Sunday, September 7, 2003 :.

Damn. This is just no good.

Wales sat back in the second half like they did against Serbia and got the hell thrashed out of them.

The first three-quarters of the first half was good; Wales took the game to Italy. All the while I was wondering how their stamina could keep up, for they were running and running and running. So when Wales' attack was reduced from scintillating sparks to a lethargic trickles in the last quarter of the first half, I had this "Oh shit" feeling welling up.

I was none too surprised, therefore, when Inzaghi scored.
Um, of course I was utterly disappointed. But 4 goals I didn't expect. Kind of freaked me out. Truth is Italy was individually brilliant, and that, on top of the streak of good form they have been embarking on recently, equals Italy being able to preserve their energy more for the 2nd half (I can see they don't have to fight as hard as Wales to get the ball).
Not to mention that the majority of San Siro was behind them. *nod nod*

*sweat* When did I become a football analyst?

Anyhow, here's wishing them good luck against Finland on Wednesday.

s.C. reloaded at 05:20 p.m.

Saturday, September 6, 2003 :.

Class sweater design. Mweheheh.

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:.

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Wednesday, September 3, 2003 :.

Ack! My eyes! @_@

Converted to higher resolution - for the first time on my computer - for some screen capture purposes. Turns out that LCD monitor and 1024x768 resolution are literally a blinding combination.

...there is actually such a thing as too clear.
Scrambled immediately to revert back after the screen capture.

Now, is it me, or are the words on the monitor w o o o o z y ?

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Tuesday, September 2, 2003 :.

She who misread "crop formation" as "crap information"....
this is what she has to say today...

Why is it that after a long blast of (car)horn ("BEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"), most people would follow up - either audibily, or in their hearts - with a "BOOM!" of their own? One suspects that it is a natural propensity for humans to gain sadistic satisfaction in acertaining their prediction of carcrashes upon hearing the common preceding signals to such accidents. (Whew, long sentence) Namely, the prolonged sounding of the horn.

Either that, or it is a Pavlov's reflex response, conditioned after years of watching the evil that is television.

An even simpler explanation for men (my case in point) who react like this:
They have not yet outgrown their sweet days of toy cars (READ: Hotwheels! Look, you bang 'em this way and that, crash 'em over the loop like this, and, like, that's cool) So every blare of a horn should only sound right if accompanied by a "screeeeeech! Bang! BOOM!". I guess.

Human behaviours are funny. As in weird.

Now imagine the common scene of people crowding around the train gates.
What is their purpose of trying to crowd out the exit/entrance area? So that when the gates open, they can supposedly flow in quickly before the doors shut again. Now the funny part is, there are people trying to alight the train. So these two streams of people fight against each other's currents to try to get to the other side of the gates.

Common sense says, if there are passengers literally pushing to get the hell out, what are the odds that you are boarding the train quicker now, than if you wait out the alighting flock first, then board a few seconds later? Oh yes, the amusing part is that people are actually comforted by the false sense of efficiency. Heeheehee. Not very funny, sure, but it does have comical overtones when you stand back and watch the Shoving Show, before strolling through the train doors to board after the show is done.

Human actions are sure funny to observe.

Ah, but I'm a SUPER SEA CUCUMBER!; I'm not counted.

Urgh. My most major bruise, courtesy of Sunday, is an amazing 11cm x 5cm patch of light dull violet. Luckily I had it rubbed, 'else it would be a lot worse. Not that it feels great now - sometimes even the act of walking triggers a sharp sting -_-.

And I think I forgot to mention about clashing heads with an opposition player big time that day. There's still a sore spot now. *remembers foreboding of self-predicted mode-of-death* o_O

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Monday, September 1, 2003 :.

President's Challenge 2003 - Soccermania

We were signed up for street soccer instead of 6-a-side. Here goes nothing...

Aspiring-infographic-journalist(not really) s.C.: So we got thrashed in the first game...
But then things started to roll

Yep, we got thrashed in the Final by the very first team we played - Teck Ghee CSC - to gain a runner's-up place. Congrats, Teck Ghee!

SUGOI! TERRIFIC! Tai Bang Le! Mou Duc Deng! Fantástico!

It's the runners-up place that's so... beautiful. I'm really proud of ourselves. I mean, we played teams that had their coaches by their sides, but still, we hacked a path to the finals! Did we expect that? No.

It was just so cool. Anyway, in the second game, when I played the first half (we rotate our players. A lot.), I think the first real touch I had was a blast from the opposition. You know when somebody shapes up to shoot, you had better block with your back. But I didn't (mycoughreactiontimeahemprovestooslowformetoturn), and got the ball full in the ribs. x_X *dies*
Really, felt as if I had fractured ribs, internal injury, heart attack combined, and that I would cough up blood and die on the spot ^_^.
I bent in a resting position for a few seconds and found that I could survive after all ^_^ ^_^.

For the next few moments and the next few games, I was really satisfied with my play. One thing though: I was coughing my energy away throughout the tournament (I am kind of sick), and I played the Final mostly walking. I mean, the team played as if they had one less player, now that I think of it. Oops, sorry ^^;;.

Then since we had 2nd, we get a trophy, right? What better than to get it from the President himself. That was when my digital camera decided to die on me - no battery -_-. Whaaaat?? Let's hope my friend has some shots...
Well, yeah, if you see the girl in Roma jersey with Diadora boots on stage (who knew "no sandals allowed"??), and generally making a minor fool of herself by not receiving the medals package from the President fast enough, that's... not me. Well it is, actually. *grins sheepishly and hangs head*

See? You don't need to get a President's Scholarship first in order to shake hands with His Excellency ^^. <- hmm where did I learn this phrase?

