Saturday, November 29, 2003
I finally managed to meet up with my good old friend Shups. It's been very long since we met, and even longer since we played pool together. We had some pretty good matches, but I think in general, we both deteriorated from our heyday. I think I still feel pained that I used to play much better. On a positive note, I think I'm slowly getting it back. Except for my one-handed shots...and my long shots keep missing narrowly. I miss the pool parlour. I miss Marine Parade. There's a strange sense of displacement everytime I return there, because I used to attend service there weekly for years. And in a way, it felt like I was uprooted suddenly one day and plop! I've been at Bukit Merah (my church has 2 venues) every week thereafter. The greatest, greatest loss which I lament very frequently is the sore lack of a good pool parlour in Bukit Merah.
Ah well, life isn't perfect is it?
After the game I took a 45 minute bus ride back to Bukit Merah for a network meeting. The length of the ride doubly emphasizes how far I've been displaced. I was a little disappointed at the prospect of eating dinner alone (I've always dreaded eating alone...those moments are the rare few that can make me feel miserable), but fortunately I bumped into a friend (Nigel) who accompanied me.
The meeting today was one of the rare times I felt so alone. My cell leader is overseas on a recce trip in China, and no one else in my cell could make it for the meeting. As I was sitting there, amidst strangers, and those who weren't strangers didn't seem to notice that I was sitting amongst strangers, and I felt too embarrassed to ask to join other cell groups because it felt somewhat intrusive. So I remained there, even when the pastor asked us to find a group of 4 to share about certain questions he posed. So I sat there, talking to God for quite a while before the first person extended a gracious invite for me to join her (a friend by the name of Aunna). But even then, the fact that I joined her all-girl group made me feel even sadder. I just felt alone.
This is a complicated issue to me. First of all, it's a leaders' meeting, and so far, my cell leader has not asked me to attend. At first, I relished the freedom (of fewer responsibilities and time-commitment), but now I realized that when I do have to come, I am now out of place. This is especially strange, despite me knowing a good (maybe) third of the whole group. But I think this would likely not have been a problem if there was at least another cell member with me. In any case, all I see today are a few big tribes, and there I stand, a lone wolf. How ironic, considering that dreadful loneliness seldom hits me due to my normally sociable personality. Or maybe that is why I feel it more acutely.
Fortunately when I returned, I found a friend (Joo Kwang) without a partner (for prayer) and I joined him. And the highlight of the evening was meeting my wonderful girlfriend, after the meeting, who waited for me for a couple of hours just to meet me for less than 20 mins.
Ah well, life isn't perfect is it?
After the game I took a 45 minute bus ride back to Bukit Merah for a network meeting. The length of the ride doubly emphasizes how far I've been displaced. I was a little disappointed at the prospect of eating dinner alone (I've always dreaded eating alone...those moments are the rare few that can make me feel miserable), but fortunately I bumped into a friend (Nigel) who accompanied me.
The meeting today was one of the rare times I felt so alone. My cell leader is overseas on a recce trip in China, and no one else in my cell could make it for the meeting. As I was sitting there, amidst strangers, and those who weren't strangers didn't seem to notice that I was sitting amongst strangers, and I felt too embarrassed to ask to join other cell groups because it felt somewhat intrusive. So I remained there, even when the pastor asked us to find a group of 4 to share about certain questions he posed. So I sat there, talking to God for quite a while before the first person extended a gracious invite for me to join her (a friend by the name of Aunna). But even then, the fact that I joined her all-girl group made me feel even sadder. I just felt alone.
This is a complicated issue to me. First of all, it's a leaders' meeting, and so far, my cell leader has not asked me to attend. At first, I relished the freedom (of fewer responsibilities and time-commitment), but now I realized that when I do have to come, I am now out of place. This is especially strange, despite me knowing a good (maybe) third of the whole group. But I think this would likely not have been a problem if there was at least another cell member with me. In any case, all I see today are a few big tribes, and there I stand, a lone wolf. How ironic, considering that dreadful loneliness seldom hits me due to my normally sociable personality. Or maybe that is why I feel it more acutely.
Fortunately when I returned, I found a friend (Joo Kwang) without a partner (for prayer) and I joined him. And the highlight of the evening was meeting my wonderful girlfriend, after the meeting, who waited for me for a couple of hours just to meet me for less than 20 mins.
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
It's my mum's birthday today! Operation Hug Mum was a success. Today saw the highest record of hugs thus far at 3 hugs. My mum was beaming. I was going to treat her to Crystal Jade Kitchen at Suntec City. I know that place isn't Equinox or somewhere similarly beastly expensive, but it's still my big treat for her (shared by my generous girlfriend who was also there), and it's historical because now I'm officially employed. Somehow I know this will become the stuff of her conversations with my relatives. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for me) my cousins don't seem to treat their parents that well. This is also historical because for the last four Mothers' Days and birthdays I have failed to get her imperial highness out of the house. Partly because she isn't feeling well in general, and mostly because she is just...lazy. By the way, the food is affordably excellent (note that difference from 'unaffordably excellent'). If you are Singaporean, you've got to try it at least once for yourself.
