2010 Comes

Ah, the new year comes very close now. I sigh as I type this out as I remember how the year has gone for me.

2009 had changed me a lot, to be honest. Life in school seems like a big problem as I tried to grope with the numerous challenges tossed at me like studies and Prefecthood. Then there was the crisis that occured, and that left me wishing that things would get better. In the end, things DID somehow get better, though I daresay it left quite a mark on us Prefects.

And then there's the bull-crap about the new Board. Personally, I thought they did a helluva good job trying to piece things back in place. Why the others see it another way, I can't really say. Maybe we all have our views.

Personal life is OK. I don't have to elaborate it to you people. XD

But I believe that I have undergone many changes that have made me a better person. With the new year coming, I can only hope that I can face it well.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year!

New Year

New Year. And I'm at home with family. Waiting for a better and brighter tomorrow,

Sigh... Happy new Year, friends.

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: At the beach with my great pals!

All from left to right:
Front row, kneeling: Mark Ooi, HOMIES.
Second row: Wong Hou Keat, ISUC; Lee Wai Keong, ISUC; Thomas Liew, ISUC.
Last row: Tan Tihn Chern, DISCO; Timothy Ong, CS; me, CS; R.J. Kevin, DISCO.

Christmas!

Christmas time is here
Happiness and cheer
Fun for all that children call
Their favorite time of the year

Snowflakes in the air
Carols everywhere
Olden times and ancient rhymes
Of love and dreams to share

Sleigh bells in the air
Beauty everywhere
Yuletide by the fireside
And joyful memories there

Christmas time is here
We'll be drawing near
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year
Oh, that we could always see
Such spirit through the year...

~ Sung in 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'

MERRY CHRISTMAS FRIENDS!

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: Another group of happy kids!
C'mon now, who doesn't want to be in a picture? Anyway, these guys and gals were in the right place at the right time. And now, their smiles are immortalized in thi picture here.

Ah, those LTC days... what fun we had! What a show!

Oh, Merry XMas to all of you!

Updates

If you're reading this, I'm now at INTI's IT lab on the last day of the Youth Empowerment 2009. We're just learning of the basics of blogging (which I know, obviously. LOL) and I'm actually having quite a blast! Well, of course, since I've not been blogging for quite some time, save for my scheduled posts. And maybe even pick up a few new tricks or two.

I must say, I've learned a lot more from this two-day course - a little more than what I learned in the LTC I went last year. Sure, there are some of the usual messages that we learn in leadership building courses, but I must admit it was VERY fun! I must applaud all the participants for showing so much passion and spunk throughout the entire course.

Oh yes, I'll miss my days here.

And kudos to Dr. Sia who gave loads of very useful advice, the Alpha Team of facilitators and everyone else involved in the entire programme. I salute the participants as well, especially those such as Natasya, Thomas, R.J., Marjan, Phillip, Justin Chen, Thean Soong, and anyone else who has really performed well.

Till we meet again, I bid you adieu!

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: The author goes after the ball!
This was taken during our BBQ and Football Night. The match played in this scene was us CS-ians United versus Team DISCO, but for the life of me I don't remember what the score was. I think we lost this one, but won the others. I think. Still, it shows that I can get into some sporting action if I wanted to!

Many thanks to my friend Melwin Arul for taking this excellent shot! =)

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: Pui Yee and Siew Mian, all smiles at the beach, while Jia-Ee coolly shows off his shades.
I'll bet Koy Yew wasn't expecting Brother Matt to take this pic, but hey, no biggie about it. =) After all, all these pix really leave some memories of all the fun we had in the LTC. I mean, if you look at all the LTC pics, almost all of them has Prefects smiling away, even during the sessions. (Remember the LOL pix? I have a post of those pics but don't remember when they were published) Honestly, you don't get to have this much fun anywhere else.

Sigh... I miss those great days.

