Today was chinese A levels. again. when i took this exam last year, i was totally ready to just drop it like a hot potato and never look back. eleven years it haunted me, and finally it would end! but if life took the shortest path through everything, then it would be way too short to enjoy. so nope, chinese was to linger around for another half a year or so. but today, today i can definitively say that it is over. the written components, anyway. even if i get a U this time, even if the entire NJC management points knives at my throat, i am not taking it a third time. NO. and i'm not even gonna go into much detail about how it went. all i'm gonna say is that it was somewhat more difficult than last year's paper, but there are fewer people taking it this year, so we'll see how it balances out.
tomorrow is the final H3 physics exam, then everything from term 2 will be done with. i don't know if it's the coming exam, the coming holidays or some weird combination thereof, but i have a constant, barely controllable urge to yell incoherent sounds at the top of my voice. or maybe i'm simply insane and i'm just trying to find a convenient scapegoat for it :) and as for the exam itself, i really can't be bothered too much about it anyway, just like chinese. all i care is that it'll all be over soon :D
and when you just feel like screaming for no rational reason, this is the song you just have to scream to. Waking The Demon by Bullet For My Valentine:
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Target-setting
An unsettling thought that has been in the back of my mind these past few days: if i already screwed up the previous tests and the lab practicals, does it really even matter how i do for this final test? i know that this test is still the biggest decider of my overall grade, but 30% is still a very large percentage, and i keep thinking back on those tests and practicals and can't help but think i didn't do all too well for them. all the studying, it seems so pointless.
it's like fighting a war that was never meant to be won, this and H3 math alike. it's already mid-year, but whenever all the dust from everyday goings-on has settled and i'm left alone to think back, i always wonder why i decided to go down this path knowing that it's a dead end. it wasn't just another H3 that i decided to take; with it i also implicitly agreed to bear the weight of expectation on my shoulders. the eyes of friends, classmates, teachers, even the upper levels of the school, are all glaring down on me like the desert sun, with no shelter in sight. of course some of my friends tell me to ignore all that pressure and walk down this path for me and no one else, but it's really easier said than done. unfortunately, i don't think the school is going to let off their first 13 academic unit taker in years with a "just try your best :) ". i just wish there was some tactful way to tell people that i cannot be your perfect little top scorer. it's no use getting everyone's hopes up now when i'm just going to disappoint them next year. so here's the deal: i predict getting a pass for H3 physics, and a pass for H3 math if i'm lucky. don't come to me next year and go "hey you're supposed to be the scholar so why didn't you get distinction for everything?" because i have made it very clear here that that is NOT going to happen.
and i'll admit it: i've grown to like Psychosocial. i still haven't changed my perspective of Slipknot though; their other songs are really mediocre, and i never go for one-hit wonder bands.
it's like fighting a war that was never meant to be won, this and H3 math alike. it's already mid-year, but whenever all the dust from everyday goings-on has settled and i'm left alone to think back, i always wonder why i decided to go down this path knowing that it's a dead end. it wasn't just another H3 that i decided to take; with it i also implicitly agreed to bear the weight of expectation on my shoulders. the eyes of friends, classmates, teachers, even the upper levels of the school, are all glaring down on me like the desert sun, with no shelter in sight. of course some of my friends tell me to ignore all that pressure and walk down this path for me and no one else, but it's really easier said than done. unfortunately, i don't think the school is going to let off their first 13 academic unit taker in years with a "just try your best :) ". i just wish there was some tactful way to tell people that i cannot be your perfect little top scorer. it's no use getting everyone's hopes up now when i'm just going to disappoint them next year. so here's the deal: i predict getting a pass for H3 physics, and a pass for H3 math if i'm lucky. don't come to me next year and go "hey you're supposed to be the scholar so why didn't you get distinction for everything?" because i have made it very clear here that that is NOT going to happen.
and i'll admit it: i've grown to like Psychosocial. i still haven't changed my perspective of Slipknot though; their other songs are really mediocre, and i never go for one-hit wonder bands.
Friday, May 28, 2010
One last glimpse at the clock
I think gp has become such a chore and a torture for both student and teacher now. the student is faced with an abstract, amorphous enemy of a subject that cannot be fathomed, while the teacher is faced with a brick wall and cannot communicate with the muffled pleas for rescue that may or may not be coming from the other side. i think the system has had just about enough of me and is ready to spit me out. just as well, i guess; trying to fit me into the system was like trying to fit an extra cog into a perfectly running clock anyway. yet, i feel like making the clock run again, if only to save everyone the agony of being eternally stuck in time like they are now, but i am simply not the right fit in the clockwork. or maybe i feel like being transferred to another class, where the teacher is less acutely aware of the futility of the whole situation. maybe that will help me ignore it too.
yesterday was the last day of school. well, for most people anyway. but hey, i'm not too far off from the rest; just two more major exams and i'll be free by next tuesday :) and after that, it will finally be time to crash and burn in peace. i think i'll spend the first few days sleeping and eating and sleeping before i even contemplate anything else. i have been seriously drowsy these few days, and i want to enjoy the holidays not drifting off to dreamland every other minute if possible. but behind all that ohmygawdimmadocrazyshit-ness, at the back of everyone's minds, is that little voice saying that the CTs are only a month away. this year, much more than the last, the holidays will be constantly interrupted by bouts of locking oneself in a room and tackling the Weapon of Mass Destruction that is holiday homework. ironic, isn't it, that our very last june and september holidays will also be the least holiday-like of all.
so on a random note, i decided to hear Slipknot for the first time yesterday after reading about them in the papers (their bassist just died; RIP). well, it didn't really work out for me. i mean i'm not saying that they suck, and the drummer especially seems quite talented (and the lead guitarist to a lesser extent), but on the whole i find them to be quite plain and boring really. not to mention the fact that they wear those masks, and they break each other's bones and throw their shit around during live performances (literally), which i personally think is just a lot of unneeded drama. one thing i've always disliked is metal bands acting hardcore through superfluous theatrics like that, when they should be proving it through their music (i guess i'm less of a metalhead than simply a metal fan). and another thing is they have NINE members. like, 8+1=9, that nine. including two custom percussionists, who basically bang on one drum over and over, and a sampler, who basically presses a button that plays a sound. seriously, nine members just makes a band overly big and bulky in my opinion. just like SNSD, Super Junior and countless other K-pop groups with like two singers and a whole bunch of backup dancers. but in any case, here's a song from Slipknot. the intro was quite interesting, but the rest of the song just sounds very generic. maybe in time i'll learn to like this song, but definitely not as much as the other bands i listen to. oh well. Psychosocial, by Slipknot:
yesterday was the last day of school. well, for most people anyway. but hey, i'm not too far off from the rest; just two more major exams and i'll be free by next tuesday :) and after that, it will finally be time to crash and burn in peace. i think i'll spend the first few days sleeping and eating and sleeping before i even contemplate anything else. i have been seriously drowsy these few days, and i want to enjoy the holidays not drifting off to dreamland every other minute if possible. but behind all that ohmygawdimmadocrazyshit-ness, at the back of everyone's minds, is that little voice saying that the CTs are only a month away. this year, much more than the last, the holidays will be constantly interrupted by bouts of locking oneself in a room and tackling the Weapon of Mass Destruction that is holiday homework. ironic, isn't it, that our very last june and september holidays will also be the least holiday-like of all.
