SCE Camp 2014 (I)

Secret War Journal[8 July - 12 July 2014][Long Post][Media-Heavy]
Day 1 - Yorel, you're up
Clothes checked. Shoes checked. Sleeping bag checked. Yorel, it is time to go.

I would be frank. I was dragging my feet to the door on that afternoon to go for the camp. I was slowly packing my items as indicated from the packing list provided. Emelia was around so she probably noticed my walking up and down to transfer items to and fro my bag.

Why am I dreading the camp? After all, did I not sign up for the camp. (Now you are probably wondering I am some indecisive ***tard.) In my defense, I am an introvert. It just so happens that on this very day, the first day, I was feeling the full blown effects of introversion so I was not really looking forward to meeting a lot of new people. It helped that I had prepared myself for this day but it did not help that I was not able to recharge sufficiently before today.

Nevertheless, what's done is done. Despite my reluctance to get out of the house today, I set out towards tampines.
--
The location to meet was at the Gongcha at the MRT station. (Ironic as it may sound, I actually reached the area early. Curses, well on the bright side, I guess it was better to be early than late.) However, when I reached the location, I did not see anyone in orange shirt.

(A bit of background here: We were supposed to meet up at bubble tea shop gongcha wearing an orange shirt. Since there was no whatsapp group created beforehand, I had no one to consult except for a phone number.

Our orientation group (OG) name was Titus. Supposedly named after a roman emperor. The reason why likely could be due to the theme of the camp - The King's Coliseum.)

As it turns out, Titus's meeting point was not exactly at the bubble tea shop. Jin Heng, one of my OG mate came to me when I was loitering around the shop. He asked if I was part of Titus which I replied that I was. He pointed to a shelter opposite the shop where I see another guy with orange shirt.

As it turns out, I was the first few to arrive. I was kind of surprised because many members from the other OGs had arrived. They were all very early, wow. Perhaps I should rephrase my sentence - I was the second member to arrive at the correct place. I think many of us arrived around the same time but no one realised that the meeting point was actually opposite the shop. (I mean, seriously, no one was informed about this. They cannot be blamed.)

While waiting for the rest to arrive, we started to introduce ourselves to make this whole waiting a little bit less awkward.
--
When everyone was gathered, we took a bus towards the lodging area. Much is not revealed before this day. No one among us knew where we would be staying at nor what were in store for us. As it turned out, we were taking up residence at the Aloha Changi Chalet.

This was where we stayed for 4 nights

After a long ride, finally reached our destination

Here, we did a formal round of introduction and proceeded with the games.

This is where we had our games for the first day

Camp President Speech

One of the notable games we played was the one concerning our mode of accommodation. We had to compete against the other houses, Vulcan, Spartans, Ceasar in the game of 黑白配 (a game where two players first play scissors-paper-stone, the winner then denote a direction which the other player must not point his head to. If the winner succeeds in making the other player point his head towards the designated direction, he wins.)

Scissors-paper-stone!

Wrong direction! :p

Long story short, Titus was second. Thus, we were supposedly allocated the second best lodgings. (I still feel cheated on this matter but it is not that important.) The last house from the competition was supposed to sleep outside overnight but obviously, it was a lie. (In fact, some believed that their lodgings are better than the first and second runner-ups. Blasphemy.)

Next, we painted our house flags. Camp family shot!

Ceasar

Vulcan

Spartan

Titus

Titus Family
From Left(2nd Row): Kai Wen, Jin Heng, Andy, Leroy, Wee Hang, Da Yuan, Choon Keat, Ryan
From Left(1st Row): Yeow Yang, Aaron, Sisi, Xiao Xin, Sebastian, Francis, Shu Wei, Sin Yi, Daniel, Jivon

Night came and we played a series of games with our sister-house Ceasar before we called it a day early. By early, I meant earlier than expected. The activities ended around 11pm which came as a shock to most of us. We actually suspected if the camp organisers would wake us up in the middle of the night for some activity. (They didn't.)

Blowing bubbles, for fun

Drinking game

So messy!

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Interim -/- Namesake -/-

• Aaron - (Hebrew) Exalted, Strong
• Andy - (English) Manly
• Daniel - (Hebrew) God Is My Judge
• Francis - (Latin) From France Or Free
• Jivon - (Sanskrit) To give life
• Ryan - (Irish) Descendant Of The King
• Sebastian - (Greek) Venerable
• Sisi - (African) born on Sunday

Not much interesting names this time round. Some names worth mentioning would be Jivon - an irregular name given to males. Its Sanskrit origins makes the whole name much more interesting; and Ryan - For obvious reasons. Unfortunately, it is of Irish origins. I hope to find one originated from France.

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Day 2 - We and our sense of direction
We got lost, very lost, extremely lost

Morning came with most of feeling tired despite how early it ended yesterday. Time check - it is now 7am in the morning. I slept at around 4am in the end yesterday from talking. Some slept even less, catching the World Cup live.

Breakfast!

Today's highlight was Amazing race. Our first stop would be... Tampines. There is nothing to done at Tampines actually. It just so happens that that we have to transfer at Tampines since it is the nearest MRT station from our chalet. From Tampines, we made our way via train to Somerset where *scape awaits us.

And so we go!

