark Angels were defeated!
Shortly after, 5 of our black mages died.
I quickly checked which 2 Ark Angels survived.
Ark Angel EV and Ark Angel GK.
I immediately started casting Blizzaga III but to my horror, I noticed Ark Angel EV was readying Benediction...

The following is the battle log:
Raikkonen casts Blizzaga III on Ark Angel GK.
Ark Angel GK takes 1062 damage.
Ark Angel EV takes 1012 damage.
Raikkonen defeats Ark Angel GK.
Raikkonen defeats Ark Angel EV.
You have defeated all of the Ark angels.

Truly brilliant!!!
The server record for this battle is 3 minutes and 4 seconds.
We took 3 minutes and 56 seconds.
Not bad considering we were expected to fail horribly.

2006-06-25T22:27:00.000+08:00

Was mobilized over the past weekend.
Code names: Blue Moon, Old Car, Bee Hive and Front Runner.
Was busy with it the whole entire week... it killed off my weekend...
This week, there's range...
And I have to miss the Canadian Grand Prix tonight... it starts at midnight and I'll obviously be back in camp...
Only played FFXI today...
Army really sucks
I'll write more when I have the time and get the chance

2006-06-18T00:47:00.000+08:00

Brilliant figure from Final Fantasy 7:Advent Children.
Not too sure how much to expect to pay for it though.

New action figures to be released later this year from Kingdom Hearts 2:

And a page from Marvel's Civil War: Issue 2
Spiderman removes his mask and reveals his identity to the press!

2006-06-18T00:44:00.000+08:00

~A day out at the beach~
White sandy beaches, basking in the sun and enjoying the gentle breeze.
Doesn’t that just sound lovely?
One could enjoy a good book, laze around, swim, play volleyball… the list is endless.
This time of year, the beach is crowded and lively – it being the school holidays and all.
To be stuck in camp while everyone else is out there having fun – depressing isn’t it?
Well, as luck and the forces of nature would have it, I was able to go to the beach!

Now before you call me a lucky bastard, read on.
An explosive ordnance was found on Sentosa by an archaeologist who was doing some work in the denser, isolated parts of the jungle.
The original plan had been to stay in camp, read a book, make plans for FFXI, catch a nap… stuff like that.
But well, life’s like that – things don’t always go as planned.
Or in a less pleasant version – shit happens.

So the siren goes off and as usual, the camp is full of excitement and activity – everyone running around and preparing to move out.
The team moves out once the vehicles, equipment, weapons and ammo are ready.
The journey to Sentosa is a really long one (all vehicles must not exceed 50km/h).
Along the way, it starts raining and this just makes the day all that much better… NOT!

So after at least an hour, I finally reach the island.
Rangers who were waiting for us at the entrance, escort the team to the device.
The vehicles are parked and we have a quick lunch – lots of grunt work to be done.
The team commander requires quite a number of sand bags to be prepared.
He had reached the site first to assess the situation and decide the course of action.

So after finishing lunch, it’s off to the beach with our shovels and spades.
I can assure you, the beach wasn’t all that fun.
It wasn’t exactly boring either.
There was a class gathering (probably lower secondary), a model photo shoot, girls in bikinis…

So anyway, each sand bad is extremely heavy because it requires a larger amount of sand to fill since it’s so fine.
We drive the sand bags as far in as possible and unload them.
We then realize we have to carry them over a drain, walk up a slippery and muddy slope (as mentioned, it had been raining and the slope was covered with leaf litter) and then to the large crater that was dug.

Great… once done, we start to experiment with the fuse and time how long it takes to burn out…
I’m sure you’ve watched Mission Impossible before.
The fuse burns just like that but seems cooler in real life.
We calculate the length of fuse we need to give us 120 seconds of time before detonation.

Everything is set up and ready to go.
We ignite the fuse and wait…
60 seconds go by…
90 seconds…
120 seconds…
150 seconds…

At this time, everyone is uneasy and looking at each other.
Was it a blind? Why hasn't it exploded?
Luckily after a little more time, there was a loud “boom”!
The earth and trees shook while it started raining sand just in front of us.
Brilliant.

We pack up and are ready to leave.
The rangers abandon us and we try to find our own way out.
We get lost but have a nice tour of the island.
Eventually, we make our way out and return to camp.

I was really exhausted so I might have left out a few details.

2006-05-29T21:23:00.000+08:00

The Monaco Grand Prix:

Lap 2
Raikkonen is aggressive and manages to overtake Mark Webber - an unbelievable and opportunistic move.
Bad news for Alonso who obviously doesn't want Kimi in his mirrors.
The gap between the two is 0.510 seconds.
Kimi sets the fastest lap!

Lap 5
Michael Schumacher is now 16th, after starting from the pit lane.
He's already moved up 6 positions!
Raikkonen is fastest this lap!

Lap 9
The gap between Alonso and Raikkonen is 0.526 seconds.
Raikkonen is doing a fine job and is matching Alonso.

Lap 15
The gap is 0.536 seconds.
Raikkonen is driving so brilliantly!
Don't forget that McLaren has been struggling all season and the handling of the car is not optimal.
It must be difficult to drive and is producing horrible vibrations.
Oh! Alonso tries to trick Kimi and put a back-marker between them but fails!

Lap 19
Raikkonen sets the fastest lap again.
The gap now is 0.606 seconds.
The pressure on the respective pit stop crews will be massive!

Lap 21 & 22
McLaren prepares for a pit stop.
Montoya pits for 9.9 seconds.
Raikkonen pits for 10.3 seconds.
Raikkonen leaves the pits and is has an empty track ahead!
He can now get his head down and go as fast as he can.
Ferrari prepares for a pit stop!
Some important questions:
When will Alonso pit and for how long?
Will he be able to get out ahead of Raikkonen?

Lap 23
Fastest man on track by a mile... Raikkonen!
Alonso makes his pit stop and is stationary for 7.9 seconds.
Renault is responding quickly and giving him a shorter stop to get him out ahead of Kimi.
Kimi's slightly longer stop may give McLaren more options.