so on a random note, i decided to hear Slipknot for the first time yesterday after reading about them in the papers (their bassist just died; RIP). well, it didn't really work out for me. i mean i'm not saying that they suck, and the drummer especially seems quite talented (and the lead guitarist to a lesser extent), but on the whole i find them to be quite plain and boring really. not to mention the fact that they wear those masks, and they break each other's bones and throw their shit around during live performances (literally), which i personally think is just a lot of unneeded drama. one thing i've always disliked is metal bands acting hardcore through superfluous theatrics like that, when they should be proving it through their music (i guess i'm less of a metalhead than simply a metal fan). and another thing is they have NINE members. like, 8+1=9, that nine. including two custom percussionists, who basically bang on one drum over and over, and a sampler, who basically presses a button that plays a sound. seriously, nine members just makes a band overly big and bulky in my opinion. just like SNSD, Super Junior and countless other K-pop groups with like two singers and a whole bunch of backup dancers. but in any case, here's a song from Slipknot. the intro was quite interesting, but the rest of the song just sounds very generic. maybe in time i'll learn to like this song, but definitely not as much as the other bands i listen to. oh well. Psychosocial, by Slipknot:
Monday, May 24, 2010
Heads or tails?
Ms Chua. methinks she's frustrated at me. whenever i happen to meet her face to face, one on one, outside of the classroom or group setting, she seems to talk to me in a certain tone of frustration, maybe impatience. it doesn't matter what she happens to be saying, the words between her words remain largely the same: you can do better; i want to see you do better. but can i really? i've always maintained that my essay during last year's common test was a fluke, and so far the evidence only strengthens my belief that what i did then was purely coincidental and non-repeatable. still, just like most other people, she now measures me with a yardstick i know i will never match again, let alone surpass. i guess it all boils down to whether i'm right in saying that i have reached my limit, or if she's right in saying that i haven't. am i wrong, or is she mistaken? somehow i think that i should know best when i can go no further.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Uncanny similarity
I just finished watching the final farewell to Mr Goh Keng Swee on CNA just now. to be honest, i have barely an inkling of how he was one of the pioneering group of people together with such famous names as Mr Lee Kuan Yew who shaped modern singapore as we know it, but my mom was the one who turned my attention to the live telecast of his state funeral. at first i watched it with proper respect to Mr Goh, but not really a lot of emotional involvement to be frank. after all, was i really supposed to cry over someone i barely knew, even if he was an important political figure?
then i watched as his grandniece went up on stage to present her eulogy. she talked about Mr Goh not as someone who admired his groundbreaking nation-building efforts, but simply as the grateful and nostalgic recipient of a granduncle's unconditional love. she didn't look much older than i did - maybe around twenty years old. suddenly, Mr Goh was no longer the political figure whom i've been conditioned my entire life to look up to unquestionably. and it wasn't just a granduncle i saw either. suddenly, i saw my own grandfather in the anecdotes she recounted: a man who would jump at any chance to hail his grandson as a prodigy; a man who shied away from open displays of affection but who always managed to let you feel his concern for you; most importantly, a man who would willingly and immediately give everything to everyone he loved without thinking about saving for himself.
and then my attention turned back to her. her eulogy was so beautiful and touching; how could mine compare? did i fail in my duty as a grandson by not giving him a farewell as beautiful? i know that if i were to bring it up to anyone now they would say that that was a nonsensical thought; in fact, i'm very sure that my grandfather himself would say that it was the best eulogy ever. but of course all that would just be to comfort me; there's still that heavy feeling in my gut, like i could have done better.
song lyrics from A7X's song, Dear God:
then i watched as his grandniece went up on stage to present her eulogy. she talked about Mr Goh not as someone who admired his groundbreaking nation-building efforts, but simply as the grateful and nostalgic recipient of a granduncle's unconditional love. she didn't look much older than i did - maybe around twenty years old. suddenly, Mr Goh was no longer the political figure whom i've been conditioned my entire life to look up to unquestionably. and it wasn't just a granduncle i saw either. suddenly, i saw my own grandfather in the anecdotes she recounted: a man who would jump at any chance to hail his grandson as a prodigy; a man who shied away from open displays of affection but who always managed to let you feel his concern for you; most importantly, a man who would willingly and immediately give everything to everyone he loved without thinking about saving for himself.
and then my attention turned back to her. her eulogy was so beautiful and touching; how could mine compare? did i fail in my duty as a grandson by not giving him a farewell as beautiful? i know that if i were to bring it up to anyone now they would say that that was a nonsensical thought; in fact, i'm very sure that my grandfather himself would say that it was the best eulogy ever. but of course all that would just be to comfort me; there's still that heavy feeling in my gut, like i could have done better.
song lyrics from A7X's song, Dear God:
'Cause I'm lonely and I'm tired; I'm missing you again, oh no... Once again.
Your decision, our consequence
I woke up this morning to quite the surprise.
A fork in the road of life, and he chose his path at the drop of a hat. what of the fact that his path was inseparably intertwined with that of four other people? was it still a personal decision when it affected so many others? it was in his mind. so he decided to walk down his path, burning the bridges behind him, almost as if he wanted to experience the thrill of taking the road of no return.
how different will life be now? honestly i can't tell myself. they've promised that our lives will barely be affected, but it's a promise i know as well as they do will be difficult to keep.
personally, i don't know how i'm supposed to feel. i have to respect his personal decision, especially so given my status, but i can't help but feel indignant over how little thought was put into his seemingly overnight decision. he did absolutely no research into the matter, and when research was finally done it only made future prospects seem even dimmer than we originally thought.
recklessness; impulsiveness; is this my future? will i turn out as rash, as (dare i say it?) callous? little jokes between friends, comments and actions made in jest, will they come back to haunt me once they have been cemented into habit? am i setting the foundations of my own destruction?
A fork in the road of life, and he chose his path at the drop of a hat. what of the fact that his path was inseparably intertwined with that of four other people? was it still a personal decision when it affected so many others? it was in his mind. so he decided to walk down his path, burning the bridges behind him, almost as if he wanted to experience the thrill of taking the road of no return.
how different will life be now? honestly i can't tell myself. they've promised that our lives will barely be affected, but it's a promise i know as well as they do will be difficult to keep.
personally, i don't know how i'm supposed to feel. i have to respect his personal decision, especially so given my status, but i can't help but feel indignant over how little thought was put into his seemingly overnight decision. he did absolutely no research into the matter, and when research was finally done it only made future prospects seem even dimmer than we originally thought.
recklessness; impulsiveness; is this my future? will i turn out as rash, as (dare i say it?) callous? little jokes between friends, comments and actions made in jest, will they come back to haunt me once they have been cemented into habit? am i setting the foundations of my own destruction?
