This blog is all about me, and anything about me. Be prepare to be loaded with lots of food, movies, music, grumbles and even some foul language. This is the place for anyone who knows me, even on the most superficial level. Enjoy and hope you know me better each day. (please adjust your display setting to Unicode)


夏祭り’０７~ End & Begin


I go for the event every year ever since I join Japanese Appreciation Club (less last year when I was in Beijing), and I enjoy myself every years, without fail.

But why only write about it until today when it was on last Saturday: the photo.

Not matter how much I enjoy it, there is nothing much more than to show it on the photo. And this year, I am very fortunate that sai lou is with me, as he is part of the club main-comm this year. This is the one photo that represent what I always wanted to enjoy at there every year.

You can say, he is taking over my legacy.

And qutie true, as I retire from my post in the club, a place I put my heart and soul into it. I have now moved on to a mentoring role, guiding the new commers in my own style.

Next year same time, I will be going there as a working adult, and this years matsuri, mark this in my head.


// sprinkled by wing_0 @ 8/30/2007 05:14:00 pm


BBS Colony
Internet Bulletin Board Script (BBS) these days is a place where colonies of forumist gather, share their love of certain interest, but rarely on a international basis. Even the main-lander and Hong Konger don't share a forum.

But for me, it is just one of those things that waste my time in hall, or past my weekend faster.

When come to ACG, main-lander fans can be proud fanatics. They will look out for the slighest bloopers in shows, and that actually irritates the old-school fans quite a a bit. It's a good sign to see that the old-school fans like me are moving on, and keeping the proud tradition onto a new frontier.

Then again, main-lander tends to be overtly straght: your news is old and people start calling you Martian, like you are so far behind in terms of information.

But there is nothing much more irritating than the North American, those not in big metropolis, but most probably in smaller towns.

Just a few moment ago, I saw some of them complaining the MMORPG service provider not doing their job well, causing their game play to slow down, when they are like 16+ hr flight fomr the server in Singapore. They go on to booast that THEIR network backbone is best in the world, and it has got nothing to do with the distance.

But then again, this is the good thing about BBS, people can just bark all they want. While there is always a more official channel to solve things like this, ignorant freaks can always make themselves a fool by whining on BBS.

Let more webspace being colonised, and let see when a war will break out in the cyberspace, so no need to fight war in real-life.

// sprinkled by wing_0 @ 8/28/2007 04:44:00 pm


Angry Overseas-Singaporean Syndrome
I realise I have been making a lot of comment on ugly things Singaporean do lately, and it could be due to me leading a short overseas life.

I am, to begin with, being sick and tired of some of the things Singaporean does in their life: the inconsideration, the ignorance, the non-chalance, etc. But I was just leaving with it, like this is the way human beings behave in general.

But not after I came back from China.

I started to compare things, always use the phrase "wah lau, in Beijing..." to start my comment about all those "norms". I can't believe the very group of people most Singaporean despise actually behave more human than any of us here, a almost-developed country.

It's seems like having a boardened horizon had narrowed my mindset also.

Come to think of it, it is rather pointless to rant so much. Why not I just take the lead to change? So far, at least I have influenced some of the people around me, even if it is the very moment they are around me. Reminding myself of S.O.S. adverts for Live Earth, 1 person initialising some changes is better than no one making a move.

Ranting is nothing more than not making the move.

I think it is really a time for me to use less comparison through my mouth, but to do things that is different, and make a different.

By the next time I met with ugly Singaporean behaviour, I just hope I will already come through and cured my Angry Overseas-Singaporean Syndrome.

// sprinkled by wing_0 @ 8/22/2007 01:28:00 am


Media serving People
Finally, the media is doing its, at least online:
http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/rehashplus/post.htm?id=63000177

All the evidence of the dim-wit business man is recorded, published, and made know to the rest of the world.

Shame on you.

But all the more, Lion City is not a place for revolution:
http://odex-rebellion.blogspot.com/

So much for media effort by the Chinese newspaper.

// sprinkled by wing_0 @ 8/22/2007 12:57:00 am


Suicidal Odex
I had once said that local 'entrepeur' do not how to run their business, and it has just spread to the anime sector: Odex. The sole (literally) distributor of Japanese animation had sued and fined a dozen of illegal downloader, without pirior warning letter.

The dumb boss of the company even have to guts to say he himself is a fan of the Japan sub-culture, when he just angered the better half of Singapore's anime community online. I think all the big groups are after his blood now, on national newspaper.