Having fun at Tampines

This train belongs to us

--
*scape

One of our sponsors

Reaching the station was no easy feat. Not much were given as to the precise location of their whereabouts apart from the fact that it was in *scape. After venturing the place a bit, we eventually found them at the one of highest floor. One interesting to note, however, was that there was a filming being taken place beside it. I could not figure out what show was it for but it did not seem local.

One consequence of the station being located next to a set was the inability to shout and make a lot of noise since the other party is filming. As a result, we were not allowed to do cheers and get overly excited. (kinda sad, huh)

To clear this station, we had to finish a game combining charades and messenger.

Mirror LMAO

Instead of a verbal message, the message had to passed from one to another via charades. Of course, there is a high chance that the message gets kind of strange, rendering this challenge potentially difficult. However, all strategies were made redundant by the wonderful position of the wall mirror. With the mirror, one could see the first person's actions and deduce the answer. With that, we cleared the station with ease.

Next stop. A certain stadium (I forgot)
--
Stadium

What? Not happy ah

This station tested us on coordination and teamwork. It was a manageable task and we cleared it with minimal hassle.

Tying our legs together

We are ready!

Getting our coordination right

The first task was to satisfy a set of conditions as instructed by the station master. For example, 5 legs, 4 arms. Only 5 legs can be in contact with the floor and 4 arms in the air. It is similar to the game, twister.

Next, we would be given a pivot and we would need to either rotate clockwise or anti-clockwise about it. It was quick fun clearing this task, hahas.

The third task involves passing through a hula hoop across all the members.

Not very difficult, isn't it

Cleared them, no sweat!

After the third task, we would be released. The entire house would not conduct a macarena dance. This was done with hilarious effect.

What's happening?! Hahas

Now, bonus round! In this round, we would given a period of time where we try to get as many water bombs from one point to another via human chain. We had to throw it to pass to the next person.

Not going to make it easy for you guys!

Bring it!

This is trying

This is...Just give me!

This is...Too easy

Out for lunch

Clearing the station, we headed for lunch - Chicken Rice!
--
Plaza Singapura

Getting our clue to our next stop, Plaza Singapura, we headed there after our lunch.

As it turns out, this was the easiest station. The challenge was this -- Find a certain number of items which add up to a specific amount as given by the station master.

Our strategy to achieving this real quick was to split into smaller teams and find items to match up to an amount that we discussed on.


--
Marina Barrage

Our last station. Last because we took kind of long to reach the destination.

Our OGLs - This is going to take a long time

The task is called Magic Carpet. This is actually harder than it looks. Stage I was easy. We need to stand on the mat and flip the mat without us touching the grass patch outside the mat.

Smile while you still can guys!

Stage II: We need to move the mat from Point A to Point B without us touching the grass patch outside the mat.

Magic Carpet, fly us there!

It took some time and a lot of coordination but we did it.

Stage III: The mat is not cut to one fourth its size and we all need to squeeze on it!

We did it! We did it!

Time to attack the Station Master, with bubbles!

Since we ran out of time to go for the next station, we decided to have some fun (and clear some hidden missions at the same time :)

Jump shot

Power Slam

From Left: Aaron, Leroy, Andy, Francis, Jin Heng

Taking pictures with tourists

Time to head home.
--
A little incident
On our way back to the Chalet from Tampines, an incident happened. Drunk with laughter and fun, we boarded a bus without a second thought, only to realise that the bus does not go to our chalet. The bus that we were supposed to take was XX. When a bus XXA came, we sorta assumed that the bus would go to our Chalet. Once aboard, one of us checked and realised that it does not. Immediately, we alighted after one stop and waited for our bus. However, bus after bus came, all full and could not accommodate us. Eventually, we gave up and took a bus back to the interchange and took the correct bus to the chalet. By then, we were one hour late. As a result, we had a late dinner.

You would think this is all for today but it had only just begun. I am cutting this post into multiple parts, seeing that this post is becoming too long.

Click here to see what happened next [Not published] -->

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Credits: Are You Photogenic?, Michelle Chow

X Men: Days of Future Past

Secret War Journal[25 May 2014]
People who knew me would know that I had no intention to watch this movie at all. Partly because I had no interest in the story. No offense to the fans, I did watch the X-men films up until Origins (at least I think I did) but I just liked how the story ended at X-Men 3 (it was a sad ending, I know). I did not really want them to dig up the story again and smash what I thought I knew about the story and kept it moving again.

Premise
That said, I ended up watching the movie in the cinemas. As ironic as it may sound, I was presented with the opportunity to watch the movie. As luck would have it, NUS Business was giving away X-Men tickets for participants of their tea session. As not everyone who attended for the tea session was interested in watching the movie, Emelia managed to obtain additional tickets for her family and me.

To be honest, I was not aware about this development when they procured the tickets for me. At first, they asked me if I was free to join them for a movie. At that moment, I was celebrating Jing Ying's birthday with Lai Yin and Gable gang. Since I was not aware when the celebration would end, I decided to play safe and replied that I would not be able to make it. For some reasons, they did not catch my reply (I think Johnston's phone went out of battery) and sent me another message stating that they got me a ticket. Naturally, I assumed that they bought a ticket for me already. Hence, I excused myself and quickly headed for Vivocity to catch the movie.

Personal Opinion
The movie saw the return of popular characters such as cyclops, jean grey and storm. While they play little role for the bulk of the show, they did play a role.