-----
Edit:
Mm. I forgot to mention why I was so satisfied with my game.
One word: Captain Tsubasa

cumbs: That's 2 words, you fool!
*splat*

*wipes offending remants of cumbs away*

Yes! Not that I'm what or what[1], but some of the plays I made or score is reminiscent of some scenes in the Captain Tsubasa manga. *squeals*

[1] language in Singlish; you do not need to understand the phrase, really.

And I got more than just trophies and medals from the game... there shalt appear 3 glorious bruises in no day's time. Cheers.

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Saturday, August 30, 2003 :.

The trip to Kino today saw me going "wow" over the "Kazuya Minekura Promotion" at one display shelf. It actually wasn't that much of a "promotion", considering the feature spans all of one-fifth of that shelf, and the exhibition simply meant displaying Minekura's works past and present together as well as other publications that has to do with Saiyuki.

But ultimately, the cause of my exclamation was the sight of the Saiyuki Novels - all 3 of them. Been hearing of them, been reading of them, but never really got around to see them personally. So it was with fascination that I picked up the books and flipped through the pages. There were illustrations - specially for the context of the novels (in other words, pictures I've not seen before) - which were the sketchy yet pretty type. Think the illustrations at the end of Saiyuki Reload #2 - the prelude (??) section to the future arcs to come. Yep ^^.

Well anyway, the mystery here is: why is the novel easier to read than the manga itself? -_-
And you thought manga are brainless stuffs bereft of vocabulary. Come to think of it, Saiyuki is the hardest strip to read/translate in Zero Sum, for me anyway. Wonder why.

The danger for me of going to Kino is the sudden want and urge that arise to buy every single stuff I find interesting. Every time I'm there, I'll either be oogling at an artbook, or be tempted to buy this or that Jap manga. Was therefore fighting the urge to pluck Bus Gamer - The Pilot Edition off the shelves and join the queue at the cashier. Or Meitantei Conan #42. Or Black Cat #1 (eheheh ^^;;;). And with each visit to Kino, the more build-up my desire to buy some Copic markers will become.
Urrrrrrgghh muuuussst... reeeessisst...

So what meant to be a 10a.m.- 2p.m. lounge in Kino turned out to be an affair dragged from 12p.m. to 6p.m. -_-|||
s.C., the girl with negligible amount of discipline
My excuse is that the number of new things to browse today is a lot more than I had expected.

And another thing: M.A.G.E. has honestly improved by miles. I enjoyed the issue today.
Plus: it is holding a drawing/gallery contest, theme being Saiyuki, and its prize? 10 Kougaiji posters to be given out. You know, that angled shot of (brainwashed?) Kou and bandages and the sky... that blue-hued picture. To be given off as prizes. Uwaaaaaa should I draw should I draw should I???

*goes off to bed pondering (amidst the racket of thunderstorms and howling wind)*

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:.

August ZS Serialization, in case you want to see it

I should be relieved I am not born one year later. Very relieved.

Disregarding the deal about the next batch having to take Design Experiments from next year onwards, disregarding the fact that PW would be a more-than-official subject by then, and also disregarding the notion that my bunch of friends would otherwise be different (ok I'm babbling here), I am SO grateful I have already graduated from secondary school.

Because, horrors of Small-handwriting Alliances' horror, my English teacher has actually devised a way to... reform... the cult of said Alliance of their horrendously Small Handwriting. (I am proud to be an alumni of this non-existent cult)

By writing lines. Ooh, child abuse!

Not exactly lines of sentences, but lines bringing back nostalgic reminiscences of primary school-hood: writing rows of alphabets - BIG.
Whew. *snigger at unfortunate student* Am I lucky to have graduated just in time.

Despite what I've just said (and maybe connotated), Mrs Seah is still the best English teacher I've ever had *muahaha*.

Due to the (haywired) essence of word associativity (of my aberrent mind), I've always confused Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince with Antoine De Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince.

By the time you've finished remarking how ignorant I am (thank you kyahahaha ^^v), I would like to say that I sifted through the children's section of the library today and read the book in a little more than an hour.

At some point, I felt as if I were reading Sophie's World - the content was suggestively interspersed with provoking questions. (No "such as" here - it will take too long to list them out o_O) On its own, The Little Prince merged childish repetition with contemplative philosophies, but that's only my opinion. It's like artistic films - younger audience would be riveted by the aesthetic value and the physical content brought out as the obvious; more mature audience would admire in awe the deeper meaning between the lines, the frames, the characters, and the content as a more intangible whole.
Also, there are sweet subtle changes in the points of view, which made for an intriguing read, for you wonder how such literature can be so easily weaved into a supposed children's story.

Or maybe I just read too much into it.

Goodness look at the time look at the time the time the time time time...
As I was saying, I can easily fit into the USA timezone now. Heck, my internal clock probably is tuned to such a timezone.
Grr.

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Thursday, August 28, 2003 :.

Euuraagh. Yet another Late Night Entry.
I'm trying to ease myself back into updating regularly again, but these weird hours are not helping at all.
In fact, recent times have inspired me into wanting to do a layout - a greyish, detached kind of layout - that reflects how I feel about not spending enough time online (by my standards, anyway).

