Catharsis

flirtations

2011-02-24T23:37:00.006+08:00

Realised my last post was in August 2010. Half a year has gone by and I'm still pretty much where I am.

I enjoy reading blogs of my ex girlfriends/flings so that I can catch up with them without actually meeting in person. Out of a total 4 who had owned blogs, 2 of which has discontinued theirs. Which is pretty sad cos I will not be able to read about where and what they are doing, who their new boyfriends are and most importantly, if they still think of me.

I was talking to a colleague earlier about this new girl in our company and how its amusing that both of us has added her as friends despite not working in the same dept. I complimented on her looks and the guy colleague was like..

"what about your (current girlfriend) ? "
"what about ? "
"you don't like her anymore?"
"of course I do, she's girlfriend but the other is an eye candy"
"but but but ....blah blah blah"

I'm not sure who's right or wrong here. But I dare say its OK to make new friends with pretty girls or boys (even if you are attached). Everyone secretly loves to flirt around once in a while. It keeps me in touch with my youth and, if the girl reciprocates, affirms that I still possess my charm.

Perfectly Lonely

2010-06-22T21:31:00.002+08:00

A simple abstract from the lyrics by John Mayer:

I see friends around from time to time
When their ladies let them slip away
And when they ask me how I'm doing with mine
This is always what I say

Nothing to do
Nowhere to be
A simple little kind of free
Nothing to do
No one to be
Is it really hard to see

Why I'm perfectly lonely
'Cause I don't belong to anyone
Nobody belongs to me

2010-06-04T22:26:00.002+08:00

James is back in Singapore and is happy to see all his friends again!

Its been 4 weeks and nothing has significantly changed. TO be honest I'm really looking forward a transition cos sometimes, I can't help but wonder if everything around me is getting rather stale. I wanna meet new people and do new things!

7th June 2010 marks my first day at work. Its about damn time

Life

2010-03-27T02:13:00.002+08:00

I finally watched "Curious case of benjamin button" and it didn't disappoint.
In the movie, Benjamin documented his lifelong memoirs in a diary of the different people he had met and shaped his life.

Will I grow to live the extraordinary life he did ? If I were to kick the bucket someday, I wonder if anyone will remember me for the things I did and the wonderful people that walked with me. Probably not, but then again, as long as I remember em myself, that'll do. Just don't make me suffer the dementia that Benjamin did.

2010-03-23T00:33:00.002+08:00

I know I broke her heart
I went down to explain things
Its just too bad she couldn't face the hard truth

2010-03-21T21:52:00.002+08:00

We all go 'round and 'round
Partners of lost and found
Looking for one more chance
All I know is,
We're all in the dance

2010-03-20T00:42:00.004+08:00

I made a big fucking mistake to have added my sister on facebook You made a big fucking mistake by posting your intimate photos with your boyfriends online I thought I could enjoy your company for a longer while before I fly off now look what you have done ..

Flight Confirmed!

2010-03-02T00:31:00.002+08:00

Hi James,

We are pleased to confirm your instruction for the amendment of flight as follows:

Airline: Cathay Pacific Airways

05 May 2010 Singapore to Hong Kong 1100 hrs - 1455 hrs

05 May 2010 Hong Kong to New York 1700 hrs - 2055 hrs

30 May 2010 New York to Hong Kong 1455 hrs - 1900 hrs

31 May 2010 Hong Kong to Singapore 2000 hrs - 2345 hrs

If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere
It’s up to you - New York, New York
- Frank Sinatra

2010-02-27T12:59:00.009+08:00

Catharsis
ca·thar·sis (ke-thärisis)

n. pl.  ca·thar·ses (-sez)1.  Medicine  Purgation, especially for the digestive system.
2.  A purifying or figurative cleansing of the emotions, especially pity and fear, described by Aristotle as an effect of tragic drama on its audience.
3.  A release of emotional tension, as after an overwhelming experience, that restores or refreshes the spirit.
4.  Psychology a.  A technique used to relieve tension and anxiety by bringing repressed feelings and fears to consciousness.
b.  The therapeutic result of this process; abreaction.

2010-02-22T01:30:00.005+08:00

You asked me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I can't be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is ____

2010-02-17T23:19:00.008+08:00

Don't have expectations of me
they leave you disappointed more often than not

Over at the recent CNY dinner I've wanted to congratulate TH and SL for their ability to sustain a relationship for these many years. Though 3 years might not seem like a lot, it is actually feat to me; something which Ive never thought I could sustain. My love life started on a wrong note and I've been tangled up in this mess ever since. In fact, I am not in a position to speak of love because I probably have never loved anyone before.