Rewind a bit...in the afternoon I was queueing for customer service at Starhub. I was there to address this double charge in my bill for past few months. Here are the interesting bits:
1) I was there around 2 pm, which should have missed the lunch crowd. And the customer service center was packed out. All the way till I was served. Doesn't speak well huh? Considering that they have that many problem issues.
2) Bumped into an old acquaintance there. Small world isn't it? Turns out that he was trying to squeeze a free TV out of Starhub. There's some promotion now for their cable. Oops. I actually gave them free advertising.
3) Saw a monk in the queue. Was wondering why would a monk have maxonline issues? Unless he's the webmaster for his monastery website. If such a thing exists.
4) My double charge thing was in fact resolved the previous month. So it's my mistake. Haha...embarrassing. Note however that the mistake carried forth despite 2 complain emails and phone calls, inclusive of 2 replies from their customer service that the problem was taken care of. And in fact it wasn't. It was only solved 3 months since I brought it up to their notice, with their assurance that it was settled after 1 month. So there.
Just now, I spent a long, long time with cow cat. I was playing with him for a while, then this nice aunty came by. She's the aunty who has been feeding the stray cats that roam the nearby blocks. So I went to talk to her. Turns out she spends up to $500 a month just to provide food daily for these cats. I was pretty impressed. At first I thought she only fed them cat biscuits because that's all I see cow cat eating, but it turns out that cow cat is a fussy cat and only eats one brand of biscuits. That I did know, because I tried giving cow cat different kinds of food, but he just wouldn't take it. So in fact this aunty knows the dietary preferences of all the various strays and feeds them accordingly. The food includes fish, which I guess accounts for why the cost hits up to $500.
Interestingly enough, I've always thought cow cat was a mild mannered cat. Turns out that he's pretty aggressive too, despite his limp. I was there when he picked a fight with another cat. Which actually fled from him. I need to revise my idea of cow cat. Somehow he's not as pathetic as I initially thought he was.
Anyway the aunty's story of how she came to like cats was pretty interesting. Turned out that she had a cataract operation and was stuck at home, and she had this cat which visited her in her home (by accident). She shooed it away several times, but after a while, she softened and started feeding it. When the authorities were catching the cats (for culling), she kept the cat in her house. She was for some reason potty-trained, and she was happy with it. Somehow she developed a liking for cats, started feeding the cats of her block, and then it expanded, and now she feeds the strays of 4 blocks. Which I estimate to be 20 to 30 cats. I was listening to her story until I didn't keep track of time, and my worried mum (I disappeared for over an hour) had to come down to find me, thinking I've been robbed/beaten up/stabbed by Thai immigrant workers. But my mum managed to see cow cat respond to me. She has been wondering for a long time which cat I've been playing with most nights.
Today's a nice day.
Rewind a bit...in the afternoon I was queueing for customer service at Starhub. I was there to address this double charge in my bill for past few months. Here are the interesting bits:
1) I was there around 2 pm, which should have missed the lunch crowd. And the customer service center was packed out. All the way till I was served. Doesn't speak well huh? Considering that they have that many problem issues.
2) Bumped into an old acquaintance there. Small world isn't it? Turns out that he was trying to squeeze a free TV out of Starhub. There's some promotion now for their cable. Oops. I actually gave them free advertising.
3) Saw a monk in the queue. Was wondering why would a monk have maxonline issues? Unless he's the webmaster for his monastery website. If such a thing exists.
4) My double charge thing was in fact resolved the previous month. So it's my mistake. Haha...embarrassing. Note however that the mistake carried forth despite 2 complain emails and phone calls, inclusive of 2 replies from their customer service that the problem was taken care of. And in fact it wasn't. It was only solved 3 months since I brought it up to their notice, with their assurance that it was settled after 1 month. So there.
Just now, I spent a long, long time with cow cat. I was playing with him for a while, then this nice aunty came by. She's the aunty who has been feeding the stray cats that roam the nearby blocks. So I went to talk to her. Turns out she spends up to $500 a month just to provide food daily for these cats. I was pretty impressed. At first I thought she only fed them cat biscuits because that's all I see cow cat eating, but it turns out that cow cat is a fussy cat and only eats one brand of biscuits. That I did know, because I tried giving cow cat different kinds of food, but he just wouldn't take it. So in fact this aunty knows the dietary preferences of all the various strays and feeds them accordingly. The food includes fish, which I guess accounts for why the cost hits up to $500.
Interestingly enough, I've always thought cow cat was a mild mannered cat. Turns out that he's pretty aggressive too, despite his limp. I was there when he picked a fight with another cat. Which actually fled from him. I need to revise my idea of cow cat. Somehow he's not as pathetic as I initially thought he was.
