It's been awhile...

I was just looking through my list of posts and realised on top of that list was a draft titled "8 years, ありがとう、YUIさん" dated way back in January 2013.

I never wrote anything, just the title. I guess all the feels of YUI's "retirement" from music took over and I never got around to actually writing out that post. 

Who knew she'd surprise us all by forming FLOWER FLOWER? :D
But that's another story for another time.

As it turns out, I haven't written anything since then. If you noticed, my very last post (before this) was regarding the merits of custom ROMs on a HTC Desire S, which by today's standards, would be considered ancient technology.

Anyhow, while I'd love to do a tech-related post, such as rave about my current LG Nexus 5, or extol the virtues of my (sadly) stolen Sony Xperia Z, this blog has really become kind of a diary for my travels and a place to rave about my recent fanboy obsessions. Which, having attended my last concert of the year (probably!), is ultimately going to center on the amazing Japanese techno-pop trio that is Perfume.

But in the meantime, a little entry into the tech-diary for 2013-2014 (have I really been away that long?!) would be in order.

Mobile

1. Upgrading from the aforementioned HTC Desire S to a Sony Xperia Z...
2. ...and promptly had it stolen from me T.T
3. Having just re-contracted, I ordered the LG Nexus 5 from Google 
4. Running stock Android Kitkat 4.4.4, rooted with Xposed Framework and am happy with it for the moment (waiting for Lollipop!)

Networking

1. Upgraded to Singtel Mio fibre from Starhub cable broadband (yay for 200mbps!)
2. The ol' ASUS RT-N15U became a print server of sorts, replaced by the more-than-capable RT-N56U
3. To boost speeds to my desktop PC in another room, I got a pair of Sineoji powerline adapters - cheap and work as advertised!
4. Received a spare 2TB WD MyBook Live from an uncle and is currently running as a home server for music, videos and stuff. 

Computing

1. My graphics card (an XFX GTS 250) finally died 
2. Replaced it with an ASUS GTX 750 together with a Corsair CX500M power supply because I was afraid my old PSU couldn't handle the new card. Turns out it could -.-
3. Sometime in late 2013, the first games that would only run on 64-bit OSes were released. Then in 2014 came the horrible, horrible news that I was dreading... FIFA 15 also required a 64-bit OS (I was running 32-bit Vista - I know, laugh all you want)
4. And with a heavy heart, I upgraded to 64-bit Windows 7, together with a new hard disk because why not?
5. To date I'm counting down the days I have left before I need to change my motherboard, processor and RAM in order to play the latest games. Already, Assassin's Creed Unity is out of my reach T.T

... Well, that felt good, reminiscing about all that techie stuff.

Next post will be about my recent 5 day solo trip to Japan to catch Perfume's 5th Tour "Gurun Gurun" in Tokyo, followed by their World Tour 3rd Live in Singapore :D

Last day at PUB

Disclaimer: This post is not endorsed by PUB, nor is it part of my Industrial Attachment requirement. I might have quoted some information from my final report, but thats about it :)

And so 22 weeks of Industrial Attachment have blown by. While others were celebrating the end of exams 1 month ago, we were waking up at 7am daily to go to work (of course, I probably deserved it for emphasizing my lack of exams). Now, our turn has finally come; unless of course you're one of those who extended your attachment period.

Its been an interesting 22 weeks at PUB, and certainly an eye-opening experience for me in terms of having a taste of working life in the public sector as compared to my previous experience with a local SME. While work in Alpha Biofuels three years ago was characterised by its informality, the sheer variety of tasks and the groundwork involved, life in PUB has been very much different. Here's where you probably start listing down your stereotypes of a job in the public service:

1) Stuffy, boring
2) Nine to five
3) Formal
4) Old fashioned
5) Bureaucratic

I won't exactly say they're wrong, but its definitely not that bad (it helps if you're attached to an interesting department).

I was attached to the Catchment and Waterways department, which deals with our reservoirs and drains. Not too interesting, you'd think? Here's the catch - I was also attached to the ABC Waters division within that department. For those unacquainted with the promotional efforts of PUB (how could you not know Water Wally?!), ABC stands for Active, Beautiful, Clean.

Water Wally! So cute :3

Water Wally even has its own cartoon

Anyway, in a nutshell, the ABC Waters Programme aims to beautify our waterways (i.e boring, dreary concrete drains and canals) by integrating with the green landscape and  bringing people closer to water in the hope that they would take ownership and not contribute to pollution. While this all sounds all rosy and double rainbowish, what has my work got to do with any of this? Well for the past 22 weeks I've been involved in the more technical aspects of this Programme.

PUB is implementing what it calls "ABC Waters Design Features" in various areas around Singapore, and is also encouraging private developers to do the same. For new buyers of those expensive HDB projects along the edge of Punggol Waterway, your houses will have these features, look out for them :)

What exactly are "Design Features"? Known in other parts of the world as Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) and Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD), these "Design Features" aim to change the way we approach storm water drainage - which traditionally involves concrete drains, concrete canals and more concrete. For the uninitiated, too much storm water run-off is bad, bad, and did I mention bad? If you recall the previous Orchard Road floodings and the flooded drain that swept an Indonesian kid away, that's what too much run-off can do.

The root cause of it? Urbanisation. The problem with too much concrete is, it prevents rainwater from entering the ground; instead it flows over our roofs, our roads, our footpaths and into our drains, too fast too furiously. That's good you say, so it won't flood. True, but only if you're located near the start of the drainage system. For the people downstream though, this surge of water from further upstream quickly overwhelms their stretch of the drains (as was the case in Orchard Road, with the Stamford canal flooded beyond its capacity).