Happy CNY folks

2010-02-16T23:09:00.004+08:00

I'm disgusted with myself for the things I do

2010-02-08T01:33:00.004+08:00

that old familiar voice and laughter
dearly missed
rings upon my ears tonight

Six Characters in Search of an Author

2010-02-07T13:09:00.002+08:00

Tseng Jeng Lim says:

February 7, 2010 at 3:20 am

Six Characters in Search of an Author (1976) is an adaptation of Italian Writer – Luigi Pirandello’s famous play first performed in 1921. Directed by Stacy Keach, this televised “film of a play” was shot entirely in a studio with ample air time focused on the speech and expressivity of the characters of this film. The liveliness of the theatre was, however, diluted given the numerous movements of the camera and the constant shift in focus from one character to another.

Having watched the film, my immediate response coincides with the comments here in the sense that Pirandello was indeed toying with the idea of a “play within a play”. It is interesting to note that upon the mysterious appearance of the six characters, the roles of the manager and actors have been shifted to the role of an audience. The original actors, not wanting to be caught in the midst of the family tussle, were standing aside and listening as the story of the dysfunctional family unfolds. As the actors later tried to replicate the scenes in the Madam Pace’s shop, their acting were written off immediately by the characters for using the wrong tones and gestures.

Much of the film also dwells upon the subject of reality and illusion. Such is evident when The Father questioned the identity of the manager and actors in a sarcastic manner and his constant reiteration on the realism of the characters. On stage, the characters do indeed possess individual traits as the Father, Mother, Stepdaughter and Son each takes turn to reveal their side of the story and stands firm in putting their arguments across. Ironically, it is the actors who are “not real” as they failed in reenacting the scenes previously played by the authors. The Father further pointed out that, unlike a character, a man may well be “nobody” because of the hypocritical nature of human beings in which we conform ourselves to the society norms and in the process forgotten our very own identity.

All in all, I enjoyed watching this film given the occasional humor and unexpected tragic twist at the end of it. It would no doubt be classified as a “tragicomedy”, much akin to most Shakespeare’s works where deaths often occur to key characters at the end of the play. Also, I could not help but draw a societal relation to the way the Character Lady portrays herself in the 70s to a modern interpretation of Paris Hilton.

2010-01-31T01:06:00.001+08:00

emo got cure ?

Only happy when it rains

2010-01-27T00:55:00.003+08:00

I have nothing to blog about nowadays except for the fact that I've been fucking busy for all sorts reasons apart from what I should be focusing on.. my academics. I was there today with the eco guys to entertain the chief engineer from Richardo - a company that designed a gearbox for the 1000hp Bugatti Veyron. He seemed like a result orientated person asking about how we benchmark ourself with the winner from the race and how we should go about setting goals for the car. That made me all the more disheartened given that I am already 26 and I have nothing to be proud of.. =\

By the way here's a song dedication for the twisted people

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdodc1Eu1nA

..

I only smile in the dark
My only comfort is the night gone black
I didn't accidentally tell you that
I'm only happy when it rains
You'll get the message by the time I'm through
When I complain about me and you
I'm only happy when it rains

Pour your misery down
Pour your misery down on me

..

Sometimes

2010-01-23T22:51:00.003+08:00

Sometimes I can't wait to graduate and get out to work and earn some bucks.

Sometimes I wish I will never graduate so I won't have to go through the pain of looking for jobs

Celebration to a 1/3 Life Crisis

2010-01-19T22:48:00.005+08:00

I had earlier predicted a somber birthday celebration but never have I imagined that it would turn out to be such a blast! Time flies when ur having a good time and the celebrations ended on a sad note with my best indian friend flying off for a 6month long SEP.

Speaking of 2010, it certainly is a dawn of a new era.. for me at least. Its about damn time I GRADUATE, get a JOB, get a CAR and hopefully find a better half (yes I'm actually deprived of TLC). I know this sounds crazy but true - other than the graduation I have no idea what the other things I had wished for will turn out to be.

2010-01-03T00:20:00.002+08:00

Sometimes its better to keep your mouth shut before someone slaps your face only then to realise your concerns have all along been in vain

Goodbye World

2009-12-02T13:46:00.003+08:00

I'm heading to this modern communist state known as Shanghai in approximately 3 hours from now. The land where like almost half the internet sites are banned, like facebook, blogger etc. Hell I might not even be able to come on msn.

People tell me how good and cheap the stuff there is. Thing is, I'm quite skeptical about eating the food along the streets cos I never know what sorta shit I am really eating. You won't know how they handled the food .. hygiene etc, ..hell it may even contain melamine. Then there's the stuff. The branded stuff are more expensive than singapore and brandless stuff don't exactly arouse my interest.

