Ramblings: Change In Leadership Style

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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*

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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)

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

 

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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. =)

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. =)