The Learning Seasons, Part 2

I have a couple of announcements to make.

First, to the con artist formerly known as Sushi: we need to talk.

I don't know whether or not you'll actually read this but I think chances are pretty good.

Secondly, to Alex: thank you. It works like a charm.

Alex solved my MSN problem. Well, he didn't so much solve it as provide a way to circumvent its dark purpose. But after almost a month of eBuddy, I'll take what I can get. His solution?

A newer version of the classic seven-point-old.

If you somehow find yourself facing my old adversary, you may find proper armaments by clicking the above link.

Assuming you didn't already figure that one out.

End announcements.

This one's for Heroes fanboys and girls (I know you're out there):

Adrian Pasdar's YouTube account!

In the past few months, Adrian Pasdar, who plays the role of Nathan Petrelli (the congressman-turned-hobo who can also fly), has been posting videos on YouTube under the name buckshotwon. His videos are all taken behind the scenes, and some of them are pretty... well, all of them are pretty. Whatever else they are, you should check out for yourself.

His videos are usually accompanied by classy effects and soundtracks, and I am totally jealous. Click to see the gallery.

If you're still not convinced, here's a clip in which Sendhil Ramamurthy (I spelt that from memory, if you can believe it) contemplates an apple. Yes, it is as exciting as it sounds. Click to watch.

I just like this one because of Zachary Quinto and Kirsten Bell. Zach is Sylar, and Kirsten is Veronica Mars. Her role on Heroes has yet to be revealed, but we think it's coming soon.

By the way, Ricky's sister, the girl who Peter saved from the Irish gangs in the last episode is named Caitlin. Wicked huh?

Well, against all odds I actually finished a second page of my new short series... The Learning Seasons. Why is it called that?

Whoever comes up with the best original reason why my series is called the Learning Seasons... gets a special mystery prize! Special! Mystery!

Ahem.

Click to check out the larger version.

Now if you read that and you're wondering why the characters have such bad dialogue, it's because they're children.

Facebook's getting pretty popular these days. Well, all I'll say is that it does a pretty good job of making you feel wanted. And it looks so much better (tidier) than Friendster.

If Friendster was the Xanga of social networking, Facebook is the Blogger.

Addictive.

There's always something going on. If you logged on every two hours you would find a whole bunch of requests and notifications that require gratification. I mean, look at it! Top friend requests! Sex appeal invitations!

I know it's just clever marketing but it's almost irresistible.

Would love to write more but I'm a bit try on materials somehow. Maybe next time I'll let you all in on my most amazing, vivid, technicolour dreams about Halloween and the Great Escape.

PS: Skies! Photographs!

These snaps will be accompanied by no explanations.

If you know why they are there, you don't need me to tell you.

If you don't know why they are there, I won't be telling you. Hint: they are pretty.

Spiderman <3 MO and Heroes + 5

Hiro: Should I stop time?
Peter: No. I haven't had a good fight in years.

What happens next? Something cool no doubt.

Okay, okay. This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS about Spiderman 3 and Heroes.

I had to make the text bigger and emphasize this fact because three people already told me they spoiled themselves.

Spoilers are not good for your health.

If you want to enjoy these shows, leave now and come back after you've watched them.

Cause they're so much better unspoiled.

I warned you.

First, we interrupt this broadcast to bring you a picture of pandas doing handstands. On a tree.

Picture credit to Fox. And now we return.

Spiderman <3 MO

The first thing you have to know about Spiderman 3 is that it's...

Yup. EMO! Notice anything different about this poster? I did it myself.

Look closely dammit.

There are three things you should keep in mind when watching this movie.

1. Forget the comics.
2. Don't sit next to Li Wen.
3. Refer to 1 and 2.

The movie and the comics are two different things. If you get them mixed up you're going to end up making comments like this.

"That's not how the symbiote came to earth! Venom doesn't die that way! I thought Eddie Brock becomes Carnage later how can that happen? Why hasn't Gwen Stacey died?"
- Ben Kane

Personally I think Spiderman 3 was awesome. A couple of others said that the second one was better, but I don't remember it as being that good, and I don't feel like watching it again. I feel like watching 3 again though.

Peter with the black spider suit is completely badass and it is so good.

Out of costume, he has a towering mountain of personal issues. It's not all his fault, but life has a way of handing Peter lemons at every turn. There's a permanent residence in Springfield and then there's life as Peter Parker.