The "Design Features" are essentially natural drainage systems that mimic nature's way of controlling storm water run-off - by using plants. Rain gardens, bioretention swales and constructed wetlands all fall under this category and their main function is simple - to slow down the flow while removing pollutants, utilising the soil, bacteria and plants to filter out sediments and nutrients that might pollute our rivers. The benefits? Less floods, cleaner rivers and less strain on our treatment plants that treat the water which eventually comes out of our taps.

The interesting characters I run into during the course of my job

Before I start to sound like a PUB spokesperson, lets just say that from the day I started reading up about all these during my first day at work, I was sold. Replacing concrete drains with soil and plants? Hell yeah. Slowing down the flow and getting rid of nasty stuff so the poor folks downstream don't get flooded with polluted water?

I didn't sign up to be an Environmental Engineer for nothing. As you might expect, I loved going down to site. You would too, despite the hot weather and all, if your site looked like this:

The transformed Bishan Park

If I had any IA regrets at all, it would be me being the only intern in the department (and on a separate floor to boot). It got a little lonely and boring at times especially on those long, desk-bound days. Guess nothing can compare to the crazy things me and the other interns did back in those Alpha days XD

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So, its the end of my Industrial Attachment. I did feel a bit guilty that I didn't request to extend, considering that my colleagues will be very busy with the upcoming Singapore International Water Week (SIWW). But hey, I'll be heading to Japan with my parents in a week's time (more in a later post) and I'll finally have time to sit down and study for my JLPT N4 test ^^;. I did volunteer to help out for the SIWW though, hopefully I'll be able to attend :D

Hisashiburi!

Whoa, has it been 6 months since my last post? It's been too long. To all my friends, 久しぶり(long time no see)!

Why the long absence from this place? Frankly, after coming back from 6 weeks in Hong Kong, I kept wanting to create a long post describing all the stuff that happened over there, but the evil person called Mr. Procrastinate kept pulling me back. Eventually I forgot about it and there you go - 6 months have flown by. I guess last semester was a pretty busy one, and together with my growing usage of Twitter, I've neglected this place :/

Video killed the radio star? No, Twitter (or for some, Tumblr) killed the Blogger!

So let's see, what have I missed out for these past 6 months... you know how shows like The Walking Dead like to do a recap of the previous episode? "Last time, on the Walking Dead..."

1) YUI HHITS Live in HK

Words cannot describe how I felt during my very first (and last) YUI performance

2) 6 weeks GSS in HK

Food, food and more food :D

3) Got meself an Android - HTC Desire S

Its an excellent phone. Sleek, compact and very usable

4) Back with the band

For the UK Bound bash

5) SCANDAL Asia Tour in SG

Tomomi!

6) Genting

Nope, didn't win money

And of course, back to the daily grind of school, lectures, tutorials and examinations. Had a really enjoyable holiday in December as well, so I can't complain.

So thats it - 2011 was a very eventful year. Lets hope for a equally eventful 2012 (in a good way, of course). As Ueda in Trick puts it - 「どんと来い！」　"Bring it on!"

Anyway, if you've noticed (or tried to access this place by typing the old address), I've changed the title as well as the blog address. Why "The Budget Geek (thebudgetgeek.blogspot.com)"? Well, for one it'll be easier to type without all those goddamnned dashes. And secondly, I realised I'm not a conventional, at-the-forefront-of-technology kind of geek. I'm more of a if-you-don't-need-it-don't-get-it kind of geek.

I hope to post up budget (or value) suggestions for tech buys in the future, so watch this space.

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In other news, Adele's album 21 is the best selling album of 2011. Thank god, real music is still being appreciated. Not trash like *cough* Baby *cough* Friday *cough*

I heart Japan

Its been 2 weeks since the earthquake and the resulting tsunamis struck Japan, and its been on the front pages of newspapers ever since.

While there have been equally devastating earthquakes in the past (Haiti, Sichuan), I must admit I have paid much more attention to the situation in Japan, mainly because of my interest in Japanese pop culture, language and of course the music. While most of the news have been focused on the unfolding nuclear disaster in Fukushima, what shook me was watching an online video showing the tsunamis sweeping aside whole residential areas - the extent of the destruction wasn't that apparent to me until that video.

1 thing really struck me during this whole ordeal - the rise of social media (Twitter) as a tool for information dissemination as well as communication where traditional means failed, and the rising power of the Internet over traditional media. While I was safe in Singapore, I could feel the collective spirit of the Japanese people from various first-person recounts, as well as the non-stop twitter feed of the many Japanese celebrities I "follow" on Twitter. One particular tweet that caught my eye was something that went along the lines of "If you need help, please tweet your location with the hashtag #helpme #jishin".

(hashtags enable people to categorically search for tweets. "jishin" is Japanese for earthquake.)
Another thing that really left a deep impression on me was the ability of the Japanese people to cope with the disaster. When most people would have gone into a state of panic or despair, they remained calm and stoic, despite losing homes, family members and much of their livelihood. Elsewhere in less affected parts, most tried to go about their lives as normal even as blackouts brought down the transport system. I was particularly impressed by a report of thousands of workers walking several kilometers home from work on the day of the earthquake (the trains were stopped) with shops and businesses along the way offering their amenities to them. Orderly queuing for limited trains, voluntarily cutting back on electricity use, buying only what is required (although there were cases of panic buying) - to them, its all about helping one another despite inconveniences to one's self. Their collective resilience and endurance in the face of difficulty really deserve a lot of respect from the rest of the world.

