All night of toiling and it is completed. More pics here.
Awesome!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Best. GUNPLA. Site. Ever.
Dalong.net is freaking awesome! Thanks to Jerome for pointing me to it.That freaking toolkit had better be on sale when I get off work on Monday. I don't think I want to risk building my RX-178 without the proper tools. And maybe a marking pen.
If I can find a good marking pen, I'm also going to detail my Miguel's Ginn. And maybe my rip-off Duel Gundam.
I'm going to be busy next week...
And by the way, I'm beginning to get very attracted to the RX-178 AEUG Prototype version 2... And Zeta Gundam Ver. 2.0 also looks awesome. Plus, transformable!
Friday, August 25, 2006
No to Theocracy!
We're quite close to National Day as Malaysians would know. It is a time to remember and celebrate and revel in the fact that so far so good, the country is doing quite well inspite of the best efforts of some people to ruin it.
We are still a work in progress like I said before. A lot still needs to be done. Nevertheless, I think if we common people (as opposed to blundering, out of touch, old policy makers) live and work right, our country is in pretty good hands.
And yet, sometimes I worry. I read this very disturbing article in the Star just now. I also read a counter article here. There's good and bad news here.
I'm frankly sick and tired of the attempts of some people to turn this country into a sub-district of Saudi Arabia. I get even more sick and tired when I read that some people consider non-Muslims, non-Bumiputeras as threats or aliens.
That will never work. This place will never be a theocracy. And no, I don't buy the bullshit when people say that "other religions will thrive" when one religion provides the basis for law. Yeah sure, these people will let some thing they consider a threat to "thrive".
Yeah right. Sure.
The problem isn't religion. It is with people. A theocracy will not work because of people. History has proven again and again that a person with too much power will get corrupted by that power. Even worse is when that power is considered coming from a divine source, when they get this delusion that their will = God's will. When men think they represent God, shit happens.
That is why I won't support any idea of a theocratic Malaysia regardless of what religion it is based on. Absolutely not.
Get this bigots. Twist and turn anyway you like, but Malaysian society IS multicultural, IS plural, IS made of people who are not exactly the same as you and who have different faiths from you.
You don't like it? Too bad.
In other happenings, Kuching will host the 49th edition of the National Day celebrations. While we do that, I would like to remind people that on 31st of August, 1957, Malaysia didn't exist yet.
Malaysia was officially born on the 16th September, 1963. I say this not because I'm looking to be a nuisance to officialdom, but rather as a reminder. Too little has been said about this. Much too little. I read the papers these last week or so and I've only seen 1963 being mentioned ONCE.
That's not right. That day is equally important especially to us Easterners because in 1957, we weren't in yet.
Please also remember that Singapore was expelled from Malaysian on the 7th of August, 1965. This too is part of our history, albeit a sad part. This too, is not mentioned enough.
Anyway, enough of that then.
In other news, my RX-178 Titan prototype Gundam Mk. II 1/100 scale model kit arrived yesterday afternoon. It's sitting in my room right now, unbuilt. It's very complex with a hell of a lot of tiny, little parts. I'm going to consult with my model building friends before I begin to attempt assembly.
It's going to be great and I can't wait to see the finished model!
We are still a work in progress like I said before. A lot still needs to be done. Nevertheless, I think if we common people (as opposed to blundering, out of touch, old policy makers) live and work right, our country is in pretty good hands.
And yet, sometimes I worry. I read this very disturbing article in the Star just now. I also read a counter article here. There's good and bad news here.
I'm frankly sick and tired of the attempts of some people to turn this country into a sub-district of Saudi Arabia. I get even more sick and tired when I read that some people consider non-Muslims, non-Bumiputeras as threats or aliens.
That will never work. This place will never be a theocracy. And no, I don't buy the bullshit when people say that "other religions will thrive" when one religion provides the basis for law. Yeah sure, these people will let some thing they consider a threat to "thrive".
Yeah right. Sure.
The problem isn't religion. It is with people. A theocracy will not work because of people. History has proven again and again that a person with too much power will get corrupted by that power. Even worse is when that power is considered coming from a divine source, when they get this delusion that their will = God's will. When men think they represent God, shit happens.
That is why I won't support any idea of a theocratic Malaysia regardless of what religion it is based on. Absolutely not.
Get this bigots. Twist and turn anyway you like, but Malaysian society IS multicultural, IS plural, IS made of people who are not exactly the same as you and who have different faiths from you.
You don't like it? Too bad.
In other happenings, Kuching will host the 49th edition of the National Day celebrations. While we do that, I would like to remind people that on 31st of August, 1957, Malaysia didn't exist yet.
Malaysia was officially born on the 16th September, 1963. I say this not because I'm looking to be a nuisance to officialdom, but rather as a reminder. Too little has been said about this. Much too little. I read the papers these last week or so and I've only seen 1963 being mentioned ONCE.
That's not right. That day is equally important especially to us Easterners because in 1957, we weren't in yet.
Please also remember that Singapore was expelled from Malaysian on the 7th of August, 1965. This too is part of our history, albeit a sad part. This too, is not mentioned enough.
Anyway, enough of that then.
In other news, my RX-178 Titan prototype Gundam Mk. II 1/100 scale model kit arrived yesterday afternoon. It's sitting in my room right now, unbuilt. It's very complex with a hell of a lot of tiny, little parts. I'm going to consult with my model building friends before I begin to attempt assembly.
It's going to be great and I can't wait to see the finished model!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Before Friendster
Wow. Loading the Create New Post page took a while this evening.
I read this really nostalgic post from Kenny and I laughed.
Yes, I too had an autograph book once, a long long time ago before I became a somewhat cynical older person.
For those young ones who've never been through this fad, the way it works is very simple. An autograph book is a book your pass around to your friends, friends of your friends, people you want to befriend, total strangers etc so that they may write something in it and sign. It's kind of like Friendster testimonials.
It was fun. When I was in secondary school (Form 3 I guess) I once knew this rather popular girl back from our sister school. (In fact I still know her, but we don't hang any more. Her husband might not like that too much) So I passed her my autograph book and when it came back, it was full of entries made by many, many girls from St. Mary's. Needless to say, my ego was boosted that whole week. Quite a feat for a bespectacled geek. And during that time, this was a very important point.
It was so much fun and a great way to make new friends and acquaintances. Although thinking back, I suddenly remember that autograph books were always full of teenage corn, if you know what I mean.
I even wrote poetry *shudder*. I think if I look around the house, I'll find at least one of my two autograph books. The question is, do I want to?
The other thing about this autograph book thing was how personal each one was. Certainly more personal than all these new fangled networking sites.
Things are certainly different now.
In other news, immediately after I posted my last entry, it rained that very morning. It's been raining a bit the last few days. It's wonderful. You'd never think that the sky would look so good when it isn't grey and full of wood ash.
Yesterday, I transfered money and my package should be here tomorrow. The only problem was I left out the street name in my address when I mailed the guy back. I hope that doesn't screw up my delivery.
Diana is in town and I met with her and her fiance on Sunday night. It was nice, although I kind of wished we had more time. It's all good though.
I bought a Rockfire joystick. It was quite cheap. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a good joystick in Kuching. I went to Wisma Saberkas and out of the 153,215 computer shops there, only ONE carried joysticks.
What's up with that? Kuching people don't play flight sims anymore?
Anyway, I got bored of playing WoW due to a spot of particularly bad lag, so I reinstalled IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles. Only this time, I also installed the Ace expansion pack and Pacfic Fighters on top of it. There is this option called merged installed that allows all these different packages to function together. It's neat.
Also, the last time I played this game, I had a crap graphics card and crap joystick. This time, the game really looks gorgeous powered by my Radeon 9600 Pro. And now I have a good joystick with vibrate function, POV hat, Z-axis twist and throttle!
I'm doing very well, I don't stall as much and I no longer crash on take-off because of the torque. I still suck at piloting multiengine aircraft. It's quite complex.
Sometimes, I fire up a quick mission and fly around just for kicks. No combat, just flight and the occasional tower buzz. It's fun.
And those are the things that I did this week so far.
I read this really nostalgic post from Kenny and I laughed.
Yes, I too had an autograph book once, a long long time ago before I became a somewhat cynical older person.
For those young ones who've never been through this fad, the way it works is very simple. An autograph book is a book your pass around to your friends, friends of your friends, people you want to befriend, total strangers etc so that they may write something in it and sign. It's kind of like Friendster testimonials.
It was fun. When I was in secondary school (Form 3 I guess) I once knew this rather popular girl back from our sister school. (In fact I still know her, but we don't hang any more. Her husband might not like that too much) So I passed her my autograph book and when it came back, it was full of entries made by many, many girls from St. Mary's. Needless to say, my ego was boosted that whole week. Quite a feat for a bespectacled geek. And during that time, this was a very important point.
