The evil cam phone

Fenrir's phone strikes again! Alright...admittedly, the phone's camera is seriously bad, but hey...if it gets shots that are at least barely recognizable...


Yes. Incredible, isn't it, what the Japanese can come up with when it's transliterated/translated to English? I shan't make further comment.


Yet another amusing product at the mart. I seriously wonder who they'd consulted for the name of their product.

War of the Worlds?

Watched War of the Worlds with a friend today. I can't fairly say that the show's downright bad, but there were some extremely lame moments and numerous inconsistencies. Some parts of the movie didn't really make sense in a plot-hole way, and I really don't get the asshole part (private joke amongst the viewers). It's incredible how people refuse to get to a safe distance when in the face of danger, and do so only when they see people dying all around them. Curiosity is one thing, but watching dumbly (while not in utter terror) is quite another.

The film smacks of budget-cuts. Lighting effects and screen-shaking are the call of the day. I'd say that it's an elegant solution to cost-cutting when it comes to filming. Saves the money involved trying to rig up expensive CGI effects and all. I'd say that the CGI effects were well-placed, and probably delivered the maximum impact with their presence.

Unfortunately, it was the plot holes that inevitably took the show down, as well as the crappy last quarter. I shan't spoil the ending, but really, the hero's family can't be the only ones on the street still surviving, right? I can understand that the focus should be on the protagonist, but making it seem as if the protagonist were the sole survivor is rather...overdoing it.

LONDON!

Oh dear, oh dear. Sorry, all you English fans out there, but I was sincerely hoping for Paris to host the Olympics in 2012. Alas, it was not to be. It was unreal, watching the announcer read those words out. I was watching the footage of all those French hopefuls, each one readied to party through the night. Kinda feel sorry for them. What i didn't like about the French, however, was what they'd said about English food and the likelihood of London hosting the Olympics. Bangers and mash aren't all that bad. They seemed overly confident, too, which did skew my favour towards their side. (I like confidence. I really do.)

Of minds and lift buttons

So here I am, sitting with a mug of chocolate syrup, (yeah, I make hot chocolate so strong that it doesn't really flow well) just thinking about the day. I would suppose that skeptics would be all over me, but I'm recording this as a log of the day's events. I was walking down the stairs to the lift and saw that it was waiting, but the door was closed (the door had a window, so I could see the lift behind it). I was thinking, "oh goody! It should open." and it did. Now, lift doors close by default in my apartment when waiting. So...this was an unusual incident. It happened before, when i was almost reaching the button with my finger. That was when I was thinking, "Open," and yeah...it did. On a related note, the exact same thing happened when I was approaching the traffic light and thought of pressing the button. The button pressed light promptly lit up even though there was nobody there. Now, I'm not about to claim that I've telekinetic powers. Could've been some kind of an electrical malfuction or something with a "perfectly rational explanation." Still, it's interesting to take note of such things.

Cosmetics and such

Ok. If someone had...say...an entire month away from work, that someone would have plenty of free time, right? Time to idle? Strange. I never seem to find a nice long stretch when I really can't find stuff to do. Well, hobby stuff anyway. By the standards of the world I'm probably extremely unproductive, not learning anything "concrete" and apparently not improving myself. Watching shows, reading books and writing stuff doesn't generally count as productive labour anyway, not unless one happens to be in a line involving that. Mmm. Makes me wonder why the heck I was pursuing a science degree in the first place.

There goes another day, spent going shopping with mom. It's strange, how little can be done within the vast amount of time that invariably elapses during a shopping trip. Just walking around, poking at stuff and buying a few items can take an entire day, and the stuff that we bring back isn't exactly something that would explain all the time that had been sucked into some black hole. Then again, I'd be rather upset if I'd bust my own budget by buying too much stuff. Oh, well.

The Wired

The Wired is a weird place. Here's a link that proves it: http://www.alterfin.com/dominique/
And here's another: http://www.durexdickerations.com/

Sometimes I wonder how my friends find such pages and why I always seem to end up receiving the links. Then again, nothing beats the titles of the spam messages. Just how would "adding a few inches" be considerate to a girlfriend? Uhhh...yeah. Whatever. Not as if it applies to me anyway. Not to mention the huge number of stock tips I'm getting. Just who the hell is signing me up for spam? Sheesh!

Reminiscing

I'm going into the last month of my extended vacation and kinda thinking back about what I'd been doing all this time. When I compare the life I'm leading now to the life I'd used to lead on previous vacations, I'd realise that my idea of entertainment had been through a great change. I'd played very few hours of computer games in the last month or so, and done a whole lot more reading and self-studying. Writing, too. Not to mention the amazing fact that I'd actually tidied my room to the point that mother's actually quite pleased. I really don't know how the days go by. I seem to be reading and chatting and surfing, and then it's already dinner time. Hmm. At least I know that my list of accomplishments is growing. That's some measure of comfort for me.

On a more personal note, I'd managed to buy myself a new pair of trainers. Running is fun if not for that nose of mine which is quite perpetually blocked and the fact that I get breathless quite easily. I hope the running will increase my fitness. Strange how I'd taken so long just to pick a simple pair of trainers. Picky picky...