And what can we do, as outsiders, other than dig deep into our pockets for donations?

Well for one we'd do well to stop believing all that bullcrap about radiation reaching Singapore. If you've been talking on your handphone for the past 30minutes you've probably received more radiation than any potential dust that floats our way anyway. And if you've panic-bought iodine tablets to swallow in case radiation poisoning, I can safely say that you've wasted your money.

The same applies to Japanese produce - if it gets past our scanners, its probably safe to eat. All that news about tainted vegetables, milk and water only serves to increase unnecessary fear. Read it yes, but for goodness' sake don't overreact and avoid everything Japanese totally. Paranoia doesn't help anything - if the Japanese economy were to recover, we should do our part to help. On that same note, don't stop eating Japanese food, or buying Japanese products. (This should give me a reason to order a couple of SCANDAL DVDs online :p). There's really no reason to give up all that delicious sushi, sashimi, ramen, seafood and Meiji chocolates just because of some exaggerated news reporting.

On the bright side, I stepped into Isetan's basement market in Shaw House this afternoon and saw a healthy crowd inside. I did buy a nice haul of mini taiyaki to munch on the way home from Japanese class. おいしかったです!

And if you have a Japanese friend or relatives and friends in Japan, do give them friendly words of encouragement instead of pestering them to leave the country. Most of the people I know connected to Japan would love to stay there and help out in some way.

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50% of this blog post was concocted on an aging Nokia E63 phone, due to me switching off everything that requires a power socket for Earth Hour.

Did you turn off your lights? Fortunately for us, its a voluntary thing. For the Japanese in the areas affected by rolling blackouts, Earth Hour happens every few hours.

Something to mull about as we grope around in the darkness.

The Simple Things.

And so, after surgery on my left knee to repair a torn ACL ligament, I am currently one legged. Well, if you count the 2 crutches I use to swing around, make it 3. And with the special leg brace on, I look like I have bionic left leg that could propel me to insane heights or hit insane running speeds. Unfortunately its just a few pieces of plastic and foam.

Nothing much has changed really, except that I can't really leave the house as much as I want to. Theoretically I could, but seeing a 3 legged guy on the bus/train isn't the most welcome sight in the world ain't it? It usually means "Aw damn, I gotta give up my comfy seat now", followed by a fake smile, and gesturing at the person to have your seat. And horrors, what if all the seats are taken up by old people? To have an old woman give up her seat for you, that would be the ultimate embarrassment.

And taxis are just too crazy expensive.

Daily activities and routines now take twice as long. Actually, almost everything takes twice the amount of time. I take 2 times longer to wake up, 2 times longer to fall asleep, 2 times longer to bathe, 2 times longer to get changed, 2 times longer to walk (oh alright, hobble) to anywhere, 2 times longer to... you get the idea.

But really, nothing much has changed. I can still sit in front of the computer screen for hours on end (actually, that's pretty much the only thing I can do). Or laze on the couch with a bunch of Nat Geo magazines and comics. Or watch documentaries and dramas which I haven't been watching for a long time.

And would you know it, my online time has been cut drastically, mostly because its much more comfortable on the sofa compared to the computer chair which has whacked-out cushioning thanks to endless compression by my butt. Which brings me to the realization that the sofa will probably suffer the same consequences. That, and the fact that I've just completed the Starcraft 2 campaign. I know, time to move on to Battle.net, but I've yet to play a single skirmish match against the A.I yet.

All these has made me really appreciate the simple things in life that we usually take for granted. And thanks to a special someone who will be visiting me in the coming days, being one-legged for the next few weeks doesn't seem so bad at all :P

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On that note, it does give me a valid reason to skip the first week of school so that I can camp at home and fight the infamous NTU Star Wars.

Watch out Death Star, I have my proton torpedo locked onto your exhaust port.

Resolutions

Whats your new year's resolution?

I think I can live with my 22-inch, 1680 x 1024 resolution LG monitor screen, thanks.

Oh alright, that joke's already gone stale.

Looking back on last year's resolutions, I wonder how many did I achieve?

1) I will not upgrade my PC any further unless something breaks down.
2) Learn Japanese!
3) Fly to Germany during the summer! (I flew to Japan and Hong Kong instead, so I guess it cancels out too?)
4) Catch Muse live in Singapore!
5) Play more gigs than in 2009!

Anyway, here's mine, for the year 2011

1) Study in Japan during summer! Global Summer Studies!

2) Recover swiftly from ACL reconstruction surgery so that I can go back to playing soccer (don't worry mum, I'll be extra careful!)

3) Win her heart and never lose it again

4) Play more gigs than 2010! (which is kinda impossible, really)

5) Take JLPT 5 (or 4, if I'm ambitious?) and pass it


I realised my resolutions are actually all quite achievable. Not like those vague "I will be more cheerful this year" or remotely possible "I will win Toto $1 million ang pow draw this year".

Although it would be nice if I could win $1 million....

Top 3 lists of top 10 things of 2010!

Its that time of the year again! That time when people are penning down their resolutions for the new year (mine is 1680 x 1024), when the music in departmental stores start to change from "Jingle Bells" to "Ying Chun Jie Fu", and when school children start dreading the start of school once again...

Yes, its the last few days of 2010. And its time for the annual reflective "Top 3 lists of Top 10 things"!