"OMB his life is so screwed up! I mean, I always knew he was a loser... But I didn't know he was that big a loser! WTH!"
- Li Wen, on Peter Parker's life

Okay I don't think he actually said those things but it was close.

If you fell down the social ladder of the Marvel Universe, at the bottom you'd find Grasshopper, a character so unfortunate he only appeared in one issue of the Great Lakes Avengers before being killed almost immediately.

"Five point eight seconds. A new record for shortest membership on ANY team."
- Monkey Joe, team sidekick, on the fast life and tragic death of Grasshopper

Well, Peter Parker isn't at the bottom of that ladder. But his life can and does suck.

This is fact.

So when the symbiote finally gives him a chance to take a walk on the dark side - basically his ticket out of loserville - it's not surprising how his behaviour changes.

I wanted some caps of his wardrobe, but I love this guy as an emo.

Remember the bar scene? When he gets his John Travolta on and then sexes up Gwen Stefani - whoops, Stacey - in front of MJ just to get back at her? As soon as I saw where they were going I knew it was gonna be good. Love his line when he slips the hostess a bill and tells her to "find us some shade".

Well this picture is okay but in the bar she looked so much better.

And when he takes it to the streets as Black Spidey he's ten times as hardcore. Example, the second time when he fought Harry, when they were in the secret room in Harry's mansion. Harry threw a goblin bomb at Peter's back and he just ducked, snared it with a webline and casually flicked it back into Harry's face which was off the charts and probably illegally cool.

You know what they say... once you go black, you can't go back!

Not that he doesn't have his moments as regular Spiderman. The way he destroyed Venom? Driving hollow bars into the ground to make a cage, rattling and banging them all the time to paralyze the symbiote with sound... that was... well.. I'm out of superlatives. Not really. I guess there are the regular ones like extraordinary or delightful. But those aren't extreme enough and besides I always wanted to say that.

Harry is cool as the New Goblin. Too bad he gets impaled on his own flying skateboard.

There was one fun little scene that gave us a hint of Carnage in the future movies. When Peter was using the phone and flirting with the landlord's daughter ("get me some milk" -D), he was doing his best not to pay attention to what Dr Connors was saying but if you did you would have noticed that he did have a sample of the symbiote with him. Spiderman 4, anyone?

If you had a choice, Gwen Stacey or Mary Jane Watson?

The one thing I took issue with was the unreliability of the goblin bombs. Peter's taken a bomb close to the face and all he lost was part of his mask. Harry took one in much closer proximity and developed burn marks not unlike the map of Australia Mahadi's got on his arm. But when Harry launched a bomb into the Sandman's head the resulting explosion had a mushroom cloud.

Maybe Harry's arsenal had a couple of duds. ROFLcopter.

One thing we all agreed on was that the movie at times had a decidedly MCR look to it. The scenes from the bar and the church could have made a video for The Black Parade or maybe I Don't Love You. Any ideas?

Heroes + 5

Five years gone. This episode is a look into a world where the heroes never saved the cheerleader or stopped the exploding man. This world is so much darker and more dangerous, which leads us to more powerful heroes and more intense battles.

I'm already out of blogging steam and I wanna get this to my publisher so I'll be quick. (Promise not to publish any spoilers?)

The future is wow. But it's also... very dead.

1. Nathan (killed by Sylar after becoming president and powers taken)
2. Candice (killed by Sylar after going into hiding and powers taken)
3. The Haitian (stabbed in the neck by Mohinder)
4. Claire (killed by Sylar pretending to be Nathan and powers taken)
5. Mr Bennet (shot by Matt after revealing Claire's location)
6. DL (killed by Sylar after going into hiding and powers taken)
7. Molly (killed by Sylar after going into hiding and powers taken)
8. Micah (died when the bomb exploded)
9. Ando (died when the bomb exploded)
10. Isaac (killed by Sylar and powers taken)
11. Hiro (shot by Matt while trying to teleport)
12. Hana (shot by Matt for helping Mr Bennet)
13. Zane (killed by Sylar and powers taken)
14. Dale (killed by Sylar and powers taken)
15. Charlie (killed by Sylar and powers taken)
16. Eden (shot self in the head to prevent Sylar from taking powers)

At least we have some super super heroes.

1. Peter (completely kickass)
2. Sylar (like Peter, but evil)
   

Okay, not that many. But Niki's a stripper now. And Jessica tragically disappeared somehow

I have a GIF file of Peter and Sylar fighting. Or at least, firing up their ice and fire powers. But for some reason I can't get it to move on blogger. Hmmm?