Lap 30
Schumacher is up into 13th place.
Mark Webber in 3rd manages to catch up with Alonso and Raikkonen.
It is because Alonso is controlling the pace of the race!
He is shrewd and is compounding the pressure on Kimi.
Kimi will now have to worry about keeping up with Alonso, trying to overtake him while defending from Webber.

Lap 33 & 34
Alonso's pace is so slow that even the Midland F1 cars are lapping faster than the top 3!
Montoya in 4th joins the battle at the front!
Certainly a race of great tension and pressure.
An amazing train of cars is formed!
Alonso is changing the break points he takes at each corner to break Raikkonen's rhythm and concentration!

Lap 42
Alonso and Raikkonen are still stuck like glue.
They have managed to overtake quite a few back-markers and as such, have lost Webber and Montoya.
9th position has been lapped at this point.

Lap 45
Despite doing a great job and trying his best, Raikkonen is slowed down by a back-marker.
The gap has opened up to about 1 second.
Alonso takes this opportunity to try and widen the gap but Raikkonen matches him each lap!!!

Lap 48
Webber slows down!
He pulls off the racing line and a lot of smoke is seen from the back of his car.
The yellow flags are out and... safety car!
Both Renault and McLaren bring their drivers into the pits.
The battle of the pit crews!
This has all just worked in Renault's favour really.
Alonso exits the pit lane and Schumacher is directly behind him...

Lap 49
Raikkonen's car is on fire and he retires.
He gets out of the car and takes a long, slow walk back to the pits.
Along the way, he decides to stop for a drink on his friend's yacht in the harbour.
He is well aware that his championship chances are now slim at best as he is now 37 points behind the championship leader...
Bitter disappointment as he had an absolutely stunning race and could have at least secured 2nd.
At this point, I didn't feel like commentating anymore...

The race ended with,
1) Fernando Alonso
2) Juan Pablo Montoya
3) David Coulthard (Red Bull Racing was involved in promoting "Superman Returns"

After the race:
It was revealed that Raikkonen had 7 more laps of fuel than Alonso. Kimi had been saving his tyres and engine when the deployment of the safety car following Webber's on-track retirement caused them to lose the advantage. During Kimi's stop, the exhaust temperature rose significantly and failed to cool sufficiently following his return to the track behind the safety car. The excessive heat burnt a wiring loom which finished his race. At least we were very competitive and our target is to maintain the momentum into Silverstone.
And in one of McLaren's worse seasons in recent years, their fortunes only starting around at Silverstone.
Let's hope it happens again.

The top 3 fastest laps set during the race:
1) Michael Schumacher - 1:15.143
2) Kimi Raikkonen - 1:15.325
3) Fernando Alonso - 1:15.671

Alonso's post race interview:
"Yeah, Kimi was pushing quite hard and putting some pressure on me but it's almost impossible to overtake at Monaco."

"I knew that there were important parts of the race - laps close to the pit stops and the laps after the pit stops. I wanted to have the tyres in good condition for those laps so I tried to give them an easy life for the first 10 or 15 laps and then push."

"For me, it wasn't important to push on lap 30. I pushed two or three laps, he was behind me with no problems so when I saw that it was impossible to open up a gap, I said okay, I will manage the tyres and when it's time to push my tyres will be ready."

"Every race is getting more and more interesting and important in terms of the championship. Basically, you cannot win anything in the racesm but you can lose a lot and this time, Kimi lost a lot and I didn't win too much, but in seven races - 4 wins and 3 seconds is a perfect start. And if I keep doing that in the next seven, then probably the championship will look very good.

2006-05-28T16:08:00.000+08:00

Michael Schumacher will start the Monaco Grand Prix from pole as he secured the position amidst much controversy.
In a rare "mistake", Schumacher locked up the front of his 248 F1, went wide and was not able to make the tight 90 degree turn at Rascasse.
As I watched it happen, I thought he was going to crash into the barriers but miraculously, he stopped his car without any damage.
Unfortunately, his car was left stranded on track in the final, critical minutes of the qualifying session.
Fortunately for him, his last timed lap of 1:39.898s was good enough to claim the number one position.
The error certainly did not help his rivals.

After the session, protests erupted and so did cheating claims.
Of course Schumacher denied it all.
In an interview before he retired for the night, he told reporters: "What happened is typical of this circuit. I know what I did. I know not everyone agrees but I will sleep well tonight."
Eventually, he was condemned far and wide for "deliberately parking his Ferrari in the dying moments of qualifying at Monaco!"

Flavio Briatore, Schumacher's old Benetton boss, said: "I know (Schumacher) cheated. I think he is taking everyone for a ride. Someone who was seven times world champion wants us to believe that he didn't do it on purpose. I think that what he did was unsporting and against everything..."
"It was a blatant act! Michael treated the F1 world like fools by suggesting it was a normal driver error!"
"This really brings our sport down. If I was him, I would retire in shame!"
"He should be a model of sportsmanship for us!"

Kimi Raikkonen added: "I don't believe that it was a real problem. He should be punished!"

And he was...
The stewards deliberated for 8 hours after interviewing the German and reviewing mountains of data.
They ruled that Schumacher "braked with undue, excessive and unusual pressure" in La Rascasse, concluding that it was indeed a punishable, "deliberate" act.
Schumacher was stripped of his pole position, effectively disqualified from the entire session and dumped to the rear of the grid.
He will start the race from the 22nd position.
This promotes Fernando Alonso to the pole and moves Mark Webber to the front row.
Kimi Raikkonen starts in 3rd position in the second row.

2006-05-25T20:56:00.000+08:00

The Monaco Grand Prix will be held this weekend.
A street circuit set in Monte Carlo, it is one of the most traditional races on the calendar.

The track is 3.340 km in length.
The race will comprise of 78 laps.

