Before Xmas

Well, the festive season is here again. It's been a long year, a lot have happened and finally Christmas. It is probably the most important day in the calendar besides Good Friday and Easter Sunday for a Christian like me. But personally, I love Christmas more than any other holidays, I have always been skeptical about Chinese New Year or some other days. Especially after debates whether Dragon Boat festival is from China or Korea plays a part. The verdict would probably be based on the best dumplings. Christmas is the type of holiday which is calm and peaceful(suits my personality) unlike Chinese New Year which is all the rush and bustling with noise and anything red. That's why I loathe the idea of Christmas discounts or the "Shop till you drop" mentally of people. Just keep it simply, have a meal with family members. Although I must really admit there are plenty of good deals out there. The Detroit Three is a great deal, 3 for the price of 1.(Assuming the original price is at the height of their history). What's more it comes with the Autobots as your personal security guard from GM. They can help to protect you and your family from villians before Superman or Batman arrives. No food or drinks needed, just Allspark fragments which to humans is just seashells from the seashore. But the very very quintessential function is to protect your daughters or to a lesser extent your wives from vampires. Yes, vampires. The burgeoning effect and obssession of Twilight on girls is on a scale never seen before. Genghis Khan would surrender his Mongol army if they are pitted against the "zombified" teenagers. The cause of the phenomenon of Twilight on girls is unknown especially if you're a guy. I have not read the book yet, but I have doubts that I will like it and I'll say this book is not for me and I will stick to my books instead, namely LOTR which is the closest(but not too close) trilogy I have to Twilight. In order to protect my computer and blog from virus of angered Twilight fans or even personal security( I don't intend to buy the Detroit 3 and Left 4 Dead is not the answer to zombies), I shall rest my case. Speaking of virus, Internet Explorer is said to have loopholes in its browser to allow hackers to get you. I have always trusted Open sources and this really justifies the choice of switching your browser from the buggy and unreliable IE for Firefox, Opera or Chrome. I wouldn't be surprised if the virus/malware is codenamed "Master Chief" or " Marcus Fenix". To the world of sports, it was a great week of football but don't go telling that to people in my country, they were unfortunate to go down and lost in a competition they enjoyed and were supposed to be good at. The really good part was that Arsenal was never beaten by any big four clubs this season and only the referee stand between victory and a draw and we got a draw. I think we deserved a draw with Liverpool since we'll never walk alone right? Anyway if you don't have a clue of what to buy for your friends, here's a great idea.Introducing Flame from Burger King, which is a body spray to make you smell like well, you guess it a Whopper. So enjoy the holidays while you still can because everyone's going to say 2009 is not going to be a good year.

Celebrating 50 posts on this blog. How history influenced the future and potentially this blog.

(If you are someone who absolutely hates history in anyway, pluck out your internet cable now. The blog bears no responsibility for any medical conditions that you get after reading.)
Finally, this blog have reach 50 posts. This is a remarkable and noteworthy moment for this blog. A milestone of how far this blog went since it was first started. (The date of origin or why it is created is unknown, even to the author. You can say that it is "part of history".) The only information which can rival this good news is probably concrete proof that Hilter have only one ball. And his first question was, "Doctor, will I be able to have children?" Quite interesting that some rumors from WWII finally have some evidence. A half a century+++ question solved.( Hey it's the no. 50 again!) Speaking about WWII, my holiday have been full of booms and bangs in France. Parachuting down with AA guns shooting at you is no joke, you really wish you brought your passport to show that you're not an illegal immigrant. Even if your Sergeant Matt Baker, you still need some half witted squad members to follow you on the hard task to Berlin. Brothers in arms is really no Call of Duty. Aiming at a Nazi five metres away is like swimming in a pool with no water. That's the most irritating part of the game. Games aside, I have been following the television more closely, which I need to in order to survive in the world.(Tell you the story later.) And my intuitive reaction was to watch the History channel. Contrary to the name, most of the programmes actually have numerous elements which are linked to the future. One part of a show about Paint was how microchips can be added to them in the future and when painted on walls and bridges, can help scientist to monitor the wind strength and others of that particular area for the long term. Not bad, even history have a few surprises that you wasn't aware of. So going on the story of December, which maybe can cheer you up and build the mood towards Christmas and forget about the lousy economy or pirates back with a vengeance.
To the story, I was with my CCA friend in school. (Rule no. 1 of the holidays: Don't use the word "school".) And we're discussing about random things and she exclaimed that she can't wait to go home and watch her TV programmes. Then it came to me that for a few weeks (in mid November), I couldn't find the national kids channel on my TV. It was once a shared channel with kids programmes in the morning and Indian channel in the night. So I was quite shocked that the Indian channel dominated the whole schedule of the channel. The first time I saw this new trend, I took it as maybe a special day for the Indian community and completely ignored it. After observing the same thing for about two weeks, I began to sense suspicious and in a way fear. I hate cartoons by the way, never watched the kids channel since..( I am at a lost of History terms to use. My history sucks.) Anyway, the reason I was fearful was that despite rapid falling birth rates in my country, there is no need to neglect kids of their favourite channel. They need time to relax, not just study to get a perfect score for their secondary schools.( Rule no.2 of the holidays: Don't do it again!) So she was so super shocked that I was oblivious to the new kids channel created. And she can't stop teasing me about that. It was a big ridicule in her preception to neglect such changes in TV. To me however, the TV is just well, a radio with moving pictures. So let the schandenfreude begin. Ok, but I have always value the radio highly, especially with BBC Friday night comedy and other podcasts, it have really taken a lot of appeal away from the TV.
So here's the final part. Posing an important question, " What do you do to preserve your country's history, heritage and architecture?" Well, the answer is to install a minister with no links to history, heritage whatsoever. In Italy, the new guy in charge of museums and archaeological sites will be the boss of Macdonalds. I guess you have to win the World Cup before to understand why. But the Gman said," The right man in the wrong place makes all the difference in the world."
So enjoy your holidays mates and for theCrew, I'm looking forward to the year end events.

