February 2004 |
March 2004
| April 2004
Types of Women
Hard disk Woman:
She remembers everything, forever.
RAM Woman:
She forgets about you, the moment you turn her off.
Windows Woman:
Everyone knows that she can’t do a thing right, but no one can live without her.
Excel Woman:
They say she can do a lot of things but you mostly use her for your four basic needs.
Screensaver Woman:
She is good for nothing but at least she is fun to look at!
Internet Woman:
Difficult to access.
Server Woman:
Always busy when you need her.
Multimedia Woman:
She makes horrible things look beautiful.
CD-ROM Woman:
She is always faster and faster.
Email Woman:
Every ten things she says, eight are nonsense.
Virus Woman:
Also known as "wife"; when you are not expecting her, she comes, installs herself and uses all your resources. If you try to uninstall her you will lose something, if you don’t try to uninstall her you will lose everything.
24 March 2004 ·
Fun ·
Snowboarding Weekend III
After a hectic afternoon making sure that Stephen was indeed alright, Jay and I finally got to snowboard later in the evening; that was when the pain started. I actually managed to master the technique of carving, but not before wrecking every part of my body: whiplashes from falling headfirst, sprained knees and wrists, and a very badly bruised left bum. Just in case anyone is wondering how I protected my right bum from harm, it’s due to the fact that my left foot is the lead foot I use when snowboarding; this means my left bum is usually the first part of my body to hit the ground whenever I fall. Next time when you go to the beach, try slipping on a banana skin and fall on your bum for about 50 times — the amount of protection sand provides is about the same as snow — and you’ll understand my pain.
Our home cooked dinner turned out to be pretty good, and we gathered in front of the television for some passive entertainment after a long day on the slopes. Everyone wanted to be like Ian Wright who gets to visit exotic places, and I commented that the only way to live this dream is to get rich while they’re young so that they could free themselves from monetary commitments and still be healthy enough to travel; it’s quite impossible to live cheap and dirty like Ian Wright does when you’re in a wheelchair, isn’t it?
I was really surprised that none of the guys snored during the night, even after such a tiring day. However, I didn’t sleep very well despite the peace and quiet — a luxury I seldom enjoy whenever I travel with friends — since searing pain can be felt every time I tried to turn.
The next morning, we were contemplating whether to continue snowboarding or just call it a day. But thinking that this would probably be our last chance to snowboard before winter ends, we decided to carry on with great reluctance.
My injuries prevented me from doing proper turns hence making me fall more often, which aggravated the injuries and made turning more difficult, causing me to fall even harder; it was a vicious cycle I couldn’t seem to get out of. And by the time we stuffed our bags into the car trunk, everyone was relieved rather than disappointed that we were finally leaving Blue Mountain for home.
Looking back, I wondered how I managed to drive the car back safely. The only movements I could make were turning the steering wheel and tapping the brakes and accelerator by rotating my right ankle slightly from side to side, since any major movements were followed by signs of cramp; I couldn’t even get out of the seat without assistance.
It was a fun and eventful trip, but would I ever try snowboarding again? I’ll decide when my left bum recovers.
17 March 2004 ·
Sports ·
Snowboarding Weekend II
Previously:
I decided to snowboard since most of the guys were still in the learning stage and it would be no fun to go on the black slopes myself. For those who are unfamiliar with how ski trails are categorised: green indicates easy trails, blue for intermediate and difficult trails are labelled black; then of course there are the double-black slopes for those fanatical skiers. I’m a shutterbug who snaps lots of shots whenever I travel, but bringing my camera for snowboarding was out of the question since I was not very proficient yet, which explains the lack of photos taken during this trip.
Snowboarding is a dangerous sport, and we had our first casualty of the day not long after we started: Stephen suffered short-term amnesia after he fell on his head and couldn’t remember recent events. None of us saw the accident happened; by the time I knew about it, he was already walking down the slope with Joseph.
I didn’t understand what Jay was so obsessed with trying to help Stephen recall his memory halfway on the slope; that certainly wasn’t going to happen anytime soon as he was still in shock, and the most important task on hand was to get him to a doctor as soon as possible to make sure his brain didn’t suffer any serious injury.
