Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Ramblings: Realising. What Is Important In Life

I realised these days, I get happy quite easily. I mean, people make me happy quite easily. I used to be grumpy and hard to satisfy. I remember not being happy for a period of time when I was supposed to be happy.

I told my friend I'm not sure if I am having delusions now because it used to be so difficult. And suddenly I'm meeting people who makes me happy one after another. My friend said maybe its because I've reached the age where I know how to appreciate things in life and know what is truly important to me.

Maybe growing up and becoming more easily contented is a good thing. Maybe not, if there are no backlashes. I hope I do know what is truly important now.

Brain Storm: Regrets

I met a really good friend whom I haven't met for half a year lately and she mentioned about doing something crazy about her hair but she's afraid she'll regret it. I said she'll probably regret it more if she hadn't tried it in the future. She commented "ya people always say you'll regret something which you didn't do more than something you did. Why ah?" And I said,

If you tried something and regretted it, at least you knew the outcome. If you didn't try it at all, you wouldn't have known how it would turn out. And you can never turn back time to try it again.

She said that's true. But is it really? If you tried something, that also meant the other alternative, ie not doing it, was an attempt, it's also an outcome you wouldn't know. I told a friend this before, life is full of regrets, because you would never know how "otherwise" would have turned out.

Still I believe there are ways to lessen such negativity. Listening to your heart, then rationalising, bracing yourself, recalling your conviction. These help. Most of all, I believe in myself. That I will pull through. That I can make things right. That nothing is perfect. That I want to live my life the way I want it, not how society or anyone else wants me to.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Snippets Of My Life: What's Your Problem

Situation: Buddies gathered at D's house to chill. D's GF called to ask when is he going to meet her in town. Thus the entire gang decided to accompany him to town.

In MRT Train -

D: You all want to go shop around first while we go buy our stuff?

Me: (Loudly) What!? You make us come out all the way here and now you're chasing us away? What's your problem?

L: Eh, everyone just looked at you. And gave the "wtf" look.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Interview: An Electric Giant - By Jasmine Sim

You might find it odd for this small guy to be called a giant. If you see Wen Qin in person for yourself, he is far from gigantic. This petite electrical engineer now in his second year has recently stepped down from his position as NUS Cultural Activities Club’s president of the 9th Management Committee. The CAC Clubroom is located along the stairways leading to the Study Lounge at Yusof Ishak House in NUS. It is almost impossible to spot it without help from the hanging directional signs but the pleasant soothing sounds coming from acoustic guitars from a distance, serves as a perfect direction guide.

CAC is one of the only four, and among the biggest non-faculty clubs in NUS consisting of 9 music and dance sub-clubs. The club seeks to promote cultural awareness and conduct beginner and advanced courses for interested students to pick up new skills and showcase their talents. Amazingly, the hustle and bustle of this place, more appropriately the drum beats, guitar strums and dance steps that fill the clubroom sounded almost as if it was a “clubroom that never sleeps”. Somehow among all that background noise, Wen Qin is able to draw attention towards himself whenever he speaks. Perhaps, it is the works of his gentle yet affirmative tone. Wen Qin projects this stern “default angry face” whenever he does not speak but behind that hard exterior, he is a very approachable and negotiable leader, says Eunice Yeap, CAC’s current Honorary Financial Secretary for two terms. CAC also hosts special projects such as CAC+US; an annual concert showcase of the 9 sub-clubs, freshman orientation camps and cultural week.

It seems natural for seniors to doubt the capabilities of this junior leader in the committee, but this little giant has proven critics wrong. Former Computing Club president, Randy Valentius Kamajaya says that initially he felt worried as Wen Qin did not have any knowledge and experience beforehand. After more interactions, and seeing how passionate and dedicated Wen Qin is as a leader, Randy asserted that Wen Qin managed to get rid of other people’s doubts about his capabilities, including himself.

Wen Qin says that he was motivated to run for president because he saw the urgent need to unite and revamp the image of CAC, who was left without a president for two weeks when the 8th Management Committee stepped down. One of the many challenges, Wen Qin recollects, was that he went through great lengths to gain the support and respect of his senior members. The first step he took was to meet up with his sub-club presidents and had a face to face talk with them individually. He admitted his incompetence towards the backgrounds, courses and cultures of the sub-clubs. He made additional effort to seek consultations and gain understanding from his sub-club presidents before executing his decisions. From there, he managed to gain their trust and understanding. He was not afraid to question, and from there he learnt.

The burning passion in some of the presidents among the constituent clubs Wen Qin witnessed, greatly spurred him to lead his team through the many obstacles faced. Amongst them was former FASS Arts Club president, Wee Shi Chen. Wen Qin proudly praised him as someone he deeply respects. “If there is anyone who thinks about the welfare of the students first, it has got to be Shi Chen,” he added.

Wen Qin shyly describes himself as a zealous and competitive person who can be counted on most to display responsibility in his work. Former Arts Club president, Wee Shi Chen commented that Wen Qin is a strict and assertive leader, one who “does not compromise when it comes to work and isn't above making hard decisions.”

The fruit of Wen Qin’s success are visible in the improved publicity and reputation of CAC in NUS. In the past year, he has strived hard for the welfare of his expanding club members and actively championed for larger clubroom facilities. Looking forward, he sees CAC moving in the direction of the sub-clubs turning into performance ready professionals rather than remain as an interest take-up group.

The vibrant mix of committee and club members from different faculties allowed Wen Qin to be more flexible and open to different working styles and ideas. He believes such an environment offers a good opportunity to learn the best from one another. Wen Qin feels strongly about entitling ownership of roles to his committees; “give them a direction so as to inspire them to find a path for themselves to fulfil the club’s goals through words, thoughts, actions.” As simple as watching his club members enjoying themselves on stage during performances gives Wen Qin the greatest satisfaction as club president.

When asked which sub-club he secretly wants to join, Wen Qin had undoubtedly expressed that he wanted to be in Resonance, a cappella club. “This is not exactly a secret,” he grins, “but sadly I am not good enough,” he confesses with a smile plastered on his face.

Most certainly, Wen Qin’s “default angry face” is indeed a deceiving personality façade. This guy is definitely a huge ball of courage, passion and dedication— he was just about to rush off to sit in a budget discussion with his newly elected management committee.

Saturday, December 03, 2011

Brain Storm: You Are The Apple Of My Eye

I just watched the Taiwanese movie "You Are The Apple of My Eye".

Frankly it didn't get in touch with me that much especially when it comes to the school years because my younger days were pretty boring. But it did give me some insights about the topic of love.

It's a really strange thing. Sometimes two persons can be so in love with each other. Sometimes you don't really need a reason. Even if both parties are really incompatible. Sometimes it can become too much of a challenge. I always believed that nothing can be an obstacle to true love. If you really love each other, you can compromise. As long as you try, put in effort from both sides, seek understanding, communicate and build trust, most things are possible.

Yet, that isn't that case usually. We hear of breakups, we experience breakups. Do you think you can ever fully get over someone after you fell for the person once? I'm not sure. I don't think so. This is especially so when there is much yearning, when things are not working out even though you want to. How many chances can we give? How long can we fight? Is love really so transient? How much effort is worth it?

Sometimes, we give up hope on a whim. Sometimes, we give up hope thinking that we have thought it through probably, only to realise that we didn't a long time later. Then we realised that we still love our ex and we would still want to give it a try. But the awkward-ness, the past, everything that has happened, made it difficult. Maybe it was difficult for even one party to initiate again, to say I love you again, and to ask to be together again. Or maybe one or both parties are afraid to get hurt again. Despite the imploding memories and feelings, that step was difficult.

And from then onwards, we can only look at the sky and wonder if the other person is looking at the sky at the same time, and wondering if that person is missing you.
And we will wonder to ourselves, why despite loving each other so much, having so much faith, we still had to live our lives without another.
And we will wonder, what would have happened if we had picked up the courage, to forgive, to have faith, to trust that it will all work out even if there are difficulties.
And we will wonder, why did we give up, on a spur of a moment, after only considering for a short time, even after many years.
"In my next life I won't be the one to let you go".

"In the parallel universe, perhaps we are together".

So why can't it be this life? Why can't it be this universe?

I'll never know. Sometimes love is like that. And at the end of all things, despite how much we want to cry, we can only smile and say to the other person, take care and be happy. And despite saying things like "as long as you are happy, I will be", you know deep inside your heart, you want to be the person to make them happy. You want to be the main lead of that person's life. Yet, saying that is all you can do. And the most cruel thing is when the other party knows that you are the one who makes him/her happy, but that person cannot bear to tell you. Or that person told you, and you insist that it's not true, even if it is.

It's not just about feelings, it's also about compatibility, and what the future holds. But I would go against the world with you, for you. Yet, that's not what always happens.

And I can only say, "as long as you are happy, I will be".