There were introductions to many new characters featured in the Days of Future Past. Furthermore, we got to see the younger Magneto and Professor X in action. The whole show gave off a calm before the storm atmosphere which helped to build suspense as to when chaos would break out in the timeline that Wolverine was in. All the while, time was ticking in the 'now' where their hideout is being discovered by the Sentinels. Here, the mutants will make their last stand against the Sentinel as one and their fate depends on Wolverine.

This situation certainly helps to build excitement for the critical moment when the past reaches a turning point where Wolverine and his team attempts to change the future and prevent the advent of the Sentinels. Credit should be given to Jennifer Lawrence, the actress behind Mystique who played a central role in this show.

Overall, it was an all right show. Not great but bearable. (I am sorry, I am not a X Men fan.)

I would like to note though, that the next X Men film: Apocalypse seems promising. Until then! 

My Journey to the East

Secret War Journal[March 2013]
A lot has happened. I cannot deny that.

Before I begin my account of how I reached my destination in the east, perhaps a little retelling of the events prior to this would be beneficial. (Partly also because I am aware that this post is being published before my wrapping up of my end of army days.)

A little-known fact that my father probably wants to hide

And he probably would not like the idea that I leak it out. However, everybody eventually will know. Yes, he probably wants to be the one telling it so I can understand. But I have to say it. (Apart from a nagging feeling that I should, from a suspicion,) I need to say or this entire post would be difficult to explain. That means the reader (yes, even the future me.) would have trouble understanding the motivation behind this whole saga.

So what is all this fuss about? Well, to be blunt. My family is in financial trouble. In my opinion, it begun with the whole borrowing of money to play in stocks. At first, it was all good. Some time this year (to my knowledge, at least, it happened. Bear in mind that I spent more time in an army camp than at home.), the market went downhill, along with the shares that my family bought. That meant that we instantaneously lost a large amount of money. Given the conditions of the loans, such a loss was a very big problem. Apparently, my family was reaching a point where we are having issues resuming our daily life activities. From the sound of it, it really seems serious. If I learnt anything from this crisis, it is to never borrow to invest in high risk activities.

Now that you understand the financial situation of my family. Put it to the back of your mind. Know the reason but remember that there is no need to spread it. Moving on, with the additional financial stress, it added to, or worsened, the saga of the room rental scare last year.

It was first and foremost, a Journey to the West

For those knew of the room rental saga, I think you would understand the need for me to vacate my room to put it up for rent. Yet, as many had asked me too, the idea of moving out to rent out your room seems counter-productive. Indeed, it is. (I would not trouble myself to defend something I do not quite understand myself). There are two schools of thought to justify this.

First, how this idea about renting out the room came about was literally moving out of the room, not out of the house. The concept then was to move my stuff and make the bomb shelter my new bedroom. (Still makes little sense, I know) Unsurprisingly, I was pissed at that notion. Thus, I made a scene last year. That saga resulted in my father, my sister and I living in our then-vacated condominium in an improvised manner for a period of time (3 days or more? I could not remember). What happened to that condominium later on is a story for another day.

Secondly, to be blunt, my stepmother just could not stand living with strangers. Well, she is family with my father and half-brother but that is it. Her inability in controlling her child did not help matters as she pushes the blame to my sister and I. Of course, no one will outright point out that this is the case but we should bear in mind that could had been the case. (In fact, such a scenario is not as far-fetched as you think. If you go around reading support groups for stepmothers, you would realise that most of them are really uncomfortable in living with children from previous marriage. They often felt that the children is an obstacle to their happiness in the current marriage and would prefer them to be away, out of sight.)

To reinforce the second idea, when the proposal to rent out my room resurfaced once more, it was suggested that I should move out. Naturally, my father was against it. After all, he wants us to live all under the same roof. However, with pressure from the financial problem and my stepmother (you have to give it to her, it is simply amazing how she can link every topic to renting the room out, wow), my father and I came to an consensus that moving out would be a better option for me. My father felt that the situation at home now is really not very conducive for studying and was afraid my studies would be adversely affected. Thus, I began my search for a room in the West, near my school.

Halls, Dorms, Flats

The very first option that came to mind was moving to the University Halls. Compared to other accommodation options, it is definitely one of the lowest. At around $220 per month, it is a rate that was hard to beat in Singapore. This explains why so many students choose to live in Halls, huh. (Okay, guess not) However, there was a problem. While the rates were definitely competitive, it is not readily available. As most prospective students would be aware, universities in Singapore only guarantees first-year undergraduates a room in Hall. To maintain the room from Year 2 onwards, you would have to accumulate sufficient points to be allocated one. Even so, it is not guaranteed that you would be allocated a room. In addition, the allocation window for my university is around June to July which is in 2 months' time. That would be too long as I asked my father to give me about one month to find accommodation. (Remember that we want to vacate the room as soon as possible to allow rental to commence as soon as possible)

With hall being out of question, at least until June, I set my sights on dorms. Unfortunately, that proved to be a problem as well. The rates for dorms were quite expensive. The cheapest I managed to find was slightly less than $300 and is shared by 4. The cost difference between a hall and dorm may seem little but when you take into account the duration which you would be studying, it is a huge amount. This amount proved to be unsustainable and I was forced to look for cheaper alternatives.

