Sigh...

I so bored now.
Study study study.

Oh well, Trials mah... it'll be over soon.

Good luck everyone!!!

The Road to Mandalay

Save me from drowning in the sea
Beat me up on the beach
What a lovely holiday
There's nothing funny left to say

This sombre song would drain the sun
But it won't shine until it's sung
No water running in the stream
The saddest place we've ever seen

Everything I touched was golden
Everything I loved got broken
On the road to Mandalay
Every mistake I've ever made
Has been rehashed and then replayed
As I got lost along the way

(Vocals)

There's nothing left for you to give
The truth is all that you're left with
Twenty paces then at dawn
We will die and be reborn

I like to sleep beneath the trees
Have the universe at one with me
Look down the barrel of a gun
And feel the Moon replace the Sun

Everything we've ever stolen
Has been lost returned or broken
No more dragons left to slay
Every mistake I've ever made
Has been rehashed and then replayed
As I got lost along the way

(Vocals)

Save me from drowning in the sea
Beat me up on the beach
What a lovely holiday
There's nothing funny left to say.

Trials LOOM Over Us

SPM TRIAL EXAMS, here we come...

My blogs'll be inactive until Pre-Judgment Day passes. Wish me luck!

And good luck to all you SPM Trial takers as well!

Simple Words

Hello-ah there, pals. I'll be coming up with more game reviews to keep you hooked. In my list:
- Lego Batman: The Video Game (honestly, it's fun!);
- Icy Tower;
- Braid.
You just gotta wait awhile, until I complete the Trials. Heh, sorry.

Also upcoming are newer stories of sci-fi, as well as a short passage on my unofficial (and exclusive) Equilibrium sequel, featuring John Preston. Tempted yet? Stay tuned!

What Say You?

Today's People's Opinion:

Infatuation: Growing Love, or Crippling Disease?

This is the motion I've put up for you people. Think of an answer and leave it in my Comments section. LOL sorry.Looking forward to your postings. Cheers!

Updates

Lecture Week is already over. And so is the ICT Trial (an A1!!!). I wont' comment on that one, though.

The days are just packed, as the adventurous 8 year old Calvin from Bill Waterson's strips once said. For me, it's not packed with fun, merely loads of studies and work to be done and to catch up on. No more slacking this time. I'm giving my fullest and hopefully hit the mark I've been aiming for. Will I make it? Won't I? Who can say? Time will tell.

On another note, a friend of mine once said I think too much. This is true, really, but is all of that thinking even worth the energy? Personally I think so, as I feel that having an active imagination helps solve dilemmas rather effectively, since you can predict worse case scenarios and how to overcome them, or to avoid difficult or awkward situations.

Then again, it hasn't always been on a positive note. For one, getting carried away with your thoughts can be very annoying; you can't always sort out the data crammed in your mind; and you can NEVER stop thinking. I'm sure you've faced these situations before.

I have. And they never did end so... positively.

What can I do? I've been born this way, perhaps for a reason, and I might find my purpose soon enough. Maybe I'm supposed to be a counselor figure to friends and even strangers, sharing thoughts, perspectives and secrets. Maybe I've been destined for something even bigger. Fate has it all in motion already - might it be? I dunno about it. I'll probably answer that soon.

Sooner or later.

Gamer Says: Plants VS Zombies!

One game that deserves mention has to be (one of) Pop Cap's latest game(s), "Plants Vs Zombies". It's a new and unique concept in TD (Tower Defense) maps, as it's a fresh take in the TD scene with a different map style and lots of cartoony entertainment to go with it.

Essentially, the objective is to prevent a horde of zombies from breaching your defenses by planting special plants that range from pea-shooting flowers and giant Venus fly-traps, to large tough walnuts and mushrooms that explode. Your plants are your only hope in surviving the relentless waves of progressively tougher zombies with your brains intact.

