A Burning Flame

reply

2009-12-05T22:00:00.001+08:00

ty jo. tho you will probably nvr see this T.T

yk's birthday!

2009-04-26T20:03:00.000+08:00

Yo all!

Wish yikang happy birthday!

My head belongs to Huan Hock

2008-09-29T14:16:00.001+08:00

Creative = chuang yi

Apple = ping guo

May our hopes and dreams come true...

2008-09-29T14:14:00.002+08:00

Due to the fact that this secret that is shared between me bran n hh, and dat cc cannot know about it, this blog shall remain secret :)

WEN JUNS BACK!!!!

2008-09-29T14:10:00.002+08:00

wen jun appears out of nowhere, popping up at the f1 race. he jumps about and almost crashes into a car. moments later, he mysteriously pops up at swensens, and stuffs his face with fish n chips and sticky chewy chocolate. But who would have thought, HE UNDERPAID THE BILL BY $2 DOLLARS!!!! :O Confused and totally out of ideas, he glares at everyone and says, SCREW U!!! U ALL CAN GO ROT IN HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!! :( then he pouts and hands over $2 and the bill is finally paid. Happy ending:)

...

iPerceive

2008-09-07T21:13:00.001+08:00

It is Macworld 2007, the annual Apple convention where new products are brandished. Steve Jobs walks onto stage. He boots up the onstage Macbook, showing off its “improved boot time”. There are some wows, some scattered applause. Jobs then brandishes some off the latest applications: “improved iLife”, “Safari with a new edge”, “slicker iTunes”. Again, scattered applause from the crowd. Yet, the majority of the Apple fans, reporters, and industry bigwigs gathered await with bated breath. There have been rumours, leaks, of something revolutionary, something the world has never before seen.

Just then, Jobs reaches into his pocket - a silence fills the entire hall – and takes out something slick and silvery. It looks like an iPod, yet its screen fills its entire area. It looks like a phone, yet it lacks a keypad. Jobs grins as he holds it out to the crowd. “Introducing, the new iPhone.” The silence is broken as the crowd gasps and roars all at the same time. Later, thousands of youngsters queue to be one of the first to own the iPhone. Analysts predict a rise in Apple shares. The world is set ablaze by the ground-breaking product.

Yet, beneath all the hoo-hah and iPhone fanatics, how many actually truly understand the full features of the iPhone? Yes, it combines a phone and the iPod. Yes, its screen is, well, unimaginably big. Yes, it is touch-screen, with the lauded “multi-touch” interface. However, how many of us actually stop to question each of the features’ usefulness? A phone-cum-iPod is nothing new. Many of today’s phones already sport music playing features rivalling or even beating the iPod. The extremely big screen is also extremely prone to scratches. And its most lauded feature, the lack of a keypad, can take time getting used to. Without the familiar feel and texture of buttons, the iPhone’s touch-screen can get irritating before long.

Nevertheless, the world is enamoured by it. Why, you might ask. Simply because it’s from Apple. Apple does an amazing job of advertising their products, making them seem better than they really are. The “Mac vs PC” adverts are perfect examples, in which the Macintosh computer from Apple is shown as “hipper” and “cooler” than its counterpart, the Windows PC from Microsoft. Moreover, once you own a Macintosh, switching back to a PC feels like a downgrade, no matter how expensive a Macintosh might be.

In essence, it all boils down to perception. Perception is reality. You act according to what you believe in. In this case, we are convinced that the iPhone is a revolutionary device, and inadvertedly want to own it. Apple manages to convince the world of its products’ superiority, and hence we react by buying their products. They have altered our perception, making us see what they want us to see.
Kudos to Apple for their success in the iPhone, but for the rest of us, perhaps we should think twice about buying such devices. After all, nothing is as it seems.

499 words

revival!

2008-07-22T01:13:00.004+08:00

er
first.
how did mugging beat anime and games in the poll.........

hmm had a sudden random urge to do something at 1am
after chionging this imba thing called bio wiki on DIVING
kll seemed to really enjoy blogging to yea

here i am blogging
hi, i guess.

this blog will never be as scandelous as kll's blog nor as eye-opening as max's blog but
yea.
nice to meet to.
my first post!

this morning i was super late for school.
reached the school compound at 8:30
to a bewildered general office lady.
grudgingly asking for a PSP
no, pink slip of paper
then walking back to the raja block to see that,
wow,
the entrance was closed.

had the crazy but wonderful thought that school was NOT HERE and there was no school today.
Alas, not to be.
met ashraf in raffles square where he so kindly >< directed me to the hall.
so school was here............

the racial harmony song was not bad, nice(note mrs Nathan) singing and music.
tho i still believe the Singapore Music Industry should completely migrate to chinese music.(campus superstar!)

hmm some pictures would be nice(note!)

tired...
probably wont wake up on time again tmr
ah well got a slack day tmr.
except for geog ><

Democracy(2) - SS essay!