This is going to be literally the long weekend, so I've made up my mind to *gasp* go marching to WRL again to do work tomorrow. Say, from 12pm -- 9pm? @_@
Anyway this Saturday I'm going for another football competition at Padang, so I'm hoping I can get my work finished by tomorrow, so I can start anew next week without being behind in my work. Which will call for a celebration. And which will also allow me freedom to do whatever I want *beams*. Which also screams for a celebration. *continues dreaming*

And oh, tomorrow we will be doing... A.C.E.S. (!!!)! Note that we are not the "children" stated in the "C" of the acronym anymore~ so why are we doing it? *shudders*

Bought H2 #24 a few weeks ago, bought Detective Conan #41 today (argh the manga is so far behind what I've already seen from the Jap serialization. I'm impatient for more.). Was going to buy ZS tomorrow, but, *glances at resolution above* decide to go Taka on Saturday instead ^^.

When I talk to you next time, Stormy, be prepared for a persistent s.C. who is convinced you had a good time at whatever observatory you were assumed to be at, and who would be bugging you about it. ^^v
The school below my house held an observatory session my gosh. It's in the news. I'm envious.

I only had to reread the wishes/comments I wrote for various teachers' T.Day card to know that I am becoming lamer/crappier. Sad really.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2003 :.

Coincidence at its most surprising best, if there ever was one:

Yesterday I had this strange motivation to read this week's issue of TIME, and I subsequently read that article "Street Survivors" about local director Royston Tan and his film: 15.

My action of actually flipping through TIME was rare enough; today, who should be the guest speaker for our Civics period, but Mr Royston Tan himself. ("W00t?! This coincidental??") It was just as well, for I could explain in fits of suppressed excitement to some classmates who he is, and whose name my short-term memory would have otherwise forgotten if not for TIME. And then... he surprised me again when he appeared more soft-spokened than his spiked hair and rugged looks suggested.

If you can remember, I mentioned about 3 months ago that I watched his film "The Gangster's Regret" (shorter version of 15) and loved it. Because it is simply brilliant.

Today, we got to watch another 4 of his short films, and they absolutely took my breath away. I was drawn to the abstractness and symbolism of what short artistic films tend to portray. No, make that "I have been drawn to... since...". I remember that I used to think up poignant scenes when I lay in bed at night, and interestingly, in camera angles. In other words, I like to make up a sweet little short film in my head - perfecting the style of cutting and judging the placement of cameras - before I sleep every night. (Used to. Now I just drop dead whenever I touch bed.)

But the point is, I realized that such films are a refreshing change from the usual blockbuster movies, which I rarely watch anyway. I love the imbedded meanings that are ever so subtlely integrated into that very frame and object of that scene. And I love the endings. Endings in artistic films are usually works of genius, whether in the comical sense, or by shattering your sense of security and comfort as the audience. Tan's 4 films did not disappoint. All left similar marks of melancholy at the end, and I was very, very impressed. Especially when most of them are based on real life events and people.

The deal with these type of films, compared to movies for the masses, is the intelligence that is put into the effort of production. No romantic chick flick, no egoistic car chases, only comtemplative material - just the way I like it.

Also, creations of this kind are subjected to different interpretations depending on age. I wonder, if I had been watching this, say, four years back, would I still experience the same compassion for that person/narrator/perpetuator/victim? I doubt so. It is wonderfully flexible this way - children can enjoy the aesthetic value, while adults can recognise bits of personal reflection of the self in those films, thereby making a conscious self-check in the process.

I'm sorta gushing about abstract movies and Royston Tan in the above paras, but if it didn't come off well, it is because I'm in another sleep-induced state. Type one sentence. Nod off. Check a sentence. Nod off. You know.

Woah~~ I ate /2/ bars of chocolate today - more than I would ever eat in one lifetime, possibly. But I couldn't resist since somebody gave them to me yesterday. Chunky Caramel Kit Kat. XXX XX XXX Milk Bar (sorry, I eat, not advertise ^^). During break. Yum. Didn't hamper me one instance that I am currently having a cold, a cough, and an impending sore throat. Pray for me...

Integration test tomorrow. I would say I am confident, but given how my "confidence" in recent tests has proved not to be equal to "more marks", I suspect this time around it is all but another facade. And this time it is _the_ FM paper, not simply the Maths equivalent.

Interesting thing that happened:
I was walking home from a softball clinic for CCK Sec, and was passing by the basketball court when I noticed 2 girls got their basketball stuck between the rims and the board. I walked along, eyeing - in quiet amusement - their attempts to hit it off the jammed position with a badminton racket.
I continued walking, not yet past them, trying to see whether they could get help or not. So by the time I reached the end of the court, I jumped up the elevated court and grinned to them, "Would you like my help?", displaying my trusty softball.
They were the cheerful type of people, and we had no problems laughing at ourselves when one of them got the badminton racket stuck up there as well. XDXDXD My aim was quite terrible, so it was a while before I got the ball and the racket down. No matter ^^, it was a fun experience.

It might be of interest for you to know that I took exactly 2 hours to type this entry.
I can't stand it. I NEED to go to bed now before my head crash onto the keyboard this time.

s.C. reloaded at 11:43 p.m.

Monday, August 25, 2003 :.

MAD photos

Yup. The photos.

(Accompanying entry to follow)

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Friday, August 22, 2003 :.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHINGYIN! XDXDXD *gives intangible present* (oops ^^;;)

Woah.
So much has happened since Sunday (last time I blogged) I'm suspecting I don't have the will to blog them all out. Geez. Lazy person that I am, yeah.