The podium positions in 2005 were as follows:
1) Kimi Raikkonen
2) Nick Heidfied
3) Mark Webber

2006-05-21T19:33:00.000+08:00

This picture has at least 5 blackmages (including me), 5 redmages 2 whitemages, 1 ranger, 1 samurai and 1 ninja.
We're standing on the central bridge that overlooks the main gates leading to Wajaom woodlands and Bhaflau thickets.
It is in these 2 areas that even more forces wait to slow down the march of the enemy.
Buying us valuable time to rally more comrades, prepare and fortify the city.
At this point, I disabled the name display.

More mages along the bridge.
The battle starts and lasts well into the night!

At this point, they've already entered the main gates and are trying to break through our defences.
Alright, with the names disabled, enemy names aren't displayed either.
But I'm sure you can see the 3 monsters heading towards the door and us stopping one.

The battle intensifies and some of our allies fall.
In this picture, the paladin kneels over his friend to check the seriousness of his injuries.
Both sides summon Leviathan and they prepare to square off.

That's me in the middle of the picture.
Standing between the 2 Leviathans.
I cast Blizzaga 3 on the enemy while protecting my allies.

We successfully eliminate the enemies and secure the City square.
Every gathers to rest up and assess the situation.
We determine which area needs our assistance and rush on.

After this siege, I didn't participate in any of the 3 that took place over the weekend.
I spent most of the weekend reliving frustrating memories in the lowest level, noob-partying area.
Redmage 14 to 22 this weekend.
I had targetted 25.

I caught the Da Vinci Code as well.
More on that next time if I can be bothered.
Feeling quite tired and sian again...

2006-05-19T23:04:00.000+08:00

Puppetmaster is kind of disappointing because it's role hasn't been defined and it's equipment options are non-existent.
So I unlocked Blue mage and gave it a try.
It's quite powerful but it's frustrating trying to learn enemy skills.
I spend most of the time standing still while the mob attacks me...
Waiting and hoping it uses the skill I want to learn...
Even if it does, the chances of learning the skill isn't too high...
I started complaining about it and my friend told me he took 7 hours to learn a particular spell...
Ouch!

So anyway, my Blue mage is currently level 08.
My Puppetmaser is 09.
And I've decided to focus on Red mage which is 14 at the moment.

Here's more pictures of "Besieged":

Look at the battle log.
The enemy used Mijin Gakure and damaged quite a few people for 4000.
Now even at maximum level, the highest amount of hp one has is not even 2000.
My black mage has barely over 1000 hp and I got hit for 1150 the other day.
Instant death.
Ouch.

2006-05-14T09:23:00.000+08:00

Participated in my first siege ever!
It was everything one could imagine - chaotic!
But quite fun really.

Outside the city of Al Zhabi, our brave comrades had already engaged the enemy.
They did a fine job because the 797 mercenaries inside the city (including me) were getting bored waiting.
We wanted in on some of the action!
"Let's get this party started!" was what I thought.

Our friends fought well but the number of enemies were too great!
The enemy breached the gates and we were happy!
"Full attack!" was heard being shouted everywhere.
Soon I noticed my Japanese party members losing health.
Some rush to his aid while the rest of us wait in the city square.

I gotta go collect my glasses so I'll finish this later.

2006-05-13T00:08:00.000+08:00

This is what Dynamis is like.
Dynamis can take place in several locations and requires a Timeless Hourglass each time.
This particular one is Dynamis-Jeuno.

Think about this:
A party consists of 6 people.
An alliance consists of 18 (3 parties combined).
Dynamis allows 60-80 people to participate each time.
Each monster in this battle is so powerful that it requires 6 people to defeat.
Great team work, brilliant strategies and lots of luck is required.
Not to mention the ability to easily shrug death and deleveling off.

So look at the picture and see how many monsters are going to rape then kill Littlechaos.
Monster names are in yellow and red.

And introducing the expansion: The Treasures of Aht Urhgan.
As mentioned before, 3 new jobs were added - Bluemage, Puppetmaster and Corsair.
I've already unlocked Puppetmaster and am currently leveling it (slowly).

New characters, quests, missions, stories, events, enemies and areas have been added as well.
"Assault" and "Besieged" are new to the game too.

The picture above shows what happens during a siege.
Enemies launch surprise attacks on cities, raid supplies and murder or kidnap people.
Sometimes several hundred people wait in anticipation for the attack.
Sometimes, we are caught off guard and everyone is massacred.
Just look at all those bodies...
And Shadowdog shouting for help...

2006-05-10T21:20:00.000+08:00

Felicia Chin!

Returned to Vanadiel recently to visit new areas and unlock new jobs.
Well, I haven't just yet because the quests are difficult and my character nearly got killed.
Sounds fun eh?

2006-05-09T20:35:00.000+08:00

Latest screenshots of Final Fantasy XIII for the Playstation 3!

2006-05-08T19:07:00.000+08:00

Just felt like posting something Final Fantasy XI related.
It's been ages since I last played.
The new expansion has been out long enough for level 75 Blue mages and Puppetmasters to be walking around.

2006-05-07T14:33:00.000+08:00

It's been nearly one month since I last posted an entry.
Lack of updates because I've been exhausted and moody...
I still am...

Hmm, anything interesting happen this past month?

I've already completed Kingdom Hearts 2 and seen the Normal Ending.
I'm working on unlocking the Secret Ending but it's difficult!
In order to view this "super" secret ending, Jiminy's journal must be completed!
That means completing a whole list of missions that can get very frustrating.
Mission impossible?
Nah, I've done everything but 2:
Complete the Hades Cup
Complete the Hades Cup with 15,000 points

This comic from Penny Arcade explains it all and shows that others share my pain:

"You ask the impossible!"
"I ask what is necessary!"
Yes, the bitch ending is what I got...
For now, I'm taking a break from KH2 and playing Tales of Legendia.

Other than that, the only manga I'm following right now is Naruto and Bleach.
As usual, Naruto's story is hard to predict and full of twists.
Naruto and Sai run into Orochimaru.
Naruto holds off Orochimaru while Sai continues to search for Sasuke.
The rest of the team realise that Sai's true mission was to eliminate Sasuke.
They rush to find Sai.
The chapter ends with Sai confronting Sasuke and claiming he is there to save him.

