Month: February 2006

Yesterday night was a shitty night, went to play battlefield 2 again with my church friends at cineleisure L9 (in which actually I don’t quite like playing it, as it gets boring after a while playing the same few small maps and getting killed so often,…rather play RTS). so when I got bored, I decided to try wc3 on battle.net. eeks dota, control one person where got fun. play normal base-management nicer. wonder why people don’t like 😐 Then we went cafe cartel for a drink and chat, which was quite alright. I wanted to take the last train home, but was pressured to stay. In the end, we did nothing much, just walked along orchard, seeing loads of taxis racing along the road as if in a game (seriously, there were ONLY taxis and no other forms of vehicles); then some of them wanted to play BF AGAIN! boring -_- but I got no choice. and it sucked cos my com crushed halfway, and I didn’t really frag much. and then took cab home with chris d. hmm spend 5x more money just to play a few minutes of BF…worth it? nah. if play generals, dawn of war, or some other RTS game, I won’t mind. I hope I don’t play BF again. and at least not at that late hour. waste taxi fare, waste sleep also. came home at 2.30am. then later cannot wake up in time for church service how?

Ok, enough of rumbling.

Oops, I think not yet. I need to rant some more. about NTU that is. After going 1st service alone, I went the NTU talk alone. Saw tiffany, tianyu and tianying going off. Then I went inside the comm studies talk alone. What a place to hold talks! Hotel Intercontinental…the corridor is so freaking small, then the ballroom is so small and squeezy. Have to slowly wade in. Then no space, so I went to sit in front on the floor alone. And thus I listened to the talk on communication studies and then art design and media. Somehow, this first impression of NTU isn’t very good. Okay, maybe it’s considered second impression of NTU now, after the Camp ITAC experience.

Firstly, the comm studies speaker is some ang moh female doctorate, but she doesn’t know how to alt-enter and full screen the intro video. Secondly, they used a fujitsu laptop, notorious for its VGA output switching problems. Thirdly, the video played was a lousy VCD quality resolution I think, which is really blur on the projector. I thought they should be professional enough to play a DVD version? Or better yet, use a WMV? =p Okay lah, the content of the video wasn’t so bad.

The second art design and media talk was more boring cos only one ang moh guy speaking all the way. and the slides were very simply designed, unlike the cool style flash of the school of comm info (SCI which some confused as CSI…). However, there was one lady who talked about admissions and taught us how to lie during interviews: “Like if you are asked, do you like to read? You can’t say you do and then say you’re not reading any book right? Simply imagine some book and lie about it!” haha. And thus after all these, I can conclude that NTU is still very lousy. and poor poly people can only exempt a few modules out if they take the degree course. singapore universiti lousy (though according to some international rankings, they ain’t?). over at NUS, the comm studies one is more theory-based. SMU no media course lah.

So after listening to the 2 talks alone, I squeezed out of the hotel ballroom, and decided to walk around Parco Bugis alone. Haven’t been there for a long time, some of the shops are quite interesting, including a section called EDGE which had many small shops like Heeren/Far East those hip punk kind. very cool. maybe next time when I have a makeover, can do some shopping there.

After that, since it’s so near, decided to pop by the National Library alone. I borrowed a book, and decided to go home and rest. Popped by McDonald’s to buy a double cheeseburger so that I can have a quick lunch alone on the walk to the MRT.

What a lonely day. Come home kena scolded by mum for staying out so late last night. I knew it! it was not worth the stay. Not as if I went partying or clubbing. Only playing stupid BF!

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So this is a typical sunday of how I waste my ‘freedom’ away, as they say. Two months more before my freedom is stripped away. Yet I’m not really having fun yet, no long hair, no clubbing, not much playing-a-ful. haha. not that I define those as fun. whatever. yawn.

I need to get fitter, hipper, funkier and cooler.
And I hate the lonely crowd syndrome…

He whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

hmm, what’s so happy when one’s still single? Haha, well not complaining. Just that substituting “valentine’s” instead of “friendship” into the title make things a bit different….in fact very different this year.

It shows that I’m now a non-schooling adult. ouch. and it’s so not fun to have v-day at work, not many people to exchange presents with, not as much atmosphere as there would be in vjc, except for the giant bouquet of flowers that someone sent for my colleague. v-day used to be a second christmas for me for my schoolmates, but not anymore 🙁

Reading the friendship day entries of the past two years makes me miss vjc. noooo….looking at the photos and videos of today in 2004/2005, with so many people in vjc uniform, is very ________ (too many words to describe…fill in the blanks: nostalgic, sad, etc.) sigh. time really flies. I remember my class crowding round the piano in 2004. I remember victor’s treat for two people in 2005. those were the days…

At least, in school, there’s a reason for today to be special. There’s so much more fun and joy in giving things (and receiving of course). Otherwise, it’s just another ordinary work day for me I guess…hee. till next time perhaps.

Haven’t really have time or bothered to blog about this, but here it goes. I’ve been working in a 3D subsidiary of an architecture company since Jan. It was pretty boring the first few weeks, for I was mainly doing graphics editing in photoshop, plus a few odd jobs of web design, flash and other stuff. I was adding trees, cars, people into a ready-made 3D image, and also duplicating trees and blocks for a plan view of a resort. Basically, I was some sort of ‘cheap labour’ and maybe they are just making use of my skills. Hence wasn’t really learning what I was supposed to learn, yet. Also, I’ve got a lot of free time to do VJCosiety.

Later, I realised that my boss leaving for holiday back to his home in UK, and I wondered if I should leave the attachment earlier since it was getting boring (as I wasn’t learning anything much, yet). So I asked him if there’s things for me to do while he’s away, and the next day, he said that he was quite disappointed with my statement, and said that work is not like school, in which teachers spoonfeed you work to do without you asking for it. Instead, I must be willing to learn and ask for work…… and persuaded me to stay. And so I did.