Many would find my next option being considered a queer one. Not many would consider a tenant to a rental flat to be a cheaper alternative than a dorm. After much research, I daresay you are correct. In my own defense, I was misled by my university's' website (it is not their fault, really) that the rental rates are competitively match against the rates of those of dorms. By this time, I would like to highlight that a close group of my friends knew of my predicament. One of them was Keller and he was interested in finding a rental flat in the West area. Keller really helped to get the ball rolling, finding rooms available for rent is exactly easy, especially when you are trying to avoid agent fees and sift out the good deals from the sea of advertisements on websites. We had a plan - if we secure a flat which could be co-habited by 5, the cost should be comparable to dorms. Of course, this plan is based on the rates estimated by the University's website (which is a rough guide so I shall reiterate, not their fault). Eventually, Meldon joined the fray. The notion of living in a rented flat was quickly disregarded after Meldon's uncle, who was an Estate agent, informed us that the average price of a reasonable size for 5 was not affordable.

Eastwards, the Wind blew

With all options seeming infeasible, God decided to help me a little. Remember me mentioning that a close group of friends knew of my situation earlier? Well, these group of people, namely Johnston, Marcus, Keller and Meldon, continued to extend their help to me even though I exhausted all the three options above. Johnston and Marcus explained my situation to their family and their family each offered me a place to reside in until I graduate.

I shall first tell you about the generosity of Marcus' family. I am not exactly sure about the details but one day, Marcus informed me that his grandfather lives in a flat. His family offered me to live with their grandfather if I was not able to find a viable place to live in. It was really heartening to hear it. I was really feeling teary when I heard Marcus telling me what his parents offered. Maybe some of you might feel otherwise but most people would not offer a hand to someone whom they never met before. In fact, they even invited me to live with their grandfather who is living alone, that is a lot of trust. Thus, I was really grateful for their offer.

Johnston also shared with his family about my situation. Similar to the reactions of Marcus's family, they too offered help. They were willing to free up a room to let me live with them until I graduate from university. His mother came to me while I was at Johnston's house and shared with me their plans if I were to move in. I was really heartened by their gesture. The very fact that they thought of a future with me included convinced me that I should accept their offer unless I found a better alternative.

To be frank, I never expect either of them to share this with their parents but I really appreciate their concern. In fact, I never expected the solution to my predicament to be as such. Thus, I am really thankful for their aid and concern.

Now the Dust Settles

A few weeks passed by and I had sinced moved into Johnston's house. At this moment, a select group of my friends and family members are aware of this situation. As I write on my laptop in my new room, I would like to thank everyone who supported me through this dark time. The decision to move was definitely not an easy one but it was necessary in more than one way. My old room had been rented out, according to my father so that is good news to my family. I hope my family will emerge from the crisis soon, my father has been working overtime to manage. For my side, I am using my savings to get by while working part time at the moment. I should be footing the bill of my tuition fees myself for university but I am not sure how to get the funds yet hahas. I am definitely working part time during the vacation, when able. However, I had not decided if I should work during my school term yet. I had heard that I would not have the time, given the rigours of my course.

I would like to apologise for taking so long to churn out this post. Packing, moving and unpacking took a great deal of time. Now the dust are starting to settle down so I should have more room to manage my time. :)

Hopefully this translates to me being able to write out posts at a faster rate. See you next time! :)

Past Blessings

Secret War Journal[12 May 2014]
I just visited my maternal grandparents recently. It had been a long time since I visited them and I think it really shows when they made a phone call during my lunch. My grandfather asked how I was doing now. Though his intention was good, I immediately felt guilty. I had been caught in my personal affairs that I had neglected taking time off to visit them. (Come on, we all know saying we do not have time is just an excuse)

Being a person easily guilt-tripped, I set aside time to meet up with them. Granted, I did not have time to arrange for my sister to join me (she was in the midst of an examination too) so it could be said that it was a hasty meet-up.

I really enjoyed dinner with them. As I grew older, my love for home cooked food just keeps growing hahas. I feel that it is increasingly difficult to enjoy food personally prepared by your love ones. That is why I really appreciate it when people prepares a meal. :)

Finally, my grandfather showed me something that is older than me. A company magazine from my mother's company. Here is an article covering my parents' marriage!

After reading it, it kinda overwhelmed me with emotions.

Sometimes, I wonder if the older generations is having a better time than us now... One will never know.

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I am sorry for making you worry. I should be the one making the effort, not you. I am ashamed.

“日”字加一筆，你最先想到什麽字？

Secret War Journal[19 April 2014]
Food for thought. Quick post while I continue studying. :O

Click here for your answer!

My Result:

7、變成‘目’字；

此種類型的人，你可以說他具有協調性，也可以說他優柔寡斷、沒原則。他們非常害怕自己受到傷害，所以自我防衛心很強，有時還會因過度防衛而傷了對方。他們希望每件事都做得最完美、使自己和世界變得更完美，但卻經常有些急於求成反而沒有如願以償。做事力求正確完美，有原則，有標準，常有自我批判並要求他人按自己標準去做事情的傾向，理性正直，時常壓抑自己人性中不理性的一面，怨而不宣。性格傾向：內向、被動、批判。

關註錯誤，糾正錯誤，有責任、獨立、勤奮工作，有理性、成熟、有目標，有原則、有標準、且看中效率，但是喜歡批評別人，吹毛求疵，做事沒有耐性、喜歡先工作，後享樂，喜歡壓抑沖動和渴望過度剛性，是一個合理、實際、腳踏實地的人。但是在愛情路上，他們很容易受到誘惑而轉移目標，雖然不是故意的，卻因此傷了很多人的心。

What is yours?