Youtube: Those Years [Theme Song of You Are The Apple Of My Eye] [With self translation]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xWzlwGVQ6_Q

【那些年,我們一起追的女孩】電影主題曲《那些年》
演唱:胡夏/作曲:木村充利/作詞:九把刀

又回到最初的起點
記憶中妳青澀的臉
我們終於來到了這一天
桌墊下的老照片
無數回憶連結
今天男孩要赴女孩最後的約

Back to the starting point again
I recall your sentimental face
Finally we have come to this day
The old photos under the desk
links back to uncountable memories
Today, the boy is  meeting the girl for one last date

又回到最初的起點
呆呆地站在鏡子前
笨拙繫上紅色領帶的結
將頭髮梳成大人模樣
穿上一身帥氣西裝
等會兒見妳一定比想像美

Back to the starting point again
Blanking standing in front of the mirror
Clumsily tying the knot of my red tie
Combing my hair to look like an adult
Wearing a cool looking suit
Later you'll surely look more beautiful than I imagined

好想再回到那些年的時光
回到教室座位前後 故意討妳溫柔的罵
黑板上排列組合 妳捨得解開嗎
誰與誰坐他又愛著她

I wish I can go back to those days
Back to the classroom seats    Making you scold me gently on purpose
The permutation questions on the blackboard      Do you bear to unlock them?
Among everyone, he is the one in love with her

那些年錯過的大雨
那些年錯過的愛情
好想擁抱妳 擁抱錯過的勇氣
曾經想征服全世界
到最後回首才發現
這世界滴滴點點全部都是妳

The rain I missed all those years
The love I lost all those years
I really want to hug you     embracing the courage which I lacked
I wanted to conquer the world
But it's only when I look back that I discovered
you make up every bit of my world
那些年錯過的大雨
那些年錯過的愛情
好想告訴妳 告訴妳我沒有忘記
那天晚上滿天星星
平行時空下的約定
再一次相遇我會緊緊抱著妳
緊緊抱著妳

The rain I missed all those years
The love I lost all those years
I really want to tell you      tell you that I never forget
That night under the starry skies
I made a promise with you in a parallel universe
If I ever see you again, I'll hug you tightly
I'll hug you tightly

又回到最初的起點
呆呆地站在鏡子前
笨拙繫上紅色領帶的結
將頭髮梳成大人模樣
穿上一身帥氣西裝
等會兒見妳一定比想像美

Back to the starting point again
Blanking standing in front of the mirror
Clumsily tying the knot of my red tie
Combing my hair to look like an adult
Wearing a cool looking suit
Later you'll surely look more beautiful than I imagined

好想再回到那些年的時光
回到教室座位前後 故意討妳溫柔的罵
黑板上排列組合 妳捨得解開嗎
誰與誰坐他又愛著她

I wish I can go back to those days
Back to the classroom seats    Making you scold me gently on purpose
The permutation questions on the blackboard      Do you bear to unlock them?
Among everyone, he is the one in love with her

那些年錯過的大雨
那些年錯過的愛情
好想擁抱妳 擁抱錯過的勇氣
曾經想征服全世界
到最後回首才發現
這世界滴滴點點全部都是妳

The rain I missed all those years
The love I lost all those years
I really want to hug you     embracing the courage which I lacked
I wanted to conquer the world
But it's only when I look back that I discovered
you make up every bit of my world
那些年錯過的大雨
那些年錯過的愛情
好想告訴妳 告訴妳我沒有忘記
那天晚上滿天星星
平行時空下的約定
再一次相遇我會緊緊抱著妳
緊緊抱著妳

The rain I missed all those years
The love I lost all those years
I really want to tell you      tell you that I never forget
That night under the starry skies
I made a promise with you in a parallel universe
If I ever see you again, I'll hug you tightly
I'll hug you tightly

Dialogue:

Shen Chia-yi: Yes you're childish. You're really childish.
Ko Ching-Teng: Yeah I'm childish. It's because I'm childish, that's why I woo such a hardworking girl like you. It's because I'm childish, that's how I could have wooed you for so long.

那些年錯過的大雨
那些年錯過的愛情
好想擁抱妳 擁抱錯過的勇氣
曾經想征服全世界
到最後回首才發現
這世界滴滴點點全部都是妳

The rain I missed all those years
The love I lost all those years
I really want to hug you     embracing the courage which I lacked
I wanted to conquer the world
But it's only when I look back that I discovered
you make up every bit of my world

Dialogue:

Shen Chia-yi: You're a stupid fool! You don't know anything at all.

那些年錯過的大雨
那些年錯過的愛情
好想告訴妳 告訴妳我沒有忘記
那天晚上滿天星星
平行時空下的約定
再一次相遇我會緊緊抱著妳
緊緊抱著妳

The rain I missed all those years
The love I lost all those years
I really want to tell you      tell you that I never forget
That night under the starry skies
I made a promise with you in a parallel universe
If I ever see you again, I'll hug you tightly
I'll hug you tightly

Dialogue:

Shen Chia-yi: Do you want to know the answer? I can tell you now.
Ko Ching-Teng: Please don't tell me now. Please let me have the chance to continue liking you. If I don't ask you, then you can't reject me. So please don't tell me now.

*the word on one of the faces of the lantern says "Yes"*

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Ramblings: Exam Aftermath

To do:

- Dual boot Android Honeycomb on my laptop

- Learn Java

- Go for a holiday

- Sort out my music library

- Go Kbox with my buds, my platoon mates, my OG mates

- Sell my bag and laptop

- Have my me-time at Starbucks on a morning

- Do up my DIY laptop coolers

- Root friends' phones

- Do up Arch Linux system

 

To eat:

- Steamboat buffet

- Kushinbo

- Xiao Long Bao buffet

- Meatballs at IKEA

- Fish and Co.

Music: May Day - 溫柔

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmWVi1v_gOQ

走在風中 今天陽光 突然好溫柔
天的溫柔 地的溫柔 像你抱著我
然後發現 你的改變 孤單的今後
如果冷 該怎麼渡過

天邊風光 身邊的我 都不在你眼中
你的眼中 藏著什麼 我從來都不懂
沒有關係 你的世界 就讓你擁有
不打擾 是我的溫柔

*不知道 不明瞭 不想要 為什麼 我的心
明明是想靠近 卻孤單到黎明
不知道 不明瞭 不想要 為什麼 我的心
那愛情的綺麗 總是在孤單裡 再把我的最好的愛給你

不知不覺 不情不願 又到巷子口
我沒有哭 也沒有笑 因為這是夢
沒有預兆 沒有理由 你真的有說過
如果有 就讓你自由  *

(如果你對我說 你想要一朵花 那麼 我就會給你一朵花
如果你對我說 你想要一顆星星 那麼 我就會給你一顆星星
如果你對我說 你想要一場雪 那麼 我就會給你一場雪
如果你對我說 你想要離開我 那麼 我會說 我會對你說)

我給你自由 我給你自由
我給你自由 我給你自由
我給你全部全部全部 全部自由

這是我的溫柔 還給你的自由
這是我的溫柔 還給你的自由

 

Friday, November 25, 2011

Ramblings: Thanksgiving 2011

The last time I posted a thanksgiving post was in 2008 and it was a sarcastic post targeted at people I hate.

http://infinite.acperience.net/2008/11/event-thanksgiving-day/

2011 has been the craziest year of my life so I guess I should take some time to thank some people yeah?

The most important person I want to thank for this year is person A, for creating an uproar in my life for the past 6 months. Now I'm not being sarcastic. The whole saga taught me a lot of things, and how much growing up I still have to do at this stage in my life. So thank you for your lessons, even though they were not in kind. Hopefully one day things will become peaceful and I will regain a friend again.

Next is person B, for enduring my giving up. Thanks for everything.

Person C, for being there for me at my lowest, spending so much time and effort on me, unconditionally.
edit* Person C grumbled about not being Person A and that I wrote much shorter compared to Person A. So I'm going to change to Person*. I will never be able to finish writing about Person*. But I guess I can add that I want to thank Person* for being so patient with me, and willing to change for me. Above all, I want to thank Person* for making me feel that actually I can be so loved in this life. So, thank you for all your sacrifices and thank you for liking me.*edit

Person D and E, for guiding me and being there for me when I needed it.

Mrs Lilian Yeap who just passed away a few days ago, for being a wonderful teacher in Xinmin, always giving me encouragement not just for me, for my sister and showing concern for my family as well. May you rest in peace.

My closest gang of stupid idiotic friends for the past 10 years of friendship, for enduring my antics, accepting me for who I am, being less of blocks of wood when I needed it. For all the fun, hardship, anger and laughter we have been through together. For showing that friendship is a story that will never end. For the many more good days to come.

My university friends -

My OG mates, for being wonderful people, sincere and friendly. Many of my friends say you only make hi-bye friends in university. But you guys proved it totally wrong.


CAC, everyone involved one way or another including my sub clubs and from the Union, and the club entity itself, for my growth as a person, as a leader and giving me so much experiences though I was only a year 1. The experiences and friends I made are irreplaceable.


My family, for being there for me and supporting me.

To everyone else, for enduring my personality and forgiving my mistakes. I'm not the easiest person to interact with. I get cranky, moody, bossy, unreasonable. But if you stayed in my life, I appreciate it. If you decided to brush past my life after teaching me a life lesson, I'm grateful too.

Thanksgiven. Appreciation still more. This is not a apology post, so I'll save that for next time.

Friday, November 18, 2011

No Category - Untitled Post

My friends say, "we miss you".

I said "but I'm right here."

"The old you."

I didn't know I was different. But they say people around you know better when it comes to this kind of thing.

"I can't remember" I said.

I can't remember who I used to be, how I used to roll.

Then they leave me be. The cycle repeats. And I can't get out of it.

 

Maybe one day my bulletproof body will come back.