But first, to clear that cryptic message about the deal with head concussions and I, *shifts* I had been banging my head so frequently (at least more often than normal people...) that something has to be scrambled in there somewhere.

To get this over with:
Just barely 2 weeks after I slipped and major-wrecked my brains on that moss-like kitchen floor, I did it once again. *applause*
This time, I noticed the wet floor just a tad too late, and made the wrong decision to try and brake - when the act of continuing running on (er, yes, I was running from the living room to the kitchen) would have carried me across the the slippery floor rather safely. Instead, I tried to stop at the edge of the wet area and of course, my foot caught all but nothing, with which the mechanism called 'slipping' occurred. With a "damn!", I cursed my momentum when I knew I was going down again.
This happened faster than the previous time though, so I had less/no time to react to try and cushion myself.

The result? A resounding head-over-heels that virtually cracked my head. I had sat up immediately after the fall, but taking note of my common sense that told me not to sit up immediately in case of ???, I lay back on the floor again, hoping to hell my mother didn't hear the commotion (um, not really - I didn't scream, nothing was pulled down with me either) and come running.

I lay there writhing for about a minute, doing what my common sense told me (which was? -_-) and generally feeling silly thinking about how an unconventional head injury would kill me one fine day. Just a few days ago, my head crashed against the rim of the bus window because I had fallen into a deep sleep. Not that this was happening for the first time, no.
So, yes, that is how I come to predict my mode of demise. Eheheh.

As expected, I can't even finish one-fifth of what I wanted to blog about. So, I'll leave it for *ahem* next time ^^.

I'm playing soccer matches on Sunday by the way. Come watch me!
...which is a rather stupid thing to say, considering I don't even know the exact venue of the competition myself. Even so, nobody'll come to watch anyway ^^ I know you guys far are too busy/lazy ^^.

s.C. reloaded at 11:49 p.m.

Tuesday, August 19, 2003 :.

I can't help but add another entry...

Hey yo! Thanks for linking ^^
Hey yo! Thanks for linking ^^
Hey yo! yo! yo!!
Hey yo! Thanks for linking ^^ ...@_@ not.

But anyway, the news for Saiyuki Reload anime in Japan. Oh the jealousy...

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Sunday, August 17, 2003 :.

These past few days in a nutshell before s.C. actually decides to blog about them sometime later/next week.

1. Have come to the conclusion that yours truly will someday die of head concussion.
2. Hey! Veron, Steph (discovered I have seen your Hakkai site before ^^), Rosie, boyfriend Amanda -- woah, you guys really M.A.D. to my day! (I actually forgot to worry about my tutorials... till now. Hm, will link you guys later.) ("Thanks for making a difference. Have a nice day." *grinz grinz* XDXD)
3. A few freakin' minutes makes a hell lot of difference when it comes to the fickle clouds and moon. (and Mars)
4. 20 AUGUST! Serbia & Montenegro v.s. WALES!!! Ganbatte!

Someday, you may just understand what I'm rambling about here. Or not.

s.C. reloaded at 11:04 p.m.

Wednesday, August 13, 2003 :.

Thanks for staying tuned.

For I, as expected, have decided to temporarily break the proposed silence because this is definitely worth the while:

Just a few weeks after discovering that my father's sister's husband (uncle) was an illegal immigrant (when he was a child) from China to HK to seek a life, I learnt yesterday that my father's brother's wife (aunt) had also come to HK without... official approval... from China as well.

Fascinating. Now I'm pondering whether my father's wife (mum) could also be an illegal immigrant, as she was also from China. Interesting family history.

The conversation in the seafood restaurant revolves largely around our family and the 3rd generation (us). Man, they're like already planning our future or something.

But I found out that I'm not the only optimist of the family; my cousin of the same age is (said to be) also highly carefree and high-spirited. But I'm sure she's having it better Down Under, where the educational system is definitely less hectic than the one over here.

And, um. Oh shucks. Amidst the, um, joy of the reunion, I ate shark's fin before I realized it.

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Tuesday, August 12, 2003 :.

My relatives' coming over is eating up my time.

Mind you, I'm not bitter, but I'm not too elated either.

Therefore, with this reason, along with the urge to finish up my tutorials + studying, I have concluded that there would be no more computer for me except for PW purposes until, let's say, till who-knows-when.

That's what I say, but what would I do? Stay tuned.
Now I'm off to East Coast for seafood right after I got back home. Along with shefts of tutorials hidden in the folds and pockets of my bag...

s.C. reloaded at 06:43 p.m.

Monday, August 11, 2003 :.

Kyahaha. Seems like our class sweater may somehow include the chibi silhouettes of Four Certain Bishounens. Wowee.

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Sunday, August 10, 2003 :.

Behold. The Great Invention that is the mini stapler.

It is cheap - a packet of bullets are only so expensive.
It can fit into a pencilbox - 6cm x 2cm.
It can decorate - an ornamental piece of crocodile-head look-alike.
It can be thrown - a graceful projectile at someone's unfortunate head.
It can threaten - a deadly device to kiap someone's offguard finger.
It can betray - to kiap my finger.

Ouch.

Oh, of course, it can inexplicably staple stuffs together to work miracles for chaotic people like me. Tah-dah.

Ah. The wonders of modern technologies.

What a fucking brillant leson on the proper use of Englsh. Let's say it proudly, altogether now: F...
...antastic!

I seem to have a lot of things to write about today, so I'll cut it short.