It was so much fun and a great way to make new friends and acquaintances. Although thinking back, I suddenly remember that autograph books were always full of teenage corn, if you know what I mean.
I even wrote poetry *shudder*. I think if I look around the house, I'll find at least one of my two autograph books. The question is, do I want to?
The other thing about this autograph book thing was how personal each one was. Certainly more personal than all these new fangled networking sites.
Things are certainly different now.
In other news, immediately after I posted my last entry, it rained that very morning. It's been raining a bit the last few days. It's wonderful. You'd never think that the sky would look so good when it isn't grey and full of wood ash.
Yesterday, I transfered money and my package should be here tomorrow. The only problem was I left out the street name in my address when I mailed the guy back. I hope that doesn't screw up my delivery.
Diana is in town and I met with her and her fiance on Sunday night. It was nice, although I kind of wished we had more time. It's all good though.
I bought a Rockfire joystick. It was quite cheap. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a good joystick in Kuching. I went to Wisma Saberkas and out of the 153,215 computer shops there, only ONE carried joysticks.
What's up with that? Kuching people don't play flight sims anymore?
Anyway, I got bored of playing WoW due to a spot of particularly bad lag, so I reinstalled IL-2 Sturmovik: Forgotten Battles. Only this time, I also installed the Ace expansion pack and Pacfic Fighters on top of it. There is this option called merged installed that allows all these different packages to function together. It's neat.
Also, the last time I played this game, I had a crap graphics card and crap joystick. This time, the game really looks gorgeous powered by my Radeon 9600 Pro. And now I have a good joystick with vibrate function, POV hat, Z-axis twist and throttle!
I'm doing very well, I don't stall as much and I no longer crash on take-off because of the torque. I still suck at piloting multiengine aircraft. It's quite complex.
Sometimes, I fire up a quick mission and fly around just for kicks. No combat, just flight and the occasional tower buzz. It's fun.
And those are the things that I did this week so far.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Hot Nights
The last few nights have been SO hot. By that, I mean temperature-wise. I don't mean warm. I mean HOT.
Last night, after returning from Jerome's house at 1.00am, I took yet another bath. The water was still warm. And tonight is the same.
It's unbelievable, I remember DAYS that are not this hot.
Yes, the haze is back in full effect as every one around here will no doubt see (and feel). It's not really the dirty air that bothers me. I smoke after all.
It's the damn temperature. It's bloody hot. It's such a good thing that I'm working nights the next 2 weeks.
So yeah, it's been rather uncomfortable sitting in my room with the computer on.
I have a public service announcement. Some bizarre news, the kind of news urban legends are made off.
Do you own or use a Dell notebook? If you do, better watch out just in case your notebook is the exploding variety. Yes, it's true. In my work email is an official press release regarding the matter, complete with dramatic photos of various Dell notebooks going up in smoke. Apparently, this explosive new "feature" is due to a faulty battery.
If you suspect that your Dell notebook's battery is one of the "hot tempered" types, go to this link and check the battery serial number. If your serial turns up, contact Dell and they will replace your batt for free.
Despite this, I still say that Dell does in fact, make excellent and competitively priced notebooks and desktop computers. They are really nice, seriously.
No, I don't work for Dell, by the way. It would be nice if I was though.
In other news, I found a great place online to get very good priced Bandai stuff and other collectables, like Transformers. 1/144 High Grade Gundam kits aren't very much cheaper than those in Kuching, but 1/100 Master Grades are easily 25% - 30% cheaper (cost of shipping already factored in).
I saw a Meteor unit that cost RM390+ (plus shipping). Only.
The price difference is even bigger for 1/60 scale. I haven't checked all the other stuff they have. And they have lots.
Unbelievable. Local traders are really making a killing selling at their current prices.
So far, so good, I've been mailing Diamond Comics and they have been very, very prompt in replying my questions.
I think I'll be doing my kit shopping online now. Let's see how my first deal turns out. Incidentally, I've never really shopped online by myself before. The only other time I ordered something online was when I ordered CDs from Amazon on Jerome's credict card.
Online shopping makes me nervous actually. I idea of sending money over the internet is kind of, daunting. At the same time, I'm quite excited.
There are many other things that I would like to write about, but most of it is serious, current issue, controvery related stuff.
But today, I just want to be excited and pleased. So no serious post. For awhile, I guess.
Here's hoping to some rain in the next few days.
Last night, after returning from Jerome's house at 1.00am, I took yet another bath. The water was still warm. And tonight is the same.
It's unbelievable, I remember DAYS that are not this hot.
Yes, the haze is back in full effect as every one around here will no doubt see (and feel). It's not really the dirty air that bothers me. I smoke after all.
It's the damn temperature. It's bloody hot. It's such a good thing that I'm working nights the next 2 weeks.
So yeah, it's been rather uncomfortable sitting in my room with the computer on.
I have a public service announcement. Some bizarre news, the kind of news urban legends are made off.
Do you own or use a Dell notebook? If you do, better watch out just in case your notebook is the exploding variety. Yes, it's true. In my work email is an official press release regarding the matter, complete with dramatic photos of various Dell notebooks going up in smoke. Apparently, this explosive new "feature" is due to a faulty battery.
If you suspect that your Dell notebook's battery is one of the "hot tempered" types, go to this link and check the battery serial number. If your serial turns up, contact Dell and they will replace your batt for free.
Despite this, I still say that Dell does in fact, make excellent and competitively priced notebooks and desktop computers. They are really nice, seriously.
No, I don't work for Dell, by the way. It would be nice if I was though.
In other news, I found a great place online to get very good priced Bandai stuff and other collectables, like Transformers. 1/144 High Grade Gundam kits aren't very much cheaper than those in Kuching, but 1/100 Master Grades are easily 25% - 30% cheaper (cost of shipping already factored in).
I saw a Meteor unit that cost RM390+ (plus shipping). Only.
The price difference is even bigger for 1/60 scale. I haven't checked all the other stuff they have. And they have lots.
Unbelievable. Local traders are really making a killing selling at their current prices.
So far, so good, I've been mailing Diamond Comics and they have been very, very prompt in replying my questions.
I think I'll be doing my kit shopping online now. Let's see how my first deal turns out. Incidentally, I've never really shopped online by myself before. The only other time I ordered something online was when I ordered CDs from Amazon on Jerome's credict card.
Online shopping makes me nervous actually. I idea of sending money over the internet is kind of, daunting. At the same time, I'm quite excited.
There are many other things that I would like to write about, but most of it is serious, current issue, controvery related stuff.
But today, I just want to be excited and pleased. So no serious post. For awhile, I guess.
Here's hoping to some rain in the next few days.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Funniest. Engrish. Ever
I know it's not the most politically correct thing to laugh at but bad Engrish can be so much fun.
I found this Livejournal entry and it's hilarious. Later I find out that this is actually an LJ belonging to one Elyse Sewell, who apparently was on Season 1 of America's Next Top Model. I wouldn't know, I don't follow such things.
Anyway, the LJ is a great read and she has a great sense of humour. Not bad looking either.
Well, the haze is back in full force with all around bad visibility especially during the evenings. The haze also causes really warm nights. Not the most pleasant thing. Yesterday I was outside looking at the sky and I wondered, how high up does the haze bank go? If I were to fly a plane, how much altitude do I need to gain before I break into clear sky?
Does anyone else wonder about this? More importantly, does anyone know how high the haze bank goes?
Obviously, I'm bored again. At least tomorrow, I don't have to work.
Tomorrow, I think I'll go out and buy me a Bandai nipper tool. It's for model kit building and hopefully with a proper cutting tool, I can assemble one without those annoying, ugly burrs resulting from improperly cut sprues.
I suddenly realize that some of my hobbies are not very accessible to many people and some people probably wouldn't know what I'm on about when I talk about them. This must make this blog quite boring, at least more boring that when it was a big angst-fest.
Such is the cost of being not unhappy. Have a nice weekend.
I found this Livejournal entry and it's hilarious. Later I find out that this is actually an LJ belonging to one Elyse Sewell, who apparently was on Season 1 of America's Next Top Model. I wouldn't know, I don't follow such things.
Anyway, the LJ is a great read and she has a great sense of humour. Not bad looking either.
Well, the haze is back in full force with all around bad visibility especially during the evenings. The haze also causes really warm nights. Not the most pleasant thing. Yesterday I was outside looking at the sky and I wondered, how high up does the haze bank go? If I were to fly a plane, how much altitude do I need to gain before I break into clear sky?
Does anyone else wonder about this? More importantly, does anyone know how high the haze bank goes?
Obviously, I'm bored again. At least tomorrow, I don't have to work.