Maybe.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Ramblings: What I Want For Christmas

Top of the list: 32GB Ipod Touch 4th Gen white.

0) You

1) Getaway trip to Bali

2) Android Cookie Jar http://www.googlestore.com/Accessories/Android+Cookie+Jar.axd

3) Android Squishee Doll

4) 1.5TB Western Digital Hard Disk

5) Samsung Galaxy Nexus

6) Trendy backpack

7) New speakers

8 ) New earpiece

9) ASUS 41JV Laptop

10) This slingbag http://missionworkshop.com/products/bags/messenger/roll_top/small_monty.php

 

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Sights and Sounds: My Punggol Waterway

[See this post I wrote in May about Punggol Waterway and Punggol Promenade http://infinite.acperience.net/2011/05/sights-and-sounds-punggol-waterfront-park-incomplete/ ]

Part of the Punggol 21 Plus project announced by PM Lee years ago has been completed. This part of the Waterfront Park is called My Punggol Waterway. It's pretty huge and I didn't manage to walk the whole thing despite walking for 2 hours. It's a pretty nice place to be at on a Sunday morning at 7am. The Waterway stretches across many kilometres. I'm not sure how long it is but part of it just lies behind Punggol Interchange. The area behind the interchange is still under construction so there's no way to enter from there. I took a walk towards Punggol Place and then towards Sentul Cresent. You'll then see a LRT station there (it's one of the Punggol West LRT stations so it's not opened yet). Further in you'll see the entrance to Waterway. I believe there are many entrances along the Waterway and this is just one.

In general the Waterway is filled with many small water features. It's basically just a park. At this entrance where I came in, there was a bridge you can cross to the other side of the river. But I suggest not crossing it because the scenery on the side you came in is nicer. The next bridge that allows you to cross back is quite a distance away. Punggol Waterway is meant for many water activities as well but obviously they aren't ready yet. The place also has bits and pieces still under construction. The general view is not that nice if you look across Punggol Central as there's much construction in the background. But in general the park is really nice especially when you look from the top of this structure in the middle of the waterway (just behind Punggol MRT station). I didn't walk to the other paths and just turned back when I reached the bridge so I couldn't tell what else is there or if there are other paths. You should probably keep that in mind if you want to try to get out of the place via other options.


This water playground for kids is at the entrance of the Waterway.



The view of the entrance of the Waterway towards Punggol Central.




There are many of such information walls around to show the history and details of Punggol.



This is the u-turn bridge I took to get back to the other side.



Right before the bridge above there's another path below but I didn't see where it'll lead to.



Punggol Interchange is right behind that structure. There's also stairs for you to climb up for a better view further down this structure. Most of the information walls are on this structure.



This is a photo of the view from the top of the structure. It's a little overexposed though.



This is obvious signs that there are still works going on around on the structure.



That's the LRT right outside the entrance.



There's a puny carpark at the entrance but I don't think it'll be a good idea to drive there during peak hours.

Brain Storm: Talk To Me

Humans are creatures which communicate. Our method of communication is complex, even without words. But what exactly sets us and other animals apart when it comes to survival would be words. As human beings, we are meant to talk to each other. That's how we get our ideas across. We are suppose to be social creatures.

I remember there was a Facebook question spreading around asking "What do you think is the most important thing in a relationship?" There were a few options, among them were "Trust", "Communication", "Sex" and some other crap. Most would say trust. But I say communication. How many people can have so much faith from the start? You need to build faith up, you need to build trust up. It's true that words alone won't do, actions are needed too. But communication is the method to get that done. It is needed to give reassurance, to clear misunderstandings, to apologise for mistakes. Nobody is a mind reader. Thousands of scenarios are possible just from one misjudged fact.
The folly of men is when we assume a knowledge not given to us.

I remember telling myself this when I'm in secondary 3. As I get older I think it applies more than ever, especially to people important to you in your life. Assumptions always causes mistrust. And it'll take more to maintain relationships or friendships than we were in our innocent young selves.

So talk to me. I'm not afraid of awkwardness. Communication will overcome that. I'm not afraid of the overwhelming truth. I can handle that. I'll be here and I won't run away. Just talk to me.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Rambling: Jaws Dropping Experience

I had a literally jaw dropping experience yesterday with the dentist. It's probably the worst dental appointment I ever had in my life. The dentist was cleaning my teeth and halfway through she told me to not open my mouth so big but I realise I couldn't close it. At first I thought it was just some numbness but I soon found out that I really couldn't close my mouth after the whole 10 mins procedure was over. And I was laughing when I mumbled that I couldn't close my mouth. She said it's a jaw problem and proceeded to jam both her fingers into my mouth all the way into the back of my gums and started adjusting my jaws. She pull and push, lifted my jaws, went in and out, and after a 3 mins ordeal with me laughing away, my jaws went back to it's proper close. I thought it was sort of like dislocation. For the rest of the appointment, she always tell me to open my mouth minimally for fear that it would pop out again. She said it is due to worn out jaws which is caused by age. I'm freaking 22 years old.

I made sure to ask her "if you didn't help me, would I be able to close my mouth?" She laughed and said "should be, eventually." Now I can't yawn with my mouth wide open. And it's still very painful. I can't even close my jaws properly.

Sunday, October 09, 2011

Brain Storm: How Can You Assume?

Life is complicated. There are too many possibilities and situations. When two people cross paths in each others' lives, there tends to be too much of a guessing game. Sometimes one tend to believe that he or she knows the other party well enough. When an action is taken, one tends to assume that the actions is taken due to his/her belief of what the other person is.

But there are so many personalities and situations. How are you sure that the person is referring to you, the actions is done because of this, or that feeling is the most dominant one.

How would you know? How can you assume that the other party is assuming this or that?

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Ramblings: Touched

Touching is when your members ask you if they can still call you boss after you step down.

Touching is when someone writes a letter to tell you how appreciated you are.

Touching is when on the last day, your members tell you that you will be missed.

Touching is when on the last day, new members make the effort to find you when you're not around and thank you.

Touching is when your members were too shy to tell you that they think you're the best. Person A says "You are the best president I have ever worked with quoted Person B" then after an awkward moment adds that he thinks so too.

Yes I appreciate it. Very much so.

You don't know how much those words mean to me. No matter how bad of a job I think I did, I know I actually stood for something, that I made a difference, that it was worth it. All of it.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Brain Storm: Right Brain Psychology

At my first biological psychology tutorial, we learnt something interesting. Let's say you need to put on make up (for guys just put yourselves in girls' perspectives), would you use a mirror, or would you use the projection on a screen from a video camera of yourself? Before you answer this question in a bimbotic way, it's good to know that most humans perceive emotions, visuals with their right brain and motory actions, logic with their left brain. If you use your right brain to think, you tend to focus on your left. This means that if you are right brain-ed, when you look at someone, you tend to look on the left side of his or her body. Taking this in mind, would you use a mirror or a video camera?

 

 

The answer is video camera. The reason is simple. When people look at you, they focus on your right half of the body because to their perspective, their left is your right. However, you yourself are also most likely a right brain-ed human. You tend to look at your left as well. A mirror projects a mirror image, ie. when you look at your reflection, your left remains your left, your right remains your right. Since you tend to focus on your left as a right brain-ed creature, you will focus your make up on your left but other people look at your right. On the other hand, a video camera projects an image the same way another person is looking at you. Therefore when you look at your projection through a video camera, your left is your right and your right is your left. Thus you'll prefer to use a video camera to put on make up. Guys, you should try to focus on making your right half look better if you want to impress a right brain-ed girl. If you know that she is left brain-ed, then focus on your left.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Snippets of my Life: My Middle Finger

From my friend's Facebook:

To the person who friggin played his music aloud on the MRT while everyone else was trying to sleep: here's Wen Qin's infamous middle finger and wishing your music player a happy time in the washing machine.

 

Do I show the middle finger so much that it's now my trademark move? I don't okay? Not anymore at least. I'm a good boy now.

Ramblings: Fries with Buds



I saw this photo on Tumblr and it reminds me of the Carl's Junior's beef chilli cheese fries which I always share with my buddies. We would get one person to buy a set (which comes with fries), buy the beef chilli cheese fries and mix them together. It seems really cheapo but that's how we eat good food while saving money. They would give me the last few fries because I'm thinner, not that I would be able to eat because the burger would leave me stuffed already.

I miss hanging out with my buddies.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Oh Yeah It's Uni Life!: All In A (President) Day's Work

12am - Type emails. Receive replies from emails sent out earlier. Reply and repeat.

1am - Discuss work with committee members

2am - Continue to type emails.

3am - Give up replying to replies. Start doing tutorials.

4am - Sleep.

8.30am - Oversleep for 9am class. Shower, wash up.

8.45am - Rush out of hostel, realise there's meeting later. Run back to room and change into smart casual or formal, pack and bring laptop/personal planner out.

9am - Cut from school of computing to faculty of engineering.

9.10am - 11am - Tutorial. Doze off and hang head above tutorial worksheet.

11am - 1pm - Lecture. While listening halfway through, receive emails and start replying. Sms committee members to get work done. Recall that the meeting later requires reading up. Reads documents instead of listening to lecture.

1pm - Pon lecture. Go to student lounge to prepare for meeting later.

2pm - Meeting with club.

2.30pm - Meeting with another club.

3pm - Meeting with school administration.

4pm - Meeting with committee members.