INFORMING ALL AND SUNDRY:::
I have a digital camera! Courtesy of Uncle and Aunt all the way from HK/Australia.
I have an angbao! Courtesy of Grandma all the way from HK.

Our relatives seem to be strewn all over the world map. That goes for my own family as well.

An angbao which is so characteristically thick that I am almost afraid to open it. Because Mum-Alert will take notice (even though she's at work right now) and off to the bank it will go. ("At least lemme keep some of it~~")
But how can you keep some when the amount isn't even in small change? Ah well.

As for the digital camera, WOOHOO! I can take all the rainbowy sunsets I want. ^^ (Tonight's a near full moon I think. Still waxing.)

Now I'm off to eat out with my flown-in relatives. Hopefully I'll be back in time to catch the Charity Community Shield pitting Arsenal against Manchester United.
But honestly, after all the (lack of) hype around (especially)Arsenal and Man Utd, it doesn't seem as interesting an event as it would a season ago. Maybe Chelsea against United. Now that would be good.

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:.

We are a rainbow of a thousand colours
Lighting up the sky

Fantastic NDP this year. ^^

Especially the marching parade itself, which never fails to perk me up. (I'm not the only one, am I?)

But is it just me, or has the fireworks display seen better days over the years? Not that it has faltered by a lot, but somewhere in my memory, I recall experiencing much more magnificent spectacles than those in recent years + this year.

Nevermind. Happy day! (And tomorrow my uncle is flying over here from Hong Kong ^^ ...my...homework...? What's that? -_-)

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Saturday, August 9, 2003 :.

Metropolis

I've been on an animated-movie fest this week - I watched Metropolis (based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka) and Finding Nemo.

If I didn't know better, I would have sworn I was watching a sub-story of Animatrix. That is how the plot goes. Of robots and anti-robots humans, and the resulting carnage of it all - centred around one "superhuman"/robot, Tima.

I really suck at reviews, so I'm not going to try doing one. But Metropolis is really a state of the art, what with its traditional Jap animation fused with CG. Even though it was dubbed in English, I was fascinated.

And when Ray Charles' "I Can't Stop Loving You" began playing into the destruction scene, the grandeur of it all was movingly brought out. It just... accentuated the "classic" feeling, um, don't exactly know how to say it. But really, armed with just a simplistic plot and characters, the movie nevertheless left An Impression in me (which is rare with movies).

It is too bad that the trailer spoilt the ending slightly, and I didn't feel the full force of the whelming rush of melancholy, which I knew I was supposed to experience.

Tima was pretty. ^^

Finding Nemo

OneFour words: Breath-taking details and animation.

Yes, yes. For animated stuffs I usually and mostly only watch out for the beautifulness of it all. Both Metropolis and Finding Nemo pass with flying colours (I shan't mention something about a pun here...).

s.C. reloaded at 11:19 p.m.

:.

I reread some of my blog entries from The Age Of EasyJournal. And found that my writing style in many of them were lovely.
Now, how did I degenerate to this???

Mum brought home something. It is one of those wooden model ships - unerected. Nice - a 3D jigsaw.

Without instructions. -_-

I suspect she might have picked it up from a rubbish dump. But still, I'm happy.

s.C. reloaded at 12:46 a.m.

Friday, August 8, 2003 :.

The streets were a sea of red this afternoon.

It was as if every school in the country had urged its students to wear red today, and I was stunned by the resulting redness in the vicinity of Causeway Point.

Or maybe this happens every year, just that I'm too cooped up in my house to notice... -_-;; Or maybe because they have on sale those "I Love" National Day T-shirts this year. You can spot one in every moment of your peripheral vision. Now that I think of it, that maroon "Once a Saint, Always a Saint" T-shirt seems very practical for this occasion ^^...

I've refound the joy of learning.
I realized that I'm genuinely less interested in topics bound by the syllabus and am very eager to learn more about other better things in life. I guess you do feel more excited and motivated knowing that you are reading about things that some other people may not even bother to know of.

As I was searching for books on the communications of the mass media, and mass media in general, I found I was fascinated by the politics and other driving forces behind it all. (There was also this book on true media study, like how you would pan a camera and so on. In the same book, I learned that "Gattaca" was actually a permutation of A,T,C,G those are the DNA jargons of adenine?thynine?ack! I've forgotten everything!. Gosh, I've never thought of it that way. Felt enlightened.)
At the end of the day, I sacrificed 2 of the books I brought along by returning them so that I can borrow 3 books on the media. 2 of them for PW, and one of them for actual self interest. ("Bias" by Bernard Goldberg) Woah, am I surprised at myself or what. But honestly, I noticed I have been reading more non-fictions than ever, when the floodgates opened last year with "Odd Girls Out" by Rachel Simmons and random picks of science and astronomy books. Am I supposed to be proud of myself?

And just to emphasise on my knack of "learning outside the classroom... but not in it", I flipped an organic chemistry reference book and was actually interested in the stuff. I suspect I'm just not adapted to lecture-learning. In fact, I am highly certain I'm a classroom-learner; we copy notes during lectures, and contrary to popular belief, this female mind cannot multitask and therefore, is left in the cold (mmm, literally. Gonna sue the air-con someday.) while at lecture. But I can just about understand the topic when I get home to reread the notes without the interference of an irritating (lecturer's) voice. In other words, I absolutely cannot absorb any information during lecture, which induces me into sleep-mode most of the time, and self-learning within limited time can only help /that/ much.
Jeez, how do you guys do it (actually learn something during lecture)??

s.C. reloaded at 11:06 p.m.