Comfort

It's amazing, how much I'd never understood. Despite my many idealogical disagreements with my father, he's still remarkably understanding. He kinda accepts me for what I am and who I am. It's a nice break from how I'd thought all along that he would try to control my life and decide for me what I should be. Ahhh. How much I had misunderstood. My mother, however, has certain expectations of me, and I really hate to disappoint her. She's such a kind person. Personal life always conflicts with family life. C'est la vie.

My personal spam

Spam's incredible. I'm always getting those "increase your length", viagra and stock quotes. Best of all, I now know that I've thousands of extremely rich distant relatives, and corrupt politicians are just *dying* to get me to help them launder money. Strangely enough, none of them know that I conduct illegal deals with cash only. Dumbasses.

www.thinkgeek.com This is my tribute to you, thinkgeek. Heh. That site's got enough funky gadgets to keep my mind off depressing issues. Heck, I'd probably get stuff off it were I a bit looser with my purse strings. Unfortunately for them, I'm not. *laughs*

Poetry workshop

One-on-one coaching, that's what I'm at. I was chatting on the Wired and found that one of my juniors was having a bit of trouble with her poetry. And thus it began. After helping her out with one of her works, I'd found that I'd learned a bit about what good poetry entails. For one, attempting to pass prose off as poetry is a big no-no, especially if the resultant verse looks forced or is simply too random to take some form as proper poetry. I shan't criticize too much as I would not consider myself to be of sufficient caliber to do so. I daresay, though, that she's improving just fine. *laughs*

A nightmare

I'm being kept awake by a bizarre nightmare. I guess I'm more easily disturbed than I had originally thought. I guess I'll stay awake and pen this while my mind clears. When I was back late from the movie yesterday, I walked along an apartment block, with a swarm of insects chasing the fluorescent lights. What was disturbing was not the insects, but the fact that there was also a rather ripe odor in the vicinity. I was understandably spooked, and those flying insects were not of the common variety that swarms when rain is coming. Worst of all, when I looked back upon the apartment block, I'd realized that the insects were swarming in only one area. When it rains, they normally swarm to pretty much every fluorescent light. Freaky.

The nightmare was disturbing, though. I know like duh, all nightmares are. I'd say that it was more of a morally disturbing issue. I had dreamt that I had murdered, but instead of being haunted by the victim or discovered by the police, I was faced with a father who had absolute certainty that the deed was done. All I knew was that he'd probably tell. Well, as to the body, it was placed in a schoolbag and hidden so that it would not be found. As far as the dream-police were concerned, it was gone forever. I think it was supposed to have been dumped in a camp, yet I seem to remember it as an area from my high school. I don't know why the area is muddled in my head. Someone else knew, though. The guy who did it with me. The strangest part was that I know for sure that I had a dream about this before. Why am I having this dream again? Am I a murderer? Am I just afraid of my father/father figure? Or is it that I bloody need some sleep? I'm waking at the oddest hours. Geez. Why am I pensive about sleeping now? Am I afraid to have more nightmares, or am I afraid of finding out some truth? I think I'll bash some porings or something.

Fans nowadays.

I was walking past my neighbourhood stadium and noticed a soccer match in progress. As I moved along the covered walkway surrounding the stadium, I noticed a large number of fans smoking their lungs out. It's not that I've anything against smoking, but they were in fanclub jerseys. I mean like, they're implying that the team they're supposed to root for was not really worth their time and stuff. Makes me wonder why they were in the fanclub in the first place. It's not like school where people get coerced into turning up for dumb events. Ah, well, I'll never get people sometimes.

Random weirdness.

I was at the lift going up to my apartment. As the door was closing, I sped up a little so as not to miss it. I had this sudden "moment" of certainty that I wouldn't miss it. I reached out towards the button to press it, but the lift door opened before I could press it. Freaky. I'd thought someone had pressed it for me, but there was nobody else around. Reminds me of that event a couple years back, which some of my friends might know as the "balloon incident". That was when a balloon popped the moment I mimed shooting at it.

Shopping is gestalt therapy. Well, for me, anyway. Went about the mall and mingled with the crowd. Tried to get some japanese reading guides, but there were none at the stores. Bought some suppliments and then went back home. Ah, well, my wardrobe is quite full as it is. =p

I have a life! I just...

Well, gone back to the Ragnarok Online forum and encountered this new game! Ragnarok Battle Online/Offline or something. (I'll call it RBO from now on) Looks promising and I'm downloading it even as I type this entry. Mmm. I'm just a little sentimental about RO. It was the game that kinda brought me some of my social circle, weird as it may seem. Yeah, I know some people would like say that I've no life and all that. RO's for kids, bla bla. It's just plain fun and is a tad nicer than playing old arcade game remakes and all that. It's kinda something to do while chatting, which I do in-game most of the time. Not really played a Street Fighter type game for a long time so I'm looking forward to RBO *crosses fingers that it works*. I'm one of those stubborn types that would like to stick to their principles when it comes to gaming, like selecting a particular character type (Those who know me would know which that is).