Also, I'm currently listening to "Pur your records on" by Corrine Bailey Rae.

The NBA playoffs started and the first round was completed earlier this morning.

In the Eastern Conference:
Detroit Pistons advanced to the next round after beating Milwaukee Bucks.
Miami Heat won Chicago Bulls.
New Jersey Nets (the team I used to support) made it pass the Indiana Pacers.
Cleveland Cavaliers defeated Washington Wizards in 6 games.
Lebron James (number 23) was a major factor in each of those games.
And how many times did he win it at the very last second?!
I think it's three out of the four games the Cavaliers won.
His nickname, "The Phenom" suits him well.

In the Western Conference,
Dallas Mavericks swept the Memphis Grizzlies.
San Antonio Spurs routed Sacramento Kings.
Los Angeles Clippers triumphed over Denver Nuggets (surprising).
Phoenix Suns overcame Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers held a 3-1 advantage but couldn't seal the deal.
Phoenix fought back and got 3 consecutive wins.
In this morning's match, Phoenix won 120-91!
And they held Kobe Bryant to just one point in the second half!

Next round match ups and my predictions:
Cleaveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons (win)
New Jersey Nets vs Miami Heat (win)
Dallas Mavericks vs San Antonio Spurs (win)
LA Clippers vs Phoenix Suns (tough choice but Suns should win it)

Then there was the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola.
Michael Schumacher defended against constant attacks from Fernando Alonso for more than 20 laps!
Unfortunately, Kimi Raikkonen only managed fifth.

The European Grand Prix in Nurburgring will be held this weekend.
It's 5.148km in length and is 60 laps long.
Schumacher will start from first.
Alonso second.
Raikkonen fifth but hopefully it's part of his race strategy and he'll be able to get a podium finish.

This is how the race went:

Lap 1
Alonso makes a fantastic start!
Schumacher retains second place though he is slower than his team mate, Massa.
Barrichello loses fourth to Button.
Raikkonen remains fifth.
Liuzzi's Torro Rosso collides with Coulthard's Red Bull at the tight first corner.
His front wing is damanged and later spins after his rear tyre blows.
The safety car is deployed because his car comes to a halt in the middle of the track.

Lap 4
The safety car goes in and the race continues.
Alonso opens a considerable gap but has Schumacher hounding him all the way.
Massa is not far behind.
The time difference between the top 3 is kept nearly constant.

Lap 17
Alonso pits first!
He is stationary for 7.9 seconds, takes on 70 litres of fuel which will last a further 19 laps.
It is calculated that he will have to pit around lap 34.
Schumacher stays out and takes the lead.

Lap 20
Schumacher puts in 3 blistering laps before he pits.
He comes out behind Alonso but tactically, matches him..
Schumacher may even have an advantage now and can stay out till lap 37.
Raikkonen takes the lead and is ahead of Button by 9 seconds.

Lap 23
After leading the race by 13.6 seconds, Raikkonen pits.
He is stationary for 7.9 seconds, takes on 70 litres of fuel, lasting 19 more laps.

Lap 29
Fisichella is in position to get his revenge and overtake Villeneuve but yellow flags appear!
Disappointment for Button!
His engine fails.
Klien retires too.
Montoya is right behind Fisichella and the battle for 8, 9 and 10 is on.

Lap 30
1.2 seconds - Difference between Alonso and Schumacher.
5.6 seconds - Difference between Schumacher and Massa
10.6 seconds - Difference between Massa and Raikkonen.

Lap 38
Alonso makes his second pit stop.
He is stationary for 8.8 seconds.

Lap 40
The Ferrari pit crew prepare for a stop but Schumacher stays out!!!
Massa goes in and out of the pit.

Lap 41
Schumacher into the pits!!!
This is a major factor deciding whether he will win or lose!!!
He is stationary for 6.8 seconds!!!
Michael Schumacher comes out ahead of Alonso!!!
Ferrari's strategy has worked brilliantly!!!
Amazing!!!
This is the second successive race Alonso has had the back view of a scarlet Ferrari.

Lap 43
Schumacher is decimating Alonso!!!
He has opened a gap of 6.9 seconds!!!

Lap 44
Raikkonen makes his second and final pit stop.
Stationary for 6.8 seconds as well!
Unfortunately, he comes out behind Massa.
He needs to get his head down and charge all the way to the chequered flag.
Alonso and Schumacher are still out it.
This brings up the question of reliability.
Both their engines have already gone through Imola.
Both were pushed to their limits at that race as well as this one.

Lap 55
Montoya and Ralf Schumacher retire from the race!
Both due to engine failures.
Raikkonen should not have to worry about his team mate's retirement.
Montoya's engine was the one used at Imola.
Raikkonen's is a fresh, new one.

Lap 56
7.7 seconds - Difference between Schumacher and Alonso.
5.6 seconds - Difference between Alonso and Massa
10.6 seconds - Difference between Massa and Raikkonen.

Lap 57
2.1 seconds - Difference between Alonso and Massa
1.3 seconds - Difference between Massa and Raikkonen.

Lap 58
1.9 seconds - Difference between Alonso and Massa
0.7 seconds - Difference between Massa and Raikkonen.

Lap 59
1.058 seconds - Difference between Alonso and Massa
0.586 seconds - Difference between Massa and Raikkonen.

Final lap
0.8227 seconds - Difference between Alonso and Massa
0.5324 seconds - Difference between Massa and Raikkonen.
Schumacher (the home hero) wins!!!
Alonso finishes in second place.
Massa is third.
Raikkonen is fourth and does not make the podium unfortunately.
If there were 2 or 3 laps more, the results might have been different.
Drivers celebrate in victory lane before proceeding to the trophy presentation.
A good show of sportsmanship:

The Driver's Championship is as follows now:
44 points - Alonso
31 points - Schumacher
23 points - Raikkonen

The next race is this weekend!
The Spainish Grand Prix in Barcelona!
Will the home hero, Alonso, win it?
Can McLaren improve further to get their first win of the season?

