Beethoven's Coriolan Overture. Listened to it for about 6 times already...

chinese new year

This morning, I tried to call the shop in science centre which sells the eclipse glasses... no one picked up the call.

Yesterday, or the day before, or 2 days before, etc, I didn't buy it as I wasn't in the know of the solar eclipse.

Science centre was open, but I wasn't there.

So I missed the partial solar eclipse.

And I'm not sad, because the sky was overcast at the time of the eclipse... a consolation that I mightn't have seen the eclipse even if I had the glasses.

But CNY was great, though the money was less. It was the same routine of visiting paternal->maternal->paternal, eating vegetarian at both sides, preparing for the influx of relatives which fill the house at the maternal side, catching up with relatives who would always ask for our names year after year, and collectively paying respects to our ancestors by bowing at their tablets (maternal side).

I find myself wishing only for happiness and health amongst my relatives... "Prosperity" and "getting what you want" (xiong go yong dak go yong) just don't seem important anymore.

And we played blackjack at the paternal side after a steamboat dinner. Lots of laughter when I did something very stupid and lost the "finals", but it was all in good spirit.

This is the most different chinese new year I've ever experienced.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

The year of the ox, the cow, and the bull. In these auspicious times ahead, the bull will chase away the bear, and hopefully all will be well and good.

Wishing you a happy chinese new year!!

quickie before I sleep

Went stargazing in bishan park for the first time with sis tagging along; stayed for around 45 minutes. The stellarium software predicted the exact coordinates of the stars in altitude/ azimuth; I set it at 12am so that when I reach there, I can measure and identify the stars.

Unfortunately, the weather took a turn and we find ourselves staring at clouds. Managed to find sirius and orion (the easy ones), but by the time the sky cleared, the coordinates were a tad off, giving me an excuse to say, hey, I couldn't identify because it wasn't accurate anymore :)

Still, we tried (in vain) to identify more constellations; I had drawn out orion, monoceros, gemini, Taurus, Auriga, Lepus, Canis minor, cancer and a small not-drawn-to-scale star map. Thought we saw Canis minor and lepus. In the end we gave up and remembered all the stars we actually saw. When we reached home, lo and behold, we have (probably) mistaken the two heads of gemini for the two stars of canis minor, and the rectangle in canis major for the one in lepus. And we discovered that we actually saw auriga, as the curve of stars we memorised turned out to be.

So, new constellations today (drumroll):
1. Orion (ok not so new)
2. (most likely) Gemini
3. Auriga
4. Canis major (with Serius so also not new)

Two downsides: 1. I had to crane my neck to stargaze, and came later to realise that I could lie down, so I now possess an aching neck and dirty clothing. I should find something to lie down on in the future. 2. I had to copy the constellations and their altitude/ azimuth, spending lots of time preparing... I now know that a laptop/notebook could be useful as I can bring it along into the secluded venue. Tsk.

Nevertheless, I experienced myself tremendously, and hope to do this again sometime soon.

madmadmad

Tiring, fatiguing, exhausting... I'm only repeating the same words to reemphasize how long the day was for me.

Attended the GC course, General studies in Chinese and Geographic Information System for electives until 11.30. Played table tennis for almost 2 hours with Huiyao, Shingbo, Leonard, Zewei, Edmund, Brandon, Matthias, Ashish. Brother was there for a short while and we partnered against the people. Very fun.

Wanted to know what dance was about, and spurred on by a hot-headed enthu Leonard (another Leonard) and Shu Jian, we auditioned for modern dance. We had about 20 minutes to prepare a sequence of dance moves which can be applied to many songs, and just did it. Hard to describe the dance moves, but it was hard, full-stop. I was lucky to be performing with people who know the dance moves; we copied each other when we needed help and got through it successfully. The other group was less fortunate; at one point they were all stuck somehow and laughed their way to the end. But it was hilarious and we laughed our heads off, implicitly recognizing the pain and effort those real dancers put in even for a minute of performance.

Had to go for MathSoc meeting (orientation?), so we left halfway. Played the answering questions game, game of buying and selling oranges, and sprouts, a simple game possessing specific strategies to win which evades me completely. Similar to Alchemy club orientation, except that this was more mathy and funny due to the usual loudish behavior of Huiyao and Ivan.

Went for dinner with 3 MathSoc exco guys and teacher-in-charge. Talked quite a lot about the syllabus and JC Math in general. Nicholas, Desmond, Eng Xiang and I made our way to a certain secluded spot and played “psychological modified bridge” (I coin that term), and floating bridge.

Fun fact (wikipedia):

Singaporean bridge is a re-invention of sorts of the traditional game of contract bridge. This version of bridge derives its name from where it is believed to have been invented, Singapore, and just like its traditional predecessor, there are variations in the rules. What is fascinating is that most Singaporeans, predominantly the younger players, are not aware of how contract bridge is played. In other words, they believe this version of bridge to be 'bridge'. It is also known as floating bridge. Possibly the only online server that hosts this version of bridge is Viwawa.

Didn’t know that the common bridge that we play is a unique one.