Midnight moth
Seeing as it's now close to 2am, i guess this officially means that i'm into my third-last day of revision before common tests, and naturally i'm spending it by not revising. sometimes i wonder how it is possible for people to do the exact opposite of what they know is for their own good, without having their heads explode from the sheer logical inconsistency of it all. or maybe i just want to see heads explode (note to self: L4D soon; use the shotgun). anyway, it's only a mere 3 days till gp and econs, both very hard topics to study for. i feel grossly unprepared now, and i doubt that 3 measly days will change anything. but i'll probably still study in the end, if only to silence that uncomfortable nagging at the back of my head that most people call a "conscience". irritating little voice, really; like an annoying cricket chirping (notice the Pinocchio reference? it shall be a self-declared WIN :D ).
of course, shortly after that will be chinese and H3 physics in quick succession, and then... over. until the end of the holidays, at least. and after that, i will emerge from my cocoon of slacking and non-studying as a moth; fading into the shelter of midnight black, with wings dark as shadow. no longer will i be "that guy with 2 H3s", walking around with the neon "i'm supposed to be special" sign on my back. just your average NJCian with only one H3. i guess in my time here this will be as normal as things get for me. but it also means that i won't have anything to blame for my horrible H3 math grades. no more "i'm busy with chinese"or "i'm busy with H3 physics" rubbish. of course, there's always something to blame: my own incompetence. i'm afraid that people will soon see that a jack of all trades is a master at none.
today there will be 3 videos! :D this first one is quite epic, in that it actually dethrones Charlie The Unicorn to be the most random youtube video ever. it goes beyond even "so random that it's funny"; it's so random that you will be entranced. introducing Salaryman Man:
i'd do anything for a pair of flight-inducing business cards.
anyway, moving on from randomness to entropy (an intellectual word for "random"), here's a video that's supposedly so deep and intellectual that it appears random (and frankly very creepy) to us lower troglodytes. it's a music video from Tool, a progressive metal band that focuses on fusing music and art. the song's called Schism:
if you understood everything from there, then you should apply to join Mensa. if you think that you won't be able to sleep tonight, welcome to the club.
and finally, i'll end of with the usual kick-ass song. this one is from Bullet For My Valentine, a Welsh metalcore band. their brand of metalcore is not as hardcore as old A7X, but i love how they switch so quickly from harmonic singing to screaming :) this song is called Scream Aim Fire:
of course, shortly after that will be chinese and H3 physics in quick succession, and then... over. until the end of the holidays, at least. and after that, i will emerge from my cocoon of slacking and non-studying as a moth; fading into the shelter of midnight black, with wings dark as shadow. no longer will i be "that guy with 2 H3s", walking around with the neon "i'm supposed to be special" sign on my back. just your average NJCian with only one H3. i guess in my time here this will be as normal as things get for me. but it also means that i won't have anything to blame for my horrible H3 math grades. no more "i'm busy with chinese"or "i'm busy with H3 physics" rubbish. of course, there's always something to blame: my own incompetence. i'm afraid that people will soon see that a jack of all trades is a master at none.
today there will be 3 videos! :D this first one is quite epic, in that it actually dethrones Charlie The Unicorn to be the most random youtube video ever. it goes beyond even "so random that it's funny"; it's so random that you will be entranced. introducing Salaryman Man:
i'd do anything for a pair of flight-inducing business cards.
anyway, moving on from randomness to entropy (an intellectual word for "random"), here's a video that's supposedly so deep and intellectual that it appears random (and frankly very creepy) to us lower troglodytes. it's a music video from Tool, a progressive metal band that focuses on fusing music and art. the song's called Schism:
if you understood everything from there, then you should apply to join Mensa. if you think that you won't be able to sleep tonight, welcome to the club.
and finally, i'll end of with the usual kick-ass song. this one is from Bullet For My Valentine, a Welsh metalcore band. their brand of metalcore is not as hardcore as old A7X, but i love how they switch so quickly from harmonic singing to screaming :) this song is called Scream Aim Fire:
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Left and Right
Left and Right, two hands came to be
Two strangers, paired by destiny
Hands first opened, welcoming nervously
But soon they closed, fists forming mysteriously
Right saw first, how they were fading to black
He reached out, hand open, calling Left to reach back
But Left was still a fist, never opening up
While Right was still a palm, never giving up
For a year they remained, but alas not forever
As Right lost patience in this fruitless endeavour
Right resigned himself to their partnership's demise
While Left still was closed; never opened her eyes
Two hands they were, but never a pair
Never to clap, to create, to repair
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A prophetic mirage floating atop the desert sand
MY BRAIN. IT HAS FAILED ME.A quote from deadpool, a marvel comics character. i've never actually read the comic, but the idea of an anti-hero with split personality disorder who breaks the fourth wall appeals to me. he's set to appear in Marvel VS Capcom 3, where he has the most epic special ever; he breaks the fourth wall yet again by grabbing his health bar and using it as a pole to clobber his opponent. one of these days i might start following his comic.
(at this point of time i got distracted by like an hour reading the backstories of various marvel characters)
and yes, my brain has indeed failed me. studying econs is simply not working out for me; stuff goes in, stuff comes out. i seriously wonder if my time is better spent studying another more study-able (hooray for making new words!) subject, like maybe H3 physics. after all, the only alternatives are gp and chinese, and both are lost causes for last-minute studying anyway. maybe the opportunity cost of reading marvel backstories is less than i originally thought :/
there was a mock chinese paper yesterday, and they gave it back to us today (they are amazingly efficient when there are only two weeks left). surprisingly, i managed to score a 68, which is actually better than i expected. but then again, it could have just been luck, cos that paper felt quite easy compared to others i did last year. today was the composition component, and i realised just how out of touch i am with the language after the 6-month hiatus. i was constantly referring to the dictionary for even the simplest words (luckily there was a spare dictionary, or i would have been dead meat). note to self - steal younger brother's dictionary.
the june holidays are coming towards us like a flying brick (why a brick? cos when a brick flies towards you, YOU HAD BETTER DO SOMETHING). as inappropriate as it is to be thinking about slacking off at a time like this, i'm quite looking forward to the OG chalet. assuming that there will be one, of course. there is gonna be one, right? come on, you don't hang a carrot in front of a donkey for three months just to yank it out of his face, do you? at least just an outing if not a full chalet? *crosses fingers*
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Now your nightmare comes to life
Finally A7X has released their new single Nightmare! it's been put up on their youtube channel and is now available for download on itunes. i shall break my blog tradition and post the song in the beginning of the post instead:
to be honest, even though this song has its high moments, overall it left me slightly underwhelmed. tune-wise it's quite catchy, but i feel that it's quite empty at some parts, especially during the bridge when syn seems strangely absent and there's only zacky playing the rhythm. mike portnoy as a drummer also has kind of a different style from the rev; at least in this song mike seems to focus a lot more on fast drum rolls and machine-gun bass drumming, but i'm not very sure if it was the rev who wrote the drumming for this song so i won't judge mike based on this one song. but one thing i have to admit, every time the song transits from xylophone-violin mode to heavy metal mode, it gets me loving this song again :)
i'm trying to settle down from yesterday's near-mental breakdown :/ decided to start studying econs today, but i didn't really get very far with that. i'm in a situation when i can understand/recall maybe 50-60% of all the notes but i have to re-read everything just to absorb the remaining 30-40% (excluding the 10% that i will never understand...). such a waste of time, yet regrettably indispensable.