5pm - Meeting with club.

6pm - Lunch/Dinner.

7pm - Meeting with other committee members.

8pm - Return to hostel.

9pm - 10pm - Nap.

10pm - 12am - Laze in front of computer. Complain to friends. Read documents, emails. Type emails.

12am - Repeat.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Snippets of my Life: 4) Lean Not Thin

CZ is exclaiming out about her thin friend at NUSS Cafe on the Ridge.

CZ: I got this friend right, he's very thin. Even thinner than you.
*points at me*
CZ: then right -
*I interrupt her*
Me: I'm not thin.
CZ: erm, okay. so -
*I interrupt her again*
Me: I'm lean.
CZ: okayokay, so I got this friend right he's very lean. -
*I interrupt her again*
Me: I'm lean, he's thin.
CZ: okay okay, you're lean, he's thin.

Just being anal about simple stuff. Lol.

Snippets of my Life: 5) Who Is More Important?

I'm at a friend's 21st birthday party. I was supposed to meet my gang later that night.

Gang: Just leave the party early.
Me: Cannot lah.
Gang: We are more important right?

Yes, 3 big men say things like that.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Snippets of my Life: 3) Beef with Cheese

At Carousel, Ed and I were taking food from the buffet table. There were 3 slices of beef with cheese on top left. [10/08/2011]

Ed: Come, I help you. This one give you.
*picked up 2 big piece of beef with almost no cheese on top and put it on my plate*
*then picked up the small piece but has a lot of cheese on it and put it on his plate*
Me: WTF You damn f***ed up leh!! You give me no cheese one then you take got cheese one.
Ed: Got! Got cheese!
*scoops some remaining cheese on the wok and put on my plate*
Me: No? That's like so little!
*continues to throw tantrum*
Ed: Aiya okay lah give you lah.
Me: Win.
*not a single speck of remorse or give face at all*

Okay I'm a total bastard but they are used to it. Lol.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Snippets of my Life: 2) Not Human

At NDP Parade, I was fiddling with the NUS Bear.

Me: Don't you think the NUS Bear doesn't look like a bear? The face is too sharp.
Eunice: Cause it's thin mah. Just like you. The bear very thin but  it's still a bear. It's just like you are very thin but you are still a human right?

*Laughter from surrounding members of the public*

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Snippets of my Life: 1) Alone with 5 Girls in a Room

I brought my female friends to visit my friends in Utown

Ning: Eh not bad lah WQ is here alone with 5 girls in one room.
Me: Cool ah, help me tell Ed they all that I'm actually quite charming one then they won't laugh at me anymore.
Yue: Don't want leh, I will never help you to better your reputation.

Oh Yeah It's Uni Life! - Year 2 Starts

So today is the first day of my Year 2 life in NUS. Many many things happened in year 1. My life was fantastic. It was filled with colours, it was dramatic. I made many friends, gained much experiences, learnt a lot about the real world. But if there's anything that should be right but isn't, it's my academic results. I did so badly I think even the people around me got affected by it, one way or another. This coming semester, I will work really hard. I've fallen down once, I shall try not to fall again.

This year 2 life will be happening and meaningful too. There's tons to achieve. Watch me.

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Untitled: Somebody Out There

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDv8abaPsQk

A year ago, you told me that this song represented what I meant to you.

Fast forward one year, some things changed, I'm no longer your knight in shining armour. I don't mean the same to you anymore, but if you need to find me, you'll know that I'm here.

Monday, August 08, 2011

Brain Storm: My Intangible Talent

During one of my camps, I was lamenting about how some of my friends either have musical talents, are smart or look handsome/beautiful, and some people simply have awesome personalities, while I have none of those. My friend then said "but you have leadership qualities". Hmm, I raised an eyebrow. How can you tell that I have leadership qualities? To what extent? How do you quantify that?

I don't deny that out in the working world, leadership qualities will be important. Still, there are different types of those qualities. Being able to work well in one area doesn't mean you'll be able to lead well in another field, etc. Further, you can't classify things like "hey I have more leadership qualities than you". It's very vague and difficult to judge. Even if I am doing well currently in my job scope, that doesn't mean I will do well if I am put into another position. I do understand that such issues are a concern even for other talents, for music, good looks and so on, it might not be easy to quantify. But let's face it. Leadership is even harder. And there's still a fine line between a good do-er and a good leader.

I am a rather confident person. I won't say I am someone who can't lead. At least for this field, I know I am not hopeless. But I'll have to admit that you don't get people coming up to tell you that you are a good leader and many times, the outcome of a process or event does not show you whether you have succeeded as a leader or not or just isn't good enough to prove much. Simply because the event could have failed from other reasons. And there's no reason to deny leadership capabilities just because something went wrong. So how do we judge?

I could do with a more tangible talent. I may have one, it's just that I haven't discovered it. But no matter what, I'm glad that at least I already have something I can count on, even if only I believe in it. It's good enough.

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Ramblings: Blonde Moment

Yesterday my friend and I went to this Japanese restaurant in WheelLock Place called The Sun and The Moon. While waiting outside, we saw this dish being served that was kept in a bird cage. So my friend got curious and asked the waitress what's the dish with the bird cage thingy and she told us it was the tofu cake. He then got excited and said he'd want one. The waitress replied with an ultra blonde reply. "But there will be no bird inside". We waited for her to leave before we burst out laughing.




On a side note, the frozen baileys was really good. Luckily the only effects I felt was faster heartbeat.

Friday, August 05, 2011

Oh Yeah It's Uni Life! - My Message for My Engine Freshies

Hey freshies! Hope you enjoyed Oweek. I'm so glad to have such a cute bunch of freshies, so interesting and so fun loving. Despite us being so chillax, I felt we were still bonding, still moving forward as an OG. For those who wrote on my letter that you hope to keep in touch with me, maybe we will, maybe we won't. But be rest assured, this is only the start of a new chapter with your fellow FRESHMEN. The councillors may slip away, but your fellow freshmen won't. I didn't have the chance to give a prep talk at the start of the camp cos I was late but you determine how fun the camp will be and how many friends you want to make. Thankfully you guys pulled through.

NUS is a winding 4 year road. It's going to be tough, but it's going flash past fast as well. I shall quote myself in my speech for my CAC Camp "There are many paths you can take in NUS. You can focus on your academia and shun a social life and possibilities of multi disciplinary growth. Or, you can take charge of your life, your learning, your social circle and your growth. It takes just one step to venture into the unknown." Your university life is yours. Whether you want make the most out of it is your choice. The choices you have are insanely numerous. Don't be lazy. Take the initiative. Ask. Plan.

On a side note, I would like to thank your OGL on behalf of all the councillors. The House Head pushed the responsibility from me to him so it's really my fault that he had to tank all the sai kang. Behind the scenes, without his hard work, many things wouldn't go as smoothly. He can't be around most of the time also because he has to take instructions from the camp committee. So to Zhi Rui, you're much appreciated! =)

You have many seniors, many resources, many connections. I tell my juniors, there are 3 key things you should aim to achieve in university. Academic excellence, networking, and a good resume. Keep that in mind. Make use of us seniors as a source of knowledge and networking. You are probably the only OG that has 5 councillors, 10 crashie councillors, and 30 over senior councillors whom you may get to know in the near future. If you need to know someone with a certain experience, ask us.

To end off, it's been great knowing you guys. I was a boring freshie and my OG was unexciting. I can imagine that when we were councillors, nothing changed. But yet you guys made the camp fun for yourselves. For that, I am thankful. You'll probably notice that I will stop being "fun loving, sociable, and an amazing senior once school reopens anyway. Once again, welcome to the 4th generation of our line of OGs (don't know what's the name of the first OG) Pyro, Evening and now Turks, and welcome to NUS.

Your neighbourhood friendly councillor
Wen Qin

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Brain Storm: Preferential Treatment By Maturity

Today when I went to buy books with Nard in COOP, the counter guy first asked if we were from NUS. On knowing that Nard isn't from NUS, he asked if we were brothers cause we look alike (like O_o right?). Then I asked them "so who is the older brother?" and they said, me. Mind you Nard is way taller than me. It reminds me that although my real brother (blood related) is way bigger size than me too, many people also say I'm the older one.

I like to be recognised as the older person. I take it as a sign of higher maturity. Yes, I know it doesn't necessarily mean that way. I also do not take offense that it means I look old. Not that I care anyway. In many situations, I tend to be the one who takes care of others. People will come to me for advice, for perspectives. While maturity alone doesn't justify me being Aunt Agony, I think it makes up a big part of it. I don't really think of myself as someone who seems approachable. Thus there must be some other reasons why people ask me. There's not many, but hey, it's not bad considering my gangster face and cocky attitude.

Still, recently I guess I felt a bit jaded. I felt happy during those times when I could be like a kid. I don't mean those times when I play pretending and make a fool out of myself. I mean those times when I can act like I'm younger because I really am younger. I met up with this senior recently and when he treated me like a kid, patted on my head, I was all like "wow, when was the last time someone did that to me?" Did I feel good because I haven't felt top-down love (in terms of age and seniority) in a long time? Was it because I lacked attention (not the normal attention but that of my real psychological needs) for so long? I'm not too sure. When I hang out with my Council friends, I felt happier too these few days. I am the youngest (and the only one from my batch) member in the Council and I feel unrestricted when I'm with them. I can ask them for advice, I totally don't need to act like I'm strong and I don't have to show concern for them out of the way. Because they know better. And they care.