2006-04-09T20:26:00.000+08:00

I'll probably run out of new pictures of Teresa soon...

Anyway, met up with 2 friends from school just now.
At one point,

Y: What's with your msn pic?
Me: My msn pic?
F: The one with that KC girl from Campus Superstar?
Me: Oh, it's just a pic. Nothing special.
Them: Sure or not?
Me: Yeah!
Them: Then why are you blushing?
Me: ...

2006-04-08T00:31:00.000+08:00

The Australian Grand Prix was held in Melbourne last Sunday (2nd April).
An incident filled affair with the safety car coming out 4 times!
This worked in favour of certain drivers (Kimi Raikkonen) and against others (Fernando Alonso).

Early in the race, Kimi had flat-spotted his tyres while overtaking Jenson Button.
This caused the car to vibrate violently for most of race.
Eventually, it caused his front wing to fracture.
As a result, he lost stability and experienced severe understeer which affected his pace.

Alonso was running away with the race and led by more than 20 seconds!
Fortunately, Kimi was able to replace the nose cone under the safety car and Alonso's advantage was reduced to less than 5 seconds.

Eventually, Kimi set the fastest lap for the whole race and came in second, less than 2 seconds behind Alonso.

Interestingly, it was the first time in several years that both of Ferrari's cars crashed.
Another exciting moment was when Button's engine failed spectacularly on the final lap, at the penultimate corner.

Fisichella who had been chasing Button relentlessly for several laps was blinded by the smoke and also had oil spat at him.
He managed to keep it together and take fifth position.

Team Honda's engineers apparently instructed Button not to cross the white line.
If he did, he would suffer a 10-grid penalty for the next race in Imola.
They're confident they'll win that GP.
Renault said it was a brilliant strategic move.
I disagree.

Button could have finished 6th and scored 3 championship points.
He'd receive the penalty and would probably start the race at the back.
This season, 1 pit-stop strategies from the back of the field have seemed to work well.
Add that his Bridgestone tyres require some time to warm up but are great once they do.

2006-04-03T21:16:00.000+08:00

The grand finals of the Campus Superstar competition was also on Sunday (April 2nd).
I didn't watch much of it because I was playing Kingdom Hearts 2.
All I caught was 2 of Teresa's songs and the end.

Now, I wouldn't say I'm an avid supporter of Teresa but I was really hoping she'd be the Campus Superstar!
I like her singing (from what little I've heard).
It's good in my opinion!

Hohoho seems she'll be at Cine-leisure tomorrow (Saturday, 8th April) afternoon.
Hey, I go there quite often so...

* Posted on 3rd April, edited on the 7th.

2006-03-28T22:09:00.000+08:00

Teresa Tseng, one of the final four contestants in the Campus Superstar competition.
Don't be mistaken.
I only watched it when I was desperately bored with nothing else to do while on duty.

Kim Wakerman.

2006-03-22T18:04:00.000+08:00

Extracted from "V for Vendetta":

This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified.

However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

2006-03-16T20:56:00.000+08:00

A very cool (and unfortunately very expensive) figure I'd like to have:

Just look at those swords that combine into one!!!
And Fenrir (his bike)!!!
Agree it's worth $200+ ?

2006-03-14T21:33:00.001+08:00

The first Formula 1 race of the 2006 season happened last Sunday - the Bahrain Grand Prix!!!

Pre-season testing had suggested that team McLaren Mercedes was not as competitive as Ferrari, Renault and Honda.
Their pace was relatively poor and they experienced some reliability problems.
Of course thousands of hours of testing, experimenting and improving was done.
The car could do an entire race distance without any problem and that was the very least one could expect.

Race weekend came and a brand new qualifying format was introduced.
As Kimi Raikkonen was doing his warming up lap prior to setting timed laps for qualifying, the rear wing of his car flew off!
He lost control of the car and crashed out!
Mechanical failure... and he didn't even complete a single lap...
I've mentioned many times - I think he's very unlucky.
Anyway, without setting any timed laps, he was going to start the race dead last...
22nd on the grid...

His team mate, Juan Pablo Montoya, managed to set a good time and would start 5th.
Michael Schumacher had pole position (he's back~).
Felipe Massa in the second scarlet Ferrari was 2nd.
Jenson Button in his Honda was 3rd.
Fernando Alonso (defending World Champion) was 4th.

So the race... it was fantastic! Exciting!
Within the first 4 laps, Raikkonen had moved up to 11th!!!
His blistering pace from the back of the grid carried him from virtually nowhere to a place on the podium!!!
Indeed, a phenomenal drive to 3rd!!!
An achievement that made sure victorious Alonso and Schumacher (2nd place) took notice.

Schumacher said,
"You have to analyze all the laps and times, so it's difficult to say from here just how fast he was."

Alonso was surprised and impressed.
"During the race, I did not know what Kimi was doing. I was surprised he was on the podium - because he started from the back and also because I thought Jenson was third! I think he did a good race and if he started from the front, it would have been a close fight again, between two or three cars, so we'll have to ait for the next race now and the opportunity to see him in a more competitive start."

Yeah, well, the next race is in Sepang, Malaysia.
This weekend!!!
4 days more...

I forgot to wish a safe, pleasant journey and say farewell to an acquaintance before she left Singapore on the 9th of February for further studies.

Same exact thing happened when Ruth flew back to Australia on the 25th of February.

Just yesterday (13th of March), I realized I forgot a friend's birthday in early March.

This still happened even though I marked these dates on my calendar.

2006-03-14T21:17:00.000+08:00

Presenting a very interesting conversation with lady Justice.

*Approaching her*

I’ve been a fan of yours for quite some time. Oh I know what you’re thinking…

“The poor boy has a crush on me… an adolescent infatuation.”

