Me.

Tullast This is Captain's log, 12:19:00 AM

Monday, August 30, 2004

Naruto Fever!!

NARUTO
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Overview:
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Naruto is about a boy who lived in a hidden village of konoha or leaf. He has a terrible fox demon took up residence in his body. That demon terrorized the village and almost brought the whole village into the brink of destrution. However, the Fourth Hokage or leader of the village used a forbidden technique to lock the terrible demon into Naruto's body while sacrificing himself and thus saving the village.

12 years later, oblivious to the "curse" inside of him, the hyperactive ninja Naruto has the dream of becoming a Hokage just like the Fourth and its predecessors.To achieve that dream Naruto goes through tough, emotional, and heart breaking obstacles as a ninja and finally gains the meaning of hardwork and sacrifices every ninja must make in order to be recognised as a truely powerful ninja.

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My thoughts:
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Naruto is one of the best animes that i have ever watched. It scores on everything, animation, storyline, plot, character development, character diverstiy, story and enjoyment. The series has no definite number of episodes just as yet because it is still airing in Japan, every Wednesday night, 7.27pm on TV Tokyo. It is one of the most popular anime of all time and millions tune in to that channel to watch this incredible tale of naruto and his life's journey on becoming the hokage of the village. The animation is very good, but not the best out there. For an anime of this genre about ninjas and stuff, animation need not be top notch and in my humble opinion, it is just right. The storyline is one of the most original one out there. There are no other anime that is similar to Naruto and it just stands out as one of the best. The series has run pretty long spanning more than 80 episode as of this date and i can see no end to this great series. The anime is not violent or dark in nature, but totally the opposite. Naruto is so hyperactive that you cannot really predict what he is going to do next. The series is continuation based series, meaning that you have to tune in everyweek or rather watch the next episode to know what happen. A storyline arc can span more than 20 episode. Overall, the anime is prety hilarious, and there are some really heart wrenching moments. Its a emotional rollercoaster ride. The anime is very addictive and you cant seem to stop watching.

The most striking features of this anime is character development and a wide array character laid out before you. Here you have Naruto who is very hyperactive, as part of his team, there is also another girl, names Sakura who has a crush on Sasuke also part of the team, who has only one purpose in mind: To be the best ninja out there and take revenge on his brother who killed everyone of the Uchiha clan, part of a noble family of Konoha. This mystery about his brother is not revealed until the very later episode. The teacher who taught them the ways of the ninja is Kakahi Hatake, a cool and mysterious but bored looking guy who reads this weird book called Flirtatious Paradise. The reason why i call him mysterious because so far viewers have never seen the full face of Kakashi, because his face is covered by a peice of tight cloth covering everything but his right eye and his headband, symbolising the village and status as a ninja, that covered his left.

Other than these four, you will expect to see other 3 person teams just like naruto whos been taught by other teachers and thier character background. Another striking feature is that the anime is full of details meaning that if the anime right now is focusing on one character, the producer will pour all the details about him, his background, his family, his hardship and how he became what he is today to the viewers. The producer will never leave anything out and sometimes mysteries do crop up often, leaving unanswered questions about a particular character, only to be explain in later episodes. The anime will slowly unveil pieces of information regarding anything that its focusing on. From the history of the village to the history of every character that naruto comes across. It is no wonder that this anime is thought provoking as well because it leaves you wondering more about these characters. No 2 character background are alike even by slightest amount and youll soon realised that once you know about this person character youll start thinking how it affects his future or other people surround him or her. The intertwining of relationships and past conflict is food for thought to anyone who watches it, and these intertwining is soo precise and fragile and every detail must be taken into consideration and into perfection so that the pieces of puzzle can fit.
Voice acting is wonderfully done and portrayed. Each character has a unique voice and no single voice actor take more than 1 role in this anime. The hyperactive Naruto has a very active and loud voice, the teacher, Kakashi who is a cool but mysterious guy has a cool but mysterious voice with a hint of boredom. The rest are portrayed wonderfully and it brings out the true character in every protaganist.