When was the last time a junior asked me "what's wrong" or "tell me your problems" and I felt at ease talking to them about it?

Never.
It's not that I have too much pride or ego to show my weakness to them. It's just that when I talk to older (or rather more matured people), I feel like they know, they really understand and they can help. Perhaps it's the urge to want to hide under a guardian's wing too, after giving away all my care and concern.

It's like an age thing. Nobody forces it on you, but when you feel older, you feel responsible. I feel that way all the time, but not that I don't like it. All in all, I think I still like to be treated like a mature, older adult. I like to be able to take care of people. But once in a while, it's great to be treated like a kid, to be able to act like a kid, and not having to go out of my way to protect anyone.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Ramblings: Best Man

So I told my buddies that I would be their best man if they want me to. Looking at current situation, I might really end up being all 3 of their best man.

Thinking about it makes me feel sian. I think I'll be bored by the second time.

So I shall blog about this and remind myself. I will be best man 3 times if they so ask for it.

=)

(actually it's because I want to expose all their embarrassing stuff during their wedding dinner. thanks to my ultra memory, I'll have a lot to tell)

Sunday, July 24, 2011

The Facebook Series #5: Spam Links



There's an easy way to find out if a link your friend posted is spam/trojan or not. Take a look at the URL.

Let's take the most recent free KFC for a week one as an example. The URL posted was addchicken.com . You'll notice that there is no "KFC" in the URL given. Further, as this is supposedly an offer for Singapore thus there should be a .sg behind as well (in case you didn't know KFC exist in more than one country). Also, it is wise to look at what the offer is. Do you really think KFC will let you eat everything for free for one entire week?

The other spider-under-girl's-skin link is obviously a spam link as well. The URL often has really weird domains such as that ending with .info .

Sometimes, using your brain before clicking on a link just because it looks interesting helps. Spam links are getting more common these days. Just clicking on them makes you repost it automatically. Even if you remove them from your wall, your friends will still see it. While such backdoor trojan are used to hack into your account (password, friends list or whatever), I haven't heard of a major problem arising from clicking such links but you'll never know.

If you did not find my post hiding a "hint" of sarcasm, you are probably one of those who blindly click on links. I'm blocking you.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Facebook Series #4: Bring Back The Old Facebook Chat

I honestly hate the new Facebook chat sidebar and if you're like me, this URL (taken from a nice guy at Lifehacker.com) https://www.facebook.com/presence/popout.php will give you back the old Facebook chat. Granted it's not integrated into the main Facebook page but at least it shows you a list of people who are online rather than making you search for your friend.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Tech Speak: The Technology I Want Now

I want this 2 pieces of technology. NOW.


ASUS EEE Slider Pad. Honeycomb tablet which comes with a built in keyboard. Tegra 2.



Motorola Droid 3. Android phone with qwerty keyboard. Omap dual core processor with 1GB RAM

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Ramblings: It's The Company

I just had my first In Camp Training and ironically, I felt so much deja vu throughout the entire training. There were so many times I felt like I was NSF all over again. I mean, sure the training is definitely less stringent compared to when we were serving full time. But certain things still made me feel like I haven't ORDed.

But since I was an NSF, no matter how hard it was, I would always have a reason to smile and laugh. I would have shoulders to lean on, people to bitch with, all because my platoon mates were there and we stuck together. The radio team was always my pillar of strength for those dark times like things could never be worst.

The people make it better. All the time.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Brain Storm: Regrets Or Not

Life is a road of regrets. In life, it is either do or no do, or choosing between A or B. And you'll never know what will happen if you had chosen the other option. The regrets are always there. Only the degree defers. You can choose to not think about it, or choose to assume that your choice was the best choice.

But let's face it. You'll never know.

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Tech Speak: Instant Messaging Status Meanings

http://lifehacker.com/5819017/im-status-how-should-you-use-it

Here's a good article from Lifehacker about what kind of IM status habits say about you. For example, if you are constantly available, it actually gives out a signal to people that you are not contactable all the time even if you're online (because it's simply impossible for you to be around all the time). Thus if your status is available all the time, it prevents people from having high hopes of getting a reply from you if they send an IM to you unless they know your schedules and IM habits. This either makes them resort to other means of contacting you or makes them not IM you all together. It's not a good thing because more often than not they will not know how long they have to wait before they get a response from you. A more responsible way is to make use of busy, BRB or idle statuses.

More in that article.

 

Saturday, July 02, 2011

Brain Storm: Experiencing Life's Emotions

When we talk about emotions, there's always a few prominent ones which comes to mind first. 喜怒哀乐, as the Chinese phrase always go, though actually 喜 and 乐 comes pretty close. There's a difference in intensity though. Happiness, anger, sadness... These are emotions which everyone will definitely experience as we move through life.

There are the normal people who goes through life as it is, then you have the extremities - those who emo their lives away, and those who insist that life can be only happiness and it's all in the mind. I think that in life, it is essential to live through all these emotions. It is healthier to live them as they are, as they come. When something bad happens, it's alright to feel angry. When something depressing happens, it's alright to feel sad. When something nice happens, no matter how small it is, it's alright to feel happy. That's what life is supposed to be, a life of different colours. How fun will life which we only live once be, if we only stay sad all the time or even stay happy all the time?

I think it's not very sensible to say that as long as you wish to be happy, you can be. Life is not fair. There are people who are out there to get you. There are also people who affect you negatively unintentionally. Not everything is within our control. Wouldn't your life be miserable, in a way, if you brush everything off and stay happy when someone is torturing you? It's okay to let it out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that this attitude is not right. It is definitely better to keep a positive attitude. But, you know sometimes, it's okay to let it get to you, to feel depressed, to cry it out, to flare up or to shout it out loud. You don't have to contain it, and pretend that everything's alright, all the time.

As for the perpetually emotional people, it's rather unhealthy too. Life is more than the sufferings you see. Being blinded is what keeps you from being happy. A lot of times, a person stays emo because he thinks that's the worse he has ever been. But even more often than not, a person stays emo because he thinks he's the worst off among the people around them. "Life sucks" and "Why do I have to suffer from this?" are common mentalities. But that is not true. Somewhere out there, there's definitely bound to be people who are worse off than you. When life cannot get worse, it can only get better. You wallow in self pity and that's why it becomes a spiral and a cycle you can never get out of. Even if you keep encountering a series of unfortunate events, it won't keep up. If it does, it's probably because you're not doing something about it. It's not easy but you have to try. Seek help because life is about sharing and helping each other. If you don't have anyone to count on, you probably just didn't find hard enough. Effort is needed if you want to escape the miserable fate you think you are caste in.

Life doesn't have the four seasons. Sometimes, you get a string of unhappiness. Sometimes, you keep getting unlucky. Sometimes everyone else just seems to be doing well. But life is complicated. We should try to keep life simple, but you don't have to shun that fact. It'll only get better. Don't be superficial.

So face it, your real emotions.
Why does 喜 and 乐 comes first and last? Because happiness is supposed to surround and engulf your negative emotions. No matter which direction you go, whether it is the start or end of the journey, you will be happy. If you are not happy, it's not the end yet.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Oh Yeah! It's Uni Life!: The CAC President Shares About Social Camps

Every year, CAC organise one of the few Cross Faculty Camps in NUS prior to freshies' matriculation. In NUS, we all learn to be independent with our academic excellence and personal growth. More often than not, university's culture is so drastically different from what one would experience before in their lives that adapting to NUS may take some time and effort. Hence, your seniors dedicate themselves to holding a social camp for you to make you feel welcome, to make you feel at home with us at NUS. There is much to learn and one of the easier ways to grab onto the fast train of NUS life is to make new friends and learn from your seniors.

CAC Social Camp is different from your normal faculty camps in that ours is a cross faculty one. You will meet fellow freshmen and seniors from different disciplines with different experiences. You will know more people and learn about cultures and module knowledge beyond your own faculty, an essential part of your NUS life. In NUS, cross discipline academia is emphasised and it is always good to know people from FASS, Engineering, Science, Computing and so on. Networking too has never been more important in this day and age.

There are many paths you can take in NUS. You can focus on your academia and shun a social life and possibilities of multi disciplinary growth. Or, you can take charge of your life, your learning, your social circle and your growth. It takes just one step to venture into the unknown. With us at CAC, you will not only know new friends or gain knowledge about surviving university life. You will realise that you will open up, and explore many possibilities beyond this camp and its participants.

I hope to see you there. Keep an open mind, juniors.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Youtube: 勇氣 - 光良

老歌但我喜欢。挺有意义的。也大概是光良唯一一个没有一直和女生亲嘴的MV。

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ43jHXvjpc
終於作了這個決定 別人怎麼說我不理
只要你也一樣的肯定
我願意天涯海角都隨你去 我知道一切不容易
我的心一直溫習說服自己 最怕你忽然說要放棄

愛真的需要勇氣 來面對流言蜚語
只要你一個眼神肯定 我的愛就有意義
我們都需要勇氣 去相信會在一起
人潮擁擠我能感覺你 放在我手心裡 你的真心

如果我的堅強任性 會不小心傷害了你
你能不能溫柔提醒
我雖然心太急 更害怕錯過你

 

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Poll: First Impression Of Me








 

Did you have a bad first impression of me when we first met due to my dress sense and appearance?