Thursday, August 7, 2003 :.

Wheeeee. I so wish I have a scanner.

I was bored enough to start drawing that picture I had in mind several entries ago. But since I don't like drawing non-original characters, Ken'yuu was unconsciously altered into an older guy with *kind of* different hairstyle, but with the same sleezy sneer, the same taunting look in his eyes, and the same, um, crow feathers.

The crow feathers (drawn 2 of them so far) were a success.
Really! You should look at them! Got staaaaandard! But first, donate a scanner to me ^^.

----
I am really thinking of digging up my secondary school maths and see if I can do those. At present, I feel as if I can't even do simple sums. I want to check whether my maths skills have drastically dropped, or that I am truly not-too-good in FMaths even Maths 9233...

s.C. reloaded at 05:31 p.m.

Tuesday, August 5, 2003 :.

If you are reading this...

I need you to realize that, for any of the time you feel that I am absolutely cold towards you, it is only because this is the person I am. Please do not be over-sensitive and come to the conclusion that I treat you differently from others, or even worse, that I hate you.

If you knew me better, it would come to light that I am rather laconic, so when I ignore you, I am not really ignoring you to the point of me imagining you as non-existent; I am just being myself and sometimes - many a times - I just do not feel like talking.

You are a friend, I assure you. Though not a best friend, you are still a special friend because we like anime, we like soccer, we studied together in the first 3 months, and only you alone out of this whole school can have this unique classmate-bond with me.

Now and then, I sense I have hurt your feelings by declining this or refusing that - the more notable incident(s) being the way I frequently turn down the opportunities of going home with you. I do sense you are quite confused by my actions, including this and others. I have my reasons of doing what I opt to do; the most dominant factor influencing my decisions would most probably have to do with my love of solitude. I need the fresh air and an occasional escape from crowded spaces, which, in my warped opinion, applies as long as two or more people (whom I know; strangers I disregard) are within talking distance.

My good friends would/might know that. So I need you to understand as well, and recognise that even best friends do not always wait for each other specially just to go home together. Give me a bit of space and I will be considerably happier.

Trust me, this is not considered "drifting apart", and neither does "Keep your distance because I loathe you" apply to my reasoning. I do not even try to dislike people. We can just accept each other as we are without nitpicking into emotional details, because it will only hurt one party more. I do not want or need you to change, and I suppose you do not really want me to alter anything in me either.

If you still adamantly believe that I am unintentionally out to wreck your life, well, life is full of challenges after all; you can treat me as one of the numerous irksome ropes constantly wrapping around your ankles. But just do not let it/me bring you down - I truly do not wish to see you go under.

These coming two years are going to make or break mental strengths, and we all require hit points in our happiness-meter to pull through. Yeah, go play football with your friends, play LAN, play games, ...try to enjoy our school-life (personally I am not enjoying it, but I try to). Do not depend 50% of your contentment-quota on me... I can see I am failing you in that area.

There is a lot to life, though this is coming from an optimist. Maybe everything seems bleak now (like what I am also feeling about everything related to studies), but, *sigh* make the most of it (incredibly cliched, I know). Do take care.

s.C. reloaded at 10:15 p.m.

:.

Football training yesterday was fun, because there is no blazing sun, therefore I could actually run and run and enjoy myself (unlike the cramp session last training), and I was playing left midfield for a while ^^v.
Now I'm still happyyyyyyy.

Look at what football can do to my mood. ^^

s.C. reloaded at 11:43 a.m.

Sunday, August 3, 2003 :.

s.C. reloaded at 11:13 p.m.

:.

Wow. I'm full of admiration for this gal.

Ruo Mei has made it to the newspapers again, this time appearing as a sorta headline news for TNP.

When I was on the bus today, I glanced at a man's TNP across the aisle and noticed that there was this rather large picture - a familiar one - of a girl. My first thought was to identify her as Ruo Mei, but wan't so sure and forgot about it after a while.
But I got home and lo! It was her, and the accompanying article can only make me shake my head in wonder.

This gal is gonna make it big - even become a leader - in the country someday.

s.C. reloaded at 08:38 p.m.

Friday, August 1, 2003 :.

Stormy, please do do do do do do do a layout. It'll cheer me up considerably (by laughing myself to death at your aesthetic taste).

s.C. reloaded at 10:09 p.m.

Thursday, July 31, 2003 :.

Something has awakened me to the fact that this world is getting too darn materialistic and too stubbornly practical. Really, whatever happened to hedonic ignorance and childish carefreeness? Once upon a time, they were the simple answer to bliss.

Bliss. It also comes in the form of doing things you enjoy.

What happens when you don't train for weeks/months? Your stamina decreases drastically.
What happens when you eat ice-cream before participating in vigorous activities? And run all the way back to your destination to top it off? You feel certain discomforts. Or you get diarrhoea.
What happens when you don't/forget to do warm-ups before this said activity? You. Get. Cramps.
What happens if all these happened under the searing sun? You get a nice tan. Or a sunburn. Or you barely made it back to the shade alive.

Piece them together, and see whether you get one rather disquieting imagery of s.C. playing soccer, and for the first time in her life, developed cramps while playing sports, and later, couldn't even climb the stairs. Warm-ups are so very important.

Due to a certain concoction of cramp and ice-cream (cookies 'n cream + butterscotch) and the heat and fitness found wanting, I was absolutely upset at the way I performed today, even though it's just a game. Some of the fellow soccer teammates said I was good, but I had higher standards for myself, which warranted a strange sense of disgust even till now.