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: A fun day at the beach back in Teluk Batik.
The primary focus in this pic would be Miss Sue Jane on the right. If you were there, you can clearly see that she has, in her hand, a baby crab! Unfortunately, this pic doesn't really have a good shot of the little guy, but I can guess your reaction. I don't remember how she found it, but rest assured she let it scuttle away on the sands after admiring it for awhile.

(Note: Jane's an animal lover, FYI)

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce something I'd like to call... the band."
Ai Yean on keyboard, Sue Jane on bass, Karen on drums. Man, what a show they put on! Well, the song choice was quite limited to Here In My Home (unofficially our batch's theme song!) but nevertheless they did great! Everybody had a rocking good time, especially when Aaron took the mic to sing the song! LOL!

Sigh... those were the days. Maybe someday I should get all of my batch together and have another blast!

Updates

Well, I must say that I've a packed schedule ahead of me. Firstly, heading to Penang for Aunt's wedding and then to Nilai for INTI's Youth Empowerment. Well, I'll bet that I'm gonna have a good time.

As for you people, I hope that you're having a great holiday season, before NS dawns upon you. Yes, while you guys linger in a camp for 3 months, I'll be here earning a living! Haha!

Ahem, anyway, I'll try to get back to you people ASAP. In the meantime, have a nice day!

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: Jia-Ee: "Hey, is Aaron for real???"
OMG, when I look at this pic I can't help but laugh out loud. Kudos to photographer Timothy Ong for taking this amazingly humorous snapshot. Seriously, it contains more than a thousand words to describe it. XD

Note how Ben is trying to get our previous Head Boy Levinra to strut his stuff. LOL, that look on Ben's face is just priceless! XD

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: "My bunny jumped over the barbed wire..."
Oh yes, the first day of our LTC began with this cute song, based on the ol' "Bring Back My Body To Me" tune. Mr Bryan (the facillitator, right of the picture) noted my expression and thought I looked depressed 'cause I lost my bunny! (Note: my normal expression is usually quite serious) LOL, it was a humorous thing, especially when everyone broke into the tune coupled with hand movements to go with the lyrics. Heh, I won't forget that.

Maverick Decides A Holiday

If you go to his blog about this time (I think) you'd see he's going off for a holiday. Wonder why, though...

The Avatar of Khaine

The Avatar is indeed a monstrosity to be beheld. A towering giant wreathed in flame, the Avatar is the living embodiment of the Eldar God of War and Murder, a living demigod that walks mortal ground. Armed with his mighty blade, the Doom That Wails, and with a body of pure molten lava impervious to even mighty cannon blows, the Avatar is destruction incarnate.

To look upon the Avatar is to look in the eyes of Death, surely meaning that you would die at the hands of this infernal god of war. No one ever escapes his fearsome wrath.

Modern Warfare 2

Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare II deserves one word to describe how it is: awesome!

(Note: To be honest, this review is based on my own observations. I'm not a huge fan of FPS games, so I let my bro show me how cool it is! XD If you want a more professional review, you can head over to my bro's blog. Sorry! =P)

Though many would complain that its story isn't as long as the first game, nevertheless it makes it up by including a great story that's as great as a real movie, what with all the plot twists scattered throughout the campaign. Truly, you'll forget that you're actually playing a game and watching a movie unfold in front of your eyes.

The story takes place five years after the death of Russian ultra-nationalist leader Imran Zakhaev. The world falls into turmoil once again when terrorists storm a busy Russian airport and kill countless innocents. The blame is placed on the United States, but naturally things don't seem right. You'll be battling your way in numerous different locations across the globe with numerous foes to face, whether its militia in Brazil or Russian troops on American soil.

Wherever you are, EXPECT LOTS OF INTENSE GUN BATTLES! They will seriously test your military skills in FPS games. Your enemies are now much smarter than in CoD4, as they WILL try to flank you to make sure you do not succeed. So always guard your flank. And they're much tougher too, so be very careful!

