cheerleading

Since soccer is the most watched game in sunny Singapore (and anywhere except the US for that matter), I'm not a particular fan of the NFL or the upcoming Superbowl this weekend.

However, what did catch my eye was this site.

Heck, it would probably catch any straight guy's eyes for that matter ^^;

this is your captain-to-be speaking

Any wannabe-pilots for the A380 can get their first shot at the cockpit with this pretty awesome interactive website.

Still worth a look even if you haven't once dreamed of having your callsign as Maverick ^^;

godzilla sticky men

I'm sure anyone who has walked along Orchard Road recently has seen them - peddlers selling a basket full of 'sticky man' toys. Well, today I just found out they are actually called Wacky WallWalkers (the power of wikipedia ^^;), but thats besides the point. The thing is, some wacky Japanese actually recreated a live-sized sticky man and let it loose on a building. Unsurprisingly, the results are hilarious, even if they aren't too successful to begin with but who cares anyway? XD





To be perfectly honest, I much preferred the 1st clip where it made a hole in the roof ^^;

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old boys

I just came back from a reunion dinner with my secondary 1/2 classmates from RI at Brewerkz. No, not that type of Chinese New Year reunion dinner, but one where we could meet up after almost 6 years of not seeing each other.

I guess I could say the turnout was pretty good - 13 of us out of the original class of 34 were present while some others were overseas or just too busy to come. Some of us did change physically: growing longer hair, having growth spurts, slimming down and what not, while others (myself included ^^;) just stayed and looked the same.

We talked about many things over the overpriced dinner and smooth beer such as former teachers, old classmates, National Service and even forgotten register numbers (my friend kindly reminded me I was no. 31 lol) Everyone was feeling nostalgic and sheepish at the same time as we relived the old memories, whether good or bad - but mostly good I guess.

Plans about the present and future were discussed as well, with everyone getting a sit-rep from everyone they haven't seen in years. Laughter was traded, smiles were given and friendships were rekindled as the night went on.

As for me, I just felt pretty damn happy.

Because I just remembered how much I miss you guys.

code geass R2 trailer

Well, what can I say? Pretty short but it does capture the imagination I suppose. 3 more months to go ^^;

VR-Wii FTW!!!

Now here's another reason to get a Wii and start playing around with it.



Pretty mind-boggling no? It kinda reminds me of this cop game I saw at the arcades where the player actually has to stand on a mat holding a light gun. It plays exactly like Time Crisis but to hide you literally have to move your body downwards, making for some more intense gameplay - or more hilarious scenes depending on whether you are the player or not ^^;;

me, myself and I

I recently stumbled upon this really unique Japanese game while getting my usual dosage of gaming news from Gameaxis. Named Cursor * 10, this flash applet basically has you literally moving your mouse cursor from one level to the next while its life counts down to zero at the bottom right of the screen. When your cursor does 'die', you start all over from level 1 again - but this time you have a little help from your ghost which does exactly the same thing it did. Sounds downright bizarre but - well, you just have to try it for yourself ^^;;

to beyond and infinity

I guess everyone has folded and thrown a paper aeroplane before - be it at your friends during school or just to kill some time and trees in the process. Well, here's something you probably haven't done and would never get to do ever :

Origami spaceplane to launch from space station

Researchers from the University of Tokyo have teamed up with members of the Japan Origami Airplane Association to develop a paper aircraft capable of surviving the flight from the International Space Station to the Earth’s surface.

The researchers are scheduled to begin testing the strength and heat resistance of an 8 centimeter (3.1 in) long prototype on January 17 in an ultra-high-speed wind tunnel at the University of Tokyo’s Okashiwa campus (Chiba prefecture). In the tests, the origami glider — which is shaped like the Space Shuttle and has been treated to withstand intense heat — will be subjected to wind speeds of Mach 7, or about 8,600 kilometers (5,300 miles) per hour.

A large spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle can reach speeds of up to Mach 20 (over 15,200 mph) when it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, and friction with the air heats the outer surface to extreme temperatures. The much lighter origami aircraft, which the researchers claim will come down more slowly, is not expected to burn up on re-entry.

No launch date has been set for the paper spaceplane, but Shinji Suzuki, an aerospace engineering professor at the University of Tokyo, is thinking ahead. “We hope the space station crew will write a message of peace on the plane before they launch it,” says Suzuki. “We don’t know where in the world the plane will land, but it would be nice to send a message to whoever finds it.”

*Click on the title to get to the original link*



Japanese researchers sure have a lot of money on their hands to design a high-tech paper spaceplane just to throw it back to Earth. Heck, I thought it would come with GPS or something - those peeps don't even know where it'll land!

coin-op marching band

Hmm, it's been awhile since I last posted but that's to be expected because *drum roll* - I've finally got my new Viewty! I've been eyeing the phone for quite awhile now since my 3-year-old K750i was finally giving up on me. Even though I'm not a huge fan of LG phones since my friends all told me they suck, the Viewty somehow managed to lower my sense of skepticism (must be that 3-inch touchscreen lol). Anyway, that's that - it feels pretty good to finally own a new phone after two years of national service where cameras are not allowed due to the possibility of a security breach. Yeah right.


Speaking of drum rolls, these guys could probably do it better :



Being a avid gamer myself, this performance sure brought a smile to my face. Now, if only I could get the school bands in Singapore to do something like this..

vanishing into thin air

Ok, not quite, but the newest Macbook Air would be pretty much the thinnest laptop around at 0.16-0.76 inches (the device is tapered). This, in addition to a weight of a mere 3 pounds (1.36kg), has catapulted it to the top of my 'want-to-buy' list ^^;

That aside, I figured it should be high time I get a laptop from one of the PC shows since university classes would finally be starting in the later part of the year. I haven't been much of a Mac user though, so I'm still divided on whether to splurge on a Macbook or to just get a run-of-the-mill one for less than a grand. Hmm, decisions decisions..