Tomorrow, I think I'll go out and buy me a Bandai nipper tool. It's for model kit building and hopefully with a proper cutting tool, I can assemble one without those annoying, ugly burrs resulting from improperly cut sprues.
I suddenly realize that some of my hobbies are not very accessible to many people and some people probably wouldn't know what I'm on about when I talk about them. This must make this blog quite boring, at least more boring that when it was a big angst-fest.
Such is the cost of being not unhappy. Have a nice weekend.
Friday, August 11, 2006
No Leave
Well, I didn't get my leave for Sunday and I'm kind of peeved. I've just had a tiring day too.
Nevertheless, things are calm here as they have been. There's not much to say. Except...
In our mind, we are always the "good guy" and many others are the "bad guys". We are "right" and they are "wrong". And then one day, we walk past a mirror and then suddenly realize that we are often not much better than others. Sometimes even worse.
And sometimes, we think that we've been doing a really good job hiding and getting rid of our flaws and weaknesses, only to find out that everyone already knows and those ugly parts are still there.
This realization is the worst kind of shame. So when this happens, what can be done?
Nevertheless, things are calm here as they have been. There's not much to say. Except...
In our mind, we are always the "good guy" and many others are the "bad guys". We are "right" and they are "wrong". And then one day, we walk past a mirror and then suddenly realize that we are often not much better than others. Sometimes even worse.
And sometimes, we think that we've been doing a really good job hiding and getting rid of our flaws and weaknesses, only to find out that everyone already knows and those ugly parts are still there.
This realization is the worst kind of shame. So when this happens, what can be done?
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Leisure Time!
Is it just me or does anyone else have any problems with Blogger on Firefox 1.5.0.6? The create new post window won't load on Firefox. It's fine on IE, which is what I'm on now.
I was bored. So two days ago, I bought a Gundam plastic model kit.
A long time ago, I used to build kits as a hobby. Mostly military aircraft kits by manufacturers like Tamiya or Airfix. Those were good times indeed.
Anyway, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed kit assembly. It was a good feeling seeing the Mobile Ginn (Miguel Aiman Custome) that I got slowly turn from bits of plastic into a cool 1/144 scale Gundam figure. Fully poseable too.
I enjoyed it so much, I went out and bought another one the next day. I decided to try something bigger (1/100 scale) so I bought one of those Little White Dragon rip-offs. The verdict?
The Bandai ones may cost more, but the end result is much better. And less annoying. My knock-off model has loose parts and parts that needed scraping with a knife to fit. Some of the extra armour bits didn't fit and I'll probably end up gluing them into place.
By the way, that's one of the perks of Gundam kits. No need for glue and paint is optional. The model looks great straight out of the box. No need to glue and paint and spray and dry and paint and spray and highlight etc etc. A 1/144 Gundam kit doesn't need 3 days to complete. Which is great because I don't have so much time.
Which reminds me, I need to buy batteries for the camera.
Anyway, this model kit thingie is a good distraction away from the PC so I think I'll do this regularly for a while.
Meanwhile, in World of Warcraft, my Forsaken warrior reached lvl 37 while hunting panthers in Stranglethorn Vale. Only three more levels before I can buy a mount. It's going to cost 100 gold pieces.
I have a princely sum of.... 10 gold pieces. I have no idea where to find the cash before I hit lvl 40.
So there, the things I do in my free time these days.
There's a PC fair this weekend and I really hope to go. Let's see what things I can get for cheap then.
I was bored. So two days ago, I bought a Gundam plastic model kit.
A long time ago, I used to build kits as a hobby. Mostly military aircraft kits by manufacturers like Tamiya or Airfix. Those were good times indeed.
Anyway, I had forgotten how much I enjoyed kit assembly. It was a good feeling seeing the Mobile Ginn (Miguel Aiman Custome) that I got slowly turn from bits of plastic into a cool 1/144 scale Gundam figure. Fully poseable too.
I enjoyed it so much, I went out and bought another one the next day. I decided to try something bigger (1/100 scale) so I bought one of those Little White Dragon rip-offs. The verdict?
The Bandai ones may cost more, but the end result is much better. And less annoying. My knock-off model has loose parts and parts that needed scraping with a knife to fit. Some of the extra armour bits didn't fit and I'll probably end up gluing them into place.
By the way, that's one of the perks of Gundam kits. No need for glue and paint is optional. The model looks great straight out of the box. No need to glue and paint and spray and dry and paint and spray and highlight etc etc. A 1/144 Gundam kit doesn't need 3 days to complete. Which is great because I don't have so much time.
Which reminds me, I need to buy batteries for the camera.
Anyway, this model kit thingie is a good distraction away from the PC so I think I'll do this regularly for a while.
Meanwhile, in World of Warcraft, my Forsaken warrior reached lvl 37 while hunting panthers in Stranglethorn Vale. Only three more levels before I can buy a mount. It's going to cost 100 gold pieces.
I have a princely sum of.... 10 gold pieces. I have no idea where to find the cash before I hit lvl 40.
So there, the things I do in my free time these days.
There's a PC fair this weekend and I really hope to go. Let's see what things I can get for cheap then.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
I Couldn't Resist...
Yesterday, I wrote a lengthy, rambling post about the government's recent announcement that blogs will be monitored for "seditious" and "slanderous" content with immediate effect.
I reread it and I decided not to post it. It was way too angry and ended up being a tirade about the insecurities and flaws of the conservative generation and how chicken shit they are taking the easy way out of uncomfortable situations. Banning is easy. Countering misinformation with truth is not. Answering difficult questions asked by your own citizens is even harder, apparently. Threats and bans are easier.
Anyway, it's a current issue and I did promise myself not to get too involved with it.
The Malaysian government is very funny. It's essentially democratic yet it can be so totalitarian. It's as if we're still not sure about what we are.
Our country is still young and all this infuriating censorship and lack of confidence in our own citizens ability to reason is part of the country's birth pains. Yes, birth pains. We're still a young nation and very much a work in progress. 1963 seems like a long, long time ago but big picture-wise, it's really not.
I most certainly hope that the quiet majority do enough to keep ultras, racists, religious zealots and idiots from getting too powerful.
With regard to this blog monitoring business, I do hope the powers that be spell out what they consider to be "seditious" and "slanderous". Without definiton, these terms can be turned and twisted to put anyone behind bars. I have a nagging feeling that some politicians want these ambiguity to stand. That way they can squelch and kill any and all inconvenient arguments that go against their interests.
Or rather, the "rakyat's" interest as they are so fond of saying.
Once again I do declare, politics is full of shit and I'm never, ever getting involved. Ever.
That's enough about that.
In other news, I've been having the worse latency at home over the last week. I ping Yahoo and half the time, I get time outs. I get 2 second lags in WoW. It sometimes takes me 10 minutes to download a lousy 6Mb file.
It only seems to happen at night. Early in the morning, it's fine. I'm monitoring this and I hope it clears up soon. I really,really don't want to call TM Helpdesk.
There's a PC fair next weekend and I hope to go. Unfortunately, I'm working next weekend so I hope I can get a replacement so I can take leave.
Finally, some aviation news I would like to share.
A US company is building several brand new Me262, with consent from the Messerchmitt Foundation! Brand new Me62s! This is quite exciting for any classic aircraft enthusiast. A video of a newly 262 can be seen here. These new jets actually have better performance than the original 1945 models by virtue of a new powerplant (apparently the old Junkers Jumo engines are kind of hard to find these days...), the General Electric J-85 which generate twice the thrust!
Plus, the new jets have safety features like new airbrakes and stronger undercarriage. Adolf Galland would've approved.
This is very exciting news for me, considering that the Me 262 was the world's first operational jet fighter. Not so for some of you guys I bet.. But still, the Me-262 flies again!
Another classic warbird that's being rebuilt new is the classic FW-190! A German company is building new ones! This is excellent.
I'm suddenly wondering how many other classic WW2 aircraft are being reborn. I know that it is possible to get new Spitfires and P-51s. I wonder if any others are being built new again.
If I had a pilot's license (and money...), I'd seriously consider getting me a newly built classic warbird. I think a Spit would look really nice parked at the Kuching airport!
Starting tomorrow, I have a long break. Hopefully, my connection clears up and hopefully, I can think of something to write.
I reread it and I decided not to post it. It was way too angry and ended up being a tirade about the insecurities and flaws of the conservative generation and how chicken shit they are taking the easy way out of uncomfortable situations. Banning is easy. Countering misinformation with truth is not. Answering difficult questions asked by your own citizens is even harder, apparently. Threats and bans are easier.
Anyway, it's a current issue and I did promise myself not to get too involved with it.
The Malaysian government is very funny. It's essentially democratic yet it can be so totalitarian. It's as if we're still not sure about what we are.