Anyway the aunty's story of how she came to like cats was pretty interesting. Turned out that she had a cataract operation and was stuck at home, and she had this cat which visited her in her home (by accident). She shooed it away several times, but after a while, she softened and started feeding it. When the authorities were catching the cats (for culling), she kept the cat in her house. She was for some reason potty-trained, and she was happy with it. Somehow she developed a liking for cats, started feeding the cats of her block, and then it expanded, and now she feeds the strays of 4 blocks. Which I estimate to be 20 to 30 cats. I was listening to her story until I didn't keep track of time, and my worried mum (I disappeared for over an hour) had to come down to find me, thinking I've been robbed/beaten up/stabbed by Thai immigrant workers. But my mum managed to see cow cat respond to me. She has been wondering for a long time which cat I've been playing with most nights.
Today's a nice day.
Monday, November 24, 2003
Condolences to the 32 foreign students who perished in the fire at Moscow's Patrice Lumumba People's Friendship University student dormitory. My prayers go to their friends and family.
Death takes far too many forms and guises, and has far too many means to its end.
Death takes far too many forms and guises, and has far too many means to its end.
I'm fairly certain I have nerd or geek blood in me now. I just bought three books today: Practical HTML 4, Foundation Swift 3D, and Byte Size Flash MX. And you know what? I'm pretty excited about it! Thinking of the possibilities of what I can do for my website. I think my quest for a really professional looking website has spilled over into my weblog also. Ah, the pitfalls of being a perfectionist.
Right now, two issues still bug me somewhat. The first is about Michael Jackson. I am not a fan of his, although I think his dance moves are simply amazing. I was thaaaaat close to buying his concert vcd and playing it in slow motion to see how the heck he does his moves. Anyway, the recent allegations brought against him (yeah...again) seem somewhat more serious than the previous, from the way the media has been playing it and what the legal people seem to be saying. I still think the poor cosmetically-challenged bloke is eccentric, but I have my doubts about his child molestation tendencies. For no reason I can determine, I still kinda hope he is innocent.
The second issue that bugs me is the gay bishop in the Anglican church. What is professed sounds really good, all that talk about love and acceptance, but I really wonder how in the world did the Anglican council (I'm really just assuming that it exists...there must be some dying old men presiding over important matters somewhere) pass such a decision, considering that a council (of old men) is likely to be conservative? I know we are all supposed to love the sinners, but the Bible is the absolute standard (hehe...got that line from Sat's sermon) we should live by, and homosexuality obviously is stated as sin in almost capital letters in my opinion in there - I simply don't see how wise men can bypass those verses in the Bible and welcome a gay Bishop.
If he used to be gay, I can accept that. After all, we are all sinners transformed by Grace. But a practising one? Hmmm. Love the sinner, but not the sin. I really don't think we need to put a gay as a Bishop to show that the Church loves and accepts homosexuals anymore than we need to put an atheist, an agnostic, or better yet, a practising murderer as a Bishop to show that we love non-believers and criminals too.
Hmmm cow cat is a really weird cat. When it rains, the cats take shelter, he's the only dumb cat who sleeps in the bush and gets soaking wet. And he conveniently dries himself on my shirt when I play with it. I've always thought most animals are highly averse to getting wet (and getting cleaned! Hmmm...maybe boys too).
Right now, two issues still bug me somewhat. The first is about Michael Jackson. I am not a fan of his, although I think his dance moves are simply amazing. I was thaaaaat close to buying his concert vcd and playing it in slow motion to see how the heck he does his moves. Anyway, the recent allegations brought against him (yeah...again) seem somewhat more serious than the previous, from the way the media has been playing it and what the legal people seem to be saying. I still think the poor cosmetically-challenged bloke is eccentric, but I have my doubts about his child molestation tendencies. For no reason I can determine, I still kinda hope he is innocent.
The second issue that bugs me is the gay bishop in the Anglican church. What is professed sounds really good, all that talk about love and acceptance, but I really wonder how in the world did the Anglican council (I'm really just assuming that it exists...there must be some dying old men presiding over important matters somewhere) pass such a decision, considering that a council (of old men) is likely to be conservative? I know we are all supposed to love the sinners, but the Bible is the absolute standard (hehe...got that line from Sat's sermon) we should live by, and homosexuality obviously is stated as sin in almost capital letters in my opinion in there - I simply don't see how wise men can bypass those verses in the Bible and welcome a gay Bishop.
If he used to be gay, I can accept that. After all, we are all sinners transformed by Grace. But a practising one? Hmmm. Love the sinner, but not the sin. I really don't think we need to put a gay as a Bishop to show that the Church loves and accepts homosexuals anymore than we need to put an atheist, an agnostic, or better yet, a practising murderer as a Bishop to show that we love non-believers and criminals too.
Hmmm cow cat is a really weird cat. When it rains, the cats take shelter, he's the only dumb cat who sleeps in the bush and gets soaking wet. And he conveniently dries himself on my shirt when I play with it. I've always thought most animals are highly averse to getting wet (and getting cleaned! Hmmm...maybe boys too).