Chill Days

The blogosphere has been quiet lately. I mean really. Even Keng Yee's chatbox only has one message and that has to be a record. Is... is the internet dying?

But we carry on nonetheless.

There are a few things I have to clear up first.

Number one. Peak Sheng did not find that nudie book in the children's section.

I put it there. For laughs.

Number two. That Pok Man video was my discoverey.

The boy never gives me credit. And he's so busy copyrighting his own images.

Today!

I took the lift. From the fourth floor to the third floor with Guan Xiong. We both agreed it was pretty dope.

The new hall... looks really good. It does! Unfortunately it doubles as a torture room during assembly times. The students are packed, the announcements are soft, the music is whack, the air is heavy and the floor is uncomfortable. In other words, you really really wish you could sleep but you can't.

Heroes... On break til after Sports Day... Do you know why they took that break?

It is because it takes about fifteen days to make one episode... and they have to make sure all the episodes are good, especially episode 23 that is the season finale.

It is going to be TWO HOURS LONG. That's like... a Heroes movie.

Ten kinds of awesome.

Things to do while waiting for .07% (that is what episode 19 is called)

- Read the comic if you aren't already doing so. Each one is kinda short but there is a lot of it, and it goes with the show really well.

- Watch the preview and do not worry there are no spoilers.

- Watch every interview with the cast of Heroes on youtube! These are all good... really!

• Peter talks about his hair, his childhood and dressing up like Madonna (Link)
• Hiro, Niki, Mohinder and Clare dance a little on the couch. (Part 1) (Part 2)
• Hiro and Peter talk about World War II, Rocky and male menopause. (Link)
• Nathan kisses Isaac WTF. (Link)
• Everyone gets a little crazy. (Link)
• Nathan talks about writing plays, songs and flying. (Link)
• Nathan is totally charming. (Link)
  
• Matt, Niki, Hiro, Clare, Peter, Nathan and Mohinder say lame things. (Link)
• Hiro and Peter wear funny shirts at Comic Con. (Link)

- Check out the intensely disturbing but highly entertaining concept of Sylinder... made by the people who think Sylar and Mohinder are hot for each other. The song in this video is called If I Were Gay and is probably something we should play at prom.

When Mohinder and Sylar swim they don't splash the water, water moves in awe of their love.

Uhm... there is a picture of Mohinder and Sylar getting married here. But if you're not into that kind of thing you don't have to click on it. And I'm not usually into that kind of thing but this is pretty hilarious. It's called The Incredibly Awesome Adventures of Mohinder and Sylar.

Okay enough gay things. You can get a lot of that from other people's blogs. Ahem.

- Shoot lots of people. These days I find myself playing CS until I start feeling guilty. This usually takes about three hours. Ka-shik-BOOM!

- Work on your art. Like IU designs for the Interact Club.

What are they? They're door gifts. Duh. Not for you though.

- Lose yourself in sports practice... and here's a fact. There are only six guy athletes representing green house for form five.

Guan Xiong, Yow Hwui, Jason Woi, Jeck Beng, Ding Wei and I. And out of those six, Ding Wei and I are only doing one event each. The running and other stuff is split among those four.

Guan Xiong's doing six events. There should be probably be some kind of prize just for that.

Heroics

Everyone's watching Heroes.sanesaint says:

oh and guess wat
sanesaint says:
i hate sylar

Everyone's.

Watching.

Heroes.


And those who don't wish they could.

Just imagine if we had Wira-Wira in Malaysia.

The Mat Rempit who can heal from any accident. (Ghost Rider)

The batik artist who can paint the future into scarves.

The UMNO candidate who can fly.

The Rakan Cop who can read minds.

The teenage blogger whose split personality exhibits super-bitchiness. (*ahem*sushi*ahem*)

The Mat Salleh tourist who can stop time. (Look, Alan! Not a scratch on the Satria!)

The chemistry teacher who tries to find them. (H, Li, Na)

The imitation watchmaker who collects abilities. (going by the name of either Lolex or G-Shock)

Mawi.

And the reckless footballer with the power of retrieval.



Explanation. On Friday, we were playing football. The fencing was down for repairs or something and the ball went into the drain. It started to float away fast so there was no time to think and I jumped down to get the ball. Of course, the walls were like three metres high so I was stuck down there. Some of the guys tried to lower a rope but that almost tore my hands off. I tried wrapping my hands in my shirt but that didnt work either.