Our country is still young and all this infuriating censorship and lack of confidence in our own citizens ability to reason is part of the country's birth pains. Yes, birth pains. We're still a young nation and very much a work in progress. 1963 seems like a long, long time ago but big picture-wise, it's really not.
I most certainly hope that the quiet majority do enough to keep ultras, racists, religious zealots and idiots from getting too powerful.
With regard to this blog monitoring business, I do hope the powers that be spell out what they consider to be "seditious" and "slanderous". Without definiton, these terms can be turned and twisted to put anyone behind bars. I have a nagging feeling that some politicians want these ambiguity to stand. That way they can squelch and kill any and all inconvenient arguments that go against their interests.
Or rather, the "rakyat's" interest as they are so fond of saying.
Once again I do declare, politics is full of shit and I'm never, ever getting involved. Ever.
That's enough about that.
In other news, I've been having the worse latency at home over the last week. I ping Yahoo and half the time, I get time outs. I get 2 second lags in WoW. It sometimes takes me 10 minutes to download a lousy 6Mb file.
It only seems to happen at night. Early in the morning, it's fine. I'm monitoring this and I hope it clears up soon. I really,really don't want to call TM Helpdesk.
There's a PC fair next weekend and I hope to go. Unfortunately, I'm working next weekend so I hope I can get a replacement so I can take leave.
Finally, some aviation news I would like to share.
A US company is building several brand new Me262, with consent from the Messerchmitt Foundation! Brand new Me62s! This is quite exciting for any classic aircraft enthusiast. A video of a newly 262 can be seen here. These new jets actually have better performance than the original 1945 models by virtue of a new powerplant (apparently the old Junkers Jumo engines are kind of hard to find these days...), the General Electric J-85 which generate twice the thrust!
Plus, the new jets have safety features like new airbrakes and stronger undercarriage. Adolf Galland would've approved.
This is very exciting news for me, considering that the Me 262 was the world's first operational jet fighter. Not so for some of you guys I bet.. But still, the Me-262 flies again!
Another classic warbird that's being rebuilt new is the classic FW-190! A German company is building new ones! This is excellent.
I'm suddenly wondering how many other classic WW2 aircraft are being reborn. I know that it is possible to get new Spitfires and P-51s. I wonder if any others are being built new again.
If I had a pilot's license (and money...), I'd seriously consider getting me a newly built classic warbird. I think a Spit would look really nice parked at the Kuching airport!
Starting tomorrow, I have a long break. Hopefully, my connection clears up and hopefully, I can think of something to write.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Tired
I took one of those internet quizes again and apparently, I am an INFP. Interesting. I sometimes wonder, what do these kinds of quizzes really say about us.
In other news, there's this article in the NST that made me laugh. It's about The Registration Department's list of undesirable names.
Ahh bizzare names. I have known a few individuals with strange names. I also know a few new parents who have thought of really bizzare names for their new born children.
It's none of my business of course, but upon hearing these weird names, all I can say is,"What were you thinking?" I know that for some parents, especially the new parent, the reason why they give weird names to their children is to make them "special".
I say, please rethink that. Think of what the child will go through once he/she goes to school. Being picked on and being made fun of because a child has a very long/unpronounceable/strange/funny name isn't pleasant. It may have a very serious impact on the child's self-esteem. After all, an attack on a child's name is really the same as an attack on the child itself.
Think about what this kind of harassment means to your child. And don't believe that kids are all sweet and innocent. They may appear to be that to an adult, but if memory serves, children can be extremely malicious and manipulative. Seriously.
So, to give a child the maximum chance to grow up without any permanent psychological trauma, a harmless name might be a good start. Or if a "unique" name is absolutely necessary, pick one that sounds good and means something good. Please don't name your child after bands/football teams/household appliances/farm animals/exotic diseases etc.
Yes, I'm obviously very bored. And kind of tired. Two more nights of work to go. I'm supposed to go back to the office on Wednesday morning, but luckily enough, I managed to talk my way out of that one. If I had to come in on Wednesday morning after all this night work, I'll collapse from exhaustion for sure. I don't even have enough energy to play WoW these last few days.
Or maybe I'm getting too old for this?
I actually had some things to write about but I'm just too mentally worn out right now. Maybe later or maybe during my break on Tuesday. We'll see.
Until then, please have a nice weekend.
In other news, there's this article in the NST that made me laugh. It's about The Registration Department's list of undesirable names.
Ahh bizzare names. I have known a few individuals with strange names. I also know a few new parents who have thought of really bizzare names for their new born children.
It's none of my business of course, but upon hearing these weird names, all I can say is,"What were you thinking?" I know that for some parents, especially the new parent, the reason why they give weird names to their children is to make them "special".
I say, please rethink that. Think of what the child will go through once he/she goes to school. Being picked on and being made fun of because a child has a very long/unpronounceable/strange/funny name isn't pleasant. It may have a very serious impact on the child's self-esteem. After all, an attack on a child's name is really the same as an attack on the child itself.
Think about what this kind of harassment means to your child. And don't believe that kids are all sweet and innocent. They may appear to be that to an adult, but if memory serves, children can be extremely malicious and manipulative. Seriously.
So, to give a child the maximum chance to grow up without any permanent psychological trauma, a harmless name might be a good start. Or if a "unique" name is absolutely necessary, pick one that sounds good and means something good. Please don't name your child after bands/football teams/household appliances/farm animals/exotic diseases etc.
Yes, I'm obviously very bored. And kind of tired. Two more nights of work to go. I'm supposed to go back to the office on Wednesday morning, but luckily enough, I managed to talk my way out of that one. If I had to come in on Wednesday morning after all this night work, I'll collapse from exhaustion for sure. I don't even have enough energy to play WoW these last few days.
Or maybe I'm getting too old for this?
I actually had some things to write about but I'm just too mentally worn out right now. Maybe later or maybe during my break on Tuesday. We'll see.
Until then, please have a nice weekend.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Fire and Buffy
The fire department is be very busy these days. Yesterday, the Sarawak Club burnt down. I've been there a few times. It's kind of sad. The club building had a lot of history in it. A new building will be built but the lost history is irreplaceable.
Just now, I was reading my Livejournal friends list and there is another fire right in the centre of town. We'll probably find out more tomorrow.
One of the things that struck me when our own house nearly got gutted last month was how quick fire can spread and how much heat there really is, even from 50 feet away. Fire can spread by radiation. It doesn't even have to be very near.
Photos of things and buildings on fire are scary enough, but I'd have to say the thing that makes fires truly frightening is heat radiation. Photos don't convey heat very well.
So yeah, these days I'm quite conscious about fire safety. And so should you. Thus ends today's public service announcement.
Actually I wanted to share some YouTube links today.
I don't talk much about Sarah Michelle Gellar these days, but I'm still a big fan. She's in 7 or 8 projects at the moment, in various stages of production. I'm especially looking forward to Southland Tales and Alice.
I found some excellent interviews on YouTube. Very funny interviews. She's a very funny girl with a sharp wit. As well as being very easy on the eyes. I like.
Sarah on Jonathan Ross. Hilarious. Please watch it. Please.
Buffy Meets Blackwood. This one is shot in a limo on the way to a cemetery where they are shooting parts of the Season 6 episode As You Were. Funny, but not quite as funny as the Jonathan Ross one. Watch all 7 parts to get the whole thing.
There are many more videos but these ones are my favourites.
In other news, I just looked at my schedule and I just noticed that I will be working almost non-stop until next Saturday. As in the Saturday that is not the one tomorrow. I practically have only half a day off on Tuesday evening to recuperate.
I wonder who came up with this crazed schedule.
Actually, this is all because of emergencies. One colleague is out of town, another one has exams and another one's mom is in the hospital. Which leaves me and my other colleague to cover everyone.
The extra money had better be worth it. I suddenly feel the urge to buy something.
Which reminds me, I need a USB hub.
Just now, I was reading my Livejournal friends list and there is another fire right in the centre of town. We'll probably find out more tomorrow.
One of the things that struck me when our own house nearly got gutted last month was how quick fire can spread and how much heat there really is, even from 50 feet away. Fire can spread by radiation. It doesn't even have to be very near.
Photos of things and buildings on fire are scary enough, but I'd have to say the thing that makes fires truly frightening is heat radiation. Photos don't convey heat very well.
So yeah, these days I'm quite conscious about fire safety. And so should you. Thus ends today's public service announcement.
Actually I wanted to share some YouTube links today.
I don't talk much about Sarah Michelle Gellar these days, but I'm still a big fan. She's in 7 or 8 projects at the moment, in various stages of production. I'm especially looking forward to Southland Tales and Alice.
