i have become (somewhat) hooked on wikipedia. i just think that the concept of an online encyclopedia where you, the user, can also play a role in forming and shaping the whole thing by adding on or editing certain articles that take your fancy is very unique and interesting. and the cool thing is that people actually gain knowledge and can acquire information all in one place (provided that the people that posted the article in question isnt posting shit or anything like it).

(i am so nerdy...
but i digress. )

i have even posted 2 articles; one on a sikh religous festival and the other on roger l. jackson (the guy who was the killer's voice in the scream trilogy. remember? coincidentally, he's also the voice of mojo jojo from the powerpuffs. now who would've thought eh?). dont get me wrong i didnt know these things beforehand. i was just reading random articles and there were some links in those articles that led to editing sites for the user to expand the encyclopedia. kinda like filling in the blanks. so with some research, typing and editing, articles are born.

even a tech-idiot like me can do it.

the birth of the annual nobel prize:


"The whole of my remaining realizable estate shall be dealt with in the following way: the capital, invested in safe securities by my executors, shall constitute a fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind. The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics; one part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine; one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction; and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. The prizes for physics and chemistry shall be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences; that for physiology or medical works by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm; that for literature by the Academy in Stockholm, and that for champions of peace by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Storting. It is my express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be Scandinavian or not."


an excerpt from alfred nobel's will.

'kranji camp. chua chu kang way. please go by bukit batok road, thank you.'

that the standard phrase i use when i enter the cab after spending my night's off at my aunts. and that phrase is detailed enough for the driver to understand where i want to go and which route to take. so i can sit back, realx and either talk on the phone or cook up plans for the weekends (always therepeutic). last week however was slightly different.

the cab just turned into chua chu kang way after travelling along a good stretch of bukit batok road. c.c.k. way is really a busy road, what with it being one of the main roads for drivers to reach home after a long day at the office. also, with an lrt station (keat hong to be exact) and a petrol station situated somewhat opposite each other along the road, it's really no surprise that its filled with as much people as it is with cars. so the 'busy-ness' of the road at that time (about late ten-ish) was quite usual.

the cab driver was just passing by the petrol station when this car (i forgot what colour) did a u-turn from the opposite direction onto our direction, (clearly) without looking both ways before deciding to step on the gas pedal and winging it.

really stupid thing to do by the way.

sudden brakes by cabby, me propelling forward (i was brilliant enough not to wear a seat belt by the way. and the winner for dumbest person alive goes to...) and a bang right at the back causing me to lurch forward a second time. i freaked.

a motorcycle just banged into the right side of the cab because of the sudden braking by my cabby BECAUSE of the guy who did that u turn. asshole i tell you. to cut a long story short, i took another cab at the advise of the cab driver who, together with other driver-witnesses and the motorcyclist (who was thankfully unhurt aside from bruises and scratches) parked by the side of the road with the bastard to talk things out.

well, more like frantically scream innocence vs a group of drivers trying to calm themselves down and come up with a solution.

and because of the intensity of the traffic that you were reading about moments ago, it caused a jam that nearly spilled into bukit batok road itself.

i reached camp slightly later but in one piece, though slightly shaken.

my history with cab drivers, and now cabs itself, knows no bounds.

above is a picture of what the mrt system in singpore will look like in god knows when. and i thought having the circle line (the one in orange) made singapore slightly messy already. this looks so shockingly complicated doesnt it? like the london underground or something. who knew we had so much space. this just means more digging and construction in singapore. just what we need eh? with all the freaking tunnels everywhere we'll be like naked mole rats, spending more time in subterranean burrows than above ground. but hey ease of travel will definitely increase. especially to places like sentosa and marine parade. god knows that the latter really needs rail access.

but i still cant help thinking that its a tad too much.

the goblet officially debuts today in good ol singapore. thousands have probably already watched it, thousands more are now in cinemas enjoying the show and more are waiting for their movie to start. and here i am, in camp.

argh!!!

i have to wait till saturday (3:30pm to be exact) and that seems like a really long way. i cannot wait. this is rowling's best book yet and i've even started reading the book again just to get into the mood. and as you can tell, i'm totally in the mood. the newspapers say that the movie's a disappointment, too much was cut away, but i'll still love it, that i'm sure.

two days've never felt so long.

if you took time to read last saturday's newspaper last saturday, let me just say that you have no life. other than that you would have probably read the article on sex amongst teens and the rise in the rates of pre-marital sex. the arti cle, unlike the usual sex vs no sex, states and acknowledges the fact that teen sex in singapore is on the rise together with the number of teens with STDs (the horror). it instead argues about the validity of the way sex education is taught.