met tingyi and venezia on the way out of school today. they're both so full of hope for pw, what with the progress logs and everything. i vaguely remember a time last year when i too believed that pw rewards good research methodology and responsible project management. and sadly, they will soon find out that the MOE's noble objective of initiating JC students into the research work that they will have to undertake in uni will not only familiarise them with the inner workings of project work, but also expose them to its inner demons. pw in its cruel reality is a world where success is determined as much by a russian roulette as it is by literally months of hard work. somehow find yourself doing an undefinable topic? tough luck. land in a group of uncooperative slackers? be prepared for a rough ride. get attached to a horrible teacher? resistance is futile. pour your heart and soul into it for the entirety of the 10 months? maaaybe you will better your chances of an A. just maybe.
telling pw horror stories to juniors is one of the best privileges of being an SH2; it's like telling a ghost story round a campfire, except they get traumatised in broad daylight and pitch-black night :D
to be honest, even though this song has its high moments, overall it left me slightly underwhelmed. tune-wise it's quite catchy, but i feel that it's quite empty at some parts, especially during the bridge when syn seems strangely absent and there's only zacky playing the rhythm. mike portnoy as a drummer also has kind of a different style from the rev; at least in this song mike seems to focus a lot more on fast drum rolls and machine-gun bass drumming, but i'm not very sure if it was the rev who wrote the drumming for this song so i won't judge mike based on this one song. but one thing i have to admit, every time the song transits from xylophone-violin mode to heavy metal mode, it gets me loving this song again :)
i'm trying to settle down from yesterday's near-mental breakdown :/ decided to start studying econs today, but i didn't really get very far with that. i'm in a situation when i can understand/recall maybe 50-60% of all the notes but i have to re-read everything just to absorb the remaining 30-40% (excluding the 10% that i will never understand...). such a waste of time, yet regrettably indispensable.
met tingyi and venezia on the way out of school today. they're both so full of hope for pw, what with the progress logs and everything. i vaguely remember a time last year when i too believed that pw rewards good research methodology and responsible project management. and sadly, they will soon find out that the MOE's noble objective of initiating JC students into the research work that they will have to undertake in uni will not only familiarise them with the inner workings of project work, but also expose them to its inner demons. pw in its cruel reality is a world where success is determined as much by a russian roulette as it is by literally months of hard work. somehow find yourself doing an undefinable topic? tough luck. land in a group of uncooperative slackers? be prepared for a rough ride. get attached to a horrible teacher? resistance is futile. pour your heart and soul into it for the entirety of the 10 months? maaaybe you will better your chances of an A. just maybe.
telling pw horror stories to juniors is one of the best privileges of being an SH2; it's like telling a ghost story round a campfire, except they get traumatised in broad daylight and pitch-black night :D
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sitting down at the junction
Today was the last H3 physics lecture. after this, there will be 3 more tutorials, then it will be the final exam constituting 70% of my overall grade. regarding the exam, i honestly don't have high hopes for it, considering how i fared for the previous 2 small tests. i'm aiming for a pass, maybe even a merit if the heavens permit it, but i highly doubt that i'll be able to get the distinction that everyone wants me to aim for. oh well, despite all that gloom and doom, i have to say that i truly enjoyed my stint in the course. it's very rare that i actually feel a desire to learn, and this course was one of those rare moments. enrolling into this course may or may not have been to my best academic interests, but it's definitely been a great personal decision, and if given the chance to turn back the clock i would definitely take the same path again without hesitation.
here's a song i wanna talk about; Tears Don't Fall by Bullet For My Valentine:
i love the tune of the chorus :) i wish there was a bit more screaming, but that's just a minor problem. what i feel ruined an otherwise awesome song however, and i know this will anger metalheads everywhere, is the guitar solo. don't get me wrong, the guitar solo itself is quite impressive, but i hate that it's just crammed in the middle of the song to serve no other purpose other than as the ubiquitous guitar solo in a metal song. seriously man, the transition from the slow-paced song to the high-speed solo is as jarring as anything. and don't give me any of that "they're trying to be progressive" nonsense, cos there are bands who can jump from slow to fast to slow again and make it all sound good and smooth-flowing (read: Protest The Hero). and it's also possible to have a solo that is incredibly technical and yet fits nicely into a slow tempo (the guitar solo in Scream is one of my favourite examples of that), so really it's just a fatal flaw in Bullet's songwriting in this case. one of the things i've grown to hate is guitar solos for their own sake, riffing for the sake of riffing (which is the major reason why i have largely stopped listening to DragonForce). please, a song is not a frankenstein's mix of verse, chorus, bridge and solo; all the parts have to complement each other to make a good song. so here you go: a good song, but not nearly a great song :/
i should be studying right now, but i'm paralyzed by my choices. studying gp is now a lost cause (sorry ms chua :X ), but i still have to choose between 3. econs is a subject i desperately need revision in with the common test coming next week, but my H3 physics final exam is in 2 weeks and i'm just as prepared for it as i am for econs (AKA completely unprepared). and of course, chinese A levels is also in 2 weeks, and i can't help but feel obligated to study for a subject that i'm actually retaking. everything's crashing down on me at once; i know that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, but the opening is closing up so fast that i'm afraid that i will only be able to fit my desperately clawing hand through. and ironically, the sudden pressure from it all is making me feel so tired and soulless that i don't feel like studying anything at all, which of course will lead to my certain destruction.
here's a song i wanna talk about; Tears Don't Fall by Bullet For My Valentine:
i love the tune of the chorus :) i wish there was a bit more screaming, but that's just a minor problem. what i feel ruined an otherwise awesome song however, and i know this will anger metalheads everywhere, is the guitar solo. don't get me wrong, the guitar solo itself is quite impressive, but i hate that it's just crammed in the middle of the song to serve no other purpose other than as the ubiquitous guitar solo in a metal song. seriously man, the transition from the slow-paced song to the high-speed solo is as jarring as anything. and don't give me any of that "they're trying to be progressive" nonsense, cos there are bands who can jump from slow to fast to slow again and make it all sound good and smooth-flowing (read: Protest The Hero). and it's also possible to have a solo that is incredibly technical and yet fits nicely into a slow tempo (the guitar solo in Scream is one of my favourite examples of that), so really it's just a fatal flaw in Bullet's songwriting in this case. one of the things i've grown to hate is guitar solos for their own sake, riffing for the sake of riffing (which is the major reason why i have largely stopped listening to DragonForce). please, a song is not a frankenstein's mix of verse, chorus, bridge and solo; all the parts have to complement each other to make a good song. so here you go: a good song, but not nearly a great song :/
i should be studying right now, but i'm paralyzed by my choices. studying gp is now a lost cause (sorry ms chua :X ), but i still have to choose between 3. econs is a subject i desperately need revision in with the common test coming next week, but my H3 physics final exam is in 2 weeks and i'm just as prepared for it as i am for econs (AKA completely unprepared). and of course, chinese A levels is also in 2 weeks, and i can't help but feel obligated to study for a subject that i'm actually retaking. everything's crashing down on me at once; i know that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, but the opening is closing up so fast that i'm afraid that i will only be able to fit my desperately clawing hand through. and ironically, the sudden pressure from it all is making me feel so tired and soulless that i don't feel like studying anything at all, which of course will lead to my certain destruction.