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My Rants:
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Although this anime is one of the best out there it still comes with imperfections and flaws. One thing i dont quite like about the series is that some action scenes like fight sequences and battle scenes take a looong time to resolve. This usually takes place numerous episodes before its been over and done with. The pacing is just not right for an action sequence of such a large scale and the slow pacing can be very distractful from the main event. Like for example, there is this Chuunin Exam where naruto and his team took part in the hopes of promoted to a higher ranking ninja. The third component of the exam comprises of 1 on 1 battle among the rest who also made it that far in the exam. The first challenge was Naruto vs Hyuuga Neji, part of the noble Hyuuga clan. He is the genius in his class and is highly respected as the successor of the clan. The whole battle sequence took place in more than 3 episodes before we can finally see the clear winner. There are many similar battle and action scenes like this and it can go on for a very long time. Other than that, the anime is the best anime out there on the market right now.

I would rate this anime 9.4 out of 10.

Tullast This is Captain's log, 1:44:00 AM

Collateral

Just came back from watching Collateral at Junction 8. The movie was great, although its not my favourite genre, assasins and stuff like that, a great movie nevertheless. The critics got it right, Tom Cruise was great acting as a villian....

In short however, the movie was great, the actors acted really well and the script was carefully scripted out such to an extent that each character or protoganist has its own flavour and style to it, creating a rich storyline. The storyline is good, something fresh.

In terms of atmoshphere, there were suspense, a little bit of intelligent humour and some action. Action scenes were too overblown, its very subtle, contributing that energy more to the suspense that the movie has.

Cant say much, not my type but a great movie nevertheless, i give this movie a high recommendation.

Tullast This is Captain's log, 1:37:00 AM

Friday, August 27, 2004

Only children, Lonely children?

"Had I been writing this a year ago, I probably would've unintentionally biased the article in favour of only children. Many parents of only children find ways of justifying their decision, or circumstance, to the outside world. Now, with only four months to go before my second child is to be born, I find myself more keenly exploring both pros and cons of only children. In fact, with an age gap of almost eight years between our two, it will probably be more like raising two only children.

Sarah Chana Radcliffe, a Psychological Associate in private practise in Thornhill, author and mother to six children, believes that there is a "certain amount of loneliness that comes with being an only child," but that this can be counteracted with guidance and awareness on the part of his or her parents. Diane da Camara, a 39 Thornhill mother to Bryce, aged 5, agrees. Diane and her husband, Tony had always thought they would have several children. However, a move from South Africa prompted them to bring their own parents over to Canada and to provide them with additional support. So, they ultimately decided to stay with one child. With this, she believes, came the added responsibility of increased availability to their son and increased sensitivity to meeting his needs. If parents choose to have an only child," she says, "they need to be prepared to be more involved.An only child is a lonely child when the community lines aren't there," says da Camara. "If you are isolated, there can be loneliness." She says that Bryce views her, his father and grandmother, who lives with them, as his playmates and that they are happy to play cops and robbers with him. "If we always said that he should go and amuse himself or stuck him in front of the T.V or computer screen, then there would be a greater risk of his becoming lonely or socially isolated."

Radcliffe agrees that it is important that only children be encouraged to socialize with other children - not necessarily only within their own age group, but with children of all ages. For an only child, involvement in activities that foster group involvement, she says, is at least as important as developing individual interests. "Don't take the easier way out," she says," by buying your child lots of things to keep him self-involved, such as Game boy or video games, but remember that socialization is key."

Tiina Savolainen, a 33 year old Thornhill mother to six children, believes that a child is "a gift from God" and that if she could have had more, she would have. She believes that, if possible, all parents should have more than one child. She's seen the rewards of a large family and believes her children have too. "There's never a dull moment in our house, "she says "and "the children always have someone to play with." She agrees with da Camara that if there are no siblings around, that parents should be more involved as playmates. Radcliffe cautions that parents should not include their child in every adult activity, potentially making that child "their third marital partner." She says that couples need to make marriage a separate focus. "Get a babysitter and go out regularly," she advises. Radcliffe's other word of caution in involving a child too much in an adult world is that he may become a little adult prematurely.

Radcliffe offers suggestions for avoiding the common pitfall of inadvertently fostering self centredness. "Excessive parental attention to one child's behaviour may cause the child to consider his own actions to be more significant than they are and in addition, may give him the uncomfortable feeling of being under a microscope. A parent needs to have interests outside of her child and a child needs to have a life outside of the family circle," says Radcliffe. da Camara tries not to over indulge or 'spoil,' but also recognizes that Bryce has flourished and grown as the apple of her eye. She knows first hand what growing up for seven years as an only child was like. "Before my brother was born," she says, "I blossomed. I knew how much I was loved and I felt so special. I'd go over to friend's houses, played piano for them and loved the attention." Today, da Camara still enjoys being in the spotlight as an international opera singer.