It all starts with your playing field, measuring about 9x5. Here you'll be able to place your plants to fend off the undead. But the catch is that your plants will be in the way of the oncoming hordes, so you'll be forced to block them as much as possible without letting them reach your house. Not only that, you'll need to collect Sun to purchase plants for your defense (Sun falls into the game randomly, and through Sun-producing plants you can plant). So it's all about strategizing effectively in a desperate situation, especially the last few levels.

As you advance further, the battles will become more frenetic as the zombies bring out their bigger guns to eat your precious brain. You'll have to tangle with not just the regular zombie, but you'll face other assortments such as zombies with buckets on their heads (thrice as tough), zombies charging in football suits (a nightmare), dancing zombies that spawn four zombies around it, subterranean travelling zombies, and a whole lot worse. Thankfully, you have a wide array of plants to help you take those undead out.

There's an emphasis on the "rock-paper-scissors" kind of gameplay. For example, if a Football Zombie (as they're called) comes a-charging you can choose to either knock it out with fast firing Repeaters, a one-hit kill pumpkin called the Squash (name implies), or just pull off its helmet with a Magnet-shroom to turn the formidable zombie vulnerable. It's all up to you, but you must be careful on which plants you choose, as it all depends on what you're up against.



Before every level, you are to choose the plants to use in the level by referring to the plants list on the left, and the zombies faced in the level on the right. You have a limited amount of space for plants at first, but thankfully it can be expanded through purchasable upgrades (more on this later). You need to deduce the best combination to take on those zombies you'll face and whether it works is all on how you plant them. (HINT: Wall-nuts and Chompers are quite a handy pair!)

Then we have the extras. You can try your hand out at the Puzzles, Mini-Games and the Survival modes that are featured. Puzzles test your thinking skills; Mini-Games are cute yet difficult distractions for you to enjoy; while Survival is basically somewhat a repeat of the Adventure mode, but with all the plants at your disposal, a few waves to survive, and the ability to re-pick plants after each wave. Mind you, the waves get progressively harder, so always be on the watch!

Other extras include the Almanac, which displays all the plants you can use and all the zombies you've faced. It comes in handy whenever you need to check what plant does what, as well as know the enemy a little better. Each plant and zombie has a very cute description of their character that leaves you with a smile upon reading. Then there are upgrades and purchasable stuff you can buy by earning coins in any of the modes you play. The upgrades are very handy in helping turn the tides against the zombie waves, but they can cost quite a bomb. You can also buy an extra slot so you can have extra plants to use in the levels. These also don't come cheap, I can tell you that. And then there is stuff for your Zen Garden. Zigackly! You can have you own virtual garden to tend to plants you can buy or earn from playing levels, and you even have to keep the plants happy and tended to so you can earn money from them. There are even special gardens for growing mushrooms and aquatic plants, but of course you're gonna have to earn them.

But for even a cute and funny game like this, it does have a few pitfalls. For one, the Puzzles are only limited to two game types and thus loses interest rather quickly, even with the Endless stage where you try to survive the longest (Puzzle and Survival are the only ones with this level; Survival Endless is BLOODY DIFFICULT). There are only a small amount of Mini-Games to attempt, while the Zen Garden could use nice customizable environs with additional garden decor. And it wouldn't hurt to have more plants and zombies, wouldn't it?

Nevertheless, Plants Vs Zombies is very much another of Pop Cap's finest games ever made since Bejeweled. Truly this game does deserve to be in the list of the best games ever made in gaming history. Try it out yourself! I rate this at 8.8 out of 10.

Updates

So far, things've been quite OK. My IT paper just finished on Wednesday, and it went pretty well I must say. I just hope my results'll be promising. But it's not over yet...

AAUGH!!!

Yeah, Life is full of tests of faith, fire and fortitude. Especially the coming ones. Sigh.

Anyways, by the time I post this, the birthday of a special friend of mine has already passed. Though I've already wished her a merry happy birthday, I'll just wish her again here on my blog and maybe I'll even do so on her CBox too. Hehe, it might enlighten her readers too. (Friend, if you're reading this you know it's you I mean. Please don't whack me....)