It was so riveting that I forgot the time, only to find out that I’m already late for piano lessons.

Hurried back home and took the piano lesson.

And here I am, writing about what I’ve done today.

Scare

Statistics don't lie:

GP and Econs only have about 60% of people getting As in As.

In Promos, the percentage of As is dismally low: 1+% 2 years ago and 0.7% last year.

The trend, moreover, is towards a lower percentage obtaining As in each passing year.

A wake-up-and-buck-up call to all J1s this year.

Fortunately, the number of As is not fixed, i.e. you can have as many people getting As as possible, so it's not a zero-sum game. It never is.

I convince myself that I'll work for the A, and resolve to attain more knowledge in current affairs and a birds-eye view of the swirling world of economics.

All of us can do it, even if we're not the "geniuses".

Kiwi Cup 2008—RI VS Saint Andrews

U19 A div final score: 7-5; two tries due to two red cards. Saints winger was sent off because he spitted on Jason (Junchang was shouting, amidst disapproval, “Send the hooligan off!!!”), allowing Marcus some open space to run through as he scores the first try. Then Lennie was sent off because he “attempted to kick someone” as he took a “forward ball” from Alimi. Saints, as usual, tight and predictable in attack and defence. We were superior individually (player-to-player) but were bogged down by an overwhelming desire to score, making many mistakes in the process. “Control” is the name of the game, but we evidently hadn’t grasp that yet, missing many scoring opportunities… I shan’t elaborate further.

Didn’t really watch the other matches, but heard that the over-35s won by a narrow margin and the under-14s lost by quite a bit.

And guys, relax lah. Real game’s already over and there’s no point in blame-games. OK, Jason caught neither the line-up call nor the ball at the dying moments of the game, but so what! Rugby is a team sport, so no one is to be blamed. Work on your weaknesses and get it over with!

clash of the JCs

Noticed this:

On one hand, in "Open House 2009- Message from the Principal" for RIJC:
"Raffles is unique- no other institution can boast of a heritage as inspiring as that of the oldest school in Singapore which has produced 77 President's scholars since 1965."

On the other hand, check out this link:
http://www.hci.edu.sg/ViewBreakNews.asp?BID=58&page=1
Hwa Chong touts that "Hwa Chong has to date produced 49 President's Scholars - the highest number amongst all junior colleges in Singapore."

Hmm, a slight disagreement between the schools... my take is that both are right; Hwa Chong only has "Hwa Chong" whilst Raffles historically has "RI", "RGS" (both with their Pre-U aka JC courses decades ago) and "RJC".

Clever statistical trick :)

official opening

THIS BLOG WILL BE OFFICIALLY AND PUBLICLY OPENED ON JANUARY 14 2008.

This blog offers peeks into my:
likes
dislikes
opinions
surroundings
personality
life, public or otherwise

content includes:
pop culture
fun facts
musings

medium for expression:
words
youtube videos
photos (maybe)

I'll start advertising then. Please visit (you are already visiting) my blog NOW!

I promise I won't use advertising methods like "LOOK HERE" or "LIHAT SINI". Really.

“Diametric” opposites

Student / Working adult

At the cusp of JC life and perhaps adulthood, I think myself as a youngster. I am a carefree boy who cares about results, who friends me, whether I can play sports well, and whatnot. Naturally, the thought of being an adult in just a few years time irks me. Just as Gabriel said,

“I am ambivalent of being an adult. On one hand, I want to be a grown-up. On the other hand, you are out of this easy system of exams and playing, going headlong into complicated adult…”

“stuff.” I interjected.

“It’s kind of nostalgic being in secondary school.” Gabriel mused, while some secondary school girls behind gossiped about school, about their parents, and about themselves.

Yet I know I must be a grown-up soon, because I’ve used up almost all my money today and cannot spend as I wish.

Aspirations / Earning money

I wonder if I would ever take the easy route, earning money and never thinking of contributing to the world. It seems obvious—this current moment—that my aspirations are much more crucial. But recent experience with the lack of money inevitably means that this might be a major concern in future. The allure of a leisurely and affluent lifestyle, and the power of spending (i.e. consumerism), may prove too great. I’m afraid that I may just abandon my ambition and target in life, do the easy thing that, albeit giving instant gratification short-term, ends in emptiness filled with regret.

Does it always have to be diametric opposites? Can it be like a dialectic, thesis and antithesis, eventually emerging as a synthesis?—a compromise as well as the best of both worlds.

Ender's game, and perhaps my life

Ender

Battle school
Commander of Dragon
Commander of man’s fleet
Unknowingly
Condescended upon the tainted halls of tainted adults
“Psychoanalysing” sister, brother, superiors, inferiors,
Quashing Lives of millions
like a little boy upon millions of a little alien ant colony
Think strategies
Manipulating and being manipulated
I’m an instrument of man
I’m never born

Foolishly, writhingly, desperately,
I hallucinate that
I’m a child of 11
Lying in bed, foolishly, writhingly, desperately
Close my eyes
where I can
Ever hope to
Wake
A child again