While it's true that parents of only children can devote more attention to their only child, Savolainen says that siblings often help out in that role. She says that her children really look out for one another - at home and at school. She and Radcliffe agree that siblings, with the right direction from their parents, increase their negotiation skills, always have someone with whom to share and create deep, long lasting relationships with each other.

But do siblings always live in a rosy, caring, sharing world? "There's sibling rivalry in our household, just like any other" says Savolainen, "but when there's a problem I don't get involved unless I have to." She says that asking the children to go upstairs to try to work it out for themselves has taught them to communicate better and to solve their own dilemmas. Although only children may not have as many opportunities to resolve conflict as their peers who have siblings, there are many situations in which an only child can learn to share and resolve conflict such as at school, with neighbourhood children and possibly cousins. da Camara specifically sought out a pre school environment that is very people friendly. The whole family is pulled into lots of functions and the child is very involved, not just during school hours, but on a social level too.

In speaking of the pros and cons of having an only child, da Camara says that she believes that only children, given the right tools, can develop an increased level of imaginative play. "Growing up, my family always commented on my imagination. I had the most amazing stories I would weave around my dolls and would share them with anyone who would care to listen. Teachers always comment on Bryce's imagination too," she says. One of the greater cons of being an only child, da Camara believes, is for the child in later life when his parents grow older. "There's no one to share the responsibility of elderly parents with, " she says, thinking of Bryce and then of herself "and what happens to us if Bryce wants to become an explorer and flies off to Mars. Even if all siblings are not equally as involved, there's always the illusion of them helping if absolutely needed. When there are no siblings, there's only stark reality." Despite this negative aspect of being an only child, da Camara and her husband, like many others, have opted to have one child. Some don't even have an option.

The bottom line is that only children don't have to be lonely children. Although there is an increased risk of isolation and self centredness, there are plenty of opportunities for only children to share, care and to be team players "

1998ｩ Sara Dimerman B.A.A., Dip.C.S., all rights reserved

Tullast This is Captain's log, 12:01:00 PM

Thursday, August 26, 2004

Table Tennis

Today, i played table tennis for the first time in my life. It was a really fun and enjoyable game, something that is very fun, yet difficult to master. Alot of fine control is needed in playing a good game.

We played after i did my project with mizael, shiming and allen in the computer lab, just after our microbiology A practical session. The teacher wasnt present, and we were left to observe the bacteria that we gave cultured all by ourselves, without the tutelage of the teacher. More mysterious though, is that she didnt replied my message that i left on her extension number on her desk. Maybe she wasnt around.

Anyway, after that, we decided to play table tennis. I was reluctant though, as i wanted to concentrate on my studies in the library. But alas i went, i went to cheer myself up, vent my anger on the game and forget all then negative stuff that ive had recently for the past few days. Its really really difficult for me to cope and playing table tennis provided me with some relief and it really made me forget my worries and frustrations for at that point of time. That day, something, someone made me really fuming mad. I was soo close to being pissed while having my lunch. I nearly wanted to walk out and go home, leaving my lunch half eaten. That alone made me no appetite. I dont want to talk about it... No one will understand how i feel....

Tullast This is Captain's log, 11:32:00 PM

BGR Talk

Today, i didnt go for floorball training (AGAIN!!) because i had a talk, on BGR. It was held from 3.15 to 7pm at Block K. Finding the venue was hard at first because we have never been to block K before. Upon reaching there, about more than an hour earlier than expected, my classmates and I totalling, more than 20, were the first to arrive. As we had soo much time extra on our hands, we went to walk around the school, play virtual squash took a look at the pool and just walkin aimlessly. We even went to the track and field area for nothing. We went back to the venue, still lots of time in our hands, chatting loudly, and all.

when its time to enter, our class was soooo KIASU!! All of us rushed towards the entrance and started forming the queue. All of us were in front of the queue, 0402!. The rest of the people from other class were behind us.

when we entered the room, only 25 person were allowed. Almost all of our classmates get to join, leaving the rest of the students from the other class without a place in the talk (so sad...). We were soo happy to gain a place in the talk because there will be ONE CCA point to be issued just by attending this course.

Once inside, we were introduced to the counselors and all. We were seated in a semicircle formation.