Don't stand where the comet is assumed to strike.

Yes, finally everything that's supposed to be over and things which should not even happen are part of history. Even after the final year examination, everything should stop but hell never stops. It just began. The project which I need to do was the tedious and complicated to complete. Those were crazy times, I even dread sitting in front of my computer during that period. If parents want their children to go play outside and enjoy physical games and have a great time outside, they can volunteer their child to do 1/16 of the project. With that I think they will never spend more than 45 minutes on the computer. What's more you can save money on spectacles too. A great idea in such a special economic situation. But I have learnt a lot from this experience, although I would say that the outcome won't be good. I didn't do well for my presentation and it was pretty disappointing for myself. I can only hope that I can pull myself up in other areas. Besides this, I am no longer taking Chinese language. I have been waiting for this moment even since secondary school. I've never been good at Chinese my entire live even if I have exposure to it constantly. I think it's a sad irony or paradox(I have no idea which,to all literal and knowledgeable readers out there, do not hate me or go on a shopping spree for this) humans have never been good at things they do time and time again. Like my mother does not have any significant improvements in her cooking even if she does it 3 times a day. I have been taking public buses for my live and seen my neighbourhood bus drivers numerous times. But they are still late and unreliable. I guess old habits die real hard. And for most things in life, your skill and improvement just stagnants.
So what's next? The golden question posed to President Obama after taking the white house and instilling a new fresh breathe of air into Americans and their dream since independence. The same question for Arsenal before they meet premier league rival Manchester United at Ashburton Grove. And now me. I could only say that I am going to brace myself for the worse. Next year is Hell's highway of the 21st century. And you need to be more that Sarge Matt Baker to survive it. And don't stand where the comet is assumed to strike too. But for now there is GTA san andreas radio, it have the best collection of ads that I've always enjoy. Here's some of it:



--Proposition 421-- (Kill all smokers)

Woman: If only the world was less like this...

Man: I could use a smoke (sound of lighter)

Woman 2: Hey! Put that out!

Woman: ...and more like this...

Man: I could use a smoke (sound of lighter)

Woman 2: You murderer! I might have children one day! (sound of gunshot)

Woman: Smoking kills. Unless you kill first. If you’re around a smoker, you
-will- die. Smokers may look like they’re relaxed and having fun, but don’t
believe it. Vote "yes" on Proposition 421. Let’s outlaw smoking everywhere-
even in people’s homes, and allow honest citizens to legally kill anyone who
smokes. Let’s live in a world without smokers! Prohibition works- let’s prove
it. Let’s move up the food chain. It’s time to smoke the smokers! Vote
"yes" on Proposition 421.


--Tropicarcinoma--

Man: The sun! Giver of all life! The Mayans worshipped the sun, then they...
disappeared without a trace. Don’t let this happen to you! The fact is, if
you spend time in the sun, you’re almost certain to die! All leading medical
practitioners have determined that sun exposure causes cancer. And heartburn!

Woman: I’m an expert. Going in the sun is as dangerous as smoking, or living
too near a nuclear power station.

Surfer dude: Oh no! Not chemo again!

Man: No! Never again! With Tropicarcinoma!

Woman 2: Keep out the sun’s dangerous rays with Tropicarcinoma! It’s a unique
blend of cocoanut oil, zinc, aluminum, boron, magnesium, and other volatile
metals that neutralize the sun’s rays and form a chemical shield that’s just
great for the skin. And the I.Q.! Try Tropicarcinoma!