Video taken from Wired. Original link here.

ultra HD anybody?

Just when the world is looking on at the unfolding HD-DVD vs Blu-Ray drama, this rabbit gets pulled out of the hat :



Mon Jan 14, 12:53 AM ET

TOKYO (AFP) - The Japanese government will begin a joint project with private companies to develop technology for next-generation ultra high-definition video, a daily newspaper report said Monday. The communications ministry also aims to begin broadcasting with the system in 2015 and internationally standardised the Japanese technology, the Yomiuri Shimbun said without citing sources.

The technology, to be called "Super Hi-Vision", could show images of about 33 million pixels, 16 times more than the present Hi-Vision technology, a high-definition TV technology developed by public broadcaster NHK, it said.

The ministry was expected to spend 300 million yen (2.7 million dollars) on start-up research starting from the fiscal year in April, it said.

No comment on the report was available from the ministry on Monday, a public holiday in Japan.

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Looks good no? No, I meant the TV of course..

tokyo dance trooper

Hmm, ever wanted to see a stormtrooper dancing in Tokyo? Now here's your chance! Video is courtesy of dannychoo.com, which is where I usually get my daily otaku news fix ^^;

Code Geass : OMGWTFBBQ!!!

Yup, that was what went through my mind when the ending credits of the series started rolling. Having finally finished the day's work of mindless brain-numbing data-entry, the allure of some fine mecha action at the end of the day was too difficult to ignore.

And alas, disappoint me Code Geass did not - the final few episodes had an intensity unlike any other of its generic brethen. Plot twists were wild and unexpected while blood flowed by the spades - but nothing was as surprising as seeing how much of an asshole Lelouch had become. I won't spoil anything for potential viewers, but I just can't see what C.C. sees in him that makes her continue to stay around him after all that's happened. Probably some contract thingie I guess, but I digress..

Anyway, enough of ranting. For those of you still wondering whether to take the plunge into the world of Geass or not, hesitate no further - you'd be taken on a hell of an emotional ride once you've reached the end of the final 2 combined episodes. And, when it does pull the rug out from under you when it ends, you'd be left clamoring for much much more. If you as so much call yourself even a decent mecha fan and have not touched this series yet, you deserve to be shot - yeah and I'd probably recommend it done by that poor bugger up there ^^;;




From what I've gathered so far, Season 2 starts in April 2008, alongside the excellent Macross Frontier if I'm not wrong.



3 more months.



I can't wait.

how to win Guess Who in one move

I guess nobody plays Guess Who nowadays, with the advent of TVs, computers and what not, but it's still a pretty nifty trick IMO - provided your opponent's character is Anne of course.

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code geass : addicted

Today, I had half a mind to finish the remaining 8 episodes of Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion. On second thought, I would rather slowly savour the series while it lasts.

What can I say? Neat mecha designs, a twisted anti-hero with an out-of-this-world ability and a kick-ass soundtrack makes for an offering any decent anime fan cannot afford to refuse.

Speaking of the soundtrack, I totally dig ED2 - and thats why I'm sharing it ^^;;

p.s. youtube only though, the full version, though much nicer, was too much a hassle to upload lol

Vee Are All Rockstars

Sitar Hero anybody?

literally cool

Only found in Japan of course, but it's not as if it would have much use in hot-as-hell-all-year Singapore -_-"

happy 2008?

A new year calls for a new start - at least that's what I thought when I started this blog. Blogger tells me the last time I blogged about my existence was way back in 2006. More accurately, I stopped when via found out about some unsuitable content in one of my posts. I guess I didn't expect me finding an avenue to vent and voice my thoughts and reflections to cause so much trouble to both of us.

Anyway, that's that. This blog, though created on a whim, shall not be any different. Heck it's not even the first day of the year anymore. But better late than never they say. Who's they anyway?

Today marks the start of my efforts to source for an income source. Not that I didn't do anything beforehand of course, but nothing as proactive as the 3rd of January. Flipping to the Recruit for the first time, I felt like I was venturing into uncharted territory. Via did a lot of groundwork for me yesterday - enough work for me to feel guilty about my identity as a male, but make no mistake that I'm really grateful for all her efforts.

My first interview was at this run-down building in Aljunied, which seriously gave me second thoughts when I saw it. Throwing caution to the wind (I guess?), my destination eventually led me to this events-planning company which has probably too few personnel to be even considered one. Heck, I had to call the phone to get the receptionist out when I was already at the reception. Talk about first impressions. The manager was a improvement, fortunately, and after listening to the details, I've become interested to say the least. Nevermind the fact that I have to work on Saturdays and that the pay was slightly below average, I was actually slightly excited by what new experiences were awaiting me. Time would tell whether I would be right when I return for a 2nd interview next Monday at 8.45am.

Somehow all this job-searching has made me pause after I got home. A part of me longs for the carefree and dare I say slack lifestyle I've been enjoying for the past 2 months since the end of my 2-year NS liability. Heck, all the anime I've watched since then has made my life more interesting than the past 2 years combined - and I've just started on Code Geass, which although isn't as absurd and awesome as Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, is still pretty much kick-ass in its own right. Something about giant mecha duking it out with the world at stake is attractive. Not that via cares mind you - I tried explaining to her the difference between the genre and Power Rangers to no avail. But that's that I guess.