The drama has also finished its run on Sunday since it first performed last Friday. I didn't go for it, as I was busy with tonnes of homework and revision to do (especially the IT trial paper). Yeah, don't you lecture me on taking a break, 'cos I've been taking too many breaks that I shouldn't. The fact is I've lots to catch up on, believe me, and I don't want to waste TOO many hours relaxing when I'm supposed to work and study, OK? Still, kudos to the cast and crew of the drama for doing the very best for their performance.

I'll get back to you soon, but with holidays looming, trials coming close, and with no Internet access at home, blogging will e difficult. Nevertheless, I'll churn out some posts through the scheduling system Blogger provides (TGFS!). So don't worry, my dear readers, I'll find a way to keep you informed! =)

Still to come: more sci-fi, especially regarding the Technolord's rise; a return to the old (and probably forgotten) Special Mention; more Memories remembered; some short game and movie flashbacks/reviews; and probably random ravings about Love, Life and Loss (from experience , media, thoughts and perspectives).

If you think that I don't have that many readers, or you find that the stuff I say is cool and should be shared, you're most welcome to let your pals or readers know about my blog, as well as Maverick's if you're into serious shit, haha.

Well, time's up for me, so I'll make a leave now. Cheers, and good luck in all your undertakings!

Equilibrium: Why I Say It Rocks

1. The Gun Katas. The Clerics are trained in the art of the Gun Katas so that they may able to predict the enemy's next move and thus effectively neutralize the threat before they can fire. The technique was developed by researching into numerous gun battles so that the Clerics can achieve maximum lethal potential and drastically reduce the chances of suffering wounds. It's all words here, so you should see it yourself to be amazed.

2. Christian Bale. He puts a solid performance as the heroic John Preston, especially when his character's still on Prozium. The changes you see as Preston begins to feel are done very well by the actor. But it's even cooler to see him blast the baddies with the Gun Katas.

3. Sean Bean. Getting to see him die so early in the movie is rather funny. Reminds you of poor ol' Boromir in LOTR.

4. Taye Diggs, a.k.a. Brandt, the calm and calculative new partner to Preston. He's all BAD.

5. The Tetragrammaton. They remind you of oppressive times back in the early 20th Century, days when war and mistrust were heavily abound. Also reminds you of the damned Aryan scum who ruined the lives of billions in WW2. Their police state regime and the need for conformity eerilyreminds you you're on some alien world. How can they NOT feel?

6. Prozium. Scary stuff.

7. The rantings on emotions. They do mean a lot when you listen closely.

Equilibrium

In the first years of the 21st century, a third World War broke out. Those of us who survived knew mankind could never survive a fourth; that our own volatile natures could simply no longer be risked. So we have created a new arm of the law: The Grammaton Cleric, whose sole task it is to seek out and eradicate the true source of man's inhumanity to man - his ability to feel.

Thus, with these opening lines the movie Equilibrium begins. And I tell you, it's quite a great movie.

Set in the future where the world has been ravaged by a Third World War, the city of Libria stands as a proud city amidst the ruins around it. The citizens of Libria are governed by the totalitarian Tetragrammaton Council that controls the city in a police state to maintain "order and conformity". To do this, a drug called Prozium is used to suppress human emotions and thus, maintain the stable peace. The Council also employs the Grammaton Clerics to maintain this order, as well as hunt down the resistance fighters of the Underground alongside the Librian death squads.

Yeah, you read right: emotions are SUPPRESSED. No movies, no art, no songs, no games, none of that. It's all propaganda spread through the enigmatic politcal/spiritual figure known only as Father. The Council is directed by him, though no one has actually met him in person (for fears of assassination attempts). So most of the administration is handled by Vice-Counsel DuPont. Everything with emotions in it are rated EC-10 (EC for Emotional Content) and are subjected to immediate combustion (burned!)

Enter John Preston, Grammaton Cleric First Class and the best of the best.

Yeah, that's him. Christian Bale, in a role not many will remember, unfortunately.