 

 

Yes No

View Results



Make your own poll

 

Friday, June 17, 2011

Brain Storm: Piercings

The 2 ear piercings on my left ear lobes are good conversation starters, at least in university camps. This is especially true with girls. I think it's a general first impression that guys with piercings are like ah bengs, gangsters that kind. What more when I have two? Most of the time, new friends (ladies especially) won't come up and talk to me, probably because they had a poor first impression (I'm not too sure if guys have poor impression of me when they see my piercings though). However as time passes by during a camp, they slowly realised that I'm not that bad (or, maybe they like bad boys), and they'll come up to me and ask me why did I pierce my ears. That's when it gets interesting. My piercings are not done the normal way, ie. I did not use the gun piercing but needles which are a lot more painful. When I describe how my ears were pierced by needles to them, their expression of disgust, awe, and respect is intriguing and amusing. You'll be surprised how some guys give me the same look too. What is even more interesting is that the girls will then start going around telling other girls and after a moment I'll be surrounded by girls. I know what you're thinking - I'm not far fetched it really happened okay?

I won't say I crave attention, but I won't deny that I enjoy attention either. But these piercings are interesting and I don't really regret getting them. Sure, they don't give very good first impression and it's usually to my disadvantage but I prefer to impress people using my inner beauty, or personality, or whatever you call it. I don't think I do a very lousy job at recovering the bad first impression I cast with my appearance. Further, I can close my ear holes any time I want if I think that I don't want them anymore.

The reason I got 2 piercings instead of 1 is because I wanted to be different. Many people sport single piercings these days. I also chose to pierce on my left ear because I'm a left hander rather than because of the saying that goes "left is right, right is wrong" (which means if you pierce on your left side, you are straight, and if you pierce on your right, you are gay). If tattoos aren't permanent you'll be sure that I'm full of them by now. I'm an accessories person and I think accessories make a person look way better. I used to be very fixated on that when I was younger. I was always donning choker and chains. Now I prefer simply and easy. I think spectacles, watches, hair style (not exactly an accessory but well..), ear studs all make a simple but impressionable difference. That said, you usually see me in my bare minimum nowadays though. I think maturity does make a difference with how I view accessories after a while. Simple is good. But my piercings aren't bad either.

What did you think of me the first time you saw me?

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Brain Storm: Dream Job When I Was Young

I went to the Science Centre yesterday, after not having gone inside for about quite a few years. I was reminded of what my childhood dream was. I was quite a geek since back then. I wanted to be a scientist. I looked up to Thomas Edison etc and found science fascinating. I remember telling everyone that I want to be a great scientist and invent lots of things back when I was young. I would keep asking my older cousins what's the age I'll be by the time I can be a scientist and what's the path I need to take. I would listen intently as if I understand what is JC and university at the age of below 5.

Now, I'm an electrical engineer to be. I'm not too sure what kind of electrical engineer yet but electrical engineers are great inventors of the world, considering how electronic the world has become. My dream job is still quite similar though I might venture into software instead of hardware. The bottom line is still to make the world a better place with more advanced technologies. It's not too different from my dream job when I was young, is it?



Monday, June 13, 2011

Brain Storm: Maturing When You Grow Up

I saw a junior 2 days ago on the train when I was on my way home. We had a pretty good chat, if I say so myself. He seemed so honest, so willing to catch up with our own lives. I am glad that I was treated like a friend and not as a senior.

When I see my juniors growing up, catching up with my age, it really heartens me to see them mature. Sometimes they don't seem to notice it. But I can tell. When I saw my junior, he seemed so sincere when we talked. Even if he wasn't sincere, it was great to see such maturity to be polite and all, even though I might have been a negative impact in his life in the past.

I used to interact with lots of people. I can't say I have been the best person to nurture people or create positivity in their lives. I might been too arrogant and too authoritative  to have been kind to most of my peers. As I continued with my life without some of them, I did hear of others' praises for me. I'm happy to know that among the bad things I might have done in the past, there were things I did right. There were people whom became a better or happier person because of who I am or what I did and I'm grateful for the chance I was given.

It's great to see everyone growing up. And perhaps I might have matured a little myself.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Ramblings: Checkmate

I used to be left with King. The opponent's pieces kept cornering me. I move left, the pieces move left to chase after. I move right, the pieces move right and followed suit. Then it kept going on and on.

But today, it was checkmate. And all I can do it refusing to admit defeat. Strength is seeping.

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Ramblings: Repent

I've never messed up my life this badly before, with a long string of issues and troubles and accidents. Just when I thought I've repent enough, it seems that perhaps I have not.

I'm going to face the wall somemore, and reflect.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Tech Speak: iOS 5 New Features

During Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2011), Steve Jobs announced a bunch of new features for the upcoming iOS 5. I think Apple is definitely headed in the right direction with stuff like notification system (ripped off from Android) and iMessages (ripped off from Blackberry Messenger). Although Android is still hands down the most feature rich phone, but the learning curve is steep and many things, just like the old iPhones, requires apps to do these things. iOS 5 integrates these new features and make them easy to manage. With luck, Apple might just get a whole lot more Android and Blackberry users on their wagon. Apple already has an amazing number of user base. It is no doubt that these new features will attract more people. Here's some of the most prominent features.

1) Notification System.

The iOS used to be intrusive and forces you to read your mails, messages, whatsapp immediately no matter what you are doing. No longer will that be the case. You can simply swipe down the top of the screen to reveal the notifications and I heard it's easy to remove them as well. A tap on the notification will bring you to the correct app. These notifications appear on the lock screen as well. Nifty.



2) Reminders

This isn't a simple reminder app (built in of course). Aside from time requirements, you can also input location requirements. So say you need to buy milk from NTUC. Key that right in and if you pass by an NTUC (I believe you can only key in one NTUC), it will remind you that you need to get milk. You can set it such that it reminds you when you enter an area or leave an area. Sounds convenient but I wonder about the battery life.

3) OTA (Over the air updates)

One irritating part about iPhones is that you always have to link it up to your PC/Mac to synchronise stuff or update your phone. There are apps which allow you to sync stuff like music wirelessly but this doesn't apply to phone software updates. Now you no longer need to connect to your computer for the first boot up activation and for minor updates (but you'll still need to for major updates). If only they allow app synchronisation over the air just like Android. Oh and music too.

4) iMessages

This inter-iOS messaging tool is compared to BBM (Blackberry Messenger). The idea is basically the same. Messaging made easy for all iPhone users (and iPads I believe). I don't foresee it overthrowing Whatsapp and the likes anytime soon though. It's free and works on wifi and 3G.

5) Twitter integration

Depending on whether the built in twitter app is good or not, this may not be as much of a big deal. I believe it will though unless other 3rd party apps do not get the built in twitter notification. I don't think that many people use Twitter for iPhones since most of my friends use 3rd party apps.

6) A better Safari with Reader integration

This makes web browsing and viewing of RSS feeds much easier. There's now tabbed browsing. Not sure how effective this is as tabbed browsing on my Dolphin Browser HD on Android sucked.

7) iCloud http://pocketnow.com/iphone/apple-introduces-free-icloud-service-with-no-ads-yanks-mobileme

Finally some cloud love from Apple. This is one of strongest point Android had over Apple. iCloud syncs most of your stuff, like documents, files, mails, texts, ringtones, photos, videos, books on the cloud. It's mainly a sync and backup too. Most wonderfully it's gonna be ad free and free of charge. I don't think I saw music though.

8) A better camera

You can now use your volume button as a shutter button. Convenient and less shaky movements. There's also some simple additions like built in red eye reduction, ability to zoom and crop etc.

9) Game Centre, News Stand, Better Mail Client, and a few more

A central game centre will allow you to compare scores with your friends better. News stand includes news from most publishers. A better mail client allows you to send emails much more easily (I'll admit that Android's mail client suck to the core, thank goodness for Gmail app).

You can read up more at http://pocketnow.com/iphone/apple-introduces-ios-5-developing or go to the Apple website to watch the keynote. Now if Apple integrates widgets like Android, we might just have a winner here. Hopefully this goes to iPhone 3GS as well. I really don't think it will go to iPhone 3G though.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Brain Storm: A Master Of Dual Personality

I have done 2 major personality tests till now (not that I thoroughly believe in them), but they have been fairly accurate. I recall talking to my fellow student leaders about our own results and how mine was pretty close to most of them. It then came to the topic of dual personalities. I do suppose some prefer to call it putting on a mask. And I will not deny the fact that sometimes that is the case, especially when I was younger. Still, it dawned on me quite some time ago then I can switch my personality aspects according to the situation though sometimes it takes a quite a bit of willpower to switch.

For eg., we were talk about how most of us are originally introverts. However we can become extroverts if we want to. Is it really putting on a mask? I don't really think so. Because if I reflect back, I guess I truly enjoyed the moments as an extrovert and it is not exactly against my choice. Still, we do agree that it takes energy to do that. When I go to camps, I have to switch my personality to that of an extrovert (if not no point right?). By the end of a camp, I'm usually very exhausted. Not physically, but mentally because I switched to a personality which is the opposite of my original.