2008-07-07T21:51:00.000+08:00

“Democracy brings about stability in a society”

First, some definitions: Democracy is a form of government in which power is given to the people, and exercised by them either indirectly or directly, while stability refers to the political, economic and social stability. Assuming democracy refers to indirect democracy, I agree to this statement.

The concept of democracy means that there is equal distribution of political power and rights. This means that individuals, regardless of race, language, religion, or any other separating factor, are allowed to choose leaders of the country, in this way voicing their views and feelings. Effectively, the people who are voted represent the people who voted for them. This equality in voting results in equal say even among the minority. The minority thus have no reason to voice their opinion through other means such as rioting and protests. Inter-group violence will drop, as people have a platform to express themselves. This eventually means social stability.

On the other hand, democracies use the majority rule in much of its decision making. Political practices such as voting will give power to the majority, as a way of deciding the voice of the people. Thus, as usually only the majority view is expressed, the concept of tyranny of the majority may be brought out. In this case, since the minority view is not heard, there is a chance that the minority might be oppressed and discriminated against. A prime example in our neighbourhood is the ongoing political struggle in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, the two main races, the Sinhalese and the Tamil, are forever at loggerheads with each other. The Sinhalese, being the majority, naturally voted in leaders who are like-wise pro-Sinhalese. These pro-Sinhalese leaders go on to created discriminatory policies against the Tamils. The Tamils, feeling discriminated, riot and protest. Some even join extremist groups just to have their shouts of unfair treatment heard. This will naturally lead to an unstable social situation.

Politically, democracies try to keep politics a simple and non-violent affair. Voters vote in their favourite leader, and the leader with the most votes win. This very concept allows the removal of unwanted leaders in a quick and clean manner, minimizing violence and riots. Adding to this is the process of regular, fair and free elections. These elections help keep the balance of power to the favoured leader, and prevent and foul play and corruption. The leaders themselves dare not abuse their power, for fear that he will get voted out. Distribution of power to different branches of government also prevents a dictatorship and all-powerful power. Frequent checks and balances from the Judiciary and mandatory transparency of government proceedings also help keep corruption at bay. Without the presence of corruption, democracy brings out political stability.

Economically, democracies also prevent the skewing of wealth towards a particular class of elites. The concept of meritocracy gives credit to those who work hard, allowing even the poor to rise up the ranks. Meritocracy allows everyone equal opportunity, but different outcomes and rewards based on effort and work done. A free market also prevents monopolies and inflation in the economy, by allowing market forces to work undisturbed. The law of supply and demand will naturally normalize the prices, and discourage monopolies, thus stabilizing the economy.

In all, democracies bring out stability simply by its concepts. However, democracy alone is not enough to bring peace to a country. Democracy simply sets the stage for stability to emerge, and capable leaders and constant revising of laws and policies are necessary for a country to prosper. (587 words)

Democracy, Democracy, Democracy!

2008-05-30T20:12:00.005+08:00

Democracy. A word heard over political news almost every day. A word advocated by the Bush Administration like the Holy Grail. Yet, how many of us actually understand the meaning of democracy? Is democracy elections and voting? Is democracy people-power? Is democracy publishing the annual national budget? In essence, it is a little of everything. And as the war in Iraq drags on longer and longer, many of us cannot help but question - will democracy really create stability in a nation?

First, Irag, then Pakistan, then Zimbabwe. The world seems to have no end to conflict. Yet through all these problems, we discover a growing trend. The countries that wage war against the mighty United States (US) and the rest of the comparatively well-developed world seem to have a fledgling democracy, yet terror rings true in the hearts of the people. Violence and riots are daily affairs, and suicide bombings come as accepted happenings of life. Through all this chaos, what has democracy done? It has not solved the acts of terror, and it certainly has not pushed down the death toll. Corruption is blatant and widespread, and the sufferings of the millions under its rule are insurmountable.

Nonetheless, it is important to look beyond the superficial, and venture deeper into the inner frameworks of government. Democracies have a few common characteristics, a few of which are elections and petitions. Elections allow the people to choose their leaders, and thus their political standpoints, and petitions allow them to change laws and policies. This hands over the power of expression to the people on a silver platter, effectively encouraging them to voice their views on problems in society, and hopefully potential solutions. Correspondingly, a great amount of social violence comes from the need to voice their views, most of the time in contrast to the government’s. Many riots and, more seriously, bombings, stem from the need to express views that the government would ordinarily just ignore. By giving the citizens the freedom of speech, such acts of terror would not need to be carried out. Democracy thus helps reduce terrorism and increase stability.