Let me embrace the judicative society now
To leave my ensconced place in front of the necessary evil
Dragged kicking and screaming
With a splitting grin on my face
...and go do Analysis Tutorial A17

s.C. reloaded at 11:28 p.m.

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 :.

I figured I prefer my fonts small after all.

In other news, I went for the football training session today, or rather, the football playing session, because by the time I finished with some stuff and got there, the girls' training had ended.

But Kristy and I stayed back to do some shooting and ball tricks. Sad to say, my skills have degenerated to a level I'm not exactly proud of. *Sigh* I must admit it /had/ been sometime since my last soccer brush-up. *Sigh sigh*

Tomorrow is a half day for our school. Reasons? Fantastic curriculum achievements, for both academic and co(i.e. the arts, certain sports). Our faculty must have been the happiest of the lot (true, the others were just groaning about the miserly *half*-day) -- we get to miss our maths test that had been scheduled for tomorrow. =D =D =D That is just so brilliant; our chemistry class test is also postponed to next Tuesday for different reasons. ^^v

Ah~ there's another football training session tomorrow. I was taking out my boots just now for some checking, and *SHOOT! What the hell happened to my studs???*

Damn. I had lost /3/ studs. That is the problem with screw-ons. The school field must have been strewned all over with parts of my boots...

I'm really neglecting my studies, but I feel no urge to correct it. I'm currently hooked onto and is involved in many other things... anything but studies. Hell, I've not even told my parents about my test results. I will be doing that tomorrow, I think.

P.S. What's this about not having to take A Levels and going straight through to university? Can someone clarify this? I've not touched newspapers for a few days.

s.C. reloaded at 10:55 p.m.

:.

Some gushing-that-doesn't-sound-like Gushing

You know, sometimes surfing the net with the school's slower connection is way cool.
Because you can see the individual pictures and the layers appear one by one, stacked upon one another, or the genius usage of tables, from which some interesting methods of laying out the page can be discovered.

s.C. reloaded at 03:57 p.m.

Tuesday, July 29, 2003 :.

Just when I thought that I had experienced all of Minekura's expertise with manual CG-ing, that I could encounter nothing more that could elicit joyful squeaks from me, that we had all but seen Genjo Sanzo's past, Minekura sensei amazes yet again.

That was an understatement; she has just simply shot off the KIREI[beautiful]-o-meter (again).

You can actually admire all 3 of this month's coloured pages here again.

But hey, why are we concentrating on the pictures when this episode itself is named "Genjo Sanzo's Chapter" ? Accompanied with the absolutely ahem cough sizzling cough cough picture of a reclined Sanzo, looking thoroughly every bit pretty. Even I, the person with minimal outward expression, could not help but let out a tiny squeal on the bus.

...
Well, I didn't leave much for the _storyline_ itself, did I? I don't think I will translate this episode - it /is/ rather short.
However, this I must mention:

By the way, Kino shifted a few shelves of japanese manga by a shelf or two. Now I can't find the Saiyuki tankoubons in the Jap section -_-.

Watched about half of "Tokyo Babylon" anime today. Was Subaru in there that Subaru in "X"? They sure don't look alike, though he does have his twin sister in the anime. Hm. Should resume watching next week(?).

I actually had dual purpose at Taka today. One was to buy Zero Sum (my copy was the "last" one off the shelf. But I think they will restock. It's only the /29th/ you know).
Another was to buy a birthday present for Astatine, who will be celebrating the occasion tommorrow. *HAPPY BIRTHDAY~*

The problem is that I have absolutely no idea how to shop, much less decide on what to buy. The present is going to be shared between me and "Ryan", who conveniently had stuff on today and cannot accompany me. Not that this person has much experience in shopping either... XD

We decided that we would buy a soft toy, so I stepped across the threshold of Kalm's. And immediately got the @__@ feeling. I have never been in such shops before, and I was overcome with a dreaded dilemma of thisorthat?thisorthat? I seriously don't trust my affinity of soft toys, nor my taste in them. Anyways, I decided on a furry white dog, which I noticed was the last on the shelf (with could mean it *was* a good choice *grinz*).

I found that I ruffled it now and then on my way back to school, as well as on the way back home. Wow. And a few more times at home. It is rather cute, I find. My worst fear now would then be whether it is suited to /her/ taste. (If not, fine, I'll take it home. XD)

Riiiiiiight.
Still contemplating whether to go for the football training tommorrow.

s.C. reloaded at 11:54 p.m.

Tuesday, July 29, 2003 :.

*whistles*

Look at this this this this

Whatever. Take your pick.
I wanted to whoop out in joy but suddenly I remembered my Integration By Substitution Tutorial. Arrrrrgh *slaps forehead*

I won't even bother describing what I had seen in common in those sites; pick it out yourselves *evil grin*.

But at the very least, take a look at the Zero Sum September Cover (first link). Woo.

s.C. reloaded at 12:22 a.m.

Monday, July 28, 2003 :.

The torture of copying lecture examples by the gazillions in freezing LTs should be outlawed.

Aaah. My little finger is frostbitten.

Went to watch Judo finals this afternoon (successfully skipping one FM tutorial and 2 periods of GP), and as expected, I found the action gripping with the rawness of it all. Sometimes lesser-polished skills can be more entertaining than graceful professional ones. It is too bad then, that I was nursing a bout of dizziness which dampened my mood a whole damn lot.