Sunday, November 23, 2003
BLOGGING AND REALITY TV
An (attempt at an) article by Yours Truly
In a prior discussion that went philosophical, my friend asked me, "Can history be truly objective? Philosophically, the viewpoint of the scribe or whoever is writing the records already adds subjectivity to the matter. And the question is whether the thought or mere idea that you are recording history changes history itself?" Despite the apparent irrelevance of this introduction, the inherent points are crucial.
Reality Tv cannot truly capture reality, for the simple reasons that the director, cameraman, film editing crew, and other personnel being on the set itself alters the environment of reality, and that the thought, or mere idea, that one is being filmed already changes the way he is going to behave, or the things he is going to say. Reality Tv itself is an oxymoron, and the contradicting idea behind it shall be coined as the Reality TV Paradox.
It would appear that Tv that truly approaches reality would be one taken in voyeuristic style, which involves filming the protagonist (to borrow the term) without his knowledge. Other than the legal issues that will be involved, there is also the difficulty of placing cameras everywhere. The dilemma is that to solve the legal problem, consent could be acquired, but the knowledge of the filming would already affect the outcome of the film. This brings to mind a movie "The Truman Show", which is, in a way, reality TV. The only 'real' person in the whole show is Truman (Jim Carrey), who from birth has been in this gigantic studio which is designed to be a town, while the world watches. He is 'real' in the sense that everything he says or does is genuine and not scripted. But therein lies another paradox. Everyone else is an actor, or actress, which would turn the whole reality program of his life into a planned production after all. Essentially, there is no way to capture reality as vividly as what is available on the goggle box, as the knowledge of the presence of a camera already makes the person who appears before it an actor.
What has this to do with blogging? The more classic means of recording events and thoughts has been the diary. It is essentially private, and is usually not shown to people. It is personal and very private, because it is very, very real. Of course, some blogs are used to be an online diary, but for the majority, it has taken on a rather different angle.
The question, once again, then is: does the knowledge that there is an audience reading the blog change the very essence of the blog? The way a blog is written likely is shaped by the imaginary audience perceived by the author. Unlike the cliche of 'Dear Diary' to begin a journal entry, many blogs have taken on the voice of 'Welcome to the reality TV of my life on a blog. I am your host for today'. There is no doubt that everything chronicled is real, and is genuine. But like reality TV, it is interesting to guess how much effort would have gone into editting, to extract the 'juicy' bits perhaps, to capture something in a different light so that it would be fresh, exciting, interesting and engaging. Can you truly know a person through a blog, as opposed to the diary? Do you really know the people you see on Survivor, Bachelor, and the Amazing Race?
Or is what you see what the author wants you to see? How real can a blog truly get? The more pertinent question may in fact be: how unreal can a blog truly get?
Author's Note: My blog is written merely to entertain, and double as a social commentary. This blog post captures my thoughts, which makes it qualify, incidentally. It is, after all, the MadPoet's musing.
An (attempt at an) article by Yours Truly
In a prior discussion that went philosophical, my friend asked me, "Can history be truly objective? Philosophically, the viewpoint of the scribe or whoever is writing the records already adds subjectivity to the matter. And the question is whether the thought or mere idea that you are recording history changes history itself?" Despite the apparent irrelevance of this introduction, the inherent points are crucial.
Reality Tv cannot truly capture reality, for the simple reasons that the director, cameraman, film editing crew, and other personnel being on the set itself alters the environment of reality, and that the thought, or mere idea, that one is being filmed already changes the way he is going to behave, or the things he is going to say. Reality Tv itself is an oxymoron, and the contradicting idea behind it shall be coined as the Reality TV Paradox.
It would appear that Tv that truly approaches reality would be one taken in voyeuristic style, which involves filming the protagonist (to borrow the term) without his knowledge. Other than the legal issues that will be involved, there is also the difficulty of placing cameras everywhere. The dilemma is that to solve the legal problem, consent could be acquired, but the knowledge of the filming would already affect the outcome of the film. This brings to mind a movie "The Truman Show", which is, in a way, reality TV. The only 'real' person in the whole show is Truman (Jim Carrey), who from birth has been in this gigantic studio which is designed to be a town, while the world watches. He is 'real' in the sense that everything he says or does is genuine and not scripted. But therein lies another paradox. Everyone else is an actor, or actress, which would turn the whole reality program of his life into a planned production after all. Essentially, there is no way to capture reality as vividly as what is available on the goggle box, as the knowledge of the presence of a camera already makes the person who appears before it an actor.
What has this to do with blogging? The more classic means of recording events and thoughts has been the diary. It is essentially private, and is usually not shown to people. It is personal and very private, because it is very, very real. Of course, some blogs are used to be an online diary, but for the majority, it has taken on a rather different angle.
The question, once again, then is: does the knowledge that there is an audience reading the blog change the very essence of the blog? The way a blog is written likely is shaped by the imaginary audience perceived by the author. Unlike the cliche of 'Dear Diary' to begin a journal entry, many blogs have taken on the voice of 'Welcome to the reality TV of my life on a blog. I am your host for today'. There is no doubt that everything chronicled is real, and is genuine. But like reality TV, it is interesting to guess how much effort would have gone into editting, to extract the 'juicy' bits perhaps, to capture something in a different light so that it would be fresh, exciting, interesting and engaging. Can you truly know a person through a blog, as opposed to the diary? Do you really know the people you see on Survivor, Bachelor, and the Amazing Race?