Man 2: I’m a lifeguard, and I love Tropicarcinoma! I even coat my eyeballs
and digestive tract. I’m white as a sheet and shooting blanks! I feel great
about myself! And that’s important!

Woman 3: A friend of mine asked me, "why spend time in the sun if it’s
dangerous, and you don’t want a tan?" I just laugh, and try not to think about
it.

Woman 2: Tropicarcinoma. Give the sun a challenge!


--Ultimate Disc in the Dark--

Man 1: In darkness, you only have your nocturnal instincts to rely on.

Man 1: Ultimate disc on the dark! The electric, stimulating new game that’s
sweeping the city of San Fierro! It’s a non-contact, contact sport where you
throw a flying disc in the dark!

Man 2: I got it!

Man 3: Ooh, get him! Nail his ass!

Man 1: It’s a new competitive sport for the uncompetitive! An aggressive,
action-packed game for those who love nature and living on the edge. It’s
harder than football! It’s faster than rugby! It’s about throwing a plastic
disc and catching it! Pitch, then catch! Run to the goal and score! Ultimate
disc in the dark! Just like a real sport, only we made it up! And it has a
great social side.

Man 4: What team are you on?

Man 5: I’m on the other team!

Man 4: Me too! Ah! Take that, silly!

Man 1: If you catch it, you gotta know what to do with it! Some will struggle.
Some will submit. And everyone is laughing! But it’s your quest to come out
on top. This is a great excuse for some serious fun and a way to meet people
like you- and never see them again. Late games begin every night in San Fierro
Civic Park. Or, start your own game! Come play Ultimate Disc in the Dark!

Finally, back to blog. A little update.

Blogging have never been part of my life's priorities. But after such a long time, I have returned to blog. The past few months were crazy and insane, I couldn't remember every fine detail but you can say it was a maelstrom of events and tasks. What I do know was that there was the Promotional exam which is the main reason I have to drop blogging since it concerns my future and is a determining factor to how my life in school is going to be like. I scrapped through it no doubt. However, the most disappointing thing is that my life did not get any less busy after Promos. In fact it is even more stressful with others. Not really sure what to blog about, I don't really have any topic in mind, but maybe I'll say more in another time. And the achievement of this week, finishing SWKOTOR II after some hard times. The force is strong with this one.

No fancy titles.

It was a extremely long time since I have logged into blogger to blog. Time is really an elusive thing to grasp, sometimes it seems like forever and suddenly you are caught up with every assignment in the world that you seem to have lost it completely. Well, I couldn't really remember what happened with my life after I "disappeared" from this blog. There were some special days like the recent Teacher's Day where people especially teachers must have enjoyed(Who don't like free gifts?). After staying at home for my well deserved break(which ironically holds no purpose to let you relax but rather hype up for the up coming exams), I came across a lot of things ranging from the English Premier League to the situation in Thailand. Somewhat something felt amiss from all the news. And that was the Olympics. During the Olympics period there was news and many other great event happening as if there's nothing to watch besides the Olympics. I watched nearly every match that a student could possibly watch in his school life. From the Phelpsian achievement to Jamaicans immigrating to the Birds Nest. There was no short of surprises and excitement. Damn those Chinese for making it this good. I not saying that I love those people or their ideologies nope. I'm no exercise fan too, I hate to sweat but I like to watch sports from the TV. Speaking of which the PE department of my great school just gave me the lifetime opportunity to join their special PE course. For four sessions I get the benefit of going to school extremely early to try to replicate Usain Bolt running at the speed of his 100m for the distance of about 3000m. I felt like an Olympic champion after coming out of their training programme. People have commented that these posts are all too long. Well I like to keep them short and sweet too and I am going out of words, time and things to blog about. This blog may become "dead" for the upcoming period of time which is going to be worst than what happened to my for my previous few weeks. You all have been warned. So give your computer a break, stop blogging or blog hunting or going to indecent sites. Be environmentally friendly and save your oil price. I'm taking a break from such "mundane" activities like Facebook and Blogspot, MSN should follow. If you want to find some form of entertainment, try turning on the radio.

Week 7 or 8?