Uwaaaa~~~ Yitian did it again! She threw her opponent in a matter of seconds o_O -- my first personal witnessing of her prowess. Of course, she received the individual 1st award *again*.
*heart*
Congrats congrats ^^ double champs to Judo ^^

Zero Sum is out soon/has already hit the shelves. But before I can buy a copy, I have to conquer a Maths Test (die), and a chemistry *class* test (double die)...
SAIYUKI GAIDEN GIVE ME STRENGTH!!! (But apparently it might not be released in this issue of ZS. Bugger.)

*Glances above* Bugger??? Believe me, I feel more upset than /that/.

Ack. Do I have an unconscious habit of teeth grinding in my sleep? Er, I'm not too sure what this condition is, but I sure woke up on the bus today with aching + wobbly teeth...

s.C. reloaded at 10:34 p.m.

Sunday, July 27, 2003 :.

I love the previous layout a lot, but when I realized I had to archive my page soon, I decided I might as well do a new layout.

...which is currently riddled with bugs. The fonts are too big. One of the icons is missing. The divider + border are gone.

Argh. And I thought I've had it sorted out.

So live with the weird new layout for some time while I figure things out. XP

-----
EDIT:
I am such a *genius*. (with reasons I can only explain to myself ^^)
Now the only problem left is that the <small> tag doesn't work in this column -_-|||

s.C. reloaded at 09:58 p.m.

:.

Watched Spirited Away yesterday night. This morning. Whatever. I've gotta watch my sleeping cycle @__@

It struck me that I actually felt a disquieting spookiness in the opening scenes of the movie; an eeriness that I had never let even the scariest films get into me. What's happening?? I'm actually getting the jitters watching movies? And of all things, by watching *Spirited Away*?? I concluded that it was the subtle details which unsettled me, not the ostentatious showy affairs in the guise of lesser horror flicks. But The Sixth Sense wasn't scary either, and it was a great show...

While I was watching Spirited Away, there were times when I burst out laughing, because... the subtitles were distinctively cantonese. I, the avid subtitle-reader who thinks in cantonese, read the subtitles without problem until it began to get /too/ easy. It was then I realized that the words were moulded into cantonese conversation. From then on, I had fun watching the movie and catching certain subtitles, especially one of which made me chuckle and wonder whether the average Singaporean could have understood _that_.

I don't know what to say about the movie, although it certainly is on the positive side. As with most other movies I watched, the ending left something dangling inside of me - a hollow feeling that the ending didn't especially satisfy. I guess that is why I seldom watch movies.

Now I remember why I got off reading Dean Koontz for some while. My wrists had needed time to recuperate from frequent dictionary-flipping.
I think I need to get next to an online dictionary this time around.

Well, Hong Kong v.s. Liverpool is on right now, and the RealOne Live HK Radio is on full blast in my house courtesy of my dad. I can't do my homework. The commentator is screaming fast-paced cantonese (which is irritating: think horse-racing commenting), and the green flicker of the TV screen is drawing me away from the desk.

...I...am...succumb...ing...

*crackle of TV magnet attracting s.C.*

Hey! Smicer has just scored!

Zip

s.C. reloaded at 03:13 p.m.

Saturday, July 26, 2003 :.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse

Slooosh

"Whew."

My mum narrowly avoided slipping on the floor today.

Thud clatterclatterclatter

*blink blink curse curse*

I didn't.

This morning, the floor in our house felt like it had moss growing on it.
When dry, you felt like you were threading on *something*, like a thin layer of invisible cotton beneath your feet.
When wet (when my mum mopped the kitchen), humans dropped like flies, and I discovered that a supposedly frictionless surface can still gift you with one nasty abrasion on the arm.

Sounds fun to have a personal skating rink in your own premises. But, oh well, my mum has taken the task onto herself to mop the house thoroughly with detergent, and if it doesn't work, she would scrub the floor.

...by the way, the "Tacoma Narrows Collapse" isn't refering to this incident...
If you follow the link above, you can watch videos of the incident, but none of which were as long and spectacular as the one I watched at Physics Lecture yesterday. I can only describe it as surreal.

I am certainly amazed of the fact that I have not heard of this incident before, considering how it had been more than an astonishing event.

One would think that we are desensitized by movie stunts and CGs (er, not that /I/ watch movies as frequently as average teenagers...), but how about a dose of "A Solid Bridge Flapping In The Wind"? It is so intriguing that if I had not seen the video myself, I would never have imagined the extent of the swaying the way that **it did**, no matter how you might have described it to me.

People knowing less (ie. those who assume the bridge was constructed out of concrete) would gape. Like I did (I gaped with an indifferent/amused expression though). Turns out that it was made of some metal(?) covered with talcum(??? I think it was "tar" - I was 95% asleep during lecture) instead of Flexible Concrete.

Oh. What has it got to do with physics?

Oscillation. (Muahaha)
The same sort of bridge-destroying-frequency stuff you heard from the more famous soldiers-marching-in-step-on-the-bridge-which-consequently-collapsed incident. For the Tacoma Narrows bridge, it was the wind which found the same frequency as the bridge.

But it didn't seem to be that easily explained.

Our lecturer added his share of sentiment on this matter [paraphrased badly by me of course]: "...you see that car on the bridge? It was said that the owner abandoned the car and got to film the incident... but he left his dog behind! So the dog plunged to its death..."
Meanwhile, I was thinking: such low center of gravity the car had!

It was such an eye-opener ^^.

s.C. reloaded at 08:28 p.m.