Jay and I drove Stephen down to the nearest hospital in Collingwood after making an accident report with the ski patrol, and I was really surprised how about quiet its A&E department was. Initially I thought the reason was because Collingwood is a small town, which might explain the department’s lack of activity. But later I found out from Jay that this was the case for all A&E departments. He recalled from his volunteering experience at hospitals in downtown Toronto that the students were always clamouring for a volunteer position in A&E departments since it look so cool and happening on ER; but nothing couldn’t be further than the truth.
Jay spent most of his time chatting with patients while volunteering; and it’s not the usual hectic and fast-paced scene as shown on television when paramedics sent an injured person in, but rather the paramedic take their time to brief the nurses and doctors about the patient and everything happens in slow-motion much like in outpatient departments.
We decided to head back to our suite for lunch with the rest of the guys since Stephen had to be kept under observation for another couple of hours, and thankfully the doctors declared him to be in good shape and we were able to fetch him back from the hospital.
17 March 2004 ·
Sports ·
Friday Five X
This week’s Friday Five:
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What was the last song you heard?
Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by Dusty Springfield.
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What were the last two movies you saw?
The second last movie I saw was The Perfect Score, which I watched with Jay in our last movie marathon. Plagued by bad acting and a flimsy plot, it’s not a film that I recommend watching.
The most recent movie I watched was an animated film called The Triplets of Belleville by Sylvain Chomet. The movie is bizarre yet very fun to watch, and was nominated for the Oscars in the Best Animated Film and Best Song (Music) categories. Go watch its trailer, and if possible the movie; you’ll understand why all the film critics are raving so much about it.
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What were the last three things you purchased?
I couldn’t eat anything for dinner after visiting the dentist on Tuesday since the anaesthetic hadn’t worn off yet and I was talking like Marlo Brandon in The Godfather; I would’ve looked pretty cool if not because food would dribble out the side of my mouth whenever I eat. I decided to go to Dominion and stock up my food supply just in case I get hungry later in the night. Hence the last three things I purchased were all food items: granola bars, bread and of course, Nutella.
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What four things do you need to do this weekend?
Complete my investment assignment and operations management case study on American Airlines; send out resumes begging for a summer internship; and rock climbing later tonight.
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Who are the last five people you talked to?
The last five people I talked to in person were Joseph, Jonathan, Howe, Kevin and Nick, who were about the only people I’ve talked to in a day. I had barely left my room ever since I started playing Disciples II, which might explain my lack of human contact and sleep.
12 March 2004 ·
My Life ·
Snowboarding Weekend I
Many of the guys who went on the NCSC ski trip during Reading Week were eager to join me for another trip to Blue Mountain; however, due to the prohibitive cost of snow sports — it can easily come up to about $100 a day for the lift ticket and rental alone — the number of interested people dwindled down quickly, and I had a gut feeling that the trip was not going to happen. Fortunately, I managed to convince Joseph and Weisiang to come along with a little help from our resident rich boy Howe, who agreed to cover the expenses for them first.
Once again, I was the designated driver since none of the guys was old enough to rent a car except me. A 5-door sedan wasn’t exactly the most comfortable car to accommodate 6 people, but a Ford Taurus was the largest car I could rent at a tender age of 23. We had to squeeze 3 guys at the front and Jay’s space-hogging snowboard barely fitted into the trunk, and it was quite an experience to drive with someone sitting shoulder to shoulder beside me; I had to keep reminding Joseph to avoid stepping on the accelerator, and perform acrobatic moves in order to check the mirrors which were blocked by 5 well-fed young men.
And to make our trip more exciting, Jay believed we could find our way to a remote ski resort by travelling along unmarked roads at night without a proper map; all we had was a free road map from Hertz that was pretty much useless since it tells us what we already know. As if driving an unfamiliar car on unfamiliar roads in the middle of the night was not stressful enough, I was not prepared to get lost and spend my weekend sitting in a fast food restaurant at one of the highway rest points; and the only logical thing left to do was to print out the directions to Blue Mountain from its website.