Princess Mononoke

Secret War Journal[16 March 2014]

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki, this film was first aired in 1997. Based in the setting of a fictitious world where gods take the form of animals and walk among Man. The film follows the story of a prince named Ashitaka. The story begun by showing us how Ashitaka received a curse from fending a demon off from his village. After the village's wise woman proposed that the cure may lie in the West where they came from exile, Ashitaka started his journey to the West.

The film focuses heavily on demonstrating the audience the environmental damage Man cause from urbanization. It make uses of several metaphor to showcase how the act of modernization causes deforestation and loss of habitat for the wildlife. It also explores how such actions could negatively impact us as humans.

The ironic nature of the film was, as I highlighted to my friends, was the environment damage involved in the production of the film. Do not quote me for this but think about it. An animated film requires a considerable amount of time spent on a computer. Usage of computers requires electricity and that indirectly leads to the pollution of our mother Earth.

Nevertheless, we should not ignore the message the film tries to bring across to us. I believe Miyazaki hoped that through this film, more people would be aware of the environmental damage. Deep symbolism is a very apt way to describe the film as a whole.

I would recommend this film to moviegoers who loves to dissect the movie to understand the message that it is trying to bring across. Though the film might be a little old, bear in mind that this was produced in 1997, it is a piece of art worthy of a classic. (In fact, I think it is a classic.) The drawings might look cartoony, but hey, that is precisely the point! It is definitely worth watching for the idea it is trying to reach out to the audience.

Summer Vacation 2014 Wishlist

Secret War Journal[March - August 2014][Updated on 19 July 2014]
A long journey of 2 years has ended. (Probably going to sum it up in a post when I have the time. Hahas). Now I am presented with a good 5 months of my time to brush up on my studies and, at the same time, enjoy myself! :)

1. Learn Driving
2. Get a job
3. Buy a new pair of spectacles
4. Buy a portable charger
5. Buy a new phone cover
6. Buy a pair of casual shoes
7. Buy a pair of jeans
8. Learn Basic Japanese [Lessons 1 - 10]

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"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." - Og Mandino

Illusions of Satisfaction

Secret War Journal[31 January 2014]
You know something is wrong when you are getting satisfied with life. I never thought I would ever thought to myself that 'I am satisfied'. Yet, this train of thought came to me while I was pondering about the new year today.

Now, some of you would probably be wondering why is being satisfied with your current life is such a bad thing. The logic behind it is actually very simple. Humans will always demand for a better quality of life. If you were to be satisfied with your current life, it would mean that you do not desire for a better quality of life. It implies that there is something wrong in the way you think.

More importantly, being dissatisfied with your current life drives improvement. When you feel that your life could change for the better, you work towards it. You hold expectations on how your life should be, and you would work towards it. It is actually akin to having a goal in what you want to achieve in life.

Thus, when I actually thought to myself that I was satisfied with my current life, (There is so many reasons not to!!!) it also hints that I had stopped being ambitious. That I had lost all hope in getting out of this predicament. That, is not a good thing. Resigning to fate would not change anything. 

As a result, for this new lunar year, it is time to be get depressed over improving my quality of life. It is time to get stressed from inaction. It is time to set my sights high once more. It is time, for once, to set my expectations higher instead of lower.

I had met many people who disappointed me but I had also met a great number of inspiring people. I must not forget that. I must not lose sight of those great people. I have to let go to those who are constantly pulling me down, convincing me to lower my expectations and stick to the status quo. I should instead interact more with people who believe that they have the power to change their fate.

Contentment is not bad. However, it breeds complacency. That is bad.

--

With that said, here's me wishing you a lunar happy new year! My chinese had not been great all these while so I went to learn a few idioms for today! ;)

祝你们

新年快乐，

马到成功，

龙马精神，

一马当先，

马不停蹄，

万马奔腾，

马年大吉。

Year 2014 Goals

Secret War Journal[Year 2014][Edited 4 August 2014]
Yet another year. Moving forward from the year 2013, there will be some continuation of targets that I hope to achieve this year.

• Get a debit card
• Get a driving license
• Get a scholarship!
• Buy a pair of leather shoes
• Buy a pair of causal shoes
• Buy a casual belt
• Buy a laptop
• Learn Basic C programming
• Go overseas

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2013: Year of the Disturbed

Secret War Journal[2013][Long Post][Updated on 8 February 2014]
2013 was a really bad year for an introvert like me.

I am not sure if this is true for all introverts but I am someone who needs some time alone. I do not need to be always alone but I do need some period of time to be totally alone. Normally, this is achieved by spending time at home. Just resting at home and 're-charge'.

At this point of writing, I am already on the verge of mental exhaustion. My mental processing power has decreased noticeably over the course of the year; my weariness visible to the observant. I no longer process the ability to reflect on my actions before I sleep, I lose consciousness too quick on the bed due to my fatigue.