The talk was interesting and funny as well. A lot of activities were lined up and we enjoyed doing them. All of us was enthusiastic in doing them and we has lots of laughs.

The BGR talk is teaching us what is true love, the consequences or pre-marital sex, how to date smartly, not blindly and knowing your limits. It is really beneficial, as it broadens my understanding on what true love really means and i also learned the consequences of pre-marital sex, how to reject them, how to have self control and different ways of dating... the smart way. It was really an eye opening and mind broadening talk.

Now i know what my class is...

My class is kiasu, kiasu in a united fashion, one kiasu, ALL kiasu.
Outgoing, i mean really really outgoing, that i just cant keep up, the energy is really overwhelming.
Very funny, lots of funny ideas and remarks.
Very united.
Fun to be around with.

Im really lucky to be in 0402, my friends have really made life in NYP more tolerable. I hope i could just keep it to that.

Tullast This is Captain's log, 12:22:00 AM

Sunday, August 22, 2004

Wow, im really really laggin in my entries.

Well, what can i say, yesterday, went for floorball practice after a week of absence. What a great relief!! ITS GREAT TO BE BACK! I really love the sports, but im having difficulties connecting to my peers over there. I mean, im mixed, and i feel that im being judged, being paradigm, being misunderstood, for being a chinese. I looked like a chinese but im not, and being in floorball with 80% of them malays, its really to make them rethink, that i am malay, and that i can speak malay, with no difficulties whatsoever. I am branding anybody or have prejudices against anyone, but i feel that they are not connecting to me when i play. They are not speaking like they should with thier own peers. I just hope that its not a permanent thing. I just hope that things would get better as the days passed, once they get to know me better.

2 more weeks, crunch time. Common tests. Ah.. im really struggling in my math, just recently, during math lecture. I feel like i want to cry in the lecture room, walk off, burst open the door leaving the room and never come back. I feel soo helpless in there. The teacher is really going too fast and i cant catch up. Darn you A mathers...

Im not sure, but if i didnt update something, it must be the bowling experience on thursday. It was soo funny, and a large group went to the grassroots too. Eileens was not there, she didnt come because she was sick, what a coincidence, she didnt come for school and the football machine wasnt working. Darn.... Anyways, played 2 games of bowling, seriously overspent over there. I think my savings for this month is also nonexistent right now.

After that playing pool, which i sucked and playing bowling which im above average at that, its time for me to do our presentation on communication and technical writing skills. So unlucky, we wanted to use the computer lab do find out more about our topic which was on North Korea, but we didnt manage to find much because we couldnt use the computer for long. We only managed to use it for about 20 minutes and then we were kicked out. The computer were reserve for a class on a 1pm slot. Then with our options low, we headed to the Ang Mo Kio library, we walked to our destination and once we are there, we searched high and low for the info. In the end we managed to find really good info in the encyclopedias in the reference section. It was really good material, we photocopied it and used it for the presentation.

Now that ive done my powerpoint presentation, its time for me to rehearse my presentation what im going to say and all, and try to keep it to the time limit, less than 10 minutes or even better 8 minutes. I dont think that my presentation is that long. But i have to reduce the time of my presentation because i have 3 other teammates to think of and our presentation cannot be to long. Its graded for our common tests and must wear formal clothes! OMFG! that sucks man. I hate wearing formal stuff. darn...

Tullast This is Captain's log, 11:17:00 PM

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Stress.. loads of things coming towards me at 200mph!

sorry for not updating! ive been really busy this past few days, trying to type out the skeletal structure of all the reports so that i have more time for my other subject. Anyway, just to wrap up on the 3 days. Nothing really happened, lab practicals arent that difficult nor easy, just the way it should be and would be every week. I just had a dialogue session with some of the top heads of the school. WOW i have lots of messages to convey to the class and i wrote alot in the class blog! Im really proud of my class... we have been praised by the Director of the school that our class is dynamic. My classmates really did well, KUDOS!

After the meeting at about 5.15pm, went for floorball training but didnt change or practice, because it was about to end. The meeting was longer that i expected and this is my third session not being able to attend. I cant attend next week either because of the BGR talk that will be held next wednesday.

PAL meeting also have over the next few days but i ve decided NOT to be involved in it just yet. Im really occupied over other stuff and i need the time to concentrate on other things, primarily my studies. Common tests are coming and the pressure is building up inside me. Ive not done any serious revision yet. I really need to start as soon as possible.