Vexation. So I was trapped and shirtless and everybody there had their camera phones out. Stupid technological advances.

Conclusion. The video will show you how I got out in the end.

[01:05:37] [F.G.R.S.]: people go down there sometimes right
[01:05:43] [F.G.R.S.]: how the hell do they get up?
[01:05:51] [F.G.R.S.]: i heard some form threes went down before
[01:05:54] sanesaint: yeah
[01:06:03] sanesaint: it took five of them to retrieve the ball

But how did they do it?

Animal Stories #1

Marcus: You know my house... surrounded by monkeys. They're always climbing around on the trees and sitting on the roof.
Jun Ian: When you say surrounded it sounds like the monkeys just sit in the trees and watch your house all day, smoking little cigarettes.
Marcus: My father hates the monkeys. Whenever he sees one hanging around he'll take his BB gun and shoot it. He keeps them in the garage where we can't find them. Sometimes you see a monkey on the roof and he just takes two and... dual wield!
Pui May: You know Lib Yin's house? At the back where the trees are damn thick?
Marcus: Oh yeah, there got monkeys also right?
Pui May: Sometimes the monkeys attack her dog. You know how her dog is this small right?
Daryl: Huh, the monkeys attack her dog? So small that they just swing in and snatch it and disappear into the trees?
Pui May: This one time, she came out and her dog was alone in the yard and all the monkeys were looking at it. She just grabbed the dog, ran into the house and shut the door.

Animal Stories #2

Marcus: You know what pet would be cool? A shark. The big balcony at my house, we should put a pool there, and put a shark in the pool.
Daryl: Someone's been watching too much Austin Powers.
Marcus: Imagine just standing there watching the shark swim in circles... then every day you go out and catch a small dog and throw it!
Daryl: Make the ceiling real low so when birds fly past the shark jumps out like RAWR and takes them down!
Jun Ian: You know what animal could beat the shark? A pelanduk. It has complete mastery over all other animals, especially crocodiles.
Marcus: Put the pelanduk near the shark pool with a dog chasing it... then the pelanduk will kick the dog into the pool. Put a different dog every day.
Daryl: Eventually one of the dogs is going to outsmart the pelanduk.
Jun Ian: Nah, the pelanduk will be too smart. You can invite your enemies to your house and leave them alone with the pelanduk. Number one assassin! Your pelanduk will kill more people than AIDS and eventually replace Osama as the FBI's Most Wanted.


Animal Stories #3

Pui May: The guy who owns the Mines Wonderland... his daughter wanted a white tiger for her fifteenth birthday.
Marcus: What? A white tiger? What makes a person wake up in the morning and say, I feel like having a tiger? And not just any old tiger either.
Jun Ian: Is that the reason why the Mines has white tigers? She got bored with it?
Pui May: Actually, they're not allowed to keep it in the house. Cause it's an endangered species.
Daryl: Would be pretty cool actually.
Jun Ian: People drop by to visit and you're sitting there stroking your tiger's head.
Marcus: And if you get robbers you can just say... got get them!

This one time, everyone was having this deep, meaningful discussion about movies, when along came Wilkin.

Sanjay: That is actually a good movie.
Brian: Can't wait to see 300 la... they already went to watch right?
Wilkin: Hey, you know what movie you should watch? ORGAZMO! (^o^)

Everyone was like (O.O)

Wilkin: It's about a superhero called Orgazmo. When people are in trouble he humps them.
For a while we all just thought he was just being Wilkin. Then I found out they actually made a movie called Orgazmo.

[00:58:57] peako: wilkin, watches alot of stuff
[00:59:04] peako: he said betty brings back "interesting movies"

According to the inter-net, there are like seventeen porn stars in it and the producers had originally wanted to make it a musical but couldn't get enough support.

Holidays are the busiest time. Holidays have been pretty fun lately though. And on Wednesday... Singapotrip, the gayest fscking thing on the internet.

Life, The Universe And Everything

This holidays, the old gang of Panda, Fox, Gorilla, Peako and Deis head south on a train to the lonely (not really) island of Singapore for three days of youthful misadventures. The decision was not made entirely on a whim, though. We are going to meet perhaps the greatest animal of all and watch him take on the role McDuff in his school play.

Not this guy.

Duffman: Hey Duff lovers! Does anyone in this bar loooove Duff?
Carl: Hey, it's Duffman!
Lenny: Newsweek said you died of liver failure.
Duffman: Duffman can never die, only the actors who play him. Ooh yeah!