I beg your pardon, madam.
It isn’t like that at all.
I’ve admired you… albeit only from a distance.
I used to stare at you from the streets below when I was a child.
I’d say to my father, “who is that lady?”
and he’d say, “that’s madam justice.”
And I’d say, “isn’t she pretty.”

Please don’t think it was merely physical…
I know you’re not that sort of girl.
No, I loved you as a person.
As an ideal!

That was a long time ago. I’m afraid there’s someone else now…

“What? For shame! You have betrayed me for some harlot, some vain and pouting hussy with painted lips and a knowing smile!”

I, madam? I beg to differ!
It was your infidelity that drove me to her arms!
Ah-ha! That surprised you, didn’t it?
You thought I didn’t know about your little fling.
But I do. I know everything!
Frankly, I wasn’t surprised when I found out.
You always did have an eye for a man in uniform.

“Uniform? Why I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about. It was always you. You were the only one…”

Liar! Slut! Whore!
Deny that you let him have his way with you, him with his armbands and jackboots.
Well? Cat got your tongue!
I thought as much.
Very well. So you stand revealed at last.
You are no longer MY justice.
You are his justice.
Now, you have bedded another.
Well, two can play at that game!

“Sob! Choke! Wh-who is she? What is her name?!”

Her name is anarchy.
And she has taught me more as a mistress than you ever did!
She has taught me that justice is meaningless without freedom.
She is honest.
She makes no promises and breaks none.
Unlike you!
I used to wonder why you could never look me in the eye.
Now I know.
So goodbye, dear lady.
I would be saddened by our parting even now.
Save that you are no longer the woman that I once loved.

2006-02-24T22:14:00.000+08:00

Writing a poem now. It's not complete yet but here's a preview:

Descending into the deep darkness.
Witnessing the hideousness of reality.
Blurring of the lines of distinction.
Is it foolishness or courage?
Is it defeat or triumph?
Is it shame or pride?

Edit: Bah, I've lost the inspiration for this one so I'll have to complete another time.

2006-02-19T23:51:00.000+08:00

Don't love you no more - Craig David

For all the years that I've known you baby
I can't figure out the reason why lately
you've been acting so cold
(didn't you say)
If there's a problem we should work it out
So why you giving me the cold shoulder now
Like you don't even wanna talk to me girl
(tell me)
Ok I know I was late again
I made you mad and then it's throwing the pan
But why are you making this drag on so long
(i wanna know)
I'm sick and tired of this silly games
(silly games)
Don't figure that I'm the only one here to blame
It's not me here who's
been going round slamming doors
That's when you turned and said to me
I don't care babe who's right or wrong
I just don't love you no more.

Rain outside my window pouring down
What now, your gone, my fault, I'm sorry
Feeling like a fool cause I let you down
Now it's, too late, to turn it around
I'm sorry for the tears I made you cry
I guess this time it really is goodbye
You made it clear when you said
I just don't love you no more

I know that I made a few mistakes
But never thought that things would turn out this way
Cause I'm missing something now that your gone
(I see it all so clearly)
Me at the door with you inner state
(inner state)
Giving my reasons but as you look away
I can see a tear roll down your face
That's when you turned and said to me
I don't care babe who's right or wrong
I just don't love you no more.

Rain outside my window pouring down
What now, your gone, my fault, I'm sorry
Feeling like a fool cause I let you down
Now it's, too late, to turn it around
I'm sorry for the tears I made you cry
I guess this time it really is goodbye
You made it clear when you said
I just don't love you no more

Don't say those words it's so hard
They turn my whole world upside down
Girl you caught me completely off guard
On the night you said to me
I just don't love you more.

2006-02-18T23:35:00.000+08:00

"Justice without freedom is meaningless"

Brokeback mountain - a movie with controversial subject material.
It's suppose to have a lot of meaning and tackle lots of questions (fidelity, commitment, trust).
Described as a sensitive portrayal of the human mind and spirit.
Both play alpha male roles in Jarhead and Casonova.
Have to admit, the acting capabilities of the 2 leads are very good.
Quite convincing they love each other. Their pain, heartache and longing.

Based on past experiences, I have a high tendency to pick the secret figures of a series.
Well, when I don't buy an entire set and try my luck.
Examples would be:
Mayu Asuka x2 (Shinn's sister from Gundam Seed Destiny).
Annoyed Frey.

Anyway, bought 2 boxes of Final Fantasy Trading Arts.
This series is very popular and was released last year (before June I believe).
They're very rare and quite expensive ($12 each).

When I brought the 1st box to the counter, I was told I'd never get Zack (secret figure).
That was perfectly fine with me since I liked all figures except for Vivi.
Low chance of getting him because he's short and I can tell by shaking the box.
So I open the box and it's Zack... apparently he's wortha lot but I'm not selling.
Anyway, I decide to buy a 2nd box and I get Cloud. That's cool but he's all metallic silver.
Another secret figure!!!

Well, at that point, I wasn't going to continue on FFTA figures.
I tried my luck on getting Lacus and got her on my first try!
Luck was quite good until I was going home...

Boarded a bus and the entire front half of it was empty except for 1 guy.
It didn't seem strange to me but after I sat down, I noticed an awful stench...
The guy was a begger and he reeked strongly of... urine (that'd be my best guess).
And if that wasn't enough, he was mad... kept talking to himself...
Good thing I alighted after 4 stops.
When I got up, I noticed everyone behind pinching their noses...
Did I ever mention I HATE, HATE, HATE Bedok Interchange? -_-

2006-02-18T00:28:00.000+08:00

March is going to be an interesting month with the 2006 F1 season starting and a number of good RPGs being released.

Unfortunately, team McLaren (the one I support) is not doing well at all. They’re experiencing technical difficulties as usual and development is several months behind schedule. Based on the results of the current testing periods, Ferrari, Renault and Honda seem to be the top 3.

The team colours have also changed from black and silver to red and silver.