The directions provided on the website were surprisingly accurate and we managed to find our way to Blue Mountain without much difficulty. Our suite at The Grand Georgian was a pleasant surprise: it was a one-bedroom suite complete with a full kitchen and 2 sofa beds, just perfect for 6 people. We had a really good deal considering the fact that we only paid about $180 per person for 2 nights’ accommodation plus unlimited skiing for the entire weekend.
After a few rounds of orange juice — I know this sounds pathetic, but LCBO was long closed by the time we reached Collingwood at midnight — and having some good laughs at the horny antics of a crazy Polish guy participating in The 5th Wheel, it was time to get some rest before we all enter a world of pain the next morning.
10 March 2004 ·
Sports ·
UN Survey
At the opening plenary session of the WSSD in Johannesburg yesterday, delegations were asked: "Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"
The subsequent debate was a complete fiasco and ended in deadlock.
The Africans did not know what “food” meant.
The Western Europeans did not know what “shortage” meant.
The Eastern Europeans did not know what “opinion” meant.
Delegates from the Middle East did not know what “solution” meant.
The South Americans did not know what “please” meant.
The Asians did not know what “honest” meant.
And delegates from the US did not know what “the rest of the world” meant.
10 March 2004 ·
Fun ·
Casshern
Check out this amazing trailer for the new Japanese movie Casshern which has some really impressive CG. Made for 5 billion yen, the movie is based on a 35-episode anime named Casshan: Robot Hunter, produced in 1973 by Tatsunoko, creators of Mach Go Go Go (Speed Racer), and Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets).
From what I can gather, the anime’s synopsis goes like this:
In a post-apocalyptic world dubbed the Dark Ages, the Earth is ruled by a bioroid named BK–1, better known as the Black King, whose legions of mechanized soldiers subjugate most of the human population. The bioroids are an artificial life form created to help save the plane from environmental catastrophe, but now they are little more than enslavers of the human race. There are, however, humans who have formed an alliance against their robot oppressors, but their means of defence aren't up to their formidable adversaries. Legend tells of a warrior named Casshan, who can fight the enemy on even terms. Only with his arrival can the human prisoners summon the will to revolt against their masters.
Luna Kazuki is a member of the resistance, searching the world for the man she loves, who happens to be the son of the scientist who developed the BK–1. When she finally meets up with him, she learns that Tetsuya Azuma has given up his mortal self to become part android to become Casshan, the only force capable of destroying the Black King. With his trusty transforming robot dog at his side, Casshan is destined to rid the world of the Black King, and to return his father’s honour. Luna also has a secret up her sleeve. Her father was a friend of Dr Azuma, and developed a weapon that can destroy the machines, which could turn the tides in the ongoing conflict between man and machine.
And I’ve managed to translate the movie’s storyline with a little help from Babelfish:
As for there, the history which we walk the world and the history where you walk differ completely. The Great War continues, as many as 50 years as for the world calls large Asian federal republic and European combination, it had divided into two camps. On end of the long fight, victory it did large Asian federal republic, controlling the East Asian Eurasian continent tract reached the point of.
But, those which are obtained with the victory in devastation of human nature, the chemical weapon and the germ weapon, the sequela of the chemical injury and the virus and the radioactivity which the nucleus brings were just the ground which becomes rough. Does the mankind sitting down, just receive loose end? There is no road of playback?
The person who lectures about solution was. It is Higashi doctor. He creates all regions of the human unrestrictedly, about “new structure cell” theory is lectured; help is looked up at academic society. Higashi doctor applied because of the wife green which suffers from the heavy illness, this research utilized by any means. Unless will not you take vesting, the hygienic ministry which dismisses the theory of the doctor.
But, research started with the help of the troop authorized personnel whom it tries to utilize the theory because of selfish desire. And intention the new life body and the new structure human who are born from the inevitable or experimental place. The mankind depressed to the territory of God. But, it was the expectation which relieves the mankind the “new structure cell” had been about to be able to lead the road of falling into ruin to the mankind …
The Matrix you say? That’s just the boring stuff I learnt in linear algebra, isn’t it?
04 March 2004 ·
Media ·