Streak

It never rains nor does it pour when a farkin' typhoon can blow it's way in and make a right mess of your life which will be God's own work to clean up. Which is what exactly happened to me a few weeks ago. First, my veteran four year old Zen Neeon MP3 player disappeared mysteriously while I was commuting to the city a few Saturdays ago. Sure I bitched about how old and messed-up it was but I never expected it to go this way. And along with it went my trusty Sony headphones which my Dad got for me way back in 2002. Not to mention the countless songs which I forgot to back up and will again be God's own work in finding all of them. And on to the second case, scarcely had a week passed when my much vaunted laptop took a dive into the deep end, YET AGAIN! This is the third bloody time it's crashed and the best part is this time around it seems that it crashed for no apparent reason at all. So much for high tech gadgets. So now my trusty N76 has to fill in for my missing Zen Neeon until I can get home and buy a new one. Then I've also got to send in my laptop for a major overhaul, probably swap out the hard disk for a new one and increase the RAM. Well depending on the price of the servicing I could probably land myself a new laptop and I'm currently eyeing the Sony VAIO (in red) or the Dell XPS PRODUCT RED laptop. So there you have it, two major problems which can only be solved when I get home, which is on the 19th of June. In the meantime I've got three more assignments left outstanding and two of them need to be handed in next week, add to that the dangerously close end of semester exams and my feeling ill yet again, I'm sure you can all see what a wonderful time I'm having, much akin to getting a paper cut on your bum if I'm any judge.

Looking into the shrouded distance

I never used to think about the future a lot, being too caught up with the events of the present, but recently I've been giving it much thought. Back when I was still rolling with the crazy characters from St.Pat's we never actually thought much about what was going to happened in the future, the only thing that was important to us was having fun. But in the blink of an eye three years have passed since we donned the uniform for the last time. Did any of us really have the slightest inkling of where we'd be now? Well I for one didn't expect to be here, so how many of us are where we truly want to be? Well what we want isn't usually what we get. Back then life was so much simpler, we only lived for the next school holiday, we quite simply only lived to have fun. True, three years might have not been such a long time but it feels like I've aged a lot since then. I've had to start thinking about the path that I'm going to take in order to fulfill my dreams. But what are my dreams exactly? What am I working towards? Does anyone now have a clear picture of what they want? I sure as hell don't, and I'm making it up as I go along, like one of the many impromptu speeches I have made in the past. Well you could say that finding a dream is sort of a dream in itself. There are many question but few answers. The year is 2008, and soon enough it'll be 2009. Time used to travel so very slow, but now it seems that it's in a bit of a hurry. Where will each one of us be in another three years time? Will we still be able recognise each other if we met on a busy street? Will each of us be that much closer to what we seek? A clouded thought, for a rather cloudy day.

Redundencies

A minor post deviation on the LAN game which seems to take up a good portion of our leisure time these days, Call of Duty 4. As FPS games come it's right up there with FEAR and Ghost Recon. Good game play with a nice spread of weapons to choose from, not to mention a measure of accuracy and realism as to the characteristics of each weapon in question, aside from the jamming part which is almost impossible to replicate in a game. Especially like the part of the game where you gain access to better weaponry and perks as your rank increases. So here's my take on which weapon is the best of it's class.

Assault Rifle: AK-47. Sure it might not be the most accurate or prettiest gun around but 7.62 Russian and full automatic? Nothing gets better than that. Great for short to mid-ranged engagements.

Sub-Machinegun: MP-5. Good looking and accurate as hell the MP-5 is the obvious choice, the 9mm round might be a mere pistol round but at close ranges it does it's job quite well. Great for short range engagements, especially house-to-house fighting but useless at ranges over that.

Shotgun: M1014. Three words, 'Semi-Automatic' and 'Shotgun', close quarters battle doesn't get any better than that. The only problem is it's four round capacity and since it's a shotgun that means it's an ultra-short ranged weapon, with an effective range less than that of a pistol or sub-machine gun.

Sniper Rifle: Barrett M82A1. 12.7 and semi-automatic, what more could a sniper want? Literally means one shot one kill with this weapon, not to mention re-arranging your anatomy in the process.

Light Machinegun: M60E4. 7.62 NATO and a nice 56cm barrel, can be used as both a support weapon and a sniper rifle. Great for mid to long range engagements.

Pistol: H&K MK23 Mod 0. .45 ACp with a 12 round magazine, good stopping power and adequate magazine capacity. True it might have a much smaller round than the much vaunted Desert Eagle with it's big .50 AE round but more than makes up for it with it's 12 round magazine when compared with the Desert Eagle's seven round one. And the victor in combat is usually the one with the most bullets. As with pistols and sub-machineguns it is a short range weapon.

And here's my take on perk combinations one should use in various combat situations.