I have reached a crossroad, and all I feel like doing is sitting down at the junction.Nightmare comes out tomorrow! :)
A tribute to the Internet
Today is a random post dedicated to a very random subject matter; in fact, i really don't think anything gets any random-er than this. i speak of the internet. yes, this is an impulsive, spur-of-the-moment tribute to the very system that this blog and so many other wondrous things exist on.
my first encounter with the internet was sometime in lower primary school, when i was only concerned with using it for the inane school projects that primary schools seem to love throwing at us (after all, making us copy and paste copious walls of text into word documents is obviously the best way to teach and instill a sense of curiosity in us). back then, the internet to me was just like a book made simpler; an encyclopedia filled with all the boring information a teacher could ever want to grade, except with google and ctrl-c/v. so that was how i treated it.
then when i was pri 6, entering sec 1, i noticed that the internet was more than just an encyclopedia; it wasn't just a resource of information, but also of games (i still remember how it all began: Neopets *shudder*). i started to take a liking to the internet, but only as far as it helped me download the game client or run the server. the internet had evolved from a library to a toy store.
that perception of the internet persisted in my mind throughout secondary school, and even for the first half of my SH1 life the internet was nothing more than a game catalogue. but it was only then that i finally stumbled upon the most important component of the internet: the people. the forums, the comment boxes, that is where the internet truly lives. suddenly, i found the way people act in a world where they are gifted with perfect anonymity, in a world with absolutely no purpose, is truly fascinating. it's almost like seeing what the ants in an ant farm would do without the need for food, water or subservience to a queen. the existence of trolls suggests that it is possible to enjoy the suffering of another even when he could be halfway around the world; complete rejection of logic seems to be encouraged with random memes such as lolcats and bacon persisting through the ages even as new ones such as kanye west get added; and yet even in the midst of anarchy it appears that people have an innate sense of community, creating their own in-jokes that outsiders could never comprehend and even a few unspoken rules (i think Rule 34 embodies both points quite well. assuming, of course, that you actually know what it is ;) )
it's like the ultimate social experiment. it's like the ultimate sandbox.
it's the internet.
my first encounter with the internet was sometime in lower primary school, when i was only concerned with using it for the inane school projects that primary schools seem to love throwing at us (after all, making us copy and paste copious walls of text into word documents is obviously the best way to teach and instill a sense of curiosity in us). back then, the internet to me was just like a book made simpler; an encyclopedia filled with all the boring information a teacher could ever want to grade, except with google and ctrl-c/v. so that was how i treated it.
then when i was pri 6, entering sec 1, i noticed that the internet was more than just an encyclopedia; it wasn't just a resource of information, but also of games (i still remember how it all began: Neopets *shudder*). i started to take a liking to the internet, but only as far as it helped me download the game client or run the server. the internet had evolved from a library to a toy store.
that perception of the internet persisted in my mind throughout secondary school, and even for the first half of my SH1 life the internet was nothing more than a game catalogue. but it was only then that i finally stumbled upon the most important component of the internet: the people. the forums, the comment boxes, that is where the internet truly lives. suddenly, i found the way people act in a world where they are gifted with perfect anonymity, in a world with absolutely no purpose, is truly fascinating. it's almost like seeing what the ants in an ant farm would do without the need for food, water or subservience to a queen. the existence of trolls suggests that it is possible to enjoy the suffering of another even when he could be halfway around the world; complete rejection of logic seems to be encouraged with random memes such as lolcats and bacon persisting through the ages even as new ones such as kanye west get added; and yet even in the midst of anarchy it appears that people have an innate sense of community, creating their own in-jokes that outsiders could never comprehend and even a few unspoken rules (i think Rule 34 embodies both points quite well. assuming, of course, that you actually know what it is ;) )
it's like the ultimate social experiment. it's like the ultimate sandbox.
it's the internet.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Stealth jet
Went to Bishan library today to study with bryan, after considering that i just get distracted by the computer whenever i'm at home. after all, the library is just a nice quiet place with nothing but book upon boring book right? the perfect place for studying and doing homework right? wrong. i discovered that the library actually stocks the compilation book of Watchmen. so my day was basically spent re-reading the same comic that i read about this time last year. time that could have been spent productively, i agree, but nonetheless time not wasted in my opinion. even as i read it for a second time, already aware of most of the plot twists, i am still chilled by Rorschach's extreme moral absolutism and awed by Dr Manhattan's unique and incomprehensible "quantum" worldview, as he calls it. awesome stuff. i might consider thoroughly reading the entire series again during the june holidays, and i've convinced bryan to borrow the book and read it on his own. i predict another fan in the making :D eugene sim joined us halfway through, followed by lots of nonsense. he's a Watchmen fan too :D. all in all, i did manage to finish the notes for group VII and run through quantum 1 with bryan, which i guess helps to strengthen my own concepts, so i guess it's good all round :D let's have another smiley face just for the heck of it :D
received a message from someone i didn't expect later in the evening. it seems that my inane whining is attracting some unwanted attention. lesson learned today: make too much noise and people will think it's an SOS. the best way to get through this trial by fire is to just brace yourself and run straight into it, and hopefully when you emerge from the other side people won't notice the burns. i guess it could be said that it's a blessing in disguise.
received a message from someone i didn't expect later in the evening. it seems that my inane whining is attracting some unwanted attention. lesson learned today: make too much noise and people will think it's an SOS. the best way to get through this trial by fire is to just brace yourself and run straight into it, and hopefully when you emerge from the other side people won't notice the burns. i guess it could be said that it's a blessing in disguise.
They look for you in the sky because they believe that you can fly.on an unrelated, yet strangely heartwarming and uplifting note, here's an epic win if ever i saw one:
Friday, May 14, 2010
We all know what to do but no one does it
Mr low officially hates me to the core now, i think. he talked to me yet again, this time for not doing the chemical periodicity tutorial. it's not like i frequently don't do my chem tutorials, or that i was the only one who didn't do my tutorial this time, but nonetheless the warning came. and the first warning came when i failed the organic chem test, even though i wasn't the only failure, the worst failure or a consistent failure. seriously, all these expectations are really starting to weigh me down. give me one good reason why i can't not pass the occasional small quiz or not do the occasional tutorial. i am dead sure that the number of people who can proudly say that they have an absolutely perfect record can be counted on one hand. i've never had anything close to a perfect record in the past, and i don't see why i suddenly have an obligation now to do so. at the end of the day, i study for me, not for the teachers or the principal or the college. this is how i've always done things, so you can't expect me to change overnight; neither will i try to.
went for the juniors' unofficial hockey training today, and it was great to relive the hockey days again and just generally work up a sweat, which i barely have the chance to do these few days; even for PE we're just throwing netballs around and practicing different types of netball throws (i'd rather play actual netball than sorry excuse for a sport). fell down on the wet track though, and now i have a huge reddish-black stain on my grey pants which will probably stay for half a year or so -.- hopefully i can make it a routine to go down for trainings at least on fridays to help out.
is there a rumour that i'm breaking down under stress or something? why, do i look stressed? DO I LOOK STRESSED? DO I LOOK LIKE I'M ABOUT TO BREAK DOWN? HUH? HUH?