Or is what you see what the author wants you to see? How real can a blog truly get? The more pertinent question may in fact be: how unreal can a blog truly get?
Author's Note: My blog is written merely to entertain, and double as a social commentary. This blog post captures my thoughts, which makes it qualify, incidentally. It is, after all, the MadPoet's musing.
Saturday, November 22, 2003
I've been sick for about a week, and I have only one conclusion: shi4 shang4 zhi2 you3 ma1 ma1 hao3. I have absolutely no doubt that in this world, the person that loves me the most is my mother. (God, I'm talking about tangible human love, so You still number one.)
When I was sick last friday, she lost sleep the whole night. Every time I coughed she would get warm water for me or check on me. And I practically coughed the whole night through. Mum's the greatest.
I decided to give her a big hug and tell her that I love her, on the next day. I've never seen such a big smile on her face for so long, and she was remarking that I haven't hugged her for a while. So the next few days, I hug her out of nowhere here and there. And she really looks happy. And sometimes she comes and hug me. Like this morning when I didn't want to get out of bed.
I have decided to launch Operation 'Hug Mum'. I think it means a lot to her. I guess nothing beats simple affection. It's so asian to be anal-retentive about showing affection...at least, I think it's a cultural obstacle. Ah well, there's always a first time to break the barrier.
When I was sick last friday, she lost sleep the whole night. Every time I coughed she would get warm water for me or check on me. And I practically coughed the whole night through. Mum's the greatest.
I decided to give her a big hug and tell her that I love her, on the next day. I've never seen such a big smile on her face for so long, and she was remarking that I haven't hugged her for a while. So the next few days, I hug her out of nowhere here and there. And she really looks happy. And sometimes she comes and hug me. Like this morning when I didn't want to get out of bed.
I have decided to launch Operation 'Hug Mum'. I think it means a lot to her. I guess nothing beats simple affection. It's so asian to be anal-retentive about showing affection...at least, I think it's a cultural obstacle. Ah well, there's always a first time to break the barrier.
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
I have slept through the past 4 days due to flu. After I came back from the cruise, it went all downhill from there. Friday I returned, Friday night I came up with fever. And my mum and gf happily scold me for not taking care of myself, staying up till so late (or rather, early?) in the morning at the casino for both nights. I admit that alarms should have gone off in my head when I left on the cruise with sore throat. For me, sore throats are merely a herald of worse to come...
It is quite amazing. The medicine the doctor gave me is an instant knockout. I was awake for less than 10 hours total in the past 4 days. Incredible eh? Even now as I typed my journal, it's the longest stretch I've been up and about. The only good thing I can say about this is that at least the flu hit me when I came back from the cruise. Else the trip would have absolutely sucked.
It's almost like I'm hibernating.
It is quite amazing. The medicine the doctor gave me is an instant knockout. I was awake for less than 10 hours total in the past 4 days. Incredible eh? Even now as I typed my journal, it's the longest stretch I've been up and about. The only good thing I can say about this is that at least the flu hit me when I came back from the cruise. Else the trip would have absolutely sucked.
It's almost like I'm hibernating.
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Once again, the food is good! Haha but I didn't wake up in time for breakfast. I mean, considering I slept at about 6 am, waking up at 10 is not too bad already. Went for a late breakfast, and was talking to my newly made Indian acquaintances. Nice bunch of people, just that there are 90 of them sponsored by their company Allianz. Which is a big insurance company in India. My first thought was 'whoa, I'm on board a ship with nowhere to run with 90 insurance agents? horrors of horrors...' But one of them was particularly friendly, and passed me his namecard, saying I can always visit him if I happen to be in India.
Lunch was excellent too. After lunch, the ship will dock at a Star Cruise terminal, and those who paying for the land trip will take a coach ride to KL. Needless to say, I concussed all the way on the coach. Interestingly enough, I've actually been to that part of KL where they brought me. Considering I don't travel much, that is amusing. Frankly the shops weren't too interesting. First thing is many brands we have them here in Singapore anyway. Second thing is the cost after conversion is not that much cheaper too.
In the end, I popped over to Times Square with my gf. Times Square is supposed to be the biggest shopping centre in the world. (Yeah yeah, when will Malaysia and Singapore stop trying to have the world's best/first/biggest things?) I was skeptical at first, but man, I am really impressed with the size of the place. If I didn't count wrongly, there are 12 storeys in total of shops, and the place is very big. But it's newly opened so not all the shops are opened yet. But it's pretty cool. Although the shops don't seem to have some orderly arrangement, like a storey for apparel, a storey for shoes...and there was this occasional bout of screams from above. There's some roller coaster ride at the top apparently. In the end I bought a pair of fiery red shoes. Hehe. Hope my mum doesn't scold me. I can imagine her screaming, "ANOTHER pair??"