Assault: Perk 1: x3 frag grenades. Perk 2: Sonic boom. Perk 3: Extreme Conditioning. In usual cases a player who frequents the assault tactic will frequently opt for the under slung grenade launcher as an attachment for his assault rifle so the Sonic boom perk which increases the damage of high explosive weapons is extremely useful and add to that x3 frag grenades and you now have the ability to be a one man army. Extreme conditioning enables you to sprint for longer distances which means you have the ability to quickly reposition yourself before the enemy even knew you were there.

Close-Quarter Battle: Really depends on what weapon you opt for, if it's a sub-machinegun go for x3 frag grenades, stopping power and martyrdom. If you're going for the shotgun x3 frag grenades, juggernaut and steady aim. Stopping power for a sub-machinegun increases the potency for that measly pistol round while juggernaut for the shotgun enables you to stay alive while you charge in to take your shot. Steady aim increases the accuracy for hip-firing which is ideal for close-quarter battle situations, especially so for the shotgun. And of course martyrdom is there to simply irritate the enemy and as a back-up plan.

Long-Range Interdiction/Sniper: Claymores, UAV jammer and iron lungs. Claymores can be used to guard your flanks from an ambush and the UAV jammer enables you to stay hidden when the enemy does a UAV scan. Iron lungs help you to make your first shot all the more accurate. Don't forget to put a suppressor on your pistol too.

Support/Squad Automatic Weapon: RPG, stopping power and deep impact. Stopping power gives your already formidable bullet more bang for it's buck while deep impact makes sure that whatever cover your enemy has is as good as rice paper. The RPG is just there to make a bigger mess out of things.

The Garden of Everything

The last song I heard before my much troubled laptop went off the deep end again. Chanced upon it by sheer luck when I was searching for songs from a Japanese singer, Maaya Sakamoto. Don't know why but as soon as I heard this song I really liked it. So without much further ado I present to you, The Garden of Everything by Steve Conte and Maaya Sakamoto, from the anime Rahxephon: The Movie.



The Garden of Everything

Here you are
Daylight's star
Made out of miracles
Perfection Of your own
You Alone
O so incredible
Each atom
Sings to me
"Set me free
From chains of the physical"
O free me, O free me

The mirror melts
I'm somewhere else
Inside eternity
Where you on Outstretched wings
Sing within
The Garden of Everything
Where memories
Call to me
Backward dreams?
Or phantom reality?
Call to me, they call to me

And so here we are
Lovers of Lost Dimensions
Burning supernovas of all sound and sight
Every touch, a temptation
And for every sense, a sensation

Eyes of pure
Deep azure
Quite unbelievable
The sun's daughter You've been made
Not to fade
Quite inconceivable

Each atom sings to me
"Set me free
From chains of the physical"
O free me O free me

A love like ours A starry flower
Through seasons and centuries
As rivers reach the sea
You'll reach me
With songs of your symmetry

A small boat That will float
To far off coasts
The Isle of Infinity
Come with me. O come with me

Here we'll see Love's lost tree
Made out of miracles
Emotions, crystal leaves
To cover me
And you in eternity

Each atom sings to us
Through the blood
"Love is a miracle"
Sings softly, it sings softly

And so here we are
Lovers of Lost Dimensions
Burning supernovas of all sound and sight
Every touch, a temptation
And for every sense, a sensation

And so here we are
Twin stars of brilliant brightness
Lanterns lit by life for all the depths of night
And every day will return us
To arms of the ever eternal

And so here we are
So far from earthly orbits
Burning supernovas of all sound and sight
Where every day will return us
To arms of the ever eternal

Dreams

Normally when people have dreams they usually forget most of it by the time they wake up, all that's left are vague fragments of something your subconsciousness has been dwelling on. Not for me unfortunately, I remember them as clearly as a new LCD screen projects images. Been having the same damn dreams for close to a month already. Well not everyday but at least once a week. To some (had I made known the contents to them, which I most certainly would not, unless of course I killed them after I told them but I digress) these dreams would not have been classified as nightmares but instead as extremely pleasant dreams, akin to a gift from God. I on the other hand have been rudely awakened by them, usually in the middle of the bloody night and drenched in cold sweat, quite literally indeed. And what's worse is that I usually can't get back to sleep after this, too busy over worrying about why I was having such a disturbing dream. And all this happened as a result of my conversation with someone a while ago, I won't say who but the fool is sure as hell enjoying himself now, jackass. I know better than to read anything into these things but I find them extremely distracting, and not to mention affecting my much treasured sleeping time. However it does intrigue me a bit.....

You've lost that lovin' feeling.....