*shoots everyone with a machine gun*
ok, but seriously guys, i'm fine. i'd be lying if i said i wasn't stressed at all, but which SH2 student isn't? stress is absolutely normal at this stage. in fact, if you weren't stressed at all then i'd really be worried for you. you are stressed, aren't you? you are stressed, right? YOU HAD BETTER BE STRESSED, RIGHT?
*picks up the machine gun again*
well, i guess the solution to all my problems is really obvious: just study harder, right? i'm suddenly reminded of a line from Second Heartbeat:
We all know what to do but no one does it
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Spinning compass
Got owned during H3 physics today. the lecturer spent half an hour explaining a concept, then it turned out that he was wrong all along and that the exact opposite phenomenon was expected to happen. and we're talking about an NTU lecturer here, not some random guy with a "Semiconductor Physics for Dummies" book. well, technically he majored in biophysics, but still i believe that his physics grounding is much better than mine. if he gets confused, what chance do we mere students stand?
i've suspected it for a very long time already, but today is the first time i received confirmation that my suspicions are correct. it seems that another member of the bachelor's club has left. congrats, and i hope never to see you back here again :D
i've suspected it for a very long time already, but today is the first time i received confirmation that my suspicions are correct. it seems that another member of the bachelor's club has left. congrats, and i hope never to see you back here again :D
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Baton Pass
Today was the last house session conducted by the senior HAT. here's saying thanks to lionel, huiying and lucas for doing such a great job throughout the past year, quite literally reviving the phoenix from the ashes. great job guys :) and it was also the first house session for the new Ignis councillors, which was very unfortunately spoiled by a sudden blackout in LT5 (once again, you can thank the construction works for that). the situation degenerated to the extent that lionel had to postpone his retirement by another 10 minutes to help out with the facilitation of the game. technical glitches aside, i guess it went pretty much as well as anyone could have hoped for. relax guys, last year's house sessions started off pretty much the same way. lionel wasn't some superstar when he first started off either (don't argue with this lionel; you were not :P ), but these things take time; a little more self-confidence and initiative will do wonders :)
and j.tan finally brought the kinder surprises to school today! KINDER SURPRISE!!! like, those chocolate eggs with the toys inside them, and not the crappy kinder joy that has replaced it in singapore. yeah man, thanks j.tan for bringing them over all the way from amsterdam :D so anyway, we now have 4 toys which we are preparing to officially induct into 09SH27. give it up for register number 26-29: Green the blue, Kangared, Squirrellow and Magnicat (all names except the first one are courtesy of jacob; he wanted "Blue the green", and we had a heated argument over this). now all we need to do is to get victor to bring Orange the carrot to school and officially welcome number 30. yes, i know my class is crazy; that's why they're awesome :)
my mom is telling me to sleep more. she makes it sound so easy to just "magic" out a few extra hours of sleep a day -.- i think she's still stuck in that primary school mentality where it is possible to sleep at 9.30pm everyday and not drown in homework. seriously man, those days were long gone.
and just when you least expect it, it's once again time for UNRELATED FUNNY COMIC OF THE DAY(not necessarily updated daily)!
and j.tan finally brought the kinder surprises to school today! KINDER SURPRISE!!! like, those chocolate eggs with the toys inside them, and not the crappy kinder joy that has replaced it in singapore. yeah man, thanks j.tan for bringing them over all the way from amsterdam :D so anyway, we now have 4 toys which we are preparing to officially induct into 09SH27. give it up for register number 26-29: Green the blue, Kangared, Squirrellow and Magnicat (all names except the first one are courtesy of jacob; he wanted "Blue the green", and we had a heated argument over this). now all we need to do is to get victor to bring Orange the carrot to school and officially welcome number 30. yes, i know my class is crazy; that's why they're awesome :)
my mom is telling me to sleep more. she makes it sound so easy to just "magic" out a few extra hours of sleep a day -.- i think she's still stuck in that primary school mentality where it is possible to sleep at 9.30pm everyday and not drown in homework. seriously man, those days were long gone.
and just when you least expect it, it's once again time for UNRELATED FUNNY COMIC OF THE DAY(not necessarily updated daily)!
:D
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Of ticking hands and falling sand
Yesterday i finally decided to join chin's band (i learned that their name is Oreo Prata, for reasons that escape me) for their jamming session. the shopkeeper overslept and came to open shop about an hour late (i always thought that oversleeping was from the domain of us irresponsible kiddos, but i guess adults get it too) and the place was kind of dingier than i imagined, but i have to admit that it was an enjoyable experience. there was a tinge of envy though, in being the only person who doesn't have any musical talent whatsoever, but there's nothing i can do about it anyway.
A7X just released a 30s preview of their upcoming single, "Nightmare", and it sounds freaking awesome! :D is it just me, or is matt finally screaming again? simply cannot wait for the album to come out!
oh, and i've picked up SSBB again, which probably means that my homework is gonna start lagging again, but i dont care cos im busy training my lucario to be as good as my meta-knight :D
today's H3 maths lesson officially concluded the syllabus, so from now on it's gonna be pure, unadulterated past-year paper spamming i guess. i really really need to brush up on my graph theory or i'll be totally screwed for the A levels.
2 more weeks to GP and econs CTs.
3 more weeks to chinese A levels and H3 physics final paper.
the mood contrasts so sharply to the previous part about SSBB. i am such a hypocrite. i hate myself for that. but oh well...
i've been feeling sleepy and lethargic all the time recently. wonder what's going on with me...
wait a minute... incoherent thoughts consisting of a few sentences each... oh no, my worst nightmare has come true: my blog has become a TWITTER PAGE!!! D: sorry guys, but im really having difficulty concentrating on anything nowadays, whether it's blogging or studying. unless i can get about 24 consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep tonight (fingers crossed :D ), i'll probably be like this for the next few days. and hopefully i'll sober up just in time for all the tests. hopefully.
suddenly reminded of this song. every cat high guy will get it :) (and according to jacob, every andersonian too)
A7X just released a 30s preview of their upcoming single, "Nightmare", and it sounds freaking awesome! :D is it just me, or is matt finally screaming again? simply cannot wait for the album to come out!
oh, and i've picked up SSBB again, which probably means that my homework is gonna start lagging again, but i dont care cos im busy training my lucario to be as good as my meta-knight :D
today's H3 maths lesson officially concluded the syllabus, so from now on it's gonna be pure, unadulterated past-year paper spamming i guess. i really really need to brush up on my graph theory or i'll be totally screwed for the A levels.
2 more weeks to GP and econs CTs.