And that will mean, even lower sale for his sub-par produced DVD with less than understandable subtitles.

Even the music industry did not jump to the cash punishment so fast, and I can understand why esily. The not-so-intelligent boss (he do look sub-clever) we have got here most probably has only one thing is his mind again: profit. That is quite obvious that he is greedy for that few thousand dollars of fine, which will most probably goes on to finance his next coming collection of anime, since no one of sane mind or tangible knowledge and passion for anime is going to buy from the company.

And if he is really a fans as he confessed, he might have set up the company so he can watch the latest animated hits in Japan before anyone else, HIMSELF.

Great job, Odex Singapore. You have just killed 99% of your remaining cilent's intention to buy your product. Your school of entrepeurship have serve you well.

And am I glad that my club in school turned down the deal to work with them last year.

Here will be a land of illegal anime download once again, all thanks to the less-than-intelligent way running busieness here by the cheapo bosses that runs the business. Let there be no light shown on them, let them waste their investment. If they still have their brain intact, I do hope some of these people running the show knows how to do it right next.

But only they realise that before they take the plunge.

// sprinkled by wing_0 @ 8/16/2007 12:20:00 pm


Backstab
People say campus life can be quite real, and it can really be.

I was doing my booth for my school activities yesterday and today. Due to bad management, we were put in a rather obscure spot to begin with.

We surived the 1st day with less than 1/2 of targetted new member.

Come today, all of a sudden, these group of corkster from NTU Motoring Club appear out of no where, set up their table, and block out the majority of the only passage way to our booth. On top of that, they even turn up their speaker, play some bengish music, which can means the end of our publiscing effort of the day.

I waited a while but still finally walked up to them with my colleauge, and asked why they are here. They blantantly tell us that their initial spot was rather obscure, and need to move out to get more crowd.

Not like ours is very prominent.

While we ended up making a agreement that we have our guys distribute flyer in front of their booth, it was still rather bad for us, and I decide to back-stab.

I asked my president to call the organising committee, get them to come down, and get the corksters to make their booth smaller. But that did not stop them from moving in again when a short shower starts a while later.

But I did not do anything either. It seems my cursing works (bad karma...), and their recuritment is not working as well as us, which reached clost to our target.

All and all, these are the times I thanks NS, for teaching me how to deal with people who like to act gangster like. If they won't oblige with talks, get 3rd party, higher auothrity, whatever, run over their head, give them a check of fact.

Backstabing have never been so fun, especially when you are not the one who get stab on.

// sprinkled by wing_0 @ 8/14/2007 07:52:00 pm


National Day
I know it's a bit late...

I actually decide to write something about it, more or less because I went off to watch the firework display from afar at the Padang, with the 2 Taiwanese exchange student, and their local friends.

Though I see fireworks every year at the comfort of my own balcony, there is nothing like the atmosphere over at the place itself.

And I feel very fortunate.

In Taiwan, the actualy parade is like 6am+, while the firework display is in the evening. The whole cohesion of event of the day is gone, and the firework display is just another firework display, not linked to any particular reason.

For that night at least, I feel proud to be SAF.

Happy belated birthday, Singapore.

// sprinkled by wing_0 @ 8/12/2007 06:33:00 pm


Are We Different?
New semester start, and sai lou is my room-mate. Expect no less vulgarity in the room in the coming months. orz

Anyway, hall life is not only new for him but also some of the visiting student.

Just last week, I helped out in leading trip to downtown with the exchange student, among them are two gals from Taiwan. Getting used to the life here is not going to be a hard one, since we do speak similar language and eat foods that of similar taste.

But not when come to the way we live in hall.

Back in Taiwan, which is like many other countries in Asia, including Japan, China, Korea, etc, student of opposite sex are not mixed inside a single compound, not to mention a singale block. The way we operate here do give them quite a bit of cutlure shock.

To them, since both our society build upon the Confusicous way, the almost-communal living environment here is rather unusual.

This put me in great wonder, have our society, which is built on diverstiy, evolved into something that is not so Asian? Are we, really like what others called us, banana-fied? But I won't be surprised about that either, since our government drive so hard for a healthy population growth rate. But then again, where have our fundamental Asian values goes to? More question just pop up in my head, and I just can't find the answer either.

Are we that different now?

// sprinkled by wing_0 @ 8/06/2007 06:33:00 pm