I never mention this before but I really enjoyed the times when the rest of my family goes on an holiday, leaving me the only person living in the house for a short while. It is like a short holiday for me too. (Though it can become creepy at night. XD)

I guess I need to frequently do soul-searching and reflect to make myself content. (Strange is it not? I must be a sadist to love to criticise my every wrong decisions)

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"I restore myself when I'm alone."- Marilyn Monroe

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With this in mind, I hope you will understand why I find this year especially tough for me, mentally. You see, being in a military camp 5 out of 7 days is mentally punishing to a person like me. While it may appear that we can have our own personal space in the office or bunk, it is actually just an illusion. Within each cubicle in the office, we share with at least one colleague. This means there is almost no personal space in the office. In the bunk, the personal space around your bed is an illusion as well. Your area can be observed by anyone in the room and any conversation in the bunk of considerable volume can be heard, leaving you no peace.

While the situation depicted may not seem so bad, it actually frustrates me. Perhaps I am too used to having some personal time in the night, perhaps something subconsciously is disturbing me, I am not sure. To be clear, it is no one's fault. If it is anyone's, it is my own sanity.

Chances are, I would leave the place without understanding why I feel uneasy at moments. It matters not since I have only about 2 months left there. However, it brings into question if I should live in the dorm when I resume my studies. Hmm, food for thought.

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"We fear violence less than our own feelings. Personal, private, solitary pain is more terrifying than what anyone else can inflict." - Jim Morrison

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Speaking of holidays, this December, my stepmother's family returned to their home town for the bulk of the month. What was scary was the fact that life was much more comfortable when they are not around. Particularly when she was not around. (I wonder what does this signify...)

I feel less pressured in the mornings (partly because there is no pressure to wake up before 9am. I do not understand why I must wake up earlier than them. If everyone wakes up at the same time, I am okay with it. However, what is this rule that my father, sister and I must wake up by 9am. How about the rest of them? "Oh, I felt tired so I decided to wake up later", why can I not use that excuse as well?)

In addition, there is more peace in the household. It is not very healthy to the mind when you hear shouting from her, especially when it is really unproductive. I mean, seriously... who shouts at someone at that poor boy who is trying to sleep to get him to sleep?!

Personally, I recovered some bits of my sanity during their vacation. For that, I am grateful.

(Pardon me for this outburst. I am intending to limit such occurrences to only once a year, including SNS. Therefore, this is my only avenue. Hahas. I am not going to let this opportunity slip by!)

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Goals Scoresheet
Link: Year 2013 Goals
That aside, it is time for some self-evaluation!

The final score is 8/13. That amounts to around 61.5% Not a particularly good score. I totally failed in my aspect to renew my wardrobe. That would explain why I performed stellar results on the savings aspect.

I found that it is really hard to shop clothings alone. I prefer to shop with friends. However, the problem lies in the fact that I am in army. When I am free, they are not. And vice versa. It did not help that I was stuck in the camp when the discounts were in full effect. I think there is something seriously wrong with my army timetable. (It's a conspiracy, I swear!)

The scholarship aspect was an utter failure this year as noted by this post.
That said, the application window is open once more and I am once more faced with answering those essay questions. Each year made more tough partly because they are the same questions and my writing skills are ever more rusty with each passing year in the army. Fight on!

The goal to getting a driving license was actually not over-ambitious but rather a poor management of time by my part. I did not foresee that the later part of the year would be so packed to the point that I had to forgo learning driving to fulfil other pressing issues. Nevertheless, I should be embarking on this goal once more next year.

Regarding my learning of my C programming, I did not consider it to be achieved not because I did not attempt to study the topic. (As a matter of fact, I did) Rather, it was due to the fact that I only read those syntax rules in theory but did not try it hands-on. I would not consider that I learnt the basics if I had not done any practical work. Thus, it was left unachieved. Moving forward, I should have more time to learn more programming languages next year.

Finally, I decided to say I achieved the goal of being more decisive. I would not say I am now very decisive but definitely more than the me last year. Again, this is very subjective but I believe it is right to say it had been achieved.

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"Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A world of optimism and hope. A 'you can do it' when things are tough."- Richard M. DeVos

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After the Bad, comes the Good
In a blink of an eye, the year 2013 draws to a close. I really meant it. I am quite amazed that the year is already ending. There is still so much to be done (as seen evidently by my Wishlist, hahas).

Looking back, after casting aside all the mental stress I experienced throughout the year (I almost feel numb to low levels of it already), I am surprised that I had actually went through some great moments this year as well.

This year I visited the USS for the first time. (Again, I need to check why is the post made private)

This year I visited the Gardens by the Bay for the first time.

This year I attended numerous conventions and live performances - STGCC 2013, AFA SG 13, On Wings of Love, Persona by EML. (Update: I am dropping coverage of On Wings of Love until further notice.)

Saw some funny exchanges that my friends and I made earlier this year. I had no idea it was made this year. My memory is really that bad huh? No wonder, I felt the need to record them then.

Though I spent most of my weekends hanging out with only a couple of groups of friends, I rather it to be this way. I prefer close friends than hi-bye friends any other day. Hopefully, I have more time to spend time with them next year! ^^

With that, I hope Year 2014 would be better than this year!