He's the most prodigial Clerics in the Council, and has proven himself many times against the Resistance. His newest victory in the start of the movie is the summary incineration of the Mona Lisa and other priceless art pieces!
He also killed - sorry, executed - his partner, Cleric Errol Partridge (Sean Bean) because of sense-offense (feeling). Ouch! So, he's then assigned a new partner, the ambitious Cleric Brandt (Taye Diggs).

All goes well, until he misses his Prozium dose one fine day. Then he feels, and he rises up against the system he had fought so hard to presrve without a pang of regret. That's heroic. He then bands with the Underground to bring down the Librian government once and for all. But Brandt gets suspicious and begins to monitor Preston closely, until the execution of sense-offender Mary O'Brien (Emily Watson), who was apprehended earlier on, and who Preston may have started to love, and Preston breaks down. Though caught, he gets lucky when Brandt is blamed instead for sense-offense.

Preston asks to meet Father, in hopes of killing the fella, but it seems his foes have planned his fall all along. However, heroes are heores, and he thwarts DuPont's attempt to kill him and saves Libria from emotionless life once and for all. The end.

Sorry my story telling sucks. I'm rather busy in the IT lab. I'll get to you on why the movie's great in my future post. Recess beckons! =)

Sudah Retire Liao...

Sigh, retirement's come already and I feel EMPTY. Aaugh!

Sure, with retirement I can have more time to catch up on my studies, but I feel like part of my soul has been ripped out and cast out into oblivion. I feel rather... I dunno, complete?

Sigh. Indeed, I really did enjoy the days when all of us Prefects of the '08 batch had so much fun doing our jobs, sharing laughter and tears and what-nots, etcetera. Yeah, those were great days, days I'll always look back with much joy and wonder.

Hari, Naveenan, Min Jie, Tuck Khein, Jia-Ee, Lorry Boy - I mean Leroy, Ben, Sara, Yoshita, Sue Jane, and all the rest. We rocked the Board! =)

Life sucks.

Work to do, so I'll see you soon. =)

WANTED!

What's up? Nothing much. Just lingering here in the lab while time flies oh so slowly. Things are rather OK, but Maverick says otherwise. XD

Anyway, I saw and tried the game "WANTED: Weapons of Fate" and it was bloody hell cool!
Oh yes indeed, if you enjoyed the movie, you'll enjoy this game.
Well, it does get repetitive as the game progresses, but man bullet curving and slow-mo kills never get old! Yeah!

OK, the story's set about a few hours after the movie ended. The Paris Fraternity is out to kill our hero Wesley Gibson due to some stuff that relates to his father Cross. So you'll play the foul-mouthed Wesley as he takes on the assassins and goons of the Paris Fraternity one bullet at a time.

Why should you play this game? Easy:
1. Bullet curving is freaking awesome!
2. Shard storm (a.k.a. machinepistol bullet curve) is even cooler!
3. Slow motion kills is bloody cool!
4. Who doesn't want or dual wield?
5. Especially duel wielding machinepistols!
6. Quick time events have bloody fantastic choreography!
7. Wesley's easy to love/hate.
8. The Immortal, head of the Paris Fraternity, is freaking awesome too!

Yeah. Bullet curving... sigh.

Well, I'd love to go into detail, but my bro's done that already. You can check out his review at his blog link here. So read and bleed. XD

Memory of the Day; Added Note

Today's memory: Ben doing the boogey!
This was at last year's Prefect Farewell when some of the guys were asked to do a jig solo or with a friend/sibling on stage. So Ben decided to call up his bro Johnaton Sakesh (apologies if it's wrong!) and dance together! Boy did we laugh, and this pic makes me laugh harder at the thought! XD

Sigh, those were the days...

~ ~ * ~ ~

By the by, things have gone rather okay. Retirement's only tomorrow and I feel very much saddened that the journey has come to an end. Still, I won't forget all the fun us Prefects had together. I'll keep posting these memories until I've no more pics, alright? Have a great day ahead! =)