Dinner was fantastic. The chinese restaurant serves really quality stuff man. After dinner, me, my gf and her brother were playing scrabble by the spa, with my gf soaking in it. That was quite fun too. Never finished the game though. (I was leading. Argh.)
And yes, second night at the casino. Again I start the night pouring 20 bucks down the drain. This time I decided to try my luck at the cheapest machine (1 buck for 100 credits) at the jackpot. I didn't play at first, and I was watching this auntie win and win. She was on a winning streak man. She had started from 10 bucks, and won till 40 plus. Which wasn't easy considering that it's 100 credits back to 1 buck in conversion. She was nice enough to let me play on the machine she was at. But apparently, it was her with the luck and not the machine. I didn't win a thing, and she went on winning on the adjacent machine, which I had witnessed devoured about 50 dollars from the auntie who was previously there.
But alas, the lure overtook her too. She could have walked away 30 plus richer, but she went on. I asked her why she doesn't want to leave richer, and she said that she had meant to spend the money she brought here anyway and that she didn't intend to leave with any. It's just for the thrill. And so she went on, and lost everything.
Now that was scary. She's not the only one who thinks like that. And I remember a friend once said that if you can walk out of a casino with some money, you are considered to have won (even if it's like 10 dollars out of your 100) because by default, you should leave with nothing. Now I understand the danger of gambling. If the desire to win, or the stubborness to try to get back what you lost, doesn't overwhelm you, then you may be desensitized to losing. And you end up entering a casino preparing to 'spend' the money you brought and always leave empty-handed, and rejoicing when you didn't lose it all.
I'll just stick to mahjong at Chinese New Year. At least in that game, skill counts a bit. I will not let random probability govern my expenditure.
Lunch was excellent too. After lunch, the ship will dock at a Star Cruise terminal, and those who paying for the land trip will take a coach ride to KL. Needless to say, I concussed all the way on the coach. Interestingly enough, I've actually been to that part of KL where they brought me. Considering I don't travel much, that is amusing. Frankly the shops weren't too interesting. First thing is many brands we have them here in Singapore anyway. Second thing is the cost after conversion is not that much cheaper too.
In the end, I popped over to Times Square with my gf. Times Square is supposed to be the biggest shopping centre in the world. (Yeah yeah, when will Malaysia and Singapore stop trying to have the world's best/first/biggest things?) I was skeptical at first, but man, I am really impressed with the size of the place. If I didn't count wrongly, there are 12 storeys in total of shops, and the place is very big. But it's newly opened so not all the shops are opened yet. But it's pretty cool. Although the shops don't seem to have some orderly arrangement, like a storey for apparel, a storey for shoes...and there was this occasional bout of screams from above. There's some roller coaster ride at the top apparently. In the end I bought a pair of fiery red shoes. Hehe. Hope my mum doesn't scold me. I can imagine her screaming, "ANOTHER pair??"
Dinner was fantastic. The chinese restaurant serves really quality stuff man. After dinner, me, my gf and her brother were playing scrabble by the spa, with my gf soaking in it. That was quite fun too. Never finished the game though. (I was leading. Argh.)
And yes, second night at the casino. Again I start the night pouring 20 bucks down the drain. This time I decided to try my luck at the cheapest machine (1 buck for 100 credits) at the jackpot. I didn't play at first, and I was watching this auntie win and win. She was on a winning streak man. She had started from 10 bucks, and won till 40 plus. Which wasn't easy considering that it's 100 credits back to 1 buck in conversion. She was nice enough to let me play on the machine she was at. But apparently, it was her with the luck and not the machine. I didn't win a thing, and she went on winning on the adjacent machine, which I had witnessed devoured about 50 dollars from the auntie who was previously there.
But alas, the lure overtook her too. She could have walked away 30 plus richer, but she went on. I asked her why she doesn't want to leave richer, and she said that she had meant to spend the money she brought here anyway and that she didn't intend to leave with any. It's just for the thrill. And so she went on, and lost everything.
Now that was scary. She's not the only one who thinks like that. And I remember a friend once said that if you can walk out of a casino with some money, you are considered to have won (even if it's like 10 dollars out of your 100) because by default, you should leave with nothing. Now I understand the danger of gambling. If the desire to win, or the stubborness to try to get back what you lost, doesn't overwhelm you, then you may be desensitized to losing. And you end up entering a casino preparing to 'spend' the money you brought and always leave empty-handed, and rejoicing when you didn't lose it all.
I'll just stick to mahjong at Chinese New Year. At least in that game, skill counts a bit. I will not let random probability govern my expenditure.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
Today I set off on Superstar Virgo. Sad to say, I'm quite 'mountain turtle', because it's my first time on a cruise. But I must say, I am very impressed by the size of the ship. It vaguely reminds me of...Titanic. ("Jack, I'm flying!" and all that crap.) In any case, I marvel at the fact that man can build something so big, grand and luxurious that floats. The triumph of science and technology over nature?