What have you done for these past 12 months?

Top 10 significant life-changing highlights (oh all right, a lil' exaggeration here)

1) Screwing up my left knee and tearing the ACL
2) Falling out of love and falling in love once again
3) Buying and learning bass
4) QUIS (and all those performances!)
5) Forming Natsukashii
6) Travelling to Kyushu (and doing a YUI stalker tour!)
7) Flipping credit card application forms in an ulu part of Jurong
8) Travelling to Hong Kong to catch SCANDAL live
9) Catching MUSE live in Singapore
10) Learning Japanese

Top 11 Music Discoveries (sorry, had to squeeze in 1 more!)

1) SCANDAL - Temptation Box
2) YUI - Holidays in the Sun
3) Asian Kung-Fu Generation - Magic Disk
4) Fukuhara Miho - Music is My Life
5) The Bawdies - There's No Turning Back
6) Ayumi Hamasaki - Rock 'n' Roll Circus
7) Utada Hikaru - Single Collection Vol. 2
8) Orange Pekoe - 10 Anniversary Best Album Sun & Moon
9) Marie Digby - Unfold, Second Home
10) chatmonchy - Awa Come
11) Olivia Ong - Olivia
Top 10 Gaming Experiences

1) Starcraft 2 (just got it 2 days ago!)
2) FIFA 11
3) Assassin's Creed 2
4) Left 4 Dead 2
5) Mass Effect 1 and 2
6) Street Fighter 4
7) Team Fortress 2 (you can't grow tired of this game!)
8) Resident Evil 5
9) Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening (awesome expansion to the best RPG in 2009!)
10) Bioshock 2

In case you've been a loyal follower of this blog for the past 2 years, you'd have noticed the omission of 2 lists, namely "Top 10 Geeky exploits" and "Top 10 Green exploits", this year. Well, to be honest, I can't really recall anything geeky or green I did this year, other than fixing my keyboard space bar and keeping the air-conditioner off.

Maybe its about time I change the name of this blog once again. Which is highly unlikely, since the name kinda stuck with me already.

Oh well. Guess I'm about to become a not-so-green-and-not-so-geeky-normal-person.

Hope you had a meaningful 2010! Now, on to 2011!

I must apologize for the lack of updates. If you've noticed, statistically, the number of blog posts drops significantly once school starts. Daily lectures, tutorials, projects, lab reports, quizzes and tests - school sucks. Wednesdays are the only days I look forward to, and only because of Japanese lessons :D

I don't have much time to craft out a well-thought out post, plus with the stuff on my mind these few days its impossible to even try to write something meaningful. Hence this pretty short and meaningless post ;(

Its at times like these I marvel at the convenience and usability of micro-blogging. Just a few words and poof, its an update! So, until I find the time and inspiration to type something worth reading, my Twitter will be kept updated. Not to mention with the new Twitter available for preview already, it'll be even more user friendly.

No Music No Life

How many of you feel the same as me - that life wouldn't be enjoyable without music?

What if one day you find out you won't be able to listen to music anymore?

I really don't wish to find out.

I'm writing this after playing a gig in the afternoon (and listening to other bands). Possibly due to the venue itself, the volume of the whole event was nearly unbearable. Despite that I noticed that many of the audience and band members (many of them close friends of mine) tolerating the high volume without any protection, while I stuffed both my ears with earplugs.

I think some of you might already know this, but I'll relate my story again, just to emphasize the importance of this. The story behind my earplugging-obsession.

I'm suffering from tinnitus in the left ear, that is, the ringing sound in the ear you often get after a gig or a rock concert. For most people, the sound goes away after a few hours, or perhaps in a few days. For me, it doesn't. It stays low most of the time, but reappears after a gig (even with earplugs), once I start to think about it, or when its really quiet. I would say its ever-present, just that my brain has learnt to shut it out under normal situations. As I write this post, my left ear is constantly ringing to remind me of its existence.

How did I end up like this? It all started from a stupid mistake I made back when I was in army. I had my earplugs in alright, during range live firing. Then came an order to relax due to some situation, and I removed my earplugs. In my whole life thus far, thats the one thing I regretted doing. When the order came back to resume firing, I forgot to put the plugs back on.

You can probably guess what happened next. My right ear was spared thankfully because it was pressed against the rifle butt.

I've already gotten used to the ringing sound, but what I'm more concerned with is the prospect of losing my hearing. Ever since that incident the hearing in my left ear probably isn't what it used to be, and the difference between both ears becomes more obvious whenever I listen to my mp3 player.

All I can do now is to protect my hearing, because I want to listen to music until the day I up-lorry. Now you know why my ears are always plugged during gigs and practices, except during MUSE's concert in Singapore and SCANDAL's Hong Kong live - I had a horrible time trying to get to sleep after that. All for the sake of "enjoying music to the fullest".

So what's the whole point of all this?

Wear earplugs. Period.

I know some music lovers have this misconception that earplugs would lessen their "enjoyment" of music during gigs and concerts, or, for the musicians, that earplugs would prevent them from listening to their bandmates or their own instruments and thus affect their playing.

Not true. Yes, it won't sound as powerful, and the sound might even be slightly muffled, but otherwise the music is as clear as it would have been without earplugs, and at a more comfortable volume too. There are even special musician earplugs that cut the volume without sacrificing quality (but these cost more of course)

My fellow musicians, I know you guys love to listen to and play music, and would love to continue doing so for as long as you can. Don't throw your hearing away for the "love of music" - if you love music, you'd do well to protect your ears. Same goes to band supporters and regular concertgoers. If you've experienced that ringing sound before (and I know a lot of you do), some damage has already been done, however minor it may be. It might be reversible over time, but not with constant prolonged exposure to loud music.