Kingdom Hearts 2 (US version), Suikoden V, Grandia 3, Phantasy Star Universe and Tales of Legendia are all scheduled to be ready. Excellent stuff that will be sure to keep me busy for quite a significant amount of time.

Lastly, a quote from my secondary school friend, “she shows, I watch”. Inside joke though.

2006-02-10T23:53:00.000+08:00

Sort of addicted to "Photo" by Ryan Cabrera.

A photo can say a thousand things
But it can't say the million things I wanna say
A photo can capture the way we were
But it can't capture the way we are
'cause you're far away
What it's like to know you
What it's like to touch you

When you told me that you loved me
were those just words?
You can't tell me you don't need me
and I know that hurts
'cause I'm looking at your picture
'cause it's all I've got
Maybe one day, you and me will have one more shot

Timing... lost minutes and moments
And I might be lonely, girl...
But I'm not agraid
In a second, it all comes right back to me
Nothing's forgotten now
Yeah everyting's saved
What it's like to touch you
What it's like to know you

When you told me that you loved me
were those just words?
You can't tell me you don't need me
and I know that hurts
'cause I'm looking at your picture
'cause it's all I've got
Maybe one day, you and me will have one more shot

You were my life
You were my faith
You have me hope every day

When you told me that you loved me
were those just words?
You can't tell me you don't need me
and I know that hurts
'cause I'm looking at your picture
'cause it's all I've got
Maybe one day, you and me will have one more shot

2006-02-05T01:06:00.000+08:00

So far, all I can think of for my birthday would be a wallet.
Preferably a black, leather one with a coin compartment.

I'm mainly playing Wild Arms 4 these days.
The music is still good but the storyline is boring and childish.
Dungeon puzzles aren't challenging - just frustrating at times.
Despite this, it's still tolerable.

* The above paragraph was written before I played it today.
I've lost patience with it and am taking a long break from it.
I was just leveling up this morning while reading the newspapers.
Fighting enemies that obviously can't wipe out the entire party.
Then somehow this monster I never met attacks.
My max hp is 2000 and it hits for 4000!!!
Up till now, the most damage I've received was 1000 from a boss.
That same boss only had a total of 9000 hp.
I checked this enemy and it had 25000hp.
So obviously I run. Sounds good?
No. All money I've earned playing for 12 hours is gone.
So continue with the experience you earned but no money?
Or reload to get back your money but lose your experience?
Great choices. Bloody stupid game...

Anyway, Final Fantasy IV has been released for the gameboy advance.
It's a very nice game. Played it a few times on SNES and PSX.
Played it when I was in primary school.
Wouldn't mind playing it again.

I've also been listening to a few tracks from the Naruto soundtrack.
"Sarutobi" and "Those who inherit the will of fire" are highly recommended.

2006-01-31T20:47:00.000+08:00

Went down to Cineleisure this afternoon and was lucky enough to get the figure I wanted (Lunamaria Hawke).
The bandage across her head can be seen once the box is opened.
Was deceived last friday by the annoyed Frey (secret of the series) since her hair colour is similar.
Wouldn't mind getting either of the Lacus figures.

Oh hey, and I'd say we made a difference there:
"Thank you all for making 2005 absolutely the best year in the history of the shop".

Latest anime series I'm following is Fate/Stay Night.
Animation seems alright. I only know the story loosly but it seems good.
Only up to episode 4 now.

Anyway, do you believe everything happens for a reason?
Even the small, seemingly insignificant things?
Just been wondering about it... again...
Why the sudden change? Hmm
Think there's more I want to write my I gotta go so I'll just end here.

2006-01-31T00:47:00.000+08:00

Kingdom Hearts 2
Ultima weapon, obtained!!!
I was missing just 1 item. Had to do a lot of guesswork and make many assumptions.
Narrowed it down to several enemies appearing in 3 worlds that might drop it.
The synthesis screen told me I had enough materials to make it.
But I still couldn’t!
Apparently, in this installment, Moogle gets synthesis experience and levels up.
I tried synthesizing random stuff and found the keyblade was now selectable.
Hehe much faster MP recharge rate!!!
So the quest for Ultima weapon ended when I was level 74.

In terms of storyline, I fought even more boss battles.
I’m very certain only the final boss is left now.
At most, I’d defeat the boss and not watch the ending.
Riku joined the party!!!

Also, found a screenshot of Shadow Sora.

Even played a little Final Fantasy XI.
Grown bored of X-Men Legends 2. Fast huh? =x
Well, it might be better if others joined in.
Anyway, decided to try Wild Arms 4.
It’s quite good (only played 2 hours). As usual, the music is nice.
Graphics are also good. A lot better than the last installment I played.

2006-01-30T01:04:00.000+08:00

Wishing everyone a very happy lunar new year!
May you and all at home have happiness, prosperity, good fortune and good health!

Watched “Fearless” on Friday.
Had expected a lot more from it especially since this was Jet Li’s last Chinese kung fu movie.
He will continue to do action movies but quoting him in an interview, “I’ve said all I wanted about Wu Shu through movies”. The article then went on to say how he would “no longer show Wu Shu on a higher level”.

I seriously doubt there were messages about Wu Shu in the last 3 movies of his I caught. Namely - “Cradle to the Grave”, “Kiss of the Dragon” and “The One”.
If there were, I didn’t get it.

Anyway, I realize the movies showing recently are all rather disappointing.
Even worse is that there isn’t anything particularly good in the near future to hold our breaths for.
The Da Vinci Code is schedules to be released in May.
X-men 3 is also going to be shown in May.
What about February, March and April? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Kingdom Hearts 2
My goal right now is to get Ultima weapon.
It'd be quite a waste if I obtained it and didn't complete the game.
In order to synthesize it, every single synthesis item must be obtained first.
These items drop randomly from enemies so it depends a lot on luck.
Just hunting for materials brought Sora from level 52 to 67. Even unlocked Final Form!
Equipped Winnie the Pooh’s keyblade (0 attack, 0 magic, increases chance of items dropping).
I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll get the maximum level before I can achieve this goal.