I found some excellent interviews on YouTube. Very funny interviews. She's a very funny girl with a sharp wit. As well as being very easy on the eyes. I like.
Sarah on Jonathan Ross. Hilarious. Please watch it. Please.
Buffy Meets Blackwood. This one is shot in a limo on the way to a cemetery where they are shooting parts of the Season 6 episode As You Were. Funny, but not quite as funny as the Jonathan Ross one. Watch all 7 parts to get the whole thing.
There are many more videos but these ones are my favourites.
In other news, I just looked at my schedule and I just noticed that I will be working almost non-stop until next Saturday. As in the Saturday that is not the one tomorrow. I practically have only half a day off on Tuesday evening to recuperate.
I wonder who came up with this crazed schedule.
Actually, this is all because of emergencies. One colleague is out of town, another one has exams and another one's mom is in the hospital. Which leaves me and my other colleague to cover everyone.
The extra money had better be worth it. I suddenly feel the urge to buy something.
Which reminds me, I need a USB hub.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Onyxia's Head and Stuff
I was playing WoW last night and right before I logged off and went to bed, something interesting happened.
The character I was playing, a Human Mage, had just hit level 28. So there I was in the city of Stormwind doing my usual routine after gaining level, i.e upgrading magic and tailoring skills (bloody expensive thing to do!) and checking the auction house for any new equipment that I might want to buy.
I was on my way out of the auction house when I saw some chatter on the chat channels. Someone was warning people that Stormwind was about to lag very badly. For a few seconds, it did. I walked towards the town square and there was the cause. A 40 man raiding party had just teleported back to Stormwind, bearing with them the head of the dragon Onyxia.
There was lots of woot-ing and woohoo-ing and fireworks and cheering in the town square as the Onyxia quest giver announced the death of Onyxia to everyone. It was great to see that.
No game set in a high fantasy setting would be complete without a chain of dragon slaying quests, wouldn't it? It's the stuff legends are made of. I look to the day when one of my characters will be powerful enough to join in such an endeavour. It would be brilliant!
So that's what happened in WoW. There are some other WoW stories from the last week, like the time I fought a Lvl 38 human priest with my Lvl 30 Forsaken Warrior and managed to beat him. Three times.
But I'll tell that one next post.
I was talking to Azreen the other night and amidst all the talk about CSI and other stuff, we made an observation concerning our blogs.
Both of us used to be quite prolific with our blogging. Yet, lately, as in the last year at least, we have noticed large gaps in our posting.
There could be many reasons for that, but one possible reason stood out. Neither one of us were as miserable and sad as we were. There's no longer much to rant or complain about. There is less trouble to share and less urge to confide in people.
Misery and pain is really good fuel for writing, that is very true. Without it, there is less impetus to write, at least in my case.
No, I'm not shutting this blog down. I could say that and do it, but I know within 2 weeks I'll open another blog to tell yet another story about WoW or about what movie I just watched or something.
This blog and the person who writes in it has changed direction. Maybe it's not as fun to read as before. Is that right? I don't know. Maybe. It's less miserable and angsty, I think. Is it?
*Shrug
Whatever it is, I guess what I'm trying to say is that Riding the Mellow isn't going to be updated as much as it used to be. I'll try to write twice a week as an exercise of course. Nor will it be as "heavy" as before.
Of course, that could change in an instant. We'll see as usual.
In other news, I watched Silent Hill yesterday evening. Not bad at all.
Also last evening, my dad's PC's hard disk developed a bad sector in it and wouldn't boot. I managed to save it for now by sticking it into my PC and doing a standard scan. It's a good thing we have 2 computers in the house. Imagine how troublesome this could've been, especially considering that my dad keeps very important documents in his PC that he needs to have, like right NOW.
Looks like I'll be buying a new hard drive soon to replace that one.
That's it for today. You have a nice week now.
The character I was playing, a Human Mage, had just hit level 28. So there I was in the city of Stormwind doing my usual routine after gaining level, i.e upgrading magic and tailoring skills (bloody expensive thing to do!) and checking the auction house for any new equipment that I might want to buy.
I was on my way out of the auction house when I saw some chatter on the chat channels. Someone was warning people that Stormwind was about to lag very badly. For a few seconds, it did. I walked towards the town square and there was the cause. A 40 man raiding party had just teleported back to Stormwind, bearing with them the head of the dragon Onyxia.
There was lots of woot-ing and woohoo-ing and fireworks and cheering in the town square as the Onyxia quest giver announced the death of Onyxia to everyone. It was great to see that.
No game set in a high fantasy setting would be complete without a chain of dragon slaying quests, wouldn't it? It's the stuff legends are made of. I look to the day when one of my characters will be powerful enough to join in such an endeavour. It would be brilliant!
So that's what happened in WoW. There are some other WoW stories from the last week, like the time I fought a Lvl 38 human priest with my Lvl 30 Forsaken Warrior and managed to beat him. Three times.
But I'll tell that one next post.
I was talking to Azreen the other night and amidst all the talk about CSI and other stuff, we made an observation concerning our blogs.
Both of us used to be quite prolific with our blogging. Yet, lately, as in the last year at least, we have noticed large gaps in our posting.
There could be many reasons for that, but one possible reason stood out. Neither one of us were as miserable and sad as we were. There's no longer much to rant or complain about. There is less trouble to share and less urge to confide in people.
Misery and pain is really good fuel for writing, that is very true. Without it, there is less impetus to write, at least in my case.
No, I'm not shutting this blog down. I could say that and do it, but I know within 2 weeks I'll open another blog to tell yet another story about WoW or about what movie I just watched or something.
This blog and the person who writes in it has changed direction. Maybe it's not as fun to read as before. Is that right? I don't know. Maybe. It's less miserable and angsty, I think. Is it?
*Shrug
Whatever it is, I guess what I'm trying to say is that Riding the Mellow isn't going to be updated as much as it used to be. I'll try to write twice a week as an exercise of course. Nor will it be as "heavy" as before.
Of course, that could change in an instant. We'll see as usual.
In other news, I watched Silent Hill yesterday evening. Not bad at all.
Also last evening, my dad's PC's hard disk developed a bad sector in it and wouldn't boot. I managed to save it for now by sticking it into my PC and doing a standard scan. It's a good thing we have 2 computers in the house. Imagine how troublesome this could've been, especially considering that my dad keeps very important documents in his PC that he needs to have, like right NOW.
Looks like I'll be buying a new hard drive soon to replace that one.
That's it for today. You have a nice week now.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Postcards From Azeroth
The Throneroom above the Undercity amidst the ruins of Lordaeron I wanted to do this earlier but I've been having trouble posting pictures the last few days. Not sure why. I would upload one picture and the next one won't load.
Anyway.
One of the best things about the World of Warcraft is... well... the world of Warcraft. I've been playing for three months now and I've taken lots of screenshots.
Here are some of the best shots taken by me of the world of Azeroth.
The Clocktower, Brill. The newly Undead player will begin here.
The breathtaking falls in Elwynn forest. A still picture doesn't do this awesome sight at all.
The even more breathtaking Temple to Elune, Darnassus.
Blackrock Mountain. Dragons live in this area. Only the most powerful of the powerful players can survive here...I'm posting pictures, which means I haven't much to say. Make that nothing to say. Life on the whole is settling into a routine. Not much excitement and not much news.
This week's been crazily busy. Next week, I'll be more free. The week after that, I'll get busy again.
Not much else is happening.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
What is There to Say?
I'm one of those things you'll save forever, but never need
Like an old newspaper no one has time to read
This child has grown into a dead end
Since I lost the power to pretend
But it's alright, that's who I am inside
Not much to say on this non-toxic, ordinary day
- Non-Toxic, Now You See Inside, SR-71
I sat quietly as we had an early dinner while listening to my brothers yapping about what they did during the Rainforest Music Festival.
It was kinder than the other times when we have my birthday dinner together. No more lectures and things like that. Just dinner.
My birthday came and went like any other day. To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. It was a change. Some previous birthdays had a lot of drama in it.
I spent the rest of the evening watching old Friends episodes and hunting for Sarah Michelle Gellar interviews on YouTube.
I laboured for days thinking about what to write this morning. To think, I used to be so good at being introspective and dramatic.
I'm living in the so-called future. It's odd. I remember when I was in school or uni, I used to think of all the things I would be doing when I reached my age now. I wondered what kind of work I would have and who I would be with. I saw myself.... settled somehow. I saw a place without all the things I had to deal with at the time. It was rough back then.
It was kind of like a mystical place, this place past 30. Maybe I thought things would magically work itself out, I would have all the things I wanted and all my "issues" would go away. I expected a happily-ever-after.
Now that I'm here at this so-called mystical time, it really hasn't "worked out". Not in the way I imagined it anyhow.