After I installed 3D Studio Max trial version, then I get really into business. My boss knew that I could pick things up fast, and gave me some important jobs. The first one was modelling the concourse of some Qatar Convention Centre. At first, it was quite tedious as I’ve to learn how to read architecture maps, find out the correct dimensions and locations of things, and then construct them in 3D. I have to choose the correct shapes and stuff. The first few day was spent testing out and playing with different kinds of shapes to create different things, as there was this pretty complicated dome-shaped theatre wall that I’ve to build. However, later my colleague showed me the easy way to loft it out, and chey! it was that simple and I took one day plus to try figure it. Haha.

After I finished the main structure of that, which took about a week, I moved on to modifying a current 3D model of a Edwards LifeSciences building to a revamped design by the architecture. As again, I’ve to figure out the position and sizes of stuff. The past week or so was really busy as I was doing 3D throughout the day. Have some deadlines to meet for the 3D images also. FINALLY, I’m doing what I’m supposed to do in the job attachment. It is quite fun actually, and quite fulfilling.

It seems that I’m finally doing what I always dreamt about in my childhood – being in the architecture industry. I like scrutinising floor plans and such, as much as I like to study maps. And to construct them in a virtual world is both challenging and fun, as I can rotate around and see different views of it. However, after a month plus experience, and plus previous decisions, I know that architecture is not the way to go for my future career, it’s too tedious. Heard that they don’t earn much till they become directors. Besides, in the company I’m working in, the people are pretty boring except the 3D dept. Haha.

For VJCosiety:

In our first installment of Parallel Universe, Colin talks about the latest Singaporean movie – I Not Stupid, Too.

Jack Neo has done it, again.

For those of you who have never bothered to watch any of Jack Neo’s films, or any Singaporean movie for that matter, then I suggest that you take a step and watch I Not Stupid, Too, the much anticipated sequel to the popular I Not Stupid (2003). I guarantee that you will not regret it.

As again, Jack Neo has managed to touch the hearts of Singaporeans, with easily identifiable local topics such as family, school and the like. But this time, the film manages to capture very recent significant hot topics onto screen, such as public caning, moblogging, and even 3G video conferencing. It merges all these topics well into a nice witty story, albeit out-of-this-world at times. Yet these common themes along with comical exaggeration really cracks the audience up. Once during the show, when the Grandma learns teenage talk such as “so lame!”, some around me actually went into applause spontaneously.

Aside from these funny moments, the film gives insight into common issues in the society such as gangsterism and parenting children. Although critics may say that these themes are too straight-in-the-face, I think that this approach is what really makes the film successful – that is, being able to relate with the life of the average Singaporean on the street.

Howver, one of the best feature of the film that really touched my heart (and I am sure many others’) was the “tissue moments” as the Straits Times called them. The plot is inevitably tear-provoking at, not just one, but a number of moments. (According to Straits Times, there are 5.) It was really sad to see some of the scenes, such as when one is being punished innocently. Okay, I shall not be a spoiler and thus I will not reveal the more touching moments.

And yes, I cried AND laughed at the same time. This is because the touching scene very quickly changed into a pretty funny act. No other film to date has caused me to expressed two opposite emotions at the same time.

Watch it, and may the Singapore film industry grow (especially with such similar young talents in VJC =p).

The film was really very touching, for I really cried a few times. Some people say they’d prefer if the themes were not subtle, but well, I think it’s still well done.

I’m so jealous of the lead actors, they are younger than me (16 for Shawn aka Tom, 17 for Joshua aka Cheng Kai), yet they are taller and more handsome than me. Shawn really changed and matured compared to his stint in the first I Not Stupid. Haha. They even got their own moblog (seems like SingTel’s been pretty successful with that), and fan site! Lol…well well.

I also liked how the film portrayed the gangsterism, blogging, and stuff, amongst other things. And some of the scenes were quite cool.

Work seems to be an obstacle to everything else, especially the things that I wanted to do, in the long list of things to do.txt that I have. Some of them include setting up this website and my portfolio, backing up my photos and many other things. Wonder when I’ve time to do them.

Work also reduces the frequency of blogging, as after work, at home already quite tired and no mood to do anything else. Besides, I’ve been working on Cosiety (and we’ve been tomorrowed! broke record: 450 visits today instead of the average 300/day), and hence not much time left to do other things.

Work isn’t the same as school, for there are less breaks and you sit at the same position for the whole day. Hence, prone to strains and injuries. In school, you get to walk around, up steps, two breaks per day, change classrooms and LTs etc. And you have a much more vibrant environment and more people to interact with. The other day (Friday) I had half day’s work, but nowhere to go after that. Looking at all the students in school uniform makes me miss school (definitely not studies), but the school environment in general, all the friends, atmosphere and everything. There’s so much more activity, instead of the boring life I have nowadays.

Work, ~$2.1875 thereabouts per hour. Thanks ah. Attachment, they say. Wished it was shorter.

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Just came back from Jia Ying Orange Blessing, it was an interesting experience, a first time for me. It’s eye-opening to see the homes of those not-so-well-to-do people, and also the older generation. One kind old lady invited us in to have some tidbits and drinks. Another elderly man offered an hongbao. There were also Malay and Indian families who readily opened the doors and accepted our well wishes. Although a little language gap between those Indian people from my church and the chinese in the homes, we still interacted well. The Church in Singapore mainly consists of the mid to higher income group, and it’s the lower and middle income group that needs to be reached out to.

年年有余: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”