So please, wear earplugs. Noise-isolating earphones do the job as well, if earplugs aren't available.
Musicians and sound crew can also do their part to lessen the impact on fellow bandmates and audiences as well by controlling their amp volumes, but ultimately, your hearing belongs to you and you only, so you shouldn't place it in the hands of the people on stage or the person behind the mixer. Wear earplugs.

On the same note, mp3 players are a major culprit of hearing loss as well, so control that volume (loud enough to be heard above surrounding noise). Mine is set to less than 50% of maximum volume and I find it good enough, especially with a good pair of earphones.


For more information and reading:
http://www.ehow.com/about_4597232_do-ears-ring-after-concert.html

http://ezinearticles.com/?Music,-Musicians-and-Hearing-Loss&id=780153

http://ezinearticles.com/?Listening-to-Loud-Music-For-a-Prolonged-Period-of-Time-Can-Actually-Cause-Irreversible-Damage&id=3407105


This site in particular has many practical advice for fellow rock musicians, so do take a look:
http://www.healthyhearing.com/articles/28798-so-you-want-to


If you need a pair of earplugs, any DIY store should sell those foam types cheaply. Music stores too. For the guys, you can get them at E-mart :D

I'm not sure where to buy good quality musician earplugs locally, but I'd definitely want a pair:
http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.aspx

Do spread this to your friends and others who you know attend gigs and concerts regularly.

ソラニン

The reason why I'm "wasting"time writing this instead of doing my work is, I can't concentrate unless I let this out. In case you're wondering if its something epic, no its not. Rather its just me getting all melancholic over a song/manga/movie.

If you've been noticing my MSN status recently, its been playing the song "Solanin" by Asian Kung-Fu Generation. I've put it on loop whenever I feel like listening to it (laughs). Its their latest single which they wrote the song for an upcoming movie adaptation of a manga of the same name "Solanin". The lyrics were written by the mangaka (author), which appears in the manga.

I finished the manga in a few hours in 1 shot (thats how addictive it was) - read it here:
http://www.onemanga.com/Solanin/

The movie trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EMFvvv2hF4



The movie stars Aoi Miyazaki as Meiko, an office lady who quits her job, hoping to escape the tedium of her daily life and finally figure out her place in the world. Her long-time boyfriend Taneda (Kengo Kora) is a part-timer who belongs to an amateur band, but he too is stuck in life. Meiko tries encouraging him to seriously pursue his music dreams, but things aren't that simple. A tragedy triggers drastic changes in Meiko's and the band members' lives, following which they have to struggle with their internal conflicts and pick themselves up.

The story is both a reflection of the challenges faced by our generation as well as how we feel at times, and an inspiration to get out there to do something worth doing. I really emphasised with the protagonists Meiko and Taneda and the challenges they faced. I hope to catch it in cinemas over here, failing which I'll have to resort to "other ways" :P

The full song "Solanin" (PV), by Asian Kung-Fu Generation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kn8g0QHVNY




The lyrics to the song Solanin were written by Taneda in the manga:

Translation by Sato (akfgfan.com)

Mistaken thoughts from beyond the sky
A life spent saying goodbye?
The little piece of the future I saw
Was waving goodbye

The small room I once lived in
Is now occupied by someone else
The horrible things I said to you
The days that were wasted

Perhaps if I'd taken that chance, if I could go back to that day
But I'll never be that person again

Even if that frail happiness
had somehow lingered on
A bad seed would surely have sprouted
So I guess this is goodbye

The cold cans of coffee from freezing winters
That long rainbow coloured scarf
I stroll through the back alley
It all comes back to me

Even if that frail happiness
had somehow lingered on
A bad seed would surely have sprouted
So I guess this is goodbye

I guess

Goodbye, that's enough
You can cope anywhere
Goodbye, I'll manage somehow too
Goodbye, that's what I'll do

From the lyrics one assumes it to be a "Farewell song" to a loved one, as Meiko initially thought. But she soon realises that Taneda meant for it to be a farewell song written to his past self.

.
.
.
.

How many of us can say goodbye to our old selves and start anew?

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Alright, now that I've gotten it off my chest, back to mugging. Can't say goodbye to the old mugger in me, at least for now.

And I know I know I know...

And so the significant other has left for Germany on exchange. Guess it'll be a quiet 5 months while she's away. All the best over in currywurst land! Can't wait to fly over - it seems so far, what with exams standing in my way. Sigh...

On the bright side, it means more time for me to study... If it even resembles a bright side.

Still, its amazing what technology can do. Email used to be considered the cutting edge tool to keep in touch, now Skype can do that, complete with live video and audio! And for free too! If you discount the cost of the equipment that is. The 7 hour time difference is a killer though; more often than not email would be the only option.

Coincidentally, the song "Ain't No Sunshine" was kept on constant loop in my head today, ever since I bought Olivia Ong's latest album from HMV today.

Simply titled "Olivia", its her first album under her new record label HIM. The packaging is unique as well, with the standard jewel CD case enclosed within an envelope-like package, sealed with stitching.