No happily-ever-after. Just more of the-story-continues.
That's the problem with imagination. Whatever you imagine will appear as a story in the mind. A story has closure. Life doesn't, at least not until you die. Maybe not even then.
On the way home, I wondered, how many people at the present are where they thought they would be now? How many people's lives have turned out close to their so-called "road map" that they conjured up while in their teens and early adolescence?
I thought of all my friends. I wondered how happy they are with their lot.
Am I happy with my lot?
Actually, surprisingly enough I am mostly satisfied. I've had some disastrous times before. I recovered as well as I could. On one hand, I lost a lot of time discovering myself and blundering around in the darkness doing it. On the other hand, I earned some valuable experience in dealing with trouble. I'm single, but at least now I'm totally fine with that and I no longer feel any pressure, most of which was social programming anyway. I like it this way better than I thought I would.
I imagined many things about being past 30. Mostly, I turned out nothing like what I imagined.
But at least one thing worked out. At least today, I'm at peace with myself and who I am.
Like an old newspaper no one has time to read
This child has grown into a dead end
Since I lost the power to pretend
But it's alright, that's who I am inside
Not much to say on this non-toxic, ordinary day
- Non-Toxic, Now You See Inside, SR-71
I sat quietly as we had an early dinner while listening to my brothers yapping about what they did during the Rainforest Music Festival.
It was kinder than the other times when we have my birthday dinner together. No more lectures and things like that. Just dinner.
My birthday came and went like any other day. To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. It was a change. Some previous birthdays had a lot of drama in it.
I spent the rest of the evening watching old Friends episodes and hunting for Sarah Michelle Gellar interviews on YouTube.
I laboured for days thinking about what to write this morning. To think, I used to be so good at being introspective and dramatic.
I'm living in the so-called future. It's odd. I remember when I was in school or uni, I used to think of all the things I would be doing when I reached my age now. I wondered what kind of work I would have and who I would be with. I saw myself.... settled somehow. I saw a place without all the things I had to deal with at the time. It was rough back then.
It was kind of like a mystical place, this place past 30. Maybe I thought things would magically work itself out, I would have all the things I wanted and all my "issues" would go away. I expected a happily-ever-after.
Now that I'm here at this so-called mystical time, it really hasn't "worked out". Not in the way I imagined it anyhow.
No happily-ever-after. Just more of the-story-continues.
That's the problem with imagination. Whatever you imagine will appear as a story in the mind. A story has closure. Life doesn't, at least not until you die. Maybe not even then.
On the way home, I wondered, how many people at the present are where they thought they would be now? How many people's lives have turned out close to their so-called "road map" that they conjured up while in their teens and early adolescence?
I thought of all my friends. I wondered how happy they are with their lot.
Am I happy with my lot?
Actually, surprisingly enough I am mostly satisfied. I've had some disastrous times before. I recovered as well as I could. On one hand, I lost a lot of time discovering myself and blundering around in the darkness doing it. On the other hand, I earned some valuable experience in dealing with trouble. I'm single, but at least now I'm totally fine with that and I no longer feel any pressure, most of which was social programming anyway. I like it this way better than I thought I would.
I imagined many things about being past 30. Mostly, I turned out nothing like what I imagined.
But at least one thing worked out. At least today, I'm at peace with myself and who I am.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Forza Italia! and People with No Manners
Well.
Italy won the World Cup as I expected, but not in the way I expected. I don't like it when a competition this big gets decided by the lottery that is the penalty shootout.
I bet there were collective groans amongst the Italia supporters when the ref blew for the end of extra time, the scores tied at one a piece. Italy, oddly enough, have never been very good at penalties. The last final they were involved in 1994, ended in a penalty shootout too. They lost that one to Brazil when Baggio blasted his penalty over the bar.
I'm glad they won this time. It's hard for me to sympathise with France. Zidane made a terrible mistake during what is the last match he'll ever play for France. Stupid Zizou...
In other France related news, I was reading a World of Warcraft article when one link led to another and eventually I ended up watching a video clip of the song J'en Ai Marre by Alizee. My, what an attractive woman. And what a catchy song.
I'm downloading both her albums tonight. That'll be quite a change from my usual downloading habits. First, it's not metal/rock/alternative/punk and second, it's French. I'm not really a big pop fan anymore.
That reminds me, I need to reorganise my music archive. I have some other new stuff I recently downloaded and I haven't sorted through them yet. I blame WoW.
And talking about WoW, there is something quite distressing that I've been noticing. The game allows players to chat and I've noticed the most appalling lack of manners. What happened to things like "Please" and "May I" when requesting help or when looking for a group to join? Not only that, you reply and so "No thanks" or "Sorry I can't, I'm logging off soon", you get insulted.
And why do some players insult other players who ask for simple things like directions and where to find this and that thing? It is so difficult to give a straight answer?
It's very bad. Some days, I just leave the public channels off, leave the guild chat on and quest in total silence.
I think this pointless insulting of other players and calling them noobs is a sign of elitism. Some people apparently absolutely have to put others down to elevate themselves. It's patheticly sad. I feel sorry for their parents.
I'm not really surprised by this actually, just commenting. Tactless, boorish people are everywhere after all, online and offline. But possible more online.
The rest of this week, I will continue to look for a place to repair that nasty dent on the front of the car, preferably before it starts to rust.
Italy won the World Cup as I expected, but not in the way I expected. I don't like it when a competition this big gets decided by the lottery that is the penalty shootout.
I bet there were collective groans amongst the Italia supporters when the ref blew for the end of extra time, the scores tied at one a piece. Italy, oddly enough, have never been very good at penalties. The last final they were involved in 1994, ended in a penalty shootout too. They lost that one to Brazil when Baggio blasted his penalty over the bar.
I'm glad they won this time. It's hard for me to sympathise with France. Zidane made a terrible mistake during what is the last match he'll ever play for France. Stupid Zizou...
In other France related news, I was reading a World of Warcraft article when one link led to another and eventually I ended up watching a video clip of the song J'en Ai Marre by Alizee. My, what an attractive woman. And what a catchy song.
I'm downloading both her albums tonight. That'll be quite a change from my usual downloading habits. First, it's not metal/rock/alternative/punk and second, it's French. I'm not really a big pop fan anymore.
That reminds me, I need to reorganise my music archive. I have some other new stuff I recently downloaded and I haven't sorted through them yet. I blame WoW.
And talking about WoW, there is something quite distressing that I've been noticing. The game allows players to chat and I've noticed the most appalling lack of manners. What happened to things like "Please" and "May I" when requesting help or when looking for a group to join? Not only that, you reply and so "No thanks" or "Sorry I can't, I'm logging off soon", you get insulted.
And why do some players insult other players who ask for simple things like directions and where to find this and that thing? It is so difficult to give a straight answer?
It's very bad. Some days, I just leave the public channels off, leave the guild chat on and quest in total silence.
I think this pointless insulting of other players and calling them noobs is a sign of elitism. Some people apparently absolutely have to put others down to elevate themselves. It's patheticly sad. I feel sorry for their parents.
I'm not really surprised by this actually, just commenting. Tactless, boorish people are everywhere after all, online and offline. But possible more online.
The rest of this week, I will continue to look for a place to repair that nasty dent on the front of the car, preferably before it starts to rust.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
A Day in The Trenches
I come in to work this morning expecting a nice quiet Sunday. Instead I get a ton of delayed work that was supposed to be done two days ago thrust in my face. Of course, since some management people forget that we're just human and that there are only around 12 hours of daylight in an average day, they expect everything to be ready by evening.
This is the issue that I have with management and other leader-like types. For many, the higher up they get, the further removed they are from reality. The further they are from the ground, the less likely they are to know what really goes on. All they see is schedules and graphs and plans and MS Project files.
I recall reading an anecdote about a British intelligence officer who came to visit the trenches of the Somme after the battles were over in The First World War. Seeing the trenches and the mud and the shell blighted lunar landscape, all he could say was,"My God. We sent men to fight in this??"
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That's human nature after all. We tend to forget. Old people tend to forget what being young was like and people in high places forget what it was like getting there. And sometimes, people who are happy forget what it was like to be depressed.
With the forgetting, the understanding and empathy goes out the window as well. Such is the nature of people.
Anyway.
I wrote a lenghty post two days ago. A current issues one. I forget what it was about now since I deleted it. I'm taking time off from writing about things I see in the news. It pisses me off and when I'm away from work, I also want to take a break from being pissed by current issues. I'd much rather write about sports or games or what happen in WoW or movies or etc.
I won't be writing current issue stuff for a long time. I'll just let journalists and other bloggers comment on those things.
Talking about sports, I hope Italy win the World Cup. I think they deserve it more.