3 more weeks to chinese A levels and H3 physics final paper.
the mood contrasts so sharply to the previous part about SSBB. i am such a hypocrite. i hate myself for that. but oh well...
i've been feeling sleepy and lethargic all the time recently. wonder what's going on with me...
wait a minute... incoherent thoughts consisting of a few sentences each... oh no, my worst nightmare has come true: my blog has become a TWITTER PAGE!!! D: sorry guys, but im really having difficulty concentrating on anything nowadays, whether it's blogging or studying. unless i can get about 24 consecutive hours of uninterrupted sleep tonight (fingers crossed :D ), i'll probably be like this for the next few days. and hopefully i'll sober up just in time for all the tests. hopefully.
suddenly reminded of this song. every cat high guy will get it :) (and according to jacob, every andersonian too)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
The only thing I ask of You
Today is mothers' day, so happy mothers' day everyone! :D although if you're reading my blog then you're probably around my age, and if you're already a mother then... well, i shan't be judgmental; happy mothers' day nonetheless :)
earlier today, my mom showed me a letter from the bank. apparently my grandfather had entrusted his three daughters with all his CPF money upon death, and this was when they were only 6 and 3 years old. such love for his daughters, that regardless of what happened in the future he was willing to reserve everything for them. although most of his CPF was depleted through the house and his bypass surgeries, i could still see that my mom's eyes were wet.
anyway, the family went over to my cousin's house to have a combined mothers' day celebration for my paternal side of the family. i spent most of the time as i always do at his house, pretending that im a multi-instrumentalist with the help of guitar hero. then my aunt (as usual) had this very dramatic idea of getting all the children to kneel down in front of their mothers, serve them tea and wash their feet in a washbasin. so that's what we did, and i have to say it's quite a meaningful.
quote of the day is a conversation snippet between two of my cousins who were booking a football field for tonight.
to end off, here's Dear God by A7X, off their self-titled album. recently i've been addicted to A7X's less heavy offerings for some reason :/
i think i shall use a quote from the song to end off the post:
earlier today, my mom showed me a letter from the bank. apparently my grandfather had entrusted his three daughters with all his CPF money upon death, and this was when they were only 6 and 3 years old. such love for his daughters, that regardless of what happened in the future he was willing to reserve everything for them. although most of his CPF was depleted through the house and his bypass surgeries, i could still see that my mom's eyes were wet.
anyway, the family went over to my cousin's house to have a combined mothers' day celebration for my paternal side of the family. i spent most of the time as i always do at his house, pretending that im a multi-instrumentalist with the help of guitar hero. then my aunt (as usual) had this very dramatic idea of getting all the children to kneel down in front of their mothers, serve them tea and wash their feet in a washbasin. so that's what we did, and i have to say it's quite a meaningful.
quote of the day is a conversation snippet between two of my cousins who were booking a football field for tonight.
Are you sure there are still football fields available for tonight?
Of course lah! Who will play football on Mothers' Day?it's amazing how we can be so oblivious to the hypocrisy of our own actions.
to end off, here's Dear God by A7X, off their self-titled album. recently i've been addicted to A7X's less heavy offerings for some reason :/
i think i shall use a quote from the song to end off the post:
Dear God, the only thing I ask of You is to hold her when I'm not around, when I'm much too far away.im sure that ten years down the road when we all lead our own lives, this will be at the back of everyone's minds. happy mothers' day everyone.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
When "fail" is not enough
Epic fail.
all i had to do was to guide the professor guy to his seat, then guide him to the stage, then guide him to the refreshments area. that was it. and somehow i screwed it up. i never managed to find him in the first place, so i thought he didnt show. and poof, twenty minutes later he was on stage receiving his award, obviously without me there. such a idiotically simple task, and i messed it up. makes you wonder how far in life someone like that can go.
random: haha aditi presenting award sia. so zai never tell people >.>
all i had to do was to guide the professor guy to his seat, then guide him to the stage, then guide him to the refreshments area. that was it. and somehow i screwed it up. i never managed to find him in the first place, so i thought he didnt show. and poof, twenty minutes later he was on stage receiving his award, obviously without me there. such a idiotically simple task, and i messed it up. makes you wonder how far in life someone like that can go.
random: haha aditi presenting award sia. so zai never tell people >.>
Friday, May 7, 2010
Your opinions are not my facts
I am totally psyched for the upcoming A7X album! :D i've been listening to a lot more A7X nowadays, especially Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. personally, im hoping that they go back to their old metalcore style, cos im very sure that after a decade of honing their skills they will be able to produce an album that's just as hardcore yet much more polished than S7T. but i wouldnt mind either if they stick with their current unpredictable style, with awesomeness such as Afterlife and Scream. in any case, i have faith in The Rev's song-writing choices.
so i've been looking through a few A7X videos on youtube, especially the LBC concert videos (Afterlife and Second Heartbeat are my personal highlights of the concert :) ). and of course whenever you look up music on youtube, you also get music-haters, and the "AVENGED SEVENFOLD SUCKS!!!" videos came pouring in. i watched quite a few of them, and i got quite frustrated. but you have to understand that it wasnt the fact that people hate A7X that pissed me off; i am fully aware that music is an extremely subjective issue and that one man's meat is another man's poison (if you could forgive that hackneyed saying). rather, it was how these people were lording their opinions over everyone else as facts that seriously pissed me off.
one reason that i've seen quite a few times for hating A7X is that "they are the most non-metal metal band ever, therefore they suck!!!" one common factor out of all the videos that use this reason is that they like to start and end with snippets of extreme metal, which i presume is their idea of "real metal". what is "real metal"? it covers a myriad of subgenres, from the original metal to thrash to doom to progressive, and any of those genres can be considered metal. if you listen to some classic metal, you sure as hell wont find any of the blast beats and death growls characteristic of death metal. i'll agree that a band like that would be a horrible death metal band, but it does not make them any less of a metal band. the same goes with A7X; stop comparing them to extreme metal and declaring that they suck, cos they're not extreme metal to begin with.
and who says that only metal can sound good in the first place? even if i concede that A7X has softened since Waking The Fallen (and i don't) and have become more rock than metal, is it so hard to accept that they sound good anyway? are you so stuck up to believe that metal is the only genre that can sound good? using the same logic being applied here, i could very easily argue that Lady Gaga sucks, or Muse sucks, or Pavarotti sucks, because none of them are metal.
college day tomorrow, and i have VIP hosting duties. honestly i dont know why im even involved in this, seeing that most other hosts are research students, but oh well. i guess it's kind of a drag to have to sacrifice my saturday afternoon like this, but ms gao did make a good point when she said that we would want to have people cheering for us if we were to win awards next year.
and what better way to end than with an A7X song? here's one from their self-titled album, called Gunslinger. it's the perfect example of A7X not being metal, but still being awesome all the same:
so i've been looking through a few A7X videos on youtube, especially the LBC concert videos (Afterlife and Second Heartbeat are my personal highlights of the concert :) ). and of course whenever you look up music on youtube, you also get music-haters, and the "AVENGED SEVENFOLD SUCKS!!!" videos came pouring in. i watched quite a few of them, and i got quite frustrated. but you have to understand that it wasnt the fact that people hate A7X that pissed me off; i am fully aware that music is an extremely subjective issue and that one man's meat is another man's poison (if you could forgive that hackneyed saying). rather, it was how these people were lording their opinions over everyone else as facts that seriously pissed me off.
one reason that i've seen quite a few times for hating A7X is that "they are the most non-metal metal band ever, therefore they suck!!!" one common factor out of all the videos that use this reason is that they like to start and end with snippets of extreme metal, which i presume is their idea of "real metal". what is "real metal"? it covers a myriad of subgenres, from the original metal to thrash to doom to progressive, and any of those genres can be considered metal. if you listen to some classic metal, you sure as hell wont find any of the blast beats and death growls characteristic of death metal. i'll agree that a band like that would be a horrible death metal band, but it does not make them any less of a metal band. the same goes with A7X; stop comparing them to extreme metal and declaring that they suck, cos they're not extreme metal to begin with.
and who says that only metal can sound good in the first place? even if i concede that A7X has softened since Waking The Fallen (and i don't) and have become more rock than metal, is it so hard to accept that they sound good anyway? are you so stuck up to believe that metal is the only genre that can sound good? using the same logic being applied here, i could very easily argue that Lady Gaga sucks, or Muse sucks, or Pavarotti sucks, because none of them are metal.
college day tomorrow, and i have VIP hosting duties. honestly i dont know why im even involved in this, seeing that most other hosts are research students, but oh well. i guess it's kind of a drag to have to sacrifice my saturday afternoon like this, but ms gao did make a good point when she said that we would want to have people cheering for us if we were to win awards next year.
and what better way to end than with an A7X song? here's one from their self-titled album, called Gunslinger. it's the perfect example of A7X not being metal, but still being awesome all the same:
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
What of the prophecies?