An old friend of mine sought my counsel a few days back, regarding matters of the heart foolishly enough. Now I'll be the first to admit that in the field of relationships I have as much experience as an embryo, which is to say none at all. I will however say that after watching all those damned dramas (and romance anime) I have picked up a thing or two in the theory department. So despite the most well known fact (and most of the lads at home find it rather amusing too) that my love life is as dead as road-kill some still persist in seeking my opinions and counsel for whatever reasons are still unknown to me (either that or the bastards are just trying to rub it in). And as usual we have another case of unrequited love, as common as a monkey with bananas and coconuts. So as usual all I could dish out was my well worn platitudes of "eventually somebody will accept you for who you are" or "for all you know you might find someone who really appreciates you soon" that sort of thing. Phrases which we dish out to console friends in such situations. I really do hope that the lad finds someone nice soon, he sure as hell deserves it. Nobody wants to be alone, everyone out there is looking for that special someone, someone whom you know will think of you before she goes to sleep, somebody with which you can share both the good and the bad with. That special someone who always gives you that warm feeling even in the coldest of nights, someone who just makes you smile for no damn reason. It takes great courage to fall in love, even more so to fall out of it intact. But never let these setbacks build a wall around your heart, never let it harden your soul, to do so would be to admit defeat and to damn yourself to a bleak and lonely existence. Keep on trying and eventually someone will accept your feelings. Sure it might hurt awhile, heck it might hurt for a damn long time in some cases, but think of it as a learning experience, take it in your stride. Be proud that you had the courage to do something about your feelings, that at least you didn't go down without trying, at least you gave it your all and don't have any regrets. Don't put off your feelings because it only gets worse as time passes, and for God's sake don't make any excuses. Don't say that "Oh I'm too busy now" or "Oh I'll wait for a better time". Don't think that she'll be there for the taking forever, if you fancy her I'm sure someone sure as hell does too. Wait any longer and that someone will get ahead of you, and by then it'll be too late. It's damn easy to come up with excuses, but it takes a real man to act decisively. A good friend of mine once told me that if you want something you need to grab it with both hands. From what his girlfriend told me he waited for her at the school gate after school everyday. I would never imagine him doing that but that's the kind of thing a guy in love would do I guess, heh the kids are all growing up it seems. And to all those who are attached, you punks know who you are, don't fool around with other girls, I know the lot of you like to say that "Oh at this age it isn't serious. it's just play" and all that kind of crap but please think of people's feelings, she isn't some toy which you throw away as soon as you're bored with it. I know we always joke about these kinds of things but I hope that in reality that's all they are, just jokes. I made the mistake of doing nothing, I closed my heart down and simply lost that lovin' feeling a long time ago, don't make the same mistake.

Intermission/Monkeying Around

So Morgan's long awaited vacation here has come and gone like a distant breeze (one which carries a rather perverse smell if i might add). It was a splendid week filled to the brim with fun, fun and more (bum)fun. Just like old times, just like old times. So it began last Sunday when he touched down in Melbourne around the afternoon, around 1 i think. The usual lot of us then went on to have lunch at our usual haunt, Singapore Chom Chom. Lunch was then followed by Brendan and i heading off for the 4:30 mass (Yes going to Church is still a must even in light of such circumstances). Dinner soon followed (i think some good ole' fashioned LAN, Battle Gear 4 and Initial D Stage 4 was mixed in there) and we promptly made our way home. (To be more precise we bought a rather good amount of light liquor and i ended up spending the night at their place drinking, chatting and playing LAN as usual) So Monday was pretty much the same if i remember correctly, lunch, LAN (Battlefield 4 to be more precise, the lads are hooked onto it, like dung beetles and crap), dinner and home. Tuesday was more or less the same only difference was that we headed over to Crown for dinner at The Pub followed by a movie (which i couldn't be bothered to watch and for those interested they went to watch The Other Boleyn Girl). Wednesday was rather more interesting as we went in search for the rather elusive The Old Raffles Place restaurant around the Smith street area (The more perceptive of you might have guessed that this is a Singaporean restaurant) and at the same time indulged in some shopping. So we braved the foul weather in search of this restaurant only to arrive at our destination to find out that it was not open for lunch on Wednesday and that we had to come back during dinner time if we were that adamant on trying out their food. Which is exactly what we did. In the time span between lunch and dinner we went shopping around Smith street, headed back into the city for some quick LAN and went back to the restaurant for dinner. Now was all this hassle worth while? Damn right it was, for the food there was quite good if I'd say so myself. Thursday started off like how most of mine begin, pure crap. Had to wake up early as i had an early tutorial that day and after the subsequent lecture i went back to Box Hill, dropped my bag and dashed off to the city with due haste. Went over to Alicia and Jie Yi's place where Morgan, Xander and I were pressed into hard labour and helped to assemble their new wardrobes which they bought from Ikea the day before. I'm sure you all know how the rest of the day went dinner at the Korean bbq place and LAN was how the night was concluded, as usual. The lot of us had steam boat and hot plate at Alicia and Jie Yi's house on Friday and simply talked the night away (I'm sure the phrase "YEE HA" would remind us of the more hilarious moments). We spent Saturday loafing around at the girls place again till it was time for dinner where we headed to The Old Raffles Place restaurant again for another scrumptious dinner. This was followed by karaoke where everyone put up a splendid performance. Sunday was rather subdued as it was time for good ole' Morgan to leave for Brisbane. We had lunch, played LAN and said our farewells at 7:30. And with that his vacation here had concluded and life returns to its old mundane self. Cheers Morgan, take care and see you again soon dude!