Whatever it is days have passed and after being hit by the flu last week, the new week have started and it had passed very quickly. I can't even think what I did for this week besides eating and sleeping. Not to mention watching TV in my clothes during the extra holiday. And I was shocked how the TV went into my clothes. As for my progress in school, not much could be deduced. It was a blurred and muddled week and the only event that I think is happening is the Beijing Olympics. But the Olympics don't happen in school, I just realised that. And I wonder what the tracks and the field was built for. Anyway, I am really dead tired with the double physical education period back and with numerous projects (besides the most important project) coming in from various subjects like Physics. The time I got with my homework dropped dramatically. It's like a bad family crisis. You are always out in work, your wife thinks you are having a affair with the secretary. The kids are neglected and they indulge themselves into rock metal and the internet. Your superior thinks you are stealing office resources and you are robbed of every welfare including the ergonomically correct chair. Your colleagues are always gossiping non-stop about ants in their pants and the symptoms of stroke. And you think you can go back to school. Well, think no further, anyone wishing to take my homework and my work load can buy them from me. I accept paypal only. The reason I'm saying all this must be because of the flu. Frankly I haven't recover fully. I think I may never, in the state I am in, surviving a flu attack is fortunate enough. Eating the medication prescripted by the doctor it somewhat felt good. A sense of assurance that there's still red pills and antibotics( I hope I didn't mess up with the one the body produces, pardon my lousy and abandoned Biology) for you to eat. I feel like the Italian climber who survived K2 and the avalanche. Suffering from severe frostbites and many other health threatening symptoms he finally returns to the base camp. With his team half dead or missing, it was a fortunate event that he was saved and able to survive. After an examination, I always felt like that. Mentally and psychologically, I am tired and wasted of everything. My brains are near dead and my spirit is on the verge of leaving the body. But what's the best thing? "I am happy to have gone to the summit of K2, it is something that I've always dreamed of," the Italian climber was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency. Well me too, after every examination and nearly everyday in school, I am also somewhat happy with achieving something. I won't dare say I got very good grades or am a very successful person, I never was. But achieving things small and step by step at a time is good progress. As for the ending, it is no longer safe to board any bus or public transport. You'll never know who is there to stab you just for the fun of it or that your face is just disgusting to the person. If it can happen in a safe country like Canada, then it can happen everywhere. With gobalisation, opportunities can be found in almost any instants and circumstances. Who knows how fast such a trend would set into people's minds. And in the country I am in, there's definitely no escape if you meet a psychopath on the bus. With the crowd beside you there is no route out. And then the schadenfreude over your dead body begins.

I am so tired that I thought Ronnie Winter was my friend.

Yeah, I am dead tired. Every bone in my body is aching and I couldn't even think straight. When Huang Yu( I hope I spelled your name correctly, if not, the reason why I got this wrong is obvious) passed my a recording of "guardian angel". I found the song familiar and a little weird. It was not any recording you find on Youtube or from the nearest iTune store. And Huang Yu asked me to guess who sang it. I somewhat knew the voice but I could not say who. I gave the worst answer(not telling anyone who I said). Obviously, I was wrong and the lead singer was Elliot. It was a momentary madness but I wasn't in Sparta yet. Well, as a friend you could say I did a bad job. But that's not my fault(sorry Elliot), Elliot's song was too good to be true, nobody could have listened and guessed it was Elliot save Elliot himself. Guess I have to admit that I'm getting old, age is getting on me and I have to accept the fact that I cannot run as fast as last time (PE just got worse and worse) and among other things. I am also quite surprised, although I should not be, that my friends in other schools are high and in form for their examinations that they have extremely decent results. Of course they are overall nice and good people and the gap between me and them just got wider. Of all those out there who thinks that I'm joking. Well, I am definitely not. Take for example this week, I just broke another apparatus in the in the Chemistry lesson. I hate myself sometimes. One person once said," In life it's not one damn thing after another, but the damn thing over and over." Of course there's a little cynical and true but I knew I could live through all these. In my high school, it had taught you everything you need to survive in this world. Even when the sky falls on you, you would know that it's nothing special. Why? Because in my high school, the sky falls at least twice a day.
Another event to be noted was the arrival of the Japanese band in my school. If it doesn't involves war, I think the Japanese are mosted welcome everywhere around the world. Their performance was unrivaled in my country. The Japanese boast some of the best bands in the world. And they didn't fail their reputation or their country. I was in band once and I get the sense and the feeling of nostalgic in my body as the music ran through my ears. I had seen such performances before and is not a new or fresh thing to me. The pieces were somewhat familiar. But what really caught my ears was the clarinet. I would never forget the sound that it produce. I played it for 4 years since high school but now I had lost every skill and technique of the instrument. It was a tragedy beyond words. Such short and bittersweet memories resurfaced in my mind. (If I had to retell the tale of why I needed to give up the clarinet, it would need at least 2MB of words)As the band performed on the stage, I couldn't but think of how hard it was for them to prepare for such a performance. The members at least needed numerous tries and oceans of sweat before they even get their plane ticket printed. Not to mention the soloist. They have at least the pressure of the band squared. Looking into such events and reflecting about my life. I knew it is about time to do sometime or lose everything. Some points in life, there are critical moments. And this was it. Everyone except me are fighting for their lives everywhere. So, I have decided to change from hardly working to working hard. Like zergs coming out from their lairs. It is time to feel the rush.