Looking back, I know that I don't drink, don't smoke and thus don't really go out much on the "fun" stuff. Whatever that is, anyway. Waste of my life? Maybe. That could be a part of the reason why "I've Never Been To Me" and "Concrete Angel" are songs that affect me in such profound ways. I guess I'm just sentimental. *hugs old RO character*

Being at peace

Contentment, understanding and acceptance. Easier said than done. Sometimes you encounter someone doing something better than you do. Then, naturally, that person would become a guide of sorts. Maybe emulating that person would be desirable somehow. One of the worst things that could happen is that envy turns into a sort of jealousy, and then to resentment. I mean like , aspiring towards a goal is good, but mere resentment and ending up living by hatred and not improving oneself is a really unacceptable situation. It's a bit like going "What's she doing right that I'm not", "Why does she have everything and I don't" and so on. The resentment exists, but the will to improve is weak to nonexistent. Strangely enough, it happens all the time without people realizing it. Not everyone would step back from their lives and rethink what they had been doing like forever, just because it had become routine and they'd assumed that something that had gone on for so long wouldn't be going too wrong. Reminds me of how some people stay in power longer than they should.

Time flies

It's strange how time flies when one's doing the usual routine. Looked back upon my previous entries and discovered that I'd been writing for a couple months, though it had seemed like mere weeks (well, it was technically a few weeks). As usual, my concern is that i had not fully utilized my time. Sometimes I truly wonder what efficient utilization would be. Would I be obliged to pack events into my schedule while I'm having a break? Do I have to be busy every second of the day just so that I can say that I'd "done something" with my time? I wonder if casual reading, completing a course of learning and gaining valuable gaming experience would count. Hmm. I know that working part-time and getting grossly underpaid is not my way.

A little shopping...

Shopping with a friend is just plain fun. It's just nice to be able to go around looking at apparel that the two of us can understand. Participation is essential for a truly enjoyable shopping trip. Managed to pick a nice bag at a reasonable price. It was a slingbag, to be precise, but since it was meant for school use I'd call it a pack. Old school! Just the way I like things. Leather buckles coupled with a rugged looking broad sling. Mmm. If not for my love of backpacks, I would've gotten one for myself. IMO, sling bags just get in the way when you're turning about on crowded public transport, and especially when you're chasing a bus.

I'm just a born pavement pounder, I think. Got nothing against miles and miles of walking around just to get to places. My friends mind, sometimes, but they don't mind if I don't get them lost enroute. Got this awful navigation system installed in my head, such that my directions are often mirrored and I can never point correctly in the general direction of the target area. As a consolation, I'm downright decent when it comes to visualizing maps and chasing landmarks. Gota tri-n-goo-late.

Spywares? None, thanks.

Modern spywares have an amazing ability to shove themselves down others' throats, especially if they don't want it. (I do know of some sys admins who would willingly install spyware with the purpose of figuring out how to remove them). My friend's system caught an especially tenacious one that seems to foil the efforts of most free spyware removers. On a mozilla browser, no less! Mozilla's got this wonderful protection against most crap. Problem is that whatever does get through is nearly invariably virulent. Heh. Good luck to that one.

Blades and uh...blades!

My friend had asked me out today so I'd decided to go on a little shopping spree at the military surplus stores and the nearby stationery stores. I'd managed to get two items for myself:

1 (The Sheffield 12104 knife) and 2 (The NT A-300-GRP paper cutter)

For a basic utility knife that I normally carry about, the Sheffield is remarkably good value for money. The first one I'd gotten (the one I call Flower Cutter) has not rusted after quite some service in a sweaty pocket. No rust on the blade. Holds an edge quite well, too. What I like best about the Sheffield is the fact that it can be opened by one hand (left or right handed) and can be closed by one hand (if one knows the technique). Suits me fine as I like have ambidextrous blades.

The NT paper cutter was one of my old friends. The automatic locking mechanism is reliable and effective, and the metal parts seldom rusted (some of my friends eventually had rusty cutters). Never happened to me, though. I'm not really into buying paper cutters very often, so I'd figured that I might as well invest in a fairly good one. My last one was damaged beyond repair, so this one shall be its successor. Bwahaha.

Shopping

Shopping should not be family time. Kinda weird, given the fact that the only time we really get to shop is when it's a family day. I mean, it's really nice to go shopping with mother, but the old man would get sorta lonely and end up waiting outside of the store. I like know that he doesn't mind a whole lot, but he just seems so left out. Then again, when he does come in, he normally brings along the caveat to not spend too much. *sigh* I always feel a bit under pressure when he's around. But hey, if it keeps the family together, I really don't see how it would be a problem.

Life's like plain weird when you're the in-between. Father does one thing, mother does another and you kinda get stuck in the middle. I could like organize something that they both would like, but that would leave me feeling that I'm just fulfilling an obligation and wasting my time a little. It really does suck when you finish an entire day, come home at the end of it all and think about all the things you could've done in that time, and knowing the sacrifice in family time that would be. Someone always gets left out. C'est la vie.