Maths, im lagging behind. I dunno how much longer i will be able to maintain the pace. More formulas and rules are adding up in differentiation and we are going to intergration... oh my god... Dunno whether can pass this module or not... And ive been told that the physical chemistry topics in the lecture notes are only for the first half of the semester! OMG! more things to learn more formulas, more theory, more calculations! Not to mention lecture notes for Microbiology and Introduction to Molecular biotechnology need to be collected for the second half of semester! ARGH! this is too much. Already the first half of the lecture notes, alot of things has been covered and now, another part is coming!

Communication and Technical skills writing common test is the oral presentation. OMG must wear formal, black tie and all and business pants! ARGH i hate formalities! Shit! SHIT SHITSHIT!! Ill look very corny in it.

Tomolo need to come to school at 9 to observe the bacteria, then later going to Grassroots club to play football!! the arcade traditional football game that is. AHAH sooo fun. I dunno whether i should play bowling or not. Im abit tight in my budget this month. Been spending quite a lot this past month. I need to closely monitor it carefully....

Haiz.. just realised that my library books are overdue. Ive not time to return them, and now day by day 10 cents is added to my list of fines that ive not paid yet. Prolly i return on saturday.

Tullast This is Captain's log, 10:47:00 PM

Sunday, August 15, 2004

Magic Show was cool...

Yesterday went to the magic show at Suntec City. I must say that im quite impressed at the performance put up by the magicians and the overall ambience of a horror and dark theme. The convention hall, was very big and i didnt expect a very big set up. The set up was huge, accomodating more than 2000 people, and a very large turnout. The stage is really well set up.

Upon meeting with my friends at City link, we straight when to Food fountain terrace, food court lah... we ate our dinner and waited for a few more of our friends to come, that done, we slowly walked to the convention hall at level 6. I was surprised that there were alot of people already queueing up at the entrance, we entered and guess what, we didnt expect monsters and ghostly figures to walk around amidst the crowds!! one of them actually went close to Eileen and she was terrified!! She actually shouted at my ear!! It was crowded and dark and we couldnt see properly in front of us and there were soo many people. Eileen was lagging behind me and suddenly she screamed because she saw one of those "ghost".

Once we settled we settled on the front groups of sets, at the back row of it, meaning we were generally infront, but at the last row of the rows of seats that were the nearest to the stage. It was an average vantage point, though we cannot see much of the stage as its quite far so be able to see clearly, we were directly infront of 2 big screens and from watching there and all the tricks that is recorded camera and broadcasted on the big screens, it was enough for us. The show went on pretty well and i enjoyed nevertheless. Before the show begin however, another "ghostly" figures came right up to the eileens seat! She was sooo scared, that she hugged Cho Ching and then Chen Yie! It was hilarious!! It was as if eileens about to fight for her last moments of her life! LOL!! The rest of my friends, Mizael, Joash, and Jamie all disturbed and annoyed ~fissball~. It was sooo funny.

The magic tricks that they show were generally good, it was all about spirits and spiritual representation kind of magic show, showing some of the trick that got to do with spirits and talking to the spirits and psychokinetics and psychophenomenon and stuff like that.

After everything was over, we went to Carrefour, walk walk while, see all the toys and music and hardware, apparels, and other stuff. It was really childish, playing those kids toys, but it was fun! After that we went back home and i reached precisely 12am! wow... can you believe it...

Tullast This is Captain's log, 6:37:00 PM

Friday, August 13, 2004

Stumbled upon something that opens my heart.

Today, later this evening, ill be going to a magic show, a horror and spooky magic show, at Suntec City Convention hall. I think this is going to be quite a show, because it is the first time im watching a magic show that is horrific in nature. Ive been to David Copperfield's magic show, when he came to Singapore to perform in the Singapore Indoor Stadiumm about 4 years ago. It was a great experience and seeing him performing in person, live is such an honor. I mean he is the greatest magician ever!

Anyway, back to the show, im going with a group of my classmates. Its gonna be interesting! I got the tickets from Miss Ong, our Communications and Technical Writing skills teacher. She is really kind hearted to give us the tix that we asked for and i really appreciate for the time and effort she put in in asking for me tickets. The ticket, the picture on the ticket, or rather the art, strikes me profoundly. Its one of the rare artistic drawing that opens my heart and really struck at my personal chord.