This is McDuff.

He is from the play McBeth, which was written by William McShakespeare. Which one is he? I don't know, the one with the beard.

Plays aside, the trip promises to be serious fun. Far from the watchful eye of authority figures, our merry band has made schemes to unleash a wave frivolous hijinks and shenanigans of the wildly irresponsible variety on the unsuspecting city.

However tantalising the prospect of the holidays and all they offer, one obstacle stands tall in our collective path like a biblical Goliath, but equipped with a helmet purposed to turn aside even the most treacherous of stones. You get my meaning.

omg exams

How should be prepare for these exams? Guan Xiong offers sage advice.

lol like that not geng la deng when like dem late u cant absorb wan la deng but in the morning force kau urself read sure guarantee absorb wan n sure niama last wan what you read

See? Not geng la DENG.

Lame Joke #1

Seeyau: Brian... you know indians right, they like to talk alot.
Brian: Yeah...
Seeyau: So why? Why do indians talk alot?
Brian: Why?
Seeyau: Cause the stop button is here. (O*O)
Brian: OMG LOL! (>.<)

And everyone is like wtf brian it is not that funny why are you laughing so hard?

Lame Joke #2

Seeyau: Here's another one.
Brian: Okay.
Seeyau: Why do indians keep shaking like this?
Jun Ian: Same answer?
Seeyau: The stop button is here. (O*O)
Brian: LMAO! (>.<)

And everyone looks at brian like how can you laugh at the same thing twice it is not funny.

Lame Joke #3

Wilkin: Here's my joke. Once upon a time... OH LI-WEN WAS BORN! HAHAHA! (^o^)
Brian: WTF LIEK ROFL! (^o^)

5P joke. It's not as bad as it sounds, just one of those 'had to be there' things.

Heroes is awesome.

Episodes 16 and 17 have been just... wow. How does the show keep on getting better? I'm going to dedicate a post to it one day. Don't ask me when. When I have enough stuff to do it justice.

Last week I thought Unexpected was the best hour of television ever produced, they topped it in just one week with the Company Man. Which is a work of breathtaking cinematic genius and my favorite episode of Heroes so far.

Lately, I feel like I'm blogging for all the wrong reasons. News about skull toasters and grafitti lasers is probably what the internet was made for, but blogging should probably be a bit more personal. More in the realm of reflection and personal experience, and since I got back into blogging in late January I don't think I've done much to fill that quota.

I miss my old class more than I'll ever admit. I remember the brash promise I made, at the start of the year, to not look back and even that I might find a way to change the people I was now with. I may be forced to break that vow. I never had any delusions that it would be easy to change an entire class, but maybe it just can't be done. Maybe it doesn't have to be. I'm starting to see that the class works fine as it is. It's different, no doubt. But it's diversity that gives life flavor.

School life is fleeting, and over before you can fully grasp at what it means to you.

No one sees it coming, but life sneaks up on you. When you measure time in events, and ignore the spaces in between, a whole year could pass in the blink of an eye.

In January I knew it was my last year, and I had to make it count somehow. I dreamed up a list of things I could do to make it special. But everything was new and life was hectic and the month slipped away.

At the start of February, I counted down the days to the Jogathon. When the Jogathon was over, I counted down the days to Valentine's. And when that was over suddenly it was the middle of February, and Chinese New Year was silent this year.

Now the exams are knocking, and the holidays will follow. Sport practice lasts for a month, then April brings Sports Day, the visit by the Hearts and my birthday. May marks the academic calendar with forty hours of examinations, and the spaces in between are filled with club projects, extra classes and concert practice.

I can't help but look forward to the concert. But it is the time spent practicing for it that I enjoy more. The concert is in July, well into the second half of the school year. Then revision, trials, the finals themselves, and school is over forever.

Prom might be the last time some of us ever see each other. And then what thoughts would go unspoken, what tales would fade unwritten, what dreams would die unfulfilled?

Where would I be then? Where would we all be? Only the future holds the answers we seek. If you could see yourself in five, ten, or fifty years, what would you see? Would it move you to challenge the call of destiny as it reaches out or would you simply be content to lie still as the rushing tides speed you towards your fate?

If you look always to the horizon, you miss the miracle of life as it happens around you. I am content to wait, and let tomorrow bring what it may. And if we live each moment as it were truly our last, maybe we wouldn't mind so much when it finally is.

Credit: All graphs and charts were inspired by genius blog indexed.