2 boss battles this week that deserve honourable mentions:
In Port Royal, the boss brought along the entire chest of cursed Aztec gold to the battlefield.
During the battle, the boss will vacuum several hundred coins and make itself invulnerable.
Sora has to hit the boss to make coins fall out, pick the them up before returning them to the chest.
So once all coins have been returned, Sora can start dealing damage to the boss.
After awhile, the boss will again get some coins and the whole process repeats itself.
It was a very long fight.. I kept using Master Form each time it was susceptible to my attacks.
At one point however, I unlocked the secret and totally random Shadow Form!
No pictures available of this form but Sora moves and attacks insanely fast!
Depleted his last 2.5 bars of health quite easily cause of it.

In the final world, I had a fight with a member from the Organization.
Now, each member is strong and battles with them are always difficult.
To make matters worse, I forgot to change my keyblade back to Oblivion so I fought with Pooh’s keyblade.
Anyway, I was getting thrashed because I didn’t know the proper strategy to fight the enemy.
Was finding it difficult to dodge bullets up close or even when I was being sniped from afar.
But I did manage to take his health down after some time and adapt to the battle.
Again, I used Master Form but went into Shadow Form!
Where I’d have great difficulty dodging up close bullets, Shadow Form allowed me to not only dodge but go in and attack!
Once the attack started, it was so fast and deadly that it brought the enemy down to half a bar of health.
The enemy then broke free and started to aim at Sora (you see through his point of view while he aims at you).
As he’s busy aiming, Shadow Sora disappears and is suddenly directly in front of him!
Last thing he ever saw… >;D

2006-01-28T01:27:00.000+08:00

When lives are on the line and comrades are down.
There are few who dare to fight a battle within the battle.
Putting the lives of others above their own.
Acting on the single desire to save others.
A noble cause.
A leap of faith.
Only the medical corps.

Kingdom Hearts 2
Completed "The Land of the Dragon".
Completed "Atlantica"
- Obtained "Wonders of the Abyss" keyblade.
Completed "The Nightmare before Christmas"
- Obtained "Holy Pumpkin" keyblade.
Completed "Aggrabah"
Returned to Hallow Bastion and obtained "Sleeping Lion" keyblade (stats were too good and so I switched to it).
Completed "Space Paranoids"

Yes, in my previous posts I said I completed those worlds already. Well, each world got updated in battle level and additional key holes appeared.

Bought a few games today. So besides this, I'm also playing X-Men Legends 2: Rise of Apocalypse.

2006-01-23T22:40:00.000+08:00

NBA
Haven't been following basketball as closely as before especially after enlistment and after the website design was changed.
Checked it out today and Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points (2nd highest total in NBA history) against the Toronto Raptors grabbed my attention.
The Lakers scored a total of 122. Kobe contributed 66% of that >.>
Just thought it deserved to be mentioned.

Kingdom Hearts 2
Accomplishments for today:

Completed The Pride Lands (Teaming up with Simba was great! Unleashed a 77 hit combo on Scar).
Completed Aggrabah (Aladdin).
Again made a little progress in Atlantica (I'm close to completing it I'm sure).
Returned to Hallow Bastion and completed Space Paranoids. Also,
- Unlocked Master Form.
- Met Sephiroth and am able to challenge him.
- Fought several battles where Yuffie, Squall, Tifa and Cloud took turns to provide support.
- Defeated Demyx and then 1000 Heartless.
- Obtained the "Gullwing" keyblade from YuRiPa.
Returned to Beast's castle.
- Obtained the "Rumbling Rose" keyblade.
- Defeated Xaldin
Really tough battle! It began with 6 tornadoes surrounding him and then 6 spears appearing out of them.
He holds 2 while the other 4 float around him..
Was difficult to get some good hits in ( my Master form was pretty much wasted =/).
His combos are long, deals lots of damage AND does not allow you to heal.
Saved in The Land of the Dragon after completing a boss battle and teaming up with Mulan.

2006-01-22T12:53:00.000+08:00

Kingdom Hearts 2
Completed Hallowean Town (The Nightmare Before Christmas) after 2 rather difficult (and annoying) boss battles. Would probably have gone much better if I could understand what was going on =x

Next, returned to Atlantica (The Little Mermaid) but got stuck there again so I went back to Twilight Town. After realizing the battle level was too high, I tried to leave but I ended up progressing the story and was forced into another difficult battle. Got the Oathkeeper (my favourite keyblade) as a reward and then went to the Pride Lands (The Lion King).

It was initially weird to see Sora as a lion (my sister insists he's a hyena) but once you regain control, you quickly get over it.
In this form, Sora is faster and more agile. Great fun to move around and ferociously rip enemies apart (he holds the keyblade in his mouth and still manages to do air combos XD). Stopped after meeting up with Simba.

God of War
Concentrating on KH2 and GoW isn't really my kinda game so I only played a little but I gotta admit, it's really fun to:
1) tear the wings off flying demons
2) rip a person in half!!!

Other then that, I'm waiting for Wild Arms 4 and X-men Legends 2 to arrive. Need to clear space on memory card >.>

Anyway, Chinese New Year is fast approaching but I don't feel the festive mood (was the same with Christmas) despite the decorations, stalls, people, etc.
Jaded? Perhaps.
Or maybe it's just tiring to meet relatives (you hardly know/remember) only to answer the same old questions with the same old model/standard answers.
Ooh, another thing I'm sure some of us enjoy - being compared with this or that person.
I'm sure you could add an item or two to the list >;D

Lastly, something army related for this week - in my opinion, sergeants receive higher allowances because they have more responsibilities and actually DO more work.
Truth be told, these saikang warriors just arrow the men to do the work while they sit around on their lazy asses and use eye power.
Anyone could do that.
Commanders are suppose to lead, motivate and care (lol absurd, i know XD) for their men.
I believe the best way to achieve all that is simple - lead by example.
Like a general who charges into battle with his soldiers, fighting along side them. (you've watched The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia).