Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Ugh... the net is slow... I hope blogger doesn't cock up again...

Hehe... haven't blogged in a long time... Been kinda preoccupied with finding work, which hasn't yielded any luck... not many people want a person who can only work for 2 plus months... so I've been occupying my time with reading newspapers... going out... and playing this game called Act Of War...

It's a Real Time Strategy game, the same as Warcraft and Starcraft... just that instead of having to wait bloody long for you to get resources and start building up, it's more faster paced, you can actually send out a team early in the game, and capture POWs... thats Prisoners of War for the uninitiated... each capture nets you $500... and if you have a holding facility ready, each POW you capture gets put inside, maximum of 10... and they give you $50 each for every POW in the facility... cool right? That's kinda different from other games... so even if your oil runs out, you have POWs in the facility and that's another source of income... an infinite source as long as the bulding isn't destroyed... ;)

This game is based on a book by Dale Brown, about industrial espionage in America. When an independant group of terrorists/mercenaries want to keep control on the oil prices of the world and stop others from bringing down the price. They launch attacks on oil refineries of their competitors and end up trying to kill the President.

So this special team is called in, Task Force Talon, a direct action team which can respond to any threats within 24 hours of deployment. This team, along with the US army, defends America against a group known as the Consortium. So you've got a choice of 3 teams, TFT, US army and the Consortium. However, in the campaign mode, you only get to play the TFT and US army side... since this IS, about defending US against the Consortium. The game play is much faster then I imagined... I played a quick game against the Consortium in Easy mode, and within 3 minutes, I've already got a tank and some infantry coming my way... Had to rush my units out to meet them. Plus, there's also urban fighting, you can send your infantry units into the buildings to flush out enemy soldiers... of course, it's not very good against mortars and artillery, but it's good for ambushing other troops...



Rooftop fighting anyone?


This game has the most realistic units around, like the Apache helicopters, ABRAMS tanks, Delta Force infantry and even buggies... Did I mention, you can even use airstrikes from F22s, F15s and even a B2 stealth bomber... hehe... Of course... what's a game without more high tech units? The ultimate weapons of all 3 sides are very comparable... TFT has a super Howitzer, US army has a ballistic missile and the Consortium has the most favoured WMD of all evil game characters... a device that brings orbiting satellites crashing down on earth... called the "Falling Star"... very apt name... hehe...



Self Propelled Howitzers



B2 airstrike



Super Howitzer of the TFT


It doesn't mean you're not defended against them... you've got the appropriate defences to deal with them... it's just whether you get them up in time, as I learnt during the last few missions... hehe.... Got the White House destroyed a few times... hehe...



This plane is going to get it... hehe...


The graphics are superb... I can zoom down to the individual units and can even see them if they're prone or standing... the smoke billowing from burning buildings are so thick, you'll have to rotate the map to see the other side. Music and sounds are realistic and dramatic at times... Just that it gets a bit irritating after a while... Gameplay is really good... except sometimes, there's these little screens that pop up to show movies on what the units are doing, but they'll block you from seeing part of the map... and sometimes, you can't hear what you have to do through the explosions and gunfire... The live action movies are a good touch too... although somewhat draggy and lame at times... hehe.... Overall, a game that can definitely make you addicted. I know I have... hehe... =P
you have just Slacked with Chris @ 12:12 AM

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Monday, May 16, 2005

Heh... sometimes, you get farney things in the mail... like this one... Truely, the power of ads...


Hrm... I wonder whether this can work in Singapore... you know... sit in the MRT... look at the ads above the heads of people... then see whether it fits them... heh... It's mean, I know... but that's one interesting way to pass the time... Hehe...
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Friday, May 13, 2005

I'm bored... so I'm trying out the new Hello and Picasa programs... decided to put up some nice pics of cars... hehe... Enjoy!!


2005 Ferrari F430



Mazda Rx-8



AE86 Trio at West Coast Macs, taken by JY



Brabus Merc Maclaren SLR



Pagani Zonda in SG



Toyota Trueno AE86 Initial D style =)



Toyota Supra taken in Perth


Heh... I'm not saying I want to buy those cars... but they are nice to look at eh? hehe... Those are only a few of those I like... I'll put more up if I have the time... =)
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Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Hai~... It's 11am and I'm in school... Central Library to be exact... Y am I in school on a holiday? Cos I had to return a book I helped my sis borrow... today's the due date... and since Val had a Rag meeting in school today... I decided to tag along... I had planned on going swimming at the SRC, but we came late to school... and I realised that her meeting would most probably finish to soon for me to get a good swim in... Maybe I'll just go run again tonight....

And yes, I have been running, trying to lose the extra weight I gained during school time... Just got another letter from SAF... my ICT briefing on June 1st also has an IPPT on that day for us... that's the main reason I'm running too... Hehe... My running has always sucked. I initially planned to take it sometime next sem, during my 1 week break... but guess someone in the reservist unit couldn't wait that long for everyone to take... Ugh... I just hate being forced into these things... Anyway, my window doesn't close until November... so, even if I don't get it this time, I can retake again...

I was on my way here in a cab with Val, and we passed by Tao Nan School... saw this little girl carry this huge school bag... Honestly, I think the bag was thicker than the girl... o.O
Looks like things really never change... since my time when I was in primary school, we also had to lug around huge school bags, with nearly everything for every lesson. Textbook, exercise book, and worksheets... And they all added up to quite a lot of weight... Poor students... I understand their pain... I used to look for light bags, so that they wouldn't add to the weight... then I realised that if they're light, then they're too thin to hold the weight... Ugh... I still wonder y the teachers can't tell the kids what to bring and when, or y the schools don't provide lockers for them to store their textbooks and other things when not used.

I only used a locker when I was in JC... and from my understanding, not all the primary and sec schools had lockers. What's wrong with lockers? Is the building going to collapse if lockers were put there? TK never had lockers for us either... my frens ended up stuffing their thinner books in this small slot between the table frame and underside of the table... Others resorted to cutting their textbooks and bringing only the required chapters... If we had to resort to such means, then wouldn't lockers be much more easier? At least spare the children of today from the agony of heavy physical burdens, as if the mental burdens weren't enough...

On a side note... I am glad that I don't have to carry that many things for school anymore... or maybe it's cos I've gotten used to the weight... Hehe...

Enough of the sad stuff... time for something more interesting...

Phuture on Friday was ok... Music didn't really get going till around 12 plus 1? Think I've been drinking a bit more than I could last time... Had like one vodka lime, shared a jug of whiskey dry, took a bit of graveyard, and 2 lychee martinis... hehe... it was 1 for 1 on the martinis...
Went Phuture with Val, Khas, Kaiting, Dexter and Wenyan... Hehe... those 2 last guys are crazy... It's not a good idea to down beer and hard liquor, but they did just that... hehe... think it was what? 2 beers each, then one graveyard? The graveyard was power enough sia... They ended up kinda high... well, Dexter did anyway... Wenyan was out after they came back from dancing... hehe...

I had to get them to sober up, so Val, Khas and Kaiting went to the dance floor to mash bodies... hehe... It was really that crowded there... I had a taste of it when I went there with Val later... we already had problems moving in the crowd... What's more, there was this freaking huge bugger who was moving around and bumping everyone with his inflatable tube of a butt... Probably cos he was all over this girl who was heads shorter than him, so he had to bend forwards to get his fat hands on her... Oh well... at least I found a way to stop people from grinding their butts on mine. I just moved my butt with theirs... hehe... think it scared the guys off... But the girls needed a bit more of a push as well... hehe...

Then comes this part that totally spoiled the night... Val was dancing with her blast frens and I was just to the side of her... trying to keep people from bumping into us... then this other bugger gets close to her and starts dancing real close to her. I was thinking, ok, fine... there's no space, so it's still ok... then he starts to face her right and dances like he wants something more... Fine, my arm's still around her waist, he hasn't done anything wrong yet... Then I feel this bugger's arm touch mine... I'm like WTF? Then his arm pulls back, he tries again later... this time higher... Nvm... I'm keeping my eye on him... Then he goes higher with each try... the 4th time, he acts like he's picking something out of her hair... and I'm like... The F**k you can see whether there's anything in her hair on her left when you're directly on her right... You can look through her head? The 5th time he goes, the moment he reaches the same spot, I slap his wrist and shake my finger at him... He just gives me this "ok ok... I get it" look, but still continues dancing close to her... I got so pissed, I asked Val whether she wanted to leave... it was 3 already anyway... we were planning to go... So after the goodbyes, we wade through the crowd and leave Phuture...

That idiot left me in a bad mood all the way back to Val's place... She was just dancing... didn't even know what he was doing behind her... I had the front row seat... He was obviously trying to do something... Once, he looked like he was nearly going to kiss her... I told myself, if that happens, then all bets are off... I might get kicked out of Phuture, but at least he'll go down before that... Luckily I didn't have to go that far... I later found out that the bugger was drunk and nearly got into a fight over another girl too... Heh... so what is he's an NTU senior/grad and joins the blast people? Doesn't give you any right to do that, esp when the boyfriend is right there... I may be nice at times, but I'm not THAT nice... Mess with my girl and you're still gonna get it, I'll make sure you go down before I do... I had a good mind to try my arm lock on him... but tot I'd give him a warning first... Only one though... Heh...

I had to wait a few days to write this... so that my post won't be full of vulgarities... hehe... Val's other senior, Jacky, apologised for that guy the day after... but what's done is one... If he's anywhere near her next time, my eye won't leave him at all...

I'm freezing here... damn... Think I'll go for a walk... Ciao...
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Wednesday, May 04, 2005

you have just Slacked with Chris @ 2:02 PM

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Tuesday, May 03, 2005

I vow never to take those yellow top cabs anymore... They're all HORRENDOUS drivers. I was going home with my father today, we were queueing up for a cab outside Sim Lim Square, and just our luck, had to get saddled with a yellow top cab.

It's not that I absolutely detest yellow top cab drivers, it's just that they're not very good drivers. The uncle driving the cab, started talking to my father about the Singapore government, Malaysia government, JB, KL... basically everything he doesn't really like, which is like nearly everything... All my father could just was try to get a word in sometime.

If the driver could talk and drive, it's not as bad... but this guy obviously can't do that very well... everything was fine until he got onto the ECP... he started straddling 2 lanes... his left edge was one quarter into the other lane... and he was still talking!! Then, he keeps talking all the way even when he was reaching the exit... and he nearly missed it if I hadn't reminded him...

Then, as he exited the ECP, he got into the wrong lane, supposed to enter the centre lane, he went to the left lane, which is for turning left, he was supposed to go straight... So when the light changed to green, he just drove straight into the next lane, drawing horns from the other drivers behind us...

He also nearly missed our house, even when my father told him where to stop before he turned onto the road outside my block. Urrggh... so scary sia... That's y I hate taking the yellow top cabs, I don't know whether the driver knows what he's doing... Damn scary sia... I had this urge halfway to tell him to park at the side and let me drive instead... Sheesh...

My nerves are now shot, and I really don't want to take those cabs agian... next time, I'll wait till there are none before hailing a NON yellow top cab...
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