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"Positive feelings come from being honest about yourself and accepting your personality, and physical characteristics, warts and all; and, from belonging to a family that accepts you without question." - Willard Scott

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THE SPECKED [SHO9550/28]

Secret War Journal[2011 - November 2013]

Highlights

Powerful sound

• Powerful 9mm drivers deliver a deep, dynamic bass
• Sound isolating soft ear sleeve

---

Enhanced durability

• Tough tangle-free cable and reinforced connectors

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Supreme comfort

• 3 sizes of ear sleeves for a customized fit

 
 

Product dimensions

Width: 1,22 cm

Width: 0,5 inch

Height: 2,35 cm

Height: 0,9 inch

Depth: 2,55 cm

Depth: 1,0 inch

Weight: 0,012 kg

Weight: 0,026 lb

Sound

Acoustic system: Semi-open

Magnet type: Neodymium

Voice coil: CCAW

Diaphragm: Mylar dome

Frequency response: 6 - 23 500 Hz

Impedance: 16 ohm

Maximum power input: 50 mW

Sensitivity: 105 dB

Speaker diameter: 8.6 mm

Type: Dynamic

Connectivity

Cable Connection: symmetrical

Cable length: 1.2 m

Connector: 3.5 mm

Finishing of connector: gold-plated

Type of cable: OFC

Packaging dimensions

Type of shelf placement: Dummy

Number of products included: 1

UPC: 6 09585 18877 8

Depth: 3 cm

Depth: 1,2 inch

Gross weight: 0,066 kg

Gross weight: 0,146 lb

Height: 17,2 cm

Height: 6,8 inch

Nett weight: 0,026 lb

Nett weight: 0,012 kg

Packaging type: Dummy

Tare weight: 0,120 lb

Tare weight: 0,054 kg

Width: 9,5 cm

Width: 3,7 inch

Outer Carton

Gross weight: 2,285 kg

Gross weight: 5,038 lb

GTIN: 1 06 09585 18877 5

Height: 37,5 cm

Height: 14,8 inch

Length: 24,8 cm

Length: 9,8 inch

Nett weight: 0,288 kg

Nett weight: 0,635 lb

Number of consumer packagings: 24

Tare weight: 1,997 kg

Tare weight: 4,403 lb

Width: 8,9 inch

Width: 22,7 cm

Inner Carton

Gross weight: 0,243 kg

Gross weight: 0,535 lb

GTIN: 2 06 09585 18877 2

Height: 17,6 cm

Height: 6,9 inch

Length: 10,5 cm

Length: 4,1 inch

Nett weight: 0,036 kg

Nett weight: 0,079 lb

Number of consumer packagings: 3

Tare weight: 0,207 kg

Tare weight: 0,456 lb

Width: 4,0 inch

Width: 10,2 cm

Link to Purchase: http://www.usa.philips.com/c/headphones/sho9550_28/prd/en/

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Review:
This ear piece had been my daily companion for around 2 years. For the price of $39.90, it lasted for quite a while until my colleague accidentally crushed it while slamming shut my drawer. Most unfortunate.

Through a collaboration between Philips and O'Neill, they came out with a new design for ear piece. During its time, wires for ear pieces were mostly made of rubber, either the conventional round or flat types. Hence, when THE SPECKED make use of fabric covering for the wires, it was considered a novelty.

What sets the fabric outer layer from the conventional rubber layering is its enhanced durability. As a rough user of ear phones, I was disillusioned with the conventional rubber layers because they tear too easily. As a result, when the ear piece that came along with my iPod was wrecked, I did some research to search for alternatives to rubber wrapped wires. Thus, that was how I chanced upon the tanker.

The strongest selling point of THE SPECKED is without doubt, its durability. In fact, when the product was first released in the market, it was advertised as the ear piece for sportsmen. As users who exercise, the ear piece that they use would be subjected to much damage during the course of the activity. THE SPECKED was built to withstand such damage and after using it for 2 years, I dare say the ear piece had lived up to its expectations.

However, while the ear piece excelled in durability, it fell behind in the sound department. The bass is decent but the fabric material proved to be an obstacle to producing quality music. In exchange for protection against wear and tear, the fabric tends to produce frictional noises when rubbed against another object. This makes it not ideal for playing music on the move as the wires would be swinging around hitting random objects (your top, slashing against the wind). In fact, this is the negative point that is a letdown for users and a major turnoff for audiophiles. Therefore, if you think cannot stand static noises when you are listening to music on-the-go, you should not buy this nor any wires covered by fabric.
That said, one way to minimise the noise would be to clip the wire to your clothing or simply listen to music without much fidgeting or without moving.

In conclusion, I would rate this product about 7 out of ten. It is considerably affordable and durable which I feel deserves a 7. :)

Thistress

Secret War Journal[25 November 2013]
I never mention to anyone.

However, this stress is strangling me.

---

"It is strange to be known so universally and yet to be so lonely." - Albert Einstein

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A decade from now

Secret War Journal[November 2013]
I'll never forget being with you at the end of summer
With our dreams of the future and big hopes
I believe that ten years later in August,
we'll meet again
Such great memories...