This is just but one example. Perhaps this is the easiest personality trait to switch, which is why many people think of it as putting on a mask. For the Myers-Briggs personality test, the only personality trait which I strongly lean towards is Introvert. For those who don't know, Myer Briggs consist of 4 traits. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator

Extrovert-Introvert
Sensing-Intuition
Thinking-Feeling
Judgement-Perception (in general they are either a rational side or an irrational side)

My personality results is INTJ, but for N T and J, I'm quite in between and am able to switch according to situation or to my preference.

As for the 4 Temperaments, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Temperaments

Choleric (workerholic, passionate, driven, ambitious)
Sanguine (extroverted, energetic, sensitive)
Melancholic (perfectionist, emotional, independent)
Phlegmatic (rational, observant, prefer stability)

I scored high for Choleric, mid score for Melancholic and Phlegmatic, and negative score in Sanguine. Things might have changed since I took the test, but in general I am able to move traits a little here and there as well. I think the temperaments are more like personality types compared to Myer Briggs types. It's easier to describe how we change using Myer Briggs compared to the temperaments.

Analysing personalities is one of my hobbies since secondary school, since I'm pretty good at it. It can get pretty complicated but I really think that there is hardly any "simple" people in the world. Everyone has a dark side and everyone has their own shift in personalities depending on the situation. A person can change drastically when in stress, in doubt or in love for example.

Still, due to my own complicated personality, which even my friends mentioned of before, I always have to be careful and differentiate between what is real and what is not. Am I truly enjoying myself as an extrovert? Or am I forcing myself to be sanguine by putting on a mask? This dual personality thing isn't easy.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Tech Speak: Top 10 Awesome Android Features Which iPhone Don't Have

http://lifehacker.com/5801862

There's definitely much more to that, eg. the notification system (but you can get this if you jailbreak your iPhone).

It's a good read. I personally think that the top features are custom ROMs, custom apps to do the same things differently (like SMS), ability to install different keyboards, custom home launchers, widgets, ability to add SD card, wireless app installation and flash. Do read the article for more explanation.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Brain Storm: One Chance

In life, opportunities come and go quickly. Sometimes, there is only one chance, one try. Many times, we do not give it our all when we are going on with our everyday life. It might be because we took it for granted and we simply didn't know that this part of our life is something that can slip away or get ruined. It has become such a mundane part of me that I did not see it as something I could lose. I overestimated myself and now I will pay the price. Maybe people around me will pay the price with me, for something which they did not do. I wouldn't know how it was supposed to turn out now.

It is most unfortunate that I did not realise this. Maybe I could have done better. Maybe not. I'll never know. Maybe it was not meant to be. Maybe I was too hasty with my choice back then. But alas, it was a good experience. I can't imagine my life without it, now that I'm so used to it. But life will have to go on, in the correct direction.

Losing something of this magnitude is sad, but now I know to cherish, and work harder next time in my everyday life, grabbing hold of everything and regarding every aspect as a chance that might just pass by, that only gives one try. Despite my complaints, I was happy doing it. But this is the end. It is regrettable indeed. To the people whom are affected by this, if any, I am truly sorry.

 
This was a really really bad month for me.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Songs: Top Emotional/Sad Final Fantasy OSTs

For every Final Fantasy (or Square games), there is at least one sad Original Sound Track. I don't play so much frankly. But here's a short list of what I like. Sometimes I think listening to OSTs is better than listening to sad emo songs. They're a tad short though.

1) Always On My Mind (Kingdom Hearts)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_X-Im1On4

2) On That Day 5 Years Ago (Final Fantasy 7)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALEwLnq1ZrI

3) To Zanarkand (Final Fantasy 10)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VFQKpO1unk

4) Bittersweet Romance (Final Fantasy 9)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZOdp9Ma7Zc

5) Aerith's Theme (Final Fantasy 7 Advert Children)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxRIxovS7nQ

6) Missing You (Kingdom Hearts II)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC6Ornb-Kd4

7) The Oath (Final Fantasy 8)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCGo5ztB-g8

8) Roxas (Kingdom Hearts II)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9DDGibV9yU

9) Someday The Dream Will End (Final Fantasy 10)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xRCjjiTR7I

Friday, May 27, 2011

Song: 100种生活

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgId62LQEbY

This song is about how there are 100 different ways of living. It's about asking ourselves how we seek out the way we want to live. No one can be strong all the time. There are definitely moments of weakness, moments of doubts. It will take time for us to search our soul and search for the life we want. The lyrics are actually quite sad. But it's sang in a relatively happy way. While I personally feel that nothing is smiling while crying (笑着哭), but I guess this song is trying to tell us to be positive as well. It'll be okay, one day. I heard this song during NUS Resonance concert 2011 The Inside Edition and I really liked it. It's a song which didn't impose that there will be a happy ending. But it's possible and we should all try.

卢广仲 - 100种生活

整个世界停止不转动很寂寞
走在海边数着萤火虫好困惑
想要的生活怎么有一百种
不想掉进这深深漩涡
整个海洋摆动柔软地举起我
孤单给我自由犹豫得好感动
想要的生活怎么有一百种
该怎么走谁来告诉我 wow
每当我背对星空
抱着地球
发现自己其实脆弱不敢说
当我背对星空
孤独摸索
爱情渐渐萎缩我猜不透
无边的宇宙哪里有我想要的生活
整个海洋摆动柔软地举起我
孤单给我自由犹豫得好感动
想要的生活怎么有一百种
该怎么走谁来告诉我 wow
每当我背对星空
抱着地球
发现自己其实脆弱不敢说
当我背对星空
孤独摸索
爱情渐渐萎缩我猜不透
无边的宇宙哪里有我想要的生活
每当我背对星空
抱着地球
发现自己其实脆弱不敢说
当我背对星空
孤独摸索
爱情渐渐萎缩我猜不透
无边的宇宙哪里有我想要的生活
我那一百种要在很久很久以后才会懂
我一百种生活

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Ramblings: GSS For Annual Restock

The Great Singapore Sale is the time of the year when I do my annual restock of clothes. Though I'm a shopper, I rather buy clothes at the other times of the year as I'm always too broke and cheapo. Here's a list of what I need to replenish.

1) Jeans

2) Socks

3) Polo shirts (many of them, in order to upkeep my professional image in school next semester)

4) Graphic tees

5) Casual/semi-formal shoes (dark tone or pure white for more formal occasions)

6) Metal watch

7) Underwear

8) Shoe bag

There's many other things I want but money doesn't come easy these days. Oh well. Hopefully the sale will be full force

Interest(ing): The Truth Behind Sunscreen + Ranking of Best Sunscreens

With numerous university camps coming up, it's a good time to invest in a good tube of sunscreen. Here's an article from Lifehacker which states that high SPF doesn't mean anything. The short article is basically based off another website which ranked 1400 different sunscreens. There are also explanations on why Vitamin A is bad etc.

http://lifehacker.com/5805270/find-the-best-sunscreens-with-the-fewest-hazardous-ingredients

Find the ranking of the sunscreens here http://breakingnews.ewg.org/2011sunscreen/ .

Apparently Banana Boat - a common brand in Singapore, is quite lousy. Looks like I have to source for others.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Brain Storm: My Role Model - Helen Keller

I mentioned that when I was in secondary school, I did a personality test. The test was pretty comprehensive. It showed me my strengths and weaknesses in each area and how to enhance or curb them. They also categorise us according to personality types and each type has a sort of role model attached to it.

My role model was Helen Keller. The test said that I was like her because I believed in one thing. It was the famous quote which she said.

I am only one. But still I am one. I can only do something. But still there is something I can do. I will not refuse to do that something which I can do - Helen Keller.


Apparently my perfectionist and high-and-mighty personality makes me compelled to do something which I feel strongly about or something which I think my contribution will make a difference. I've always wanted to be a commander in the army because I feel that I will be able to make better of the soldiers' lives, though that dream never happened. I wanted to be a policeman because of how self righteous I am (but too bad I was underweight). I guess a nice way of phrasing it is that I am helpful. But it really is in me to want to do something if I feel that I can contribute in my own way.

Strangely enough, this personality and quote which I believe in has gotten me into trouble enough times in my lifetime. Yet I still keep going. I mentioned how jaded I was, leading the my club on my Facebook. I said I wanted to step down. I'm not sure how many people agrees with what a friend said, but he commented that "You will not (step down)". Somehow, I think that will be exactly it. Should I be happy about this? I'm not sure. But I still strongly believe in Helen Keller's spirit. If you can do something, don't refuse to do it, even if you are but one. Because you can affect lives positively. Because you can make the difference.

Item: I May Be Left-Handed


Nard says when he saw this in USA, he immediately thought of me, even though Ed is also a left hander. He said it was because of how self righteous I was and mainly because that sounds like something I would say. I think I have always been very cocky to my friends, in a cheeky manner. Kind of like the qian bian (欠扁) kind. They have learnt to laugh it off I think. But don't you think sometimes it is amusing? I am always the laughing stock of my friends. Yet somehow I don't mind and I got so used to it already. If my presence creates laughter among my friends, much unlike how it used to be in the past, isn't that a good thing? Have I changed? Am I right?


Thanks Nard!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Brain Storm: How I Respect My Teachers

My Higher Chinese teacher in secondary school said before that she was upset when her ex student came back to visit her and called her by her name. It feels terribly wrong to call someone older than you and the person who imparted precious knowledge to you without any salutations. I remember how she said it to this day. That's why I have never called a teacher who taught me before by his or her name.