This art drawing shows a man, a real dark sinister man, with magical powers, an auro of evil around him. He is hooded, able to only see his shades of the tips of his nose and the reflection of the eye, like a cats eye, but humanlike. He is wraped loosely in plain linen, and the overall ambience is really dark. This is all i can describe. Im not really good at describing and you have to see it for yourself.

The reason why this pic really captivates me is that, the drawing, the first impression tells you that this person is doing evil magic, evil by nature. But upon observing this art, for quite sometime, concentrating on the eyes of the person and the posture and pose that he made, i find it very sad. Looking at his eyes closely, it looked as if he has fallen from GOOD and devoured by EVIL, not by his own free will. Upon looking more intently, i can see suffering in his eyes, as if, he is being controlled by some unknown being, of higher order, doing jobs of the master that he is desperately trying to escape from. This person, from the way i see it, is not evil.

When i see this picture for the first time, which was when our teacher distributed the tix to us, i was actually surprised and shocked to see it. Its somethign i never expect to turn my emotional jargon in my heart upside down. Seeing this picture really resembles what ive always imagine, an imaginary person, no that ive imagined him as evil, but someone who used to be kind hearted, generous, and all the other good stuff in him that ive always expected of him... someone who i may never see in my entire lifetime, for it is impossible... my imaginary brother....

Tullast This is Captain's log, 11:41:00 PM

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

My flu and sore throat is killing me!!

Argh! i hate it! Next time im not gonna sleep late again. My body is getting heaty and all stressed out! I need alot of rest from now on.

Today was an average day, the Microbiology A lab sessions were a little difficult but never the less an eye opener. Every time i do a lab sesson from this module, i constantly learn a lot of new things, alot of experimental techniques and there is always something is learn, and discover for myself,HANDS ON! Its a really great experience, i think right now, this module and Introduction for Molecular Biotechnology is the only thing that keeps me going during my stay in NYP.

Today the lab session we were supposed to apply experimental techniques on the identification of flagella, endospores and motility of the bacteria by staining and inocululation methods. The identification of the endospore, the procedures on how to do it, such a chore, we have to stain the bacteria that is dried on the glass slide and we have to heat it up to a simmer with the paper towel drenched in malchite green dye for 5 minutes, my hands are all dyed green! After that a counterstain to differentiate which is the endospore and which is not in the bacteria. The end result: SATISFACTION! It was really clear under the microscope and we could differentiate really well the different colours of green which is the endospore and the red which are the other parts of the bacteria.

The second experiment, the flagella test, its very simple, just take a bit of bacteria in the broth full of em' on a long and thing metal thing, and simply dip it in the agar. We have to come back to observe the growth. A growth outside the line of the agar that has been dug shows that the bacteria can move! The other experiment is a little difficult, we have to do a set of procedures until we could see under the microscope moving and wringling in the liquid. Its really cool!

Tullast This is Captain's log, 8:54:00 PM

Sunday, August 08, 2004

Happy National Day!!

So sorry for not updating the blog for quite sometime now. Alot of things has happened and its late and i dont feel like writing alot today.

On thursday, a group of my classmates went to catch the movie, "The Village" at Plaza Singapura. We went there bought tickets and ate at food court. Some of the girls like lilies came later to join us, but all of us came on time. When we bought the tix, we bought almost the whole row. The theater wasnt very empty or very full. It is just the expected crowd on a thursday afternoon.

The movie was ok. There were some scary scenes the movie, but what i feel its too little, although it was well executed. The twist as expected from almost all M. Night Shyamalan's horry and thriller movie, wasnt well executed and it was "soft". It doenst have that impact that you might have when watching "Sixth Sense".

After the movie is over, some of us liked it some of us dont like, i dont care. We walked towards Orchard Road, trying to find K Box. But it was far, or too expensive. Then we went Paragon, went to coffeeclub express, and me and Eileen shared this mud pie. It was really good! the icecream was really sweet and bursting with flavour. The chocolate was terrific as well. It was almost like gourmet desert and it is, judging from the price. But it was big enough for 2 people to share, so i shared it with Eileen. After that, i went home with some of the guys.

That over, the next day, National Day Observance. The whole school, supposed to wear either red or white. I wore white on that day. The observance was around 1pm, and it was held at the Theater for the Arts. We did some normal stuff, like reciting the pledge, singing some National Day Songs, and prize giving ceremony for Best National Education project and National Day quiz. Guess what, our class won the National Day quiz!! We answered the questions correctly!! The whole class was treated to lots of chocolates that we couldnt finish it. Some of us were sick so refused to have them. Thats why there were soo many extras. We were really lucky to have won the prize because it was quite a slim chance. Firstly, we werent sure whether we got the answers correctly, and secondly, it was my lucky dip. Imagine the odds! But all in all, our class was the only class in Year one to win and we were soo proud!