Containing 2 new original songs and 8 covers, this all-English album would fit nicely in a quiet eatery or lounge. Without much deviation from her previous works, this latest album doesn't really break new ground nor does it aim to impress. Instead, it builds upon Olivia's soothing and crystal clear vocals, giving a new and refreshing take on old songs that were once radio hits of their time.

Notable tracks on the album:

"You and Me" - An original song that's lighthearted, simple and sweet. Sounds better each time I play it!

"I Feel The Earth Move" - Slightly more upbeat, with a playful bounce to it. An interesting, jazzy reinterpretation of the original song.

"Bittersweet" - The 2nd original song on the album. I first heard it live on TV during this show which showcased local bands (I forgot the title of the show already :x) and was quite impressed by it. The album version is a different take on the same song, but somehow I prefer the live version (maybe due to the groovier feel)

"Ain't No Sunshine" - The best song on this album to me. I don't know why, but it just sticks in my head for some reason.

"Luka" and "Stars" - Both are simple covers of the 2 hits of the 80's - 90's and yet she does them flawlessly, her clear vocals standing out in both renditions. I must say she does Simply Red songs very well, first "For Your Babies" in the previous album and now "Stars".

Overall? The novelty of covering popular songs may have lost its shine slightly after 3 albums, but it still is a tried and tested formula, and one which Olivia does wonderfully. Throw in a couple of new songs to freshen up the mix and you have an easy to listen album that would appeal to anyone.

It's a pity "Ru Yan" wasn't included as a bonus track or something. Its the song that brought her to local fame after all.

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"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone....."

Recess week!

The best way to start off "recess week" is of course having a make up lecture on a Saturday morning! What an educational, informative and productive way to spend a wonderful sunny morning!

Needless to say, I won't be going. Online lecture videos FTW!

I suppose you've already noticed that I haven't been posting for a period of time, ever since the Muse concert (that seemed so far away now). Reason being, its been a mad rush these past few weeks, with Chinese New Year celebrations, followed by back-to-normal school life, and then a weekend of pure mugging for tests. Followed by another last minute bombshell quiz the next day after completing 3 tests back to back.

Bloody hell, its still Chinese New Year! (13th day, to be exact)

The term recess week is actually a misnomer. Recess should be a time where we all head down to the canteen merrily to eat that delicious mee rebus, that scrumptious wonton mee, the forever-long-queue western food. Not to mention the 50cent drink comprising "everything". Some will choose to spend that time playing soccer in the field, basketball, carom, or just simply hang around and talk cock.

What recess week actually means is catching up on lessons and tutorials, completing that time-consuming lab report, and trying to do as much webassign as possible. Coupled with band practices and culture night rehearsals. Phew!

I wish I was back in secondary school again. Or primary school. I really won't mind wearing those tight shorts again. Aren't they in fashion now?

Again

Its been a pretty eventful holiday so far, probably one of the holiday periods where I actually spent the least time at home so far, compared to holidays of the past. Sounds like a geek coming out of the closet eh?

Still, I stayed at home long enough to complete 1 round of Dragon Age: Origins. According to popular consensus, it's definitely worth a replay, just to see what happens when choosing an alternative plot route.

A rewind moment to reflect on the last holiday of 2009

Had the last of my exams! Seems so far away now, just thinking that I have to go through another of those in another 4 months time is giving me a stomachache (ok actually I'm feeling hungry, but I digress)

Batman Arkham Asylum and Modern Warfare 2! Spent many happy hours killing and getting killed.

Welcomed Ming Hwee and Ming Hao back to Singapore with a "reunion" soccer game!

Celebrated girlfriend's 21st birthday party at NSRCC resorts. Really great place to hold parties and gatherings! Great party, great company, great food and too much drinks :P I was surprised no one got really drunk. Spent a nice lazy day there the next day after the party.

Celebrated Wesley's birthday at a Thai restaurant. Somehow a lot of people were born in December, I wonder why hmmm....

Watched 2012 and Avatar, potential movie of the year. Wonderful visuals, stunning graphics. Its amazing what technology can do, especially when comparing to the movies of old. Story was kinda predictable though - High tech Pocahontas?

Christmas week was really packed.

Attended Sean's Xmas party, which was really a very filling dinner , a Saboteur tournament and a talk cock sing song session :)

EOY '09! Had a wonderful experience there, performing in front of a great crowd. The organisers and fellow performers were very friendly as well. Lots of things to see and hear! Cosplayers and photographers were everywhere. Stormtrooper vs Krauser = epic. Saw Yui Makino during the rehearsals :P

Went for ex-alpha interns' Xmas BBQ at Hui Xian's house. It was nice meeting everyone again and of course goofing around with the guys.

Became a Karang Guni for a morning, traversing HDB floors in a corner of Sengkang lugging stacks of newspapers, magazines and tonnes of other chapalang stuff to raise funds for Hexis. One hell of a workout!

Went for David's 21st birthday party! Spent the whole night playing mahjong and Wii. Next day everyone was pretty stoned.

Played LAN with David and his friends, followed by shopping at Sim Lim. L4D2! Not a bad game I'd say, much more fun and exciting than the original. Gonna wait for a discount before I even consider getting it.

Met up with the Kevin and the army dudes for lunch @ Marche @ 313 @ Somerset! Followed by another LAN gaming session (this time we went old school - Counterstrike!) and dinner of ramen in an ulu corner of Orchard Plaza.

Dragon Age : Origins! Really addictive game. RPG of the year, definitely!

That's about it!

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School starts in less than 15 hours. *sigh*

Here we go again...

10, 9, 8,.... 3, 2, 1...