However just now when I met my JC tutor for a drink, he told me that I should call him by his name though I have not been doing that for the 3 years since I graduated. I guess it's because he's a young teacher and feels that we should be friends instead of just teacher and student. I guess I'll comply, but I still think that calling my teachers by their salutation is the simplest respect I can give.

Ramblings: Rational and Running Away

I've been flattered a few times in my life. My friends know how arrogant I am, so they usually refrain from complimenting me. Arrogant as I am, I do agree with what they say. Though I also really appreciate it.

Last year, a close pal said that I was one of the most rational person he knows. He commented that despite having no relationship experiences, I was able to advise many people regarding their relationships. However, those relationships are usually souring ones and therefore they need my rational thinking to analyze the situation for them. Well so you can say that my advice always results in breaking up in my secondary school days. Another close friend hinted before that I was quite a mature person as well.

Just now I was having a chat with a long-time-no-see friend and he commented on how I was one of the most rational and mature person he knows. He then mentioned that if even I cannot be rational in certain situations, how can others possibly be? I guess that's true. It's a perspective I've never looked at before.

I guess sometimes it's okay to run away. Sometimes it's okay to hide. I think I sort of understand why my predecessor ran away now. It's sort of the same thing.

Still, I am flattered. =)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Ramblings: What's The Reason?

Sometimes when something goes wrong, you want to find out the reason. You want to know what went wrong. But when you can't find out why, you get frustrated. Very frustrated. And it makes it so hard to move on.

Rushing things is never a good thing. I guess sometimes it takes time before you realise what went wrong. Maybe it wasn't as what you thought. Maybe you thought of a thousand reasons. But there was a 1001th reason. Or maybe it was the most simple thing which you thought of but tried to brush it off because you didn't want to think of that as the reason. Maybe you were not suitable. Maybe you whined too much. Maybe you scared off the other party. Maybe you pissed everyone off.

Maybe it was just not meant to be.

Brain Storm: Optimism Not

Life is never simple. There are always tons of struggle. Sometimes struggling works. Sometimes it doesn't.

There's a lot of times we wish struggling will. There's also sometimes when you feel that struggling won't work so you don't even try.

I was told optimism is a good thing. But everytime I am hopeful about something, it will end badly. No matter how much I struggle. No matter how much effort I make. No matter how much I plead.

So I went to the dark side. I was always known as a perfectionist and one who thinks pessimism all the time. But I am also human. I also hope. Hope keeps me alive. So what does living entails now that I have no hopes, nothing to struggle about and no one to plead to?

How can one still think optimism is a good thing? Optimism doesn't prepare me for this.

Brain Storm: The Irony Of Life

Have you been in a situation where life seemed to have played you out? You were just minding your own business and an attractive opportunity popped out. You fought, you got it. Then soon, you realised that it's gone. It might be because it was not meant to be in the first place, it might be because you thought too lightly of it. It might have been that you were not yet ready. But no matter the reason, no matter the struggle, it might just slip out of your hand.

It may come back. It may not. Just when you were composing yourself, pacing your steps, getting ready to move on with life, another opportunity comes again. But this time, you are skeptical. You have been through it once. Something precious just got torn from you. Or perhaps other reasons are stopping you from taking it up. You tell yourself you cannot make the same mistake again. But the opportunity won't stay there and wait. You know it may be taken away, you know it may just go away before you can grab hold of it.

Life is ironic, no?

You only live life once. I'd have faith, I'd steady my footing, I'd grab hold of it. Because it won't come again. And you'll never know if you'll regret it unless you try.

Sights and Sounds: Punggol Waterfront Park (Incomplete)

[update: Punggol Waterway is completed and I took some photos there. http://infinite.acperience.net/2011/11/sights-and-sounds-my-punggol-waterway/ ]


A few days back my dad told me that the Punggol PCN is done already, so I went to check it out. It was pretty awesome so today I brought my phone along to snap a few (low quality) photos. Although really this is just a jogging route, I believe it's part of the Punggol Waterfront Park or whatever they're calling it. The park connector joins Hougang park to Punggol via Sengkang West Ave I think. The route goes all the way to Punggol East where a relatively huge activity centre is. It has many eateries, seafood centre, billards, bicycle and rollerblades rental shop etc. The atmosphere there is lovely and it's a great place to hang out. Though I must note that the sports rental shop and the billards centre is not opened yet. The place is relatively secluded but you can get there from Punggol LRT. Just take the north east line to Punggol MRT and change to Punggol LRT. Alight at Riveria station when you see the activity centre which is right next to a temple. You can also take bus 3 (Pasir Ris) , 83 (from Sengkang) and 85 (from Yishun).


I'll say it's worth checking out. I haven't gone all the way down the jogging route though. I'll do that when I get enough stamina. I should go there with my friends soon because I stay right opposite the activity centre and for once I will reach home before they do!








The board walk starts from here. It's a nice place to chill.



Here's the activity centre with restaurants, fast food etc.





This is right next to the eateries. The billards rooms and sports rental shop have not opened yet though.





This is the sort of entrance. And guess what, the closest building to this place is my home. =)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Brain Storm: Dealing With Deadbeats

http://lifehacker.com/5802148/how-to-deal-with-deadbeats-by-using-clever-tricks-and-blackmail

Here's an interesting article from lifehacker on how to deal with deadbeats, basically people who promise something but don't care anymore thereafter. Er, not on relationships though...

Monday, May 16, 2011

Brain Storm: Personality Change

It's surprising how some people's personality can change 180 degrees depending on the mood. I wouldn't say it depends on the situation because we are always reacting according to our environment. It might be because one was experiencing problems of the affairs of the heart or it might be because you are talking to a lover instead of a friend. Your expectations, views, stance might all change, drastically.

When I did my personality test in Sec 4, I found out that my personality is, as everyone guess it, a self righteous, arrogant, hardcore, perfectionist kind of person. I get angry easily but I hide most of my emotions inside. An exploding introvert, you might call it. This remains my personality now, though there has been positive growth to my maturity and outlook in general. However there was a time in my life when my personality drastically changed. It just so happened that I was sitting for another personality test. Okay they might not be that accurate, fair enough. But the results of the personality test was jaw dropping. I was totally another person. I was facing some personal problems then. And the test results showed that I was a person who is crushed by outsider comments easily, extremely sensitive, no self motivation, gets upset easily. Basically the opposite of what I was.

I was appalled. And I think it may just happen frequently in my life. Pardon me.

Friday, May 13, 2011

Tech Speak: Google I/O 2011 Summary

http://phandroid.com/2011/05/12/google-io-2011-wrap-up-what-was-your-favorite-announcement-or-moment/

Here's a good post on what happened during Google I/O 2011 (I/O stands for Input Output in computing language btw).

Here are some highlights which I feel are significant (to me anyway).

1) Android Honeycomb 3.1 update released.

2) Android Ice Cream Sandwich coming out in Q4 2011 and will integrate both tablet and phone form factors for Android

3) Google Music Beta launched (but only in US)

4) Google together with some carriers and phone manufacturers promise 18 months of updates for each phone

5) Chromebook, a netbook which is fully web based, that is, the operating system is the chrome browser will be launched in mid June.

Google I/O  2010 gave all its attendees a Nexus One (I think). This year they gave everyone a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. Both were new products which have not even been launched. If you think about it, though Google I/O's ticket cost like really expensive (more than a few hundred bucks I think), the free gift makes up for it. Really hope I can go there too. Too bad I'm not a developer. I think next year they will probably give the Google TV.

Brain Storm: A Thousand Birthday Wishes

My birthday this year had passed long ago. As usual, I can count the number of people who wished me happy birthday with my fingers. And no, my Facebok wasn't flooded with messages. The reason is because you won't find my birthday anywhere on the internet. Since secondary school times, I refrained from telling people my birthday because I find it pointless. More than the fact that it is just "another day", those who wanted to make you feel special on that day would have remembered your birthday.

Granted, some people need reminders and most people these days count it on Facebook rather than good old calendar. However you must admit that 90% of the people who wished you on Facebook "happened to see it" and maybe half of them can't remember when was the last time you interacted with them. The sincerity is not there. On the day when I was supposed to be king of the world, I can't find it more empty than having a thousand birthday wishes from people whom you know probably don't give half shit about you on any other day. Let's face it, how many friends from your hundreds of Facebook friends are truly your friends?

Unfortunately, I do agree that new friends need an avenue for birthday date. It will seem odd for people to go up to a new friend and ask for his/her birthday for recording purposes. These days Facebook is really the way to go. Then again there are also those people who get minimal well wishes despite showcasing their birth dates to the world (which is really sad). I guess I should try that next year to see whether I'm one of those people.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Tech Speak: Backup Your Office Documents with Google Cloud Connect

Google Cloud Connect is an add on for Microsoft Office. It simply enables auto/manual synchronisation with your Google Docs account. Cloud Connect appears as an additional toolbar for Office. Should you put it to auto, it syncs with your Google Docs each time you save. Naturally you can set it to manual as well. If you do not know already, Google Docs allows the uploading of Office formats (serving as backups) and it also has its own format (you can convert Office formats to Google Docs format if you want to edit it online). Cloud Connect backups your files rather than converting it into Google Docs format, thus preserving the formatting of your documents.

Google Cloud Connect can be downloaded here and it works for Office 2003, 2007 and 2010. It is not available for Mac yet.