Watched Etude yesterday. one word: EPIC. the music was quite good i guess, but none of that can hold a candle to the true highlight of the programme: gabriel chin. DANCING. i literally LOLed the entire time, and if it wasnt for space constraints in VCH then i would have probably literally ROFLed too. an instant classic; i think chin has just created a meme for himself that will persist for weeks and maybe even months to come.
today i went to support chin's as-of-yet-unnamed band for rock night auditions. it was quite obvious that everyone was suffering from stage fright, but still they managed to pull through with a passable audition, and the PA guy said that they could even try more technical songs. rayson was thinking of toning down a few A7X songs to play, but honestly i think that even a simplified A7X song would be too difficult for them to learn in such a short time. sorry guys, you guys are not bad, but A7X is that much better :P
at the end of the day, all the encouraging pep-talks and rosy visions of the future come down to nought. all that really matters is ability, which i sorely lack.whatever happened to the beautiful pictures that were displayed? what of the prophecies? when all is said and done, the only message i've received from the oracle is a doomsday warning.
today i went to support chin's as-of-yet-unnamed band for rock night auditions. it was quite obvious that everyone was suffering from stage fright, but still they managed to pull through with a passable audition, and the PA guy said that they could even try more technical songs. rayson was thinking of toning down a few A7X songs to play, but honestly i think that even a simplified A7X song would be too difficult for them to learn in such a short time. sorry guys, you guys are not bad, but A7X is that much better :P
at the end of the day, all the encouraging pep-talks and rosy visions of the future come down to nought. all that really matters is ability, which i sorely lack.whatever happened to the beautiful pictures that were displayed? what of the prophecies? when all is said and done, the only message i've received from the oracle is a doomsday warning.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Maybe boundaries are better left unchallenged
Number 1: MP3 PLAYER!!! :D yes, i finally got around to getting one of these handy dandy gadgets. finally i can carry my music with me wherever i go. and no, it's not an ipod touch (i honestly wish i had that kind of money, but no...), but rather a creative zen mozaic ez300, which is basically a budget version of the original zen mozaic (which is kinda weird, since usually it's the high-tech upgrades that have longer names than the originals). it set me back $97, which i feel is quite a good deal for something that's 4GB with colour screen, built-in speakers and above-average sound quality. it also means that i'll be stuck with my NS-grade phone till... well, till after NS, but i still think it's a good trade in exchange for the mp3 player.
Number 2: IRON MAN 2!!! just watched it this afternoon, and it really is quite awesome. adrenaline junkies will be disappointed though, as this ain't a micheal bay production. and precisely because it's not from micheal bay, you can expect a coherent plot (remember transformers 2? -.- ). but i feel that the shine of this movie is not from the literally reflective iron man suit (bad pun, i know, but lets move on) but from robert downey jr. he did with iron man what tobey maguire was desperately trying and epically failing to do with spiderman: portraying a superhero who can be funny one moment and serious the next, and occasionally even both at the same time. to add icing to the cake, mickey rourke did an excellent job as whiplash. and finally, war machine is basically the most badass mechatronic character to be animated in cgi:
optimus prime, not even wearing jetfire's dead body can make you cooler than this. sorry, but it's the cruel truth.
Maybe the stars are beyond our reach to stop us from burning
Maybe the glass ceiling keeps us from floating away
Maybe the horizon prevents us from seeing what we shouldn't
Maybe it's called a miracle because it doesn't happen
Number 2: IRON MAN 2!!! just watched it this afternoon, and it really is quite awesome. adrenaline junkies will be disappointed though, as this ain't a micheal bay production. and precisely because it's not from micheal bay, you can expect a coherent plot (remember transformers 2? -.- ). but i feel that the shine of this movie is not from the literally reflective iron man suit (bad pun, i know, but lets move on) but from robert downey jr. he did with iron man what tobey maguire was desperately trying and epically failing to do with spiderman: portraying a superhero who can be funny one moment and serious the next, and occasionally even both at the same time. to add icing to the cake, mickey rourke did an excellent job as whiplash. and finally, war machine is basically the most badass mechatronic character to be animated in cgi:
optimus prime, not even wearing jetfire's dead body can make you cooler than this. sorry, but it's the cruel truth.
Maybe the stars are beyond our reach to stop us from burning
Maybe the glass ceiling keeps us from floating away
Maybe the horizon prevents us from seeing what we shouldn't
Maybe it's called a miracle because it doesn't happen
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Six degrees?
What's Facebook for, really? a way to stay connected with current friends, rediscover long-lost companions, or make new acquaintances? the first two can be taken for granted, but the last one is something of a point of contention for me. facebook does help you link with others through mutual friends, and it's a reasonable assumption that the more mutual friends you have with someone, the more likely you either already know each other or will get along well. but to start a friendship from scratch through facebook? that is something i am highly skeptical of. and what if it's one-sided relationship? how does one respond if someone walks up and says that he definitely knows you, when you are equally confident that you've never seen the guy's face in your life? those are the moments when the ever-vigilant Awkward Turtle comes to the rescue.
maybe im being paranoid. or maybe the line between friend and stalker has been crossed.
and i found this new awesome comic called Super Effective which parodies pokemon in general and red/blue in particular. most of the jokes will be accessible to anyone who has played pokemon, but some are really exclusive to red/blue (missingno. and charmander using metal claw...), which makes the comic all the more funny and nostalgic. i feel that a very nice touch to the comic is how red never talks, just like how the main character in all the pokemon games never says anything. ever. well, here's the first panel:
if you understood this joke, 1. you are a pokemon player
2. you need to start reading this comic
it's an incomplete series as of yet, but i feel that this series has a lot of potential. i'll definitely be keeping a watch on it :D
maybe im being paranoid. or maybe the line between friend and stalker has been crossed.
and i found this new awesome comic called Super Effective which parodies pokemon in general and red/blue in particular. most of the jokes will be accessible to anyone who has played pokemon, but some are really exclusive to red/blue (missingno. and charmander using metal claw...), which makes the comic all the more funny and nostalgic. i feel that a very nice touch to the comic is how red never talks, just like how the main character in all the pokemon games never says anything. ever. well, here's the first panel:
if you understood this joke, 1. you are a pokemon player
2. you need to start reading this comic
it's an incomplete series as of yet, but i feel that this series has a lot of potential. i'll definitely be keeping a watch on it :D
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