Sure, the story is short but believe me you'll be hooked onto it so much you'll want to replay it over and over again to enjoy the movie-like feel it gives you. Infinity Ward did a good job in presenting the plot, and kudos have to be given to them.

That, and the new weapons you have at your disposal. Not only do you have your standard M4A1 Carbines and Russian Kalashnikovs in the arsenal, you ave more new weapons to use! From the SCAR-H and Clarion FAMAS assault rifles, to the AT4 disposable rocket launcher and the AA-12 automatic shotgun, there is a lot you can toy around with. Oh, and the riot shield comes really handy as well. There are also new weapon attachments available, like the neat thermal scope and the useful heartbeat detector that really come in handy in certain difficult missions.

Vehicle sections are now available in the campaign, too, especially if you've seen the gameplay trailer in the snow-capped mountains of a Russian military airstrip. But be warned, for these sections can be quite a challenge, as you'll be faced with lots of enemies who are out to get you. The highlight has to be where you race against time to catch up with your foe in a rubber dinghy near the game's end.

Characters here display the same amount of emotion as they did in the original game. How they react to their surroundings (though most of these scenes are scripted) is very much something to marvel at. But it's more noticeable in how they react in combat. However, don't be surprised if they do last for only a brief period of time as your enemies swarm your squad!

All in all, campaign is a real treat to all CoD fans, who're looking for some intense fighting and a cool plot to boot. When you've finished the story, you'll be able to access the Museum which contains all the character and weapon models featured in the game, as well as vehicles featured in the game. (although you can't drive or fly them) I'll keep this a secret because it's quite a treat, but whatever happens DON'T press the bell!

Then there's SpecOps mode. Basically, this is a game mode where you and a friend have to go up against numerous waves of enemies as you try to complete the mission you've been assigned with. For example, you might have to clear out an area of all foes, or stealthily pass enemy patrols. As you complete them, you are awarded stars depending how you've fared. With a certain amount of stars, you'll unlock more SpecOps maps to complete, gradually increasing the difficulty of the maps. And believe me, this mode is meant to be played with a friend, as going solo usually means trouble. Especially when you have to go up against the Russian Juggernauts, who are easily able to absorb heavy amounts of punishment from your guns. Oh yes, be afraid of them!

When you've survived SpecOps, there's always Multiplayer to jump into. It's essentially like the usual fare you find in CoD, except for new perks, maps, and Killstreaks. Also featured are Deathstreaks for those of you who keep getting pawned by the others, so there's some balance had in the games. The only problem is you'll need to reach a high level to unlock most of the modes available. And newbies will get thumped real bad by pro players, so watch it! (I can't elaborate more on this, as you know I can't access the Net!)

My verdict for MW2 is definitely a high one (even though I didn't play it! XD) and I highly recommend it to all you FPS fan[atic]s.

War...what good is it? Answer: endless amount of time to kick enemy butt!

Updates - Post SPM

The SPM is finally over!

For now, I'll be lazing away at home, and also hang out with some pals one last time before we part ways. That done, I'll be heading of to Penang for my aunt's marriage before returning to Ipoh and seeking my fortunes in a part-time job. It's only fitting for a SPM leaver to find one to support his/her family rather than laze and deteriorate at home!

What about you guys? What do you have to say? Let me know of what's your plan.

Oh, and just so you know, I won't be able to respond to you so quickly as you do know I don't have a connection at home, and my family can't really afford it yet. I'll try my best to get back to you people, OK?

Take care, and I'll see you guys soon! =)

Finally

Yes, it's OVER!!!!!

YAHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

SPM REPORT

It's almost over!

Memory of the Day

Memory of the day: The picture I wanted to put up for so long: Fareesh gone noob!

Though not as wild as the "Mark Gone Noob" incident, this shows our boy's true colors. But it can't be said that he's a fun guy. Too fun, perhaps...