We met in a sudden instant at the intersection on the way home
And you called out to me, and said "Let's go home together"
I was so bashful that I hid my face with my bag
But I was so very, very happy

Ah, the fireworks burst in the night sky so nicely, it kinda hurts
Ah, the wind flows by with the time

We had so many happy, fun adventures
Together in our secret base

I'll never forget being with you at the end of summer
With our dreams of the future and big hopes
I believe that ten years later in August, we'll meet again
I knew that, until the end, you were shouting
"Thank you" from the bottom of your heart
Farewell while smiling and holding back tears is so hard
Such great memories...

Ah, summer break will end soon
Ah, I hope the sun and moon make friends

We had so many sad, lonely arguments
Together in our secret base

I knew that, until the end, you were shouting
"Thank you" from the bottom of your heart
Farewell while smiling and holding back tears is so hard
Such great memories...

Nothing can be done about your sudden transfer
I'll write, and call
So don't forget me
Forever, in our secret base

With you at the end of summer, we talked on and on
After the setting sun, we gazed at the stars
I'll never forget the tear that flowed down your cheeks
I won't forget
The way you waved to me until the very end
So let's stay this way in our dreams, forever...

I'll never forget being with you at the end of summer
With our dreams of the future and big hopes
I believe that ten years later in August, we'll meet again
I knew that, until the end, you were shouting
"Thank you" from the bottom of your heart
Farewell while smiling and holding back tears is so hard
Such great memories...

Such great memories...

Effectiveness of Fire Drills (or lackof)

Secret War Journal[11 November 2013]
Recently, my friends and I have been encountering various forms of the fire alarm triggering. Be it for fire drill, false alarms and real fire.

Of course, there would be differences for each cases though there are similarities.

Fire Drill
Let's start with the case of a fire drill. It is what everyone would expect. When the fire alarm triggers off, everybody will switch off all their electrical appliances and evacuate in an orderly manner. No issues. All is calm.


Objectives of a Fire Drill
Before we carry on to what happened to the other two scenarios, let us explore the purpose of conducting fire drills for the public. Fire drills are executed to prevent people from panicking in the event of a real fire. In addition, it serves to educate people on the evacuation routes. Simply, fire drills aims to

1. Prevent Panic and Chaos
2. Inform public of evacuation routes
3. Inform public of locations of fire hoses and extinguishers
4. Minimise injuries in an event of a real fire

In my opinion, the first point is of utmost importance in a fire drill as it enables a clarity of mind which would help to achieve the secondary objectives.

Real Fire
Now let us consider what I heard happened during a fire breakout recently in an university.

On one occasion, the fire alarm triggered off. Students in the class was indifferent to the fire alarm ringing. Shortly after, there was an announcement informing the personnel in the vicinity there is not a drill and that there is a fire in the faculty. This, however, did not prompt a reaction from some of the students who listened to the announcement, only to return to their revision.

Some of us may not find such a situation shocking. Indeed, for them to remain so calm may be partly due to the fact that they deem it is unnecessary to evacuate as they are not in immediate danger. This could be because they felt that the fire is a small one and would not spread to their area. While it is not entirely wrong, it reveals a worry sign of complacency. Either they trust the system that someone would put out the fire or they really believed that it is unlikely that the fire would spread.

In a way, this proves the success of fire drills. Everyone is calm and not prone to panicking in an event a fire alarm rings. However, the question is now if it has worked too well?  Is it an issue if no one actually reacts to the fire alarm? Does it defeat the purpose of having a fire alarm system?

False Alarms
Another plausible answer to why no one reacts to the fire alarm could be its drawbacks - human mischief and malfunction

Every alarm system is prone to human mischief. While measures are put in place to minimise them, it still occurs. Curious children may sound off the fire alarm; Accidentally activation of the fire alarm for whatever reasons.

Furthermore, no system is safe from errors. A detector may erroneously detect a 'fire' and triggers off the alarm where there is, in fact, no fire.

All these causes false alarms to occur. If this happens frequently enough, people would start to ignore the alarm being triggered off, brushing it aside as another false alarm. This is analogous to the story of the boy who cried wolf.

I am no exception. During breakfast with my friends, a fire alarm was triggered off. Unfortunately, no one reacted to it. Despite hearing the ringing sound of the alarm, I did not feel any panic nor an urge to evacuate. I simply continued with my breakfast with my peers.
Somehow, over the course of my life, the ringing sound is not that jarring anymore and does not scream "FIRE" to me.

Looking around, I saw that no one responded to the alarm as well. After a few minutes, an announcement came, assuring the public that they are currently investigating if there is a fire. Immediately after, they found that it was just a false alarm.

Well, no harm done, I did not react to the alarm anyway.

---

Interestingly, no matter what the scenario, the results are somewhat similar, the affected people are calm.

Some would say the fire drills have achieved its purposes. No one is panicking.

However, is it just an illusion?

Most people do not respond because they are used to false alarms. Ask yourselves, how often do you encounter a fire in a building?

If they really saw the fire with their own eyes, I doubt they would be as calm as hearing the fire alarm. It is hard to stay calm in such an event, after all. In such cases, the fire drill failed.

Furthermore, if no one responded to the fire drill, is it yet not another failing of the fire drills since it also serves to bring everyone out of the danger area and to safety? If no one moves nor respond to the alarm, it defeats the purposes of having a fire alarm.
--
This is what our society is slowly turning into. People who are indifferent to alarms. This could be worrying.

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"The danger of the past was that men became slaves. The danger of the future is that man may become robots." - Erich Fromm