Additionally, democracy strongly discourages corruption in government. Periodic elections and checks and balances help ensure a people-orientated and just government. Unfair and power-hungry government officials will be voted out during elections, and intermittent checks and balances curb lop-sided power systems, whilst daunting government officials from giving in to corruption. With the primary cause of governmental instability being corruption and warped distribution of power, democracy will lead to stability in governmental systems. This stable government will be the ones who will lead the people to more prosperous and stable times, cracking down on terrorists and cushioning social friction. Eventually, democracy will lead to a stable nation.

As Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy used to say, “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” Democracy is the basis for stability, and without it, terrorism and social instability will be rampant. I believe that given enough time, democracy will bring about stability in even the most under-developed countries, and our role between now and then is just to fend off terrorism and help nurture the birth of a healthy democracy.

(529 words)

Fragile Safety

2008-03-06T22:39:00.005+08:00

“Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari had broken out of the Internal Security Department (ISD) detention centre in Whitley Road…Much of the action centred on Goldhill Estate as police and Special Operations Command vehicles converged on the area. The police went door to door, checking cars and questioning residents in the estate.”

When I heard this, the first thing that came to mind was – wow! I pass by Whitley Road everyday on my way to school. Then, after counting the number of policemen beside the SCGS – the police must really be desperate to catch that terrorist. Finally, as the full impact of what happened hit me – this seems like a movie.

In a Singapore context, such incidents are more like once-in-a-lifetime occurrences than daily events. After all, how often do you see a JI terrorist escape from a hidden detention centre in which you pass by every day? How often do you even see with your own eyes a crime being committed? These images just do not fit into the picture of safety portrayed in Singapore.

Thus, faced with this rare situation that threatens our security, we get more and more worried, more and more anxious. And as the search stretches on and the chances of catching the terrorist get slimmer and slimmer, we stop sending our children to school, worried about their safety. We avoid passing through the area, leaving traffic near Newton reduced to barely a trickle. We feel something obscured by the safe haven of Singapore – fear.

Conversely, this would not happen in America. Americans have grown up in a place where guns are legal, where premature deaths are part and parcel of life. Fear is part of their everyday lives, and they, in turn, have gotten used to it. Something like this would not disrupt activities in the America as much as in Singapore.

Simply put, we are unprepared. We are not prepared to accept such lapses of security in our secure lives, thus ill-equipped to handle them when they happen. With our efficient government, it is hard not to. The Singapore government is quick to cover such holes in security; just look at the number of personnel dispatched to capture the terrorist. Even the telecoms chipped in to send pictures of the terrorist to all mobile phones.

Yet, as much as we can rely on out government to solve these problems, we cannot take the safety for granted. This situation has illustrated the fragility of our image of safety, and shown us how unprepared we are to handle the absence of security. We should not wait until danger lurks around the corner before taking drastic measures to curb it.

(446 words)
http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_212384.html

codec hell

2008-02-19T19:59:00.006+08:00

Codecs are the very basis of playing media. The filters in the codecs allow your media player to read and display your videos or music. Basically, if you have a particular media file, as long as you have the codec for it, it will work. Seems simple, but sometimes the simplest things in life can be made the most complicated through human hands.

First, multiple codecs may have been installed to play the same media file. To help players decide which codec to use, the codec merit system was introduced. The logic was that the codec with the highest merit would be used to read the media file. It seemed ingeneous, until codecs started to competing with each other by giving themselves a higher merit.

The problem is that some of these codecs could not properly play the files they were fighting to play. As media file types evolve, new codecs might be needed to play the file. However, no matter how many new codecs you install, the media file still would not play if your computer was using the old codec to play it. Thus, if the old codec has an incredibly high merit level, or the new codec just has a lower merit level compared to the old one, your file would not be read. This is called "codec hell".

It would be simpler if we could individually sort through each and every filter and decide what file it would read, but just as there are hundreds of file types, there are also hundreds of filters. Sorting through it all manually just would not be too user friendly.

XP Codec Pack

There are a few solutions, but none are complete. You could download a codec pack, complete with codecs to play most file types and a reasonably adequate video player. But with the number of unknown codecs being installed together with your codec pack, chances are you would lapse into codec hell once you needed to play an obscure format.