This is quite a big week for me. I turn 33. With that, I've been doing a lot of thinking. Where I am, where I'm going, where I've been, what's going to happen. That kind of thing. So I'll be writing about that soon I think, if I don't get distracted by things.
All I can say about the situation so far is that I'm not where I thought I would be and I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what's going to happen and I don't know if I'm headed down the right path.
One of the things that power people in daily life are their hopes and aspirations. I'm 33. I need to get new ones. I'm doing none of the things I thought I'd be doing. It's not a bad thing really, but neither is it a really good thing. I'm not sure.
So yeah a lot of heavy thoughts while questing in Azeroth.
I'll write that big post if I gather my thoughts in time. And top of the morning to you all.
This is the issue that I have with management and other leader-like types. For many, the higher up they get, the further removed they are from reality. The further they are from the ground, the less likely they are to know what really goes on. All they see is schedules and graphs and plans and MS Project files.
I recall reading an anecdote about a British intelligence officer who came to visit the trenches of the Somme after the battles were over in The First World War. Seeing the trenches and the mud and the shell blighted lunar landscape, all he could say was,"My God. We sent men to fight in this??"
I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That's human nature after all. We tend to forget. Old people tend to forget what being young was like and people in high places forget what it was like getting there. And sometimes, people who are happy forget what it was like to be depressed.
With the forgetting, the understanding and empathy goes out the window as well. Such is the nature of people.
Anyway.
I wrote a lenghty post two days ago. A current issues one. I forget what it was about now since I deleted it. I'm taking time off from writing about things I see in the news. It pisses me off and when I'm away from work, I also want to take a break from being pissed by current issues. I'd much rather write about sports or games or what happen in WoW or movies or etc.
I won't be writing current issue stuff for a long time. I'll just let journalists and other bloggers comment on those things.
Talking about sports, I hope Italy win the World Cup. I think they deserve it more.
This is quite a big week for me. I turn 33. With that, I've been doing a lot of thinking. Where I am, where I'm going, where I've been, what's going to happen. That kind of thing. So I'll be writing about that soon I think, if I don't get distracted by things.
All I can say about the situation so far is that I'm not where I thought I would be and I don't know where I'm going. I don't know what's going to happen and I don't know if I'm headed down the right path.
One of the things that power people in daily life are their hopes and aspirations. I'm 33. I need to get new ones. I'm doing none of the things I thought I'd be doing. It's not a bad thing really, but neither is it a really good thing. I'm not sure.
So yeah a lot of heavy thoughts while questing in Azeroth.
I'll write that big post if I gather my thoughts in time. And top of the morning to you all.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Look in The Sky!
If you haven't watched Superman Returns, go and watch it right this second. It's freaking brilliant.And this coming from me, who doesn't really like Superman to begin with.
I went in fully expecting to go bleh. I don't really like Superman to be honest. I think he's too squeaky clean. I'm more of a Batman person.
Instead of "bleh", I got "Holy Crap" instead. I sat there in my seat for three hours with my mouth open.
Everything in this movie was brilliant. The story, the acting, the effects, the cameras. Everything.
Whoever watches this movie will not fail to notice Brandon Routh. He was awesome. I was skeptical about him, what with him being an Iowa country boy waiter guy and all. I thought it'd be weird seeing Superman looking unfamiliar.
But man, he looks, sounds, acts, moves so much like the late Christopher Reeves, it was uncanny. This guy IS Superman/Clark Kent. I dare say that much.
Now that I've found out that he's interested to be in the Warcraft movie, he is officially cool in my books.
Everyone else was great too. Kevin Spacey as Lex? Genius! Hey, it's Kevin Spacey. Who can say anything bad about his acting? After all, it's Kevin Spacey. And along side him is the great Parker Posey as Kitty. I think she's awesome and I haven't seen her in a while.
Kate Bosworth was great as Lois Lane. I expected her to be a lot more annoying for some reason. I was pleasantly surprised by Kate's performance.
There is this huge, totally unexpected twist in the movie. Real huge. Not telling though.
The effects are awesome but that's no surprise these days. Finally, we get to see just how quick Superman is. I loved that one seen when he shoots out of an elevator shaft and vapour flares around him as he flies past the sound barrier. Brilliant!
So, in short, I loved Superman Returns. In fact, if anyone wants me to accompany them to watch it again this Thursday or Friday, I would go.
In other news, my new DLink G604 wireless router is working out really well. No problems so far and it was easier to set up than my old DLink cabled router, surprisingly. At RM300, the router is amazingly cheap for something so capable, considering the features.
Unfortunately, the PCI wireless cards aren't cheap. RM 120-130 each, depending on make.
All in all, I'm satisfied with it.
In yet more news, I received my Mastercard today. Yes, an entire new world of retail has opened up via my PC! I'm still not sure whether this is a curse or a blessing though.
But still, I'm so pleased because I didn't get rejected for once. It's a good thing. I think.
Finally, I wish to share another brilliantly written blog post I came across. I found the part about living life bracing yourself for yet another tragedy to be particularly resonating.
I could've written this blog post myself, if my mind was less cluttered and if my writing was clearer.
I will probably write something about this some day.
And with that, I bid you all good morning.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Wireless!!
I'm going to watch Superman in an hour.
At home, I've gone wireless!! It's bloody brilliant!
More later.
At home, I've gone wireless!! It's bloody brilliant!
More later.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Gone Revisited
"Those who are born with the possession of knowledge are the highest class of men. Those who learn, and so readily get possession of knowledge, are the next. Those who are dull and stupid, and yet compass the learning, are another class next to these. As to those who are dull and stupid and yet do not learn; -- they are the lowest of the people."
- Confucius
It's very interesting to read back your old entries over the past one year. In my own case, I saw a progression of sorts, an evolution. Some parts of my life have progressed while some others, have regressed.
One of the posts I most vividly remember is this one written in January last year. It's very important to me because I made an important decision in that post. It was while writing that post that I decided to stop "trying" and forget about "it". I decided to stop lamenting about being alone and just quietly ride the "storm" so to speak.
Things have gotten a lot better for me since then.
When I read that post and other posts like that, it's quite strange in a way. And so different from the present. Only January 2005 and tonight, it felt like it was written a lifetime ago. So what has changed since then? Not much really.
At least not on the outside. What once was an overwhelming obsession, is now.... well, an afterthought really. It's a major change for me.
Ever since I wrote that post, I've been reading a lot about all kinds of things. I encounter websites like this one and this one. It makes me ask myself, why did I not take the initiative to look for answers when I needed it. I also wonder, if I had known the things I know now about myself years ago instead of now, would things be different?
Anyway, like I like to say, it's very eerie to read an article about something and see yourself in it. I've been having this feeling a lot over the last year or so. At the same time, it's such a relief to see your own issues laid out before you. The most important discovery was the so-called nice-guy issue that for the life of me, I never realized I had. As it turns out, I was never a genuinely nice person and I kind of deserved what I got. In a way, it's a good thing that I never managed to start a "successful" relationship. Imagine what kind of mess it would've been, what with all my unresolved issues and emotional baggage.
If only I had known ten years ago, heck TWO years ago, instead of now. If only.
I was going to write about this issue myself, in fact I did write about it before. But recently I read a reader comment from HBI that sums everything up quite nicely. It's so compelling, it'll be such a waste not to post it, both as a reminder for myself and hopefully for the benefit of readers. The comment is as follows:-
"I can kind of sympathize with the Nice Guy and his affliction. I was once kind of there myself nad it's a twisted little world. Maybe I can bring some insight into it, in the hope one of these poor souls might see the light. At the same time, it'll be therapeutic for me.
Here's how it works, for the most part: insecure guy with little self-esteem gets this idea that if only this one girl could be his (Yep, just like a sofa or T.V. can be yours) it will make him whole and worthy again and all will be good with the world. So he fosters all his attention on an unsuspecting girl who's being nice to him because she happens to be a nice person. At first, she might have some genuine interest in him, but he's so grabby and clingy she quickly runs away, leaving him broken-hearted and wondering (ALL TOGETHER): Why do nice guys never get the girl?
Well, for one thing, guys - and get this in your head - you're not in love with that girl. You're in love with the idea of being in love. You're also horny and lonely. There's nothing wrong with being horny and lonely, happens to the best of us. It becomes a problem when you don't face the issue head-on and won't even admit it to yourself - much less another person. You see, you can't possibly be in love with someone you're not at least trying to communicate openly with and there is no such thing as love at first sight (Lust at first sight, yes). Love takes time and communication. It is to be grown and nurtured like a garden. The garden will only grow in an nourishing athmosphere and will suffocate in the absence of absolute mutual freedom. In other words it cannot be rushed, nor forced. Nor can you predict with certainty if it will flourish. It is always a gamble. So grabbing on to a girl and saying: OH! Love me ! Love me ! We must fall in love! is terribly misguided (and creepy - it will nip your garden in the bud)
Also, one last thing - and this can't be stressed enough - looking for a girlfriend is not a full-time occupation. First, it will get you in a horribly self-defeating cycle and second, if having a girlfriend is all you ever think about, what on earth will you possibly talk about when you finally do get a woman to sit down with you for an hour? The weather?