Tullast This is Captain's log, 12:39:00 AM

Tuesday, August 03, 2004

Today's Japanese lesson was funny..

Today's lesson was short, there werent any practical today, due to the graduation ceremony, however we have a ton to do for last weeks practical. Since this week there arent any practical, so the work load is sort of doubled and further more, we have to do 2 practical report per modules this time round. No fret, its not that difficult this time wrong as compared to inorganic chemistry.

Todays jap lessson was funny, jamie wanted to know the translation for "may i go to the toilet" But i have him the wrong one. Instead it was "are you going to the toilet?" At first we didnt know then the teacher corrected us. He translated the wrong one and we realised our mistake then we laugh like hell! I told jamie, lucky i never teach you another phrase: "lets go to the toilet" if not the teacher might also laugh as well!

Today regretted not going with my mates to play bowling. Dunno why i dont feel like im in the mood, im frustrated at something, thats why it took me time to cool down, thats why i dont feel like hanging out, scared wait i vent my anger on them. Life as a band major really changed my life... Besides, im willing to make it up on thursday! My mates and I are going out to town to watch movie, The Village! ARGH!! Adrien Brody is acting in that movie! I loved his acting, especially in the movie, oscar winner, best foreign film and actor in foreign film, Adrien Brody! He played a role as a jewish survivor in the years during the Holocaust. The title of the movie is "The Pianist"

Tullast This is Captain's log, 11:48:00 PM

Today i had the class gathered in a classroom, to have our first ever class meeting. It turned out great! I had great response from the class and everything turned out great! We had the meeting after our physical chemistry practical and after that, we took photos here and there of everybody. We were nearly in hot soup when we were in the class because we were too noisy and one of the teacher adjacent to the class actually approached us to keep us quiet. But that was all...

The class blog is going really well and i must take not however NOT to spend TOO much time into it. I still have other important things to do besides that. However, since i didnt study much tonight, im gonna make it up for tomorrow afternoon. Since tomorrow is only half day, im going to spend my afternoon in the library, studying... yes... i know its boring.. but i have to do it, if not ill lag behind. i have to take responsiblity for my own actions. For where there's action there's a reaction. Nothing much i could say, except that im really concern about some of the topic that i have yet to fully master, like the half reaction. For some reason, i know the concept more or less, but there is a hole in my understanding of the concept. Hope i can sort it out soon. Today practical was difficult and confusing, the physical chemistry i mean. We didnt know how to calculate the answer and we had alot of debate going on. I was really frustrated.

Tullast This is Captain's log, 12:06:00 AM

Sunday, August 01, 2004

Im starting to lag behind all my assignments and revisions.

Our new class blog created by me is well underway to completion. Ive had positive response from most of my classmates during the weekend when it was under construction. Tomorrow ill will do a couple of announcements about the blog and its purpose, hopefully more of my friends will be aware that a class blog has been created for people to be informed of all the things happening around them.

Today spent the entire day and half of the evening doing the crappy inorganic chemistry lab report. This weeks, lab report, although only one needs to be completed took up the most time ever! Its soo tedious! Almost all my sunday is gone just by doing that, what can i say, life is all about sacrifices. Seriously, that report that i did was the most tedious. I didnt even know if i did a good job out of it. I most prolly get a C for this report.

As for my revisions, im starting to lag behind. The week is over and i still have not finished my revisions. However i do prioritise on which module is more important to master the topic than the others and ive already did my revisions for the more important ones.

Tuesday half day! YEAH! There will a graduation ceremony on that day and teachers are involved, therefore, we can leave at 1! But i guess ill be staying back for abit to catch up on my revision, and probably finish up some of the assignments due later.

Stress nowadays, even poly is not spared... For that ive a sudden rise in appetite and a craving for ice cream! Ive been eating the Walls Sensation ice cream, caramel flavour. I dunno why but i just cant resist any food with caramel! As if the caramel flavoured ice cream is not enough, i actually pour more caramel syrup on the ice cream! yum yum....

Tullast This is Captain's log, 10:18:00 PM