Tech Speak: If Social Media Is A Drug

http://www.indiskretionehrensache.de/2010/06/social-media-drug/

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.

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

 

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

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.