Its the annual endless-Top 10-lists post!

Something to reflect on this past year and something to motivate me into the next year!

Top 10 Geeky Exploits!

1) Giving my PC a massive rehaul (half of it off the 2nd-hand market)
2) Getting sucked into the portal that is Hardwarezone.com.sg
3) Overclocking my PC + undervolting my notebook
4) Zhng my notebook cooler!
5) Going to 3 IT shows (missed the last one) and hanging around Sim Lim Sq countless times
6) Getting a "smart"phone (E63)
7) Joining the grid computing network
8) Taking the course "How Computers Work" and actually enjoyed it
9) Taking the course "FE1008 Computing" and didn't actually dislike it
10) Spending hours trying to get the perfect geeky desktop

Top 10 Green Exploits

1) Interning @ Alpha Biofuels Pte Ltd
2) Buying and using a "green" harddisk (Western Digital Caviar Green)
3) Donating processor time to run climate models (climateprediction.net)
4) Being a Karang Guni man for half a day
5) Continuing my abstinence from air-conditioning at home
6) Undervolting my notebook and CPU
7) Studying to be an Environmental Engineer
8) Staying in hall (which prevents me from playing games on my power hungry PC)
9) Sticking to the usual Saturday morning cycling to soccer routine
10) Farting less (and failing)

Top 10 Gaming Exploits

1) Dragon Age: Origins (still in the process of playing)
2) Batman Arkham Asylum
3) GTA IV
4) Modern Warfare 2
5) FIFA 10
6) Left 4 Dead
7) Team Fortress 2 (and its never ending updates!)
8) Atlantica Online + Rappelz (grew tired of both, but great games nonetheless)
9) Old Call of Duty games (Modern Warfare and World @ War)
10) Starcraft / Plants vs Zombies / World of Goo (ultimate nothing-to-do-in-hall games)

Top 10 Artistes (songs)

1) Fukuhara Miho -(Let it out, Yuki no Hikari, Believe my way)
2) Superfly (Ai wo Komete Hanabata o, Alright!, Precious Time)
3) YUI (Again, It's all too much)
4) Ayumi Hamasaki (You were... , Sunrise ~Love is all~)
5) Muse (Uprising, Undisclosed Desires)
6) Bugy Craxone (Come on, Cheeseburgers Diary)
7) chatmonchy (Last Love Letter, Kaze Fukeba Koi)
8) Do as Infinity (Umereyuku Monotachi e)
9) Lady Gaga (Bad Romance, Poker Face)
10) Michael Jackson (need I say more?)

Top 10 Things that affected me in a big way

1) ORD LO!
2) Interning @ Alpha Biofuels
3) Starting school once again
4) Staying in hall
5) QUIS
6) Hardwarezone
7) Turning 21 (not much of a big deal, but well, just to fill in the spaces...)
8) Economic recovery
9) Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood
10) I can't think of a last one... Oh wait, does losing Ronaldo and Tevez count?

Goodbye 2009!

Pre-Exam post

Exactly 1 week to the start of the exams...
First paper - Economics. *panic*

Since I'll be spending most of next week locked up in my room (ok, maybe not locked, if I suddenly drop dead from over-mugging no one would find me until its too late), I figured I'll post pics of the small space that'll hopefully help me get through the exam period.

^View from the door.............................................. ^The workspace.



^Supplies, survival kit and rations....................... ^Objects for mental torture



^My only source of entertainment..................... ^The heart of my setup. Note the wiry mess.



^My source of audio gratification (X-Mini 2!)....... ^How I like my speaker positioned....



^...so that the music is amplified here! It really works :D Thanks to the table being made of wood the sound resonates well. The bass and mids are also projected upwards since I flipped the X-mini, resulting in much clearer bass compared to the normal upright position.

And for visual relaxation...



Wallpaper from the romance-drama animated movie 5 Centimeters Per Second.

Ok that's about it. Exams? Chiong ah!

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Remember my attempt at modding my Coolermaster NotePal A1 laptop cooling pad? Just a little revamp...



^The exhaust fans................................................ ^View from the back, in action!



^The underbelly of the beast................................ ^Monster fans come to life!

Last geek post before the exams!

*chirp*

It took me this long to realise the advantage Twitter/Facebook status updates have over blogs.

When you're tired, have really got nothing to write, lacking in ideas/inspiration, or simply lazy to craft out a long blog post, short status updates are a godsend.

On the other hand, if I were to post "I am feeling SHINGZ" or stuff like that on my blog, I dare say you readers would rather go watch another Ris Low video.

Anyway!

Update on my rapidly deteriorating life.

1) This morning, for the very first time, I got out of bed, washed up, brewed a mug of Milo, and STUDIED. First thing in the morning. And no, its got nothing to do with the "mug" of Milo.

2) I'm rewatching Inuyasha, ever since news about a final season was released

3) I'm re-playing Starcraft: Brood War. The entire, kickass campaign. When I should be mugging.

4) I've run out of words to type.

Deteriorating is the correct word to use, no?

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I'm having a stiff right shoulder now from sending too many Zerglings to their bloody doomZ.

lai liao...

time goes by... so quickly.

Its already week 9, which means the exams just loom over the horizon in another 5 weeks' time.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Damn.

And I'm still in a relative state of "relaxation", i.e no bouts of panic-mugging. Yet. I can't imagine how it was back in JC, where studying was like the top activity voted by students. I think I'd be buried in a pile of notes and past year papers by now.