Get a hobby. Exercise. HAVE A JOB. Get involve in stuff. Study a subject. Repair computers. Play an instrument. Read books. Whatever. Don't just sit around waiting for HER to magically appear and save you from your inner emptiness. Acquire substance.
Now, I know some of you guys are thinking: Oh, I get it... I'll get a hobby and make myself interesting and THEN, I'll get the girl, because I'll be in something. I wonder what girls are into these days?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... Pursue something you are genuinely interested in. For yourself. In order to grow as a human being. Don't go around studying the Victoria Secrets catalogue figuring you can talk about that. She'll think you're gay. (Not that there's anything wrong with that... But that's not what you're trying to, here). You need to do something that will make you feel better about yourself and that will give you substance. And then, you'll realize you don't actually NEED another person to define you. Strangely enough, that's the only way you will reach a path to love. By rejecting its necessity. You may actually never fall in love in your life, maybe it's just not your destiny, but at least you'll be a whole person and you'll stop walking around beating yourself up.
And just one more thing: Please, please, please, for Heaven's sake, drugs and alcohol are neither an occupation nor a hobby. In fact, they will make you considerably less attractive. And the people you will attract are usually people you wouldn't want in your life. (I'm not talking about smoking a doob now and then and enjoying scotch - but don't ever make these things an occupation
Peace out. Cheers. Thanks for listening to my rant. God bless you all."
I know for a fact there are other people with the same issues described above. The same issues that wasted more than a decade of my own life.
I hope we all can learn what this. I sincerely hope this post will somehow save someone else 10-15 years of his/her life.
And so, have I decided to go back "in the game" so to speak. Am I ready to use my new knowledge and start trying to date again?
The answer is no.
Because one other thing I learnt is that a man needs to get his own shit together first before trying to meet someone else.
That's another very important lesson.
- Confucius
It's very interesting to read back your old entries over the past one year. In my own case, I saw a progression of sorts, an evolution. Some parts of my life have progressed while some others, have regressed.
One of the posts I most vividly remember is this one written in January last year. It's very important to me because I made an important decision in that post. It was while writing that post that I decided to stop "trying" and forget about "it". I decided to stop lamenting about being alone and just quietly ride the "storm" so to speak.
Things have gotten a lot better for me since then.
When I read that post and other posts like that, it's quite strange in a way. And so different from the present. Only January 2005 and tonight, it felt like it was written a lifetime ago. So what has changed since then? Not much really.
At least not on the outside. What once was an overwhelming obsession, is now.... well, an afterthought really. It's a major change for me.
Ever since I wrote that post, I've been reading a lot about all kinds of things. I encounter websites like this one and this one. It makes me ask myself, why did I not take the initiative to look for answers when I needed it. I also wonder, if I had known the things I know now about myself years ago instead of now, would things be different?
Anyway, like I like to say, it's very eerie to read an article about something and see yourself in it. I've been having this feeling a lot over the last year or so. At the same time, it's such a relief to see your own issues laid out before you. The most important discovery was the so-called nice-guy issue that for the life of me, I never realized I had. As it turns out, I was never a genuinely nice person and I kind of deserved what I got. In a way, it's a good thing that I never managed to start a "successful" relationship. Imagine what kind of mess it would've been, what with all my unresolved issues and emotional baggage.
If only I had known ten years ago, heck TWO years ago, instead of now. If only.
I was going to write about this issue myself, in fact I did write about it before. But recently I read a reader comment from HBI that sums everything up quite nicely. It's so compelling, it'll be such a waste not to post it, both as a reminder for myself and hopefully for the benefit of readers. The comment is as follows:-
"I can kind of sympathize with the Nice Guy and his affliction. I was once kind of there myself nad it's a twisted little world. Maybe I can bring some insight into it, in the hope one of these poor souls might see the light. At the same time, it'll be therapeutic for me.
Here's how it works, for the most part: insecure guy with little self-esteem gets this idea that if only this one girl could be his (Yep, just like a sofa or T.V. can be yours) it will make him whole and worthy again and all will be good with the world. So he fosters all his attention on an unsuspecting girl who's being nice to him because she happens to be a nice person. At first, she might have some genuine interest in him, but he's so grabby and clingy she quickly runs away, leaving him broken-hearted and wondering (ALL TOGETHER): Why do nice guys never get the girl?
Well, for one thing, guys - and get this in your head - you're not in love with that girl. You're in love with the idea of being in love. You're also horny and lonely. There's nothing wrong with being horny and lonely, happens to the best of us. It becomes a problem when you don't face the issue head-on and won't even admit it to yourself - much less another person. You see, you can't possibly be in love with someone you're not at least trying to communicate openly with and there is no such thing as love at first sight (Lust at first sight, yes). Love takes time and communication. It is to be grown and nurtured like a garden. The garden will only grow in an nourishing athmosphere and will suffocate in the absence of absolute mutual freedom. In other words it cannot be rushed, nor forced. Nor can you predict with certainty if it will flourish. It is always a gamble. So grabbing on to a girl and saying: OH! Love me ! Love me ! We must fall in love! is terribly misguided (and creepy - it will nip your garden in the bud)
Also, one last thing - and this can't be stressed enough - looking for a girlfriend is not a full-time occupation. First, it will get you in a horribly self-defeating cycle and second, if having a girlfriend is all you ever think about, what on earth will you possibly talk about when you finally do get a woman to sit down with you for an hour? The weather?
Get a hobby. Exercise. HAVE A JOB. Get involve in stuff. Study a subject. Repair computers. Play an instrument. Read books. Whatever. Don't just sit around waiting for HER to magically appear and save you from your inner emptiness. Acquire substance.
Now, I know some of you guys are thinking: Oh, I get it... I'll get a hobby and make myself interesting and THEN, I'll get the girl, because I'll be in something. I wonder what girls are into these days?
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no... Pursue something you are genuinely interested in. For yourself. In order to grow as a human being. Don't go around studying the Victoria Secrets catalogue figuring you can talk about that. She'll think you're gay. (Not that there's anything wrong with that... But that's not what you're trying to, here). You need to do something that will make you feel better about yourself and that will give you substance. And then, you'll realize you don't actually NEED another person to define you. Strangely enough, that's the only way you will reach a path to love. By rejecting its necessity. You may actually never fall in love in your life, maybe it's just not your destiny, but at least you'll be a whole person and you'll stop walking around beating yourself up.
And just one more thing: Please, please, please, for Heaven's sake, drugs and alcohol are neither an occupation nor a hobby. In fact, they will make you considerably less attractive. And the people you will attract are usually people you wouldn't want in your life. (I'm not talking about smoking a doob now and then and enjoying scotch - but don't ever make these things an occupation
Peace out. Cheers. Thanks for listening to my rant. God bless you all."
I know for a fact there are other people with the same issues described above. The same issues that wasted more than a decade of my own life.
I hope we all can learn what this. I sincerely hope this post will somehow save someone else 10-15 years of his/her life.
And so, have I decided to go back "in the game" so to speak. Am I ready to use my new knowledge and start trying to date again?
The answer is no.
Because one other thing I learnt is that a man needs to get his own shit together first before trying to meet someone else.
That's another very important lesson.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Some New Stuff
I discovered this brilliantly made WoW machinima from the WoW website this morning. See it here. It's great. It's made by Taiwanese fans. It's bloody brilliant. The song they used is great too. Reminds me of a great many anime intros.
I think it makes a nice promo for WoW.
This machinima phenomenon is great. The idea of using a game engine to make a film is very intriguing. I've watched a couple and they're amazing.
Another interesting thing I discovered recently is an online webzine that I linked to in a previous post, The Escapist. It's a gaming mag, only not really about games. Every article is interesting and almost exactly the things I wonder about myself. Go and read it.
I've been listening to this particular Third Eye Blind song, The Background. I love it.
Three nights of work left.
I think it makes a nice promo for WoW.
This machinima phenomenon is great. The idea of using a game engine to make a film is very intriguing. I've watched a couple and they're amazing.
Another interesting thing I discovered recently is an online webzine that I linked to in a previous post, The Escapist. It's a gaming mag, only not really about games. Every article is interesting and almost exactly the things I wonder about myself. Go and read it.
I've been listening to this particular Third Eye Blind song, The Background. I love it.
Three nights of work left.
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