the stance that schools take, according to the article, is pro-abstinence; all they teach is the beauty of sex with ones spouse upon marriage, how special it is, how pre-marital sex can lead to alot of problems... that kinda thing. it doesnt mention anything about usage and the kinds ocontraception available. they believe that the introduction of contraception will jeopardize morals and what they stand for. to them its as good as telling someone not to steal but if one must steal, do not get caught.

the people on the other extreme say that they cannot ignore the fact that teens are having sex. they state that they should provide proper education regarding contraceptives so teens who are curious know that they have ways of protecting themselves against unwanted pregnancies and STDs. they do not totally bring down abstinence but believe that they should keep up with the times and be as open as teens are. avoiding the issue will not help those that are sexually active.

i, to be totally honest, am not against pre-marital sex. if it happens it happens. but the person has to be responsible. hence, knowledge of contraceptives. you have to know how to use a condom at least man. parents have to understand that just advocating abstinence alone may not be enough in this time an age for some teenagers. by all means try to drive that messgae home with your teens but hey, people have to stop being so idealistic. you cant exepct all teens to just follow in the footsteps of their parents. they've got to know the basics at least.

another obstacle is the parents themselves. many of them cannot bring to 'talk-sex' with their kids. its just not done (and i so agree on that point. shudders). many parents also believe that just because they dont discuss about the birds and bees with their kids, they are as ignorant as the day they were born. (which is really stupid of them i tell you). they really have to get over all this and understand that they world isnt what it used to be and its only going to get weirder. we're not stupid. we have our ways.

the bottom line is, its not enough.

there are some things that people do (or say or behave) that i cannot understand. certain actions that i cannot (or maybe refuse?) to accept and swallow down, like the one too many bitter pill that life offers us the way a discontented nurse might do. funnily enough, its when the people that are closest to us behave this way that it matters. usually acceptance of idiosyncracies and what-not play a large role in mantaining relationships, so the behaviour that i find weird or strange should not be a problem. but.

maybe its obsessiveness. but i'm not like that. god knows that, if anything at all, i'm too patient. so its just a matter of a clash of interests, the textbook example of the ubiquitous not-seeing-eye-to-eye case. but then why cant i accept it and just move on? i'm usually the kinda person that takes things in, live out the desired emotion for a second, then move on thinking 'hey, no use me hoarding over this. its stupid'. this is somehow different, or maybe i'm just being oversensitive.

it just goes to show that perfection is never possible, even in things or people that you are closest with. things just are and you make do and hope that things turn out alright. it's all up to you to slowly accept, to not let slip something you might regret. it's all up to you to keep annoyance in check, to brush it off. up to me.

sounds almost unfair.

on this day, exactly one year from now, i will be a very happy man. it will be the last day i will have to serve the saf.

365 more days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes, 31,536,000 seconds.

31,536,000...31,535,999...31,536,998...31,536,997...

i just got back from little india. i know what you're thinking; that i'm nuts to even think of going there on the eve of deepavali and yea i admit it was a little stupid.

the bloody place was so infested with people that it seemed almost natural for them to be on the roads rather than the cars (and, mind you, they validated that statement effortlessly). it normally is already a freakyv enough experience to cross serangoon road on a normal day at little india but man, this was just a whole new level. cars (and double deckers) were just barely missing you. i pity the drivers. bloody people just walk and not care that they're in the middle of the road meant for vehicles. its like freaking india. i mean c'mon, show some consideration. and even if you dont have that, how about fear?

and you know how much i hate crowds (especially those compulsive bitches who just love staring at you so much that you wonder what they usually look at to find you go gosh darn attractive) that just seem to go on and on and on with not a single sign of dying down. and the HEAT. did i mention the heat? i started dripping perspiration the moment i stepped out of the scantuary that is the mrt station.

but i did see one thing that made the experience interesting. a bunch of foreigners were all dressed up for halloween and were walking down the streets of little india (i think they're lost. i mean, seriously, c'mon. halloween celebrations at tekka?). it was hilarious. the guys came dressed as gals and the gals as guys. (they basically swapped sexes). the guys were brilliant. they strutted, sashay-ed, teased, flirted... they put on one heck of a show, i can tell ya that. it was hilarious. good sports that made it fun. (this may sound a tad racist but the whites do know how to have a good time).

no prize for guessing what i'd rather've be doing then.