VLC Player

MPlayer

You could also download a video player that has uses its own codecs inside the player to play files. Examples would be VLC player and MPlayer. The advantage of this is that there woulld be no problem for the player to read the codecs, as it was integrated in it. Such players would thus be more standalone, with less reliance on the system it is being run on. But this comes at the expense of flexiblity. Like a codec pack, it would be hard, in this case near impossible, for you to be able to read a file type the player does not support, as you would not be able to install third party codecs.

There is also a more complete, but much less user friendly way to play media files - manually sort through your filters. As I mentioned above, it is hard and extremely tedious to sort through each filter individually, but there are a number of ways to streamline this process. First, you could start on a freshly installed, clean copy of windows. Your slate would be clear, and much of the work of sorting through the various filters would be reduced, if not eliminated.

Media Player Classic

Zoom Player

As for the installation of filters, you could manually manage the filters, which would allow maximum flexiblility and control. You could also install a filter manager. Zoom Player comes with one installed, and can automatically download different filters for you, at your choice. As for the player, Media Player Classic can play pretty much any file type if you have the filter for it, and so can the above mentioned Zoom Player.

When it all boils down to it, you have to balance features and user friendliness. Codec packs and Integrated media players would do the job for most media, but if you are looking for a more robust player that can play almost anything, manual management of filters is a must.

supercharge your desktop

2008-02-16T10:57:00.007+08:00

What do you first see when you login to your computer? Your desktop. What is the home page for all your computing work? your desktop. What is clogged full of your various shortcuts and installation files? Your desktop.

As life gets busier and more demanding, asthetics seem to have taken the backseat in all the hustle and bustle. But it won't hurt to slow down and, maybe, touch up on some little details that would make your computer life much more interesting. For something that you look at everytime you switch on the computer, small improvements can go a long way in making your computing experience more pleasurable.

First, it would not hurt to change that Windows Xp default background you have as your wallpaper. Deskop wallpaper has thousands of uses, from being relaxing and eye-pleasing to just plain making you looking busy when your are slacking on the job, and they all help more than staring at a XP logo.

Second, give your desktop a much needed icon cleanup. Question youself - How many of those shortcuts do you actually use? How many of those installation files have already been installed and do not need a second installation? And, more importantly, how would you find the important shortcuts that you actually use from inside that mess? Decluttering your desktop, besides making your desktop more asthetically pleasing, can drastically improve your productivity.

Take a little time to supercharge your desktop, and you will gain more in the long run.

patrionism parodies

2008-02-15T00:13:00.004+08:00

Yet Another youtube video on our government! Now comes free with a song.

Come to think of it, why do we love these patrionism parodies so? Is it because of our inert habit to find faults with out leaders? Or is it because faults become apparant the more you scrutinize someone? Or maybe it is simply due to pop culture and trends.

Just some food for thought.

pushing flexiblity to the limits

2008-02-14T00:17:00.006+08:00

Ever played tetris? Now the ever creative japanese (because... they CREATED ANIME!!!) have come up with a variation to the game - human tetris! Though i have to admit it's a little S&M. Thanks Brandon for showing it to me.

coffee, coffee and more coffee

2008-02-13T19:21:00.006+08:00

As my uncle Windchill used to say (Magic School Bus!), everything in moderation. And that includes coffee.

Coffee in moderation is perfectly doable, unless you slept at 2am and woke up dead tired to a new day at school. Worst thing is, i wasn't up studying. It took me two whole hours to get this blog's new layout out, and something about it still sreams blue.

As much as i would like to say that it was pure effort, most of the time was spent redoing and redoing the layout. In other words, poor planning.

Anyway, with my eyes half closed, i could hardly concentrate in school. Thus, during recess, i grabbed the first chance i had and dunked down a can of ice coffee. As you all might know, coffee's caffine effect does not take place immediately. Thus, still groggy and thinking that one can of coffee was not enough, i drank another two. (Yes, you read right. Three cups of coffee.)

Now, caffine has another side effect - it fills your stomach. With the triple shot of coffee, my hunger disappeared and I skipped recess and lunch. This may sound good if you are on a diet, but it isn't worth it. Why? Simply because it leaves you weak and with a headache throughout the entire day.

But that's not to say that coffee does not help. It helps if you, say, need an extra boost to last you through a boring lecture, but like whoever Ms Frizzle's uncle was used to say, everything in moderation.

more youtube parodies

2006-06-15T22:56:00.000+08:00

More funny videos from Youtube!

不得不爱 (Back Dormitory Boys)
South Park and Harry Potter
Hokkien James Bond
Hokkien Star Wars
Hokkien Lord of the Rings

Hope you like them.

memoirs of a geisha parody

2006-06-14T01:33:00.000+08:00

I managed to squeeze in a funny parody of the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" before i slept.

Enjoy!