I am even more impressed by the food. No wonder all my friends and relatives say nearly the same thing: go cruise, eat and eat and eat. The chinese restaurant serves really good cuisine. And I was quite prepared to put on some weight at the end of the trip. Keke. And the most shiok thing was to sit in an outdoor spa watching the ship set sail.
What sucks is that I left with a sore throat. Sigh.
Today also marks my maiden visit to a casino. Yeah I know I shouldn't gamble, but I wanted to get a feel of the lure of the game, and see for myself. Certain things I think that without getting yourself burnt (if not that serious), you wouldn't really learn the lesson.
I lost 20 dollars straight away to the jackpot machines. In less than 10 mins. It was quite horrifying for me to see people putting in 50 dollar notes one after another when they lost. I then tried my hand at this machine with the moving tray. The one where you drop a dollar coin onto this tray moving back and forth, hoping to edge one or more coins over to the bottom tier and when the tray moves out, it may push the coins over the edge into the opening below? I think some arcades have that machine too, except they function on tokens. This one got extra catch: there are 10s and 50s notes scattered near the edge.
I spent 1 hr at that machine. Didn't keep track of how much money went in. The pull is definitely there, and it's scary. The more you pumped in, the more you unwilling to let it go, till you get that 50 dollar note. At first it was an issue of trying one's luck. After a while, it's sheer stubborness to give up. There was a group of Indians (from India) playing also, and we took turns to try. After a while, when that 50 dollar note was nearing the edge, true colours showed. The Indian guy edged me away and keep putting in coins (we were supposed to put in one at a time and take turns). Somehow after he sank in all his coins, plus extras, he still didn't get it. Maybe God gave the 50 to me. But I would not dare blaspheme by claiming God helped me gamble...in the end I got the 50 bucks. But overall, including the 20 I lost to the jackpot I still lost 33 overall.
Then there was another side of the machine. Same thing. Same lure. Same 50 buck trap. I put in a few dollar coins, then called it quits. Then this old uncle came along and asked me how to play. So I explained to him, and he asked me to help him. So I thought what the heck. Get the thrill of the game for free? Why not? The 50 bucks look so close to the edge. But it didn't come out. And the uncle sank in 340 bucks of coins, and got back a 25 buck cash chip. And the amazing thing is, I keep asking him if he wanted to continue along the way, and he insisted on getting that 50. Even though it costs him 300 plus? It's weird. The Indian guy playing with me earlier lost 180. I find it disturbing that hardcore gamblers all come in the casino prepared to lose it all. Then what's the point?
I got that 50 dollar note in the end. And at the end of the day, I lost 31 overall. Hmmm. An improvement of 2 bucks. 31 bucks for 4 hours (until 5.30 am) of excitement. That's what the gamblers claim that they are paying for when they lose right?
I am even more impressed by the food. No wonder all my friends and relatives say nearly the same thing: go cruise, eat and eat and eat. The chinese restaurant serves really good cuisine. And I was quite prepared to put on some weight at the end of the trip. Keke. And the most shiok thing was to sit in an outdoor spa watching the ship set sail.
What sucks is that I left with a sore throat. Sigh.
Today also marks my maiden visit to a casino. Yeah I know I shouldn't gamble, but I wanted to get a feel of the lure of the game, and see for myself. Certain things I think that without getting yourself burnt (if not that serious), you wouldn't really learn the lesson.
I lost 20 dollars straight away to the jackpot machines. In less than 10 mins. It was quite horrifying for me to see people putting in 50 dollar notes one after another when they lost. I then tried my hand at this machine with the moving tray. The one where you drop a dollar coin onto this tray moving back and forth, hoping to edge one or more coins over to the bottom tier and when the tray moves out, it may push the coins over the edge into the opening below? I think some arcades have that machine too, except they function on tokens. This one got extra catch: there are 10s and 50s notes scattered near the edge.
I spent 1 hr at that machine. Didn't keep track of how much money went in. The pull is definitely there, and it's scary. The more you pumped in, the more you unwilling to let it go, till you get that 50 dollar note. At first it was an issue of trying one's luck. After a while, it's sheer stubborness to give up. There was a group of Indians (from India) playing also, and we took turns to try. After a while, when that 50 dollar note was nearing the edge, true colours showed. The Indian guy edged me away and keep putting in coins (we were supposed to put in one at a time and take turns). Somehow after he sank in all his coins, plus extras, he still didn't get it. Maybe God gave the 50 to me. But I would not dare blaspheme by claiming God helped me gamble...in the end I got the 50 bucks. But overall, including the 20 I lost to the jackpot I still lost 33 overall.
Then there was another side of the machine. Same thing. Same lure. Same 50 buck trap. I put in a few dollar coins, then called it quits. Then this old uncle came along and asked me how to play. So I explained to him, and he asked me to help him. So I thought what the heck. Get the thrill of the game for free? Why not? The 50 bucks look so close to the edge. But it didn't come out. And the uncle sank in 340 bucks of coins, and got back a 25 buck cash chip. And the amazing thing is, I keep asking him if he wanted to continue along the way, and he insisted on getting that 50. Even though it costs him 300 plus? It's weird. The Indian guy playing with me earlier lost 180. I find it disturbing that hardcore gamblers all come in the casino prepared to lose it all. Then what's the point?