As I formulate this blog post, I'm already getting ready to pick up my Computing notes and start reading, as soon as I'm done. *sigh*

Screw mugging.

Anyway, Tuesday was Hall 6's Mid Autumn Festival.

Pause.

Wasn't Mooncake festival a couple of weeks ago?

Strange choice of dates aside, it was a pretty fun event, even though the moon was barely visible (it was crescent already). The Hall 6 jam band, Roku Band (nice name! roku incidentally means "6" in Japanese) played a couple of English and Mandarin songs - 21 Guns, Supermassive Black Hole, Wu Le Bu Zuo (Cape no. 7 theme song) and of course, One Night in Beijing. I was kinda worried that I'd screw up since it was my first time playing solos on stage, but luckily everything went rather smoothly. Everyone gelled pretty well, despite having only 2 practices the week before.

Following that was a singing competition, a standard dress-up-the-guys-by-removing-their-tops costume contest and a couple of games. Even our hall fellow, a prof, was dancing along to the music with his kid in his arms. Now that's one happening prof. Contrary to the event, there wasn't a mooncake in sight; there WAS a faux moon hanging in the concourse though, which looked rather like a yolk XD

After all that, it was back to sian.

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When was the last time you watched a funny Youtube video? A few minutes ago? And by any chance was it from a link posted by a friend on Facebook?

I probably guessed right =)
Facebook = Viral videos.

boomz.

Best of QUIS 2007-2009

Sent David off to London at the airport this morning.

+1 to the pool of friends studying overseas.

A little trip down memory lane, now that one of the old birds of QUIS has flown the coop, if you don't mind the pun :P

If QUIS were to have a history, this was probably it (abridged version).

First time we met was probably in an old run-down jamming studio in a little corner of Potong Pasir called Boon's. Can't remember the reason why, but we were supposed to do a little band performance for VJCO's camp cum mini-concert. That was way back in 2007 I think. Coincidentally we (sean, wes and me) were in need of a bassist, so Wesley intro-ed his BSLC bunkmate David. Thus the foundations were put in place.

We played Broadway, Sunday Morning and Xing Qing (and some others which I forgot).

That was it for a couple of months aside from occasional jam sessions until March/April 2008.

I spotted an ad for the Singapore Street Festival calling for Jrock bands to participate. Being fans of Japanese music we joined immediately. Then we needed a vocalist who could do Japanese songs so Sean intro-ed Sam, his BMT bunkmate (amazing how army can actually be a good thing). And thus, QUIS was born. As for the name, ask Wesley *snicker*.

We played for the SSF Jrock event at Suntec (songs like Rewrite, Alones and Stay Away), as well as joined the band competition. Sadly we didn't win, but managed to get to the final top 5.

For ol' times' sake, Alones and Driver's High

Next was the big stage (I wasn't around, in India hearing Booms~) Anime Festival Asia 08 @ Suntec Convention hall. From the videos I think it was pretty darn good =)

Driver's High AFA

After I came back it was crunchtime. We did Project Breakout vol.2, a Jrock concert held at Potong Pasir CC. I must say it was a very good experience, really got exposed to all the people involved in the local Jrock scene. That was where we met our "nanny" Audrey XD

Remember the flashing lights? The World

Next was a charity event W.E.A.R concert @ SMU, followed by our biggest gig so far - a full set at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre, 26th December. I still remember everything clearly, the huge stage, the equipment, the wonderful acoustics.



and Rewrite

Sam, you really should read the comments for Rewrite =D

That was it for 2008. Then 2009 came, and with it more gigs. We started off playing for NTU's Surf N Sweat @ Sentosa

The Medley (I still laugh whenever the Ji Pa Ban starts playing)

Followed by O'Avenue @ The Central - Storm

Then SSF DJ Party '09, minus the band competition.

Daybreak's Bell

Last but not least, we played at Shine Mascot Parade '09. Nobody nobody but chiu~!

Nobody minus David though, he was in Alaska with the polar bears =D

Its amazing really, how a bunch of people with the smallest of links to each other, can come together, bonded by a common love of music, and become close friends.

And so a chapter in the history of QUIS has closed, but a new one will start. Next up - AFA 09! Gambatte~!

Hope that brought a smile to your faces =)

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All the best in the land of Fish 'n' Chips my friend. Gonna miss the lame jokes, the cockness, the imba bass playing and of course your very useful van! HAHA just joking.

See you soon on MSN/Facebook :D

have you seen my childhood?

Since today's been a pretty free day, I stumbled upon this nostalgia thread in HWZ and spent the entire afternoon going through the 100+ and counting pages. Makes me relive my memories of Primary school, the toys and games I used to play, the TV shows I used to watch, the food I used to eat and places I used to go.

I know at my age there probably isn't much to reminisce about (have you had your mum/dad start talking about their younger days? Once they start its hard to stop), but still, reading those posts and seeing familiar pictures stir up some pretty warm feelings in the heart. At the same time, you start to feel sad that it all seemed so long ago, and you'll probably never get another chance to experience what you went through all those years ago.

Shall I start invoking those emotions with some pictures? Those born around 1988 will know and recognise most of these :D

All were taken from this thread: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=2279403&page=1, credits to those who uploaded




note the animal chess! :))





^I still have my own collection!!

many hours spent @ the library :D





^i actually managed to get a couple of those.. Entomologist, botanist and mathematician if i'm not wrong XD







Ok sorry for the mountain of memories you just went through :P.

What's your childhood?