I got that 50 dollar note in the end. And at the end of the day, I lost 31 overall. Hmmm. An improvement of 2 bucks. 31 bucks for 4 hours (until 5.30 am) of excitement. That's what the gamblers claim that they are paying for when they lose right?
Sunday, November 09, 2003
Today I saw an interesting sight. It suddenly poured in the late afternoon when I got off the bus at Bukit Merah, and the sun was still bright and shining. When I turned back, there it was, a small rainbow formed near the Shell station. Well, at least, from my perspective it looked like it formed just above the Shell station.
What was amazing was that it was the first time I've ever seen a rainbow reach so near to the ground. The end of the rainbow seems to touch the road! It seemed to have started from about 2 storeys high and reach to the road. And the rainbow was so clear that you can see all the seven colours. It was quite beautiful I must say.
But I don't see any pot of gold for sure.
What was amazing was that it was the first time I've ever seen a rainbow reach so near to the ground. The end of the rainbow seems to touch the road! It seemed to have started from about 2 storeys high and reach to the road. And the rainbow was so clear that you can see all the seven colours. It was quite beautiful I must say.
But I don't see any pot of gold for sure.
Saturday, November 08, 2003
Back! Haven't been posting in my journal for soooo long. Anyway, many things have happened, but I couldn't be bothered to log them down.
Today I had a friend asking me why I'm so free now. It felt really good to answer that I'm on holidays now, since the Saturday past, till 12 Jan next year, and I'm getting paid all the way still! One of the perks of this career path. For now while I'm still in NIE at least.
Watched Matrix Revolutions yesterday. Enjoyed the show a lot, except for the part when the sound screwed up. Some found it frustrating. I thought it was comedic. Imagine seeing Agent Smith shouting at Neo and all you hear are the sounds of a ship's machine gun firing away at sentinels. There is a dramatic irony in the fact that what Agent Smith was saying is very important in the story, and that I'm missing it all. Especially at the point when he punches Neo, opens his mouth, and out comes, "Help me Neo" in a female voice. Little wonder there was almost a riot.
There was a mad woman on the MRT train I was on. This is the 3rd crazy person I've seen in recent 2 months I estimate. Despite my earphones blasting music at a deafening volume, I can still hear someone raving and cursing from the seats one door away. I saw an old lady, hair all white, scolding and scolding (I couldn't hear clearly what she said...only a lot of 'si nang gui'...literal translation: dead man ghost). At one point she took out her slipper and whacked the big plastic bag she was carrying, shouting in dialect da2 xiao3 ren2 (beat evil man), which is a form of Chinese curse. Passengers stayed clear of her in a 2 seat radius, and an Indian man and young daughter looked particularly amused. I guess they didn't know what she was saying.
Today cow cat jumped out of the bush to greet me when I called him. I think he misses me a lot recently because I haven't played with him very often. Nowadays he won't let me go. When I get up to leave, he somehow can sense it and just plops his body on my foot. Either that or he just follows me along. I spent a good 15 mins patting and scratching it until my legs went numb (I was squatting). Guess I haven't perfected the art of squatting like a beng yet.
Today I had a friend asking me why I'm so free now. It felt really good to answer that I'm on holidays now, since the Saturday past, till 12 Jan next year, and I'm getting paid all the way still! One of the perks of this career path. For now while I'm still in NIE at least.
Watched Matrix Revolutions yesterday. Enjoyed the show a lot, except for the part when the sound screwed up. Some found it frustrating. I thought it was comedic. Imagine seeing Agent Smith shouting at Neo and all you hear are the sounds of a ship's machine gun firing away at sentinels. There is a dramatic irony in the fact that what Agent Smith was saying is very important in the story, and that I'm missing it all. Especially at the point when he punches Neo, opens his mouth, and out comes, "Help me Neo" in a female voice. Little wonder there was almost a riot.
There was a mad woman on the MRT train I was on. This is the 3rd crazy person I've seen in recent 2 months I estimate. Despite my earphones blasting music at a deafening volume, I can still hear someone raving and cursing from the seats one door away. I saw an old lady, hair all white, scolding and scolding (I couldn't hear clearly what she said...only a lot of 'si nang gui'...literal translation: dead man ghost). At one point she took out her slipper and whacked the big plastic bag she was carrying, shouting in dialect da2 xiao3 ren2 (beat evil man), which is a form of Chinese curse. Passengers stayed clear of her in a 2 seat radius, and an Indian man and young daughter looked particularly amused. I guess they didn't know what she was saying.
Today cow cat jumped out of the bush to greet me when I called him. I think he misses me a lot recently because I haven't played with him very often. Nowadays he won't let me go. When I get up to leave, he somehow can sense it and just plops his body on my foot. Either that or he just follows me along. I spent a good 15 mins patting and scratching it until my legs went numb (I was squatting). Guess I haven't perfected the art of squatting like a beng yet.