Then there's Taiwan, 4 days to be exact. But most of the time I can foresee myself spending time in the country side where my paternal grandparents reside. I haven't seen them for a really long time and last I was told they're not exactly in a healthy state.

So there, I'm only half excited about this trip. Then again, I always feel the same shit before I fly off everytime. Plagued by anxiety, I will miss the people I love, especially my dog.

Looking forward to see you after the 14th Dec

Say what you need to say

2009-11-21T21:09:00.000+08:00

the Human Race 10K

2009-10-24T23:23:00.002+08:00

Peer pressure made me succumb to paying $35 for a 10km run.

Judging the difficulty from the distance alone may seem like the run's an easy task. However, one needs to factor in the hordes of walkers that I had to weave through and the sweltering weather had me soaking up my shoes by the time I reach the 8km mark; after which it felt like I was running on shoes that has just been soaked in a puddle of water.

So 55mins was what I took to complete 10km. Hopefully the NB run will be better

Every me Every You

2009-10-17T15:06:00.000+08:00

Oh yes I am BACK

To: Images and Words

2009-10-16T00:54:00.006+08:00

Dear Blog

First of all, I would like to apologize for the long absence. For too long you have been ignored, so much so that when someone prompted me recently of your existence, I could not even recall the exact address! Perhaps I have been so engrossed with my routines that I might have forgotten what I used to love.

Typical excuses like "laziness" and "lack of time" would have been a quick and easy way of getting away with it. But certainly there must have been other underlying reasons for my ignorance.

For one, it was probably a case of moving on. I guess its like the same analogy as how we eventually get over our ex girlfriends (or affairs). Not that they have been forgotten, but rather somewhere along the line, in the least expected situations, another significant other might have appeared in your life. Before you could witness the end of winter, you realize summer has arrived once again!

Speaking of Summer, recently I caught this movie "500 days of Summer" which I thought was one of the coolest movies I've come across. Its about how this girl mindfucked the guy into thinking that she likes him; not that she doesn't but she just wasn't ready to get into a relationship. The girl goes by the name of Summer and 500 days was the amount of time they spent together (read: happily together). I shall not spoil the story further leaving it to you to watch what happens eventually. Just don't expect a happy ending =P

As for what I've been up to lately.. basically nothing much other than FYP really. I've been staying late in school almost everyday but not getting at all productive. Since retiring from NUSSU, I've ventured into beginner Salsa and signed up for 2 running events, namely the Nike Human race and the New Balance Trail Run. Aye .. just to keep my fitness in check so that my tummy won't go "Boomz". Oh I'm also finally getting some tiny "dividends" since my decision more than a year ago to invest in a DSLR. Here's the winning shot for the AIA campus photo competition:

So dear blog, I'm not sure when I'll write to you again but lets all remain hopeful. Right now I needa catch up some deprived sleep!

Regards
James

The Photographer's Dilemma

2009-05-22T14:40:00.005+08:00

The camera man is a lonely creature
There he is standing in the midst of the event
yet he isolates himself from his friends and fun
just to capture that the moment when the opportunity arise.

The camera man is also a shy creature
for he does his fine job of taking pictures for others
and has every reason to exclude himself.

They say that a picture speaks a thousand words,
yet how often has anyone spoken a word,
to the camera man?
They say that a picture freezes the moment
for an indefinite time,
yet how often was the time and efforts in producing a picture taken for granted?

Everyone's all groomed and dressed for the occasion,
except for the camera man carrying an unsightly bulk of equipments,
and a camera that constantly conceals half his face.

Perhaps it was on purpose that he wants to conceal his expressions,
so you will never know the real camera man
underneath that big black masquerade.

random words

2009-03-22T22:23:00.002+08:00

Its been such a long while since I last blog. I'd almost forgotten its existence.

Its been quite a night catching up with the guys last night. The usual topics about cars and girls aside, we chatted about current affairs, finding jobs, casino gambling and even singapore politics. Which kind of prompted me to notice this stark contrast on the things I do with my friends in NUS.

Perhaps its the general difference in age and maturity that my NUS friends' activities and chat topics seem to revolve around gossips: who's going out with who, who's doing what behind someone's back, who's pissing who off. And not to mention the infinite no of times I had to face the camera, especially at outings and birthday parties.

Well, I'm not here to decide which group is more favorable. In fact, each has its pros an cons. Speaking of the current economy and finding jobs may be depressing at times but at least it keeps my age at check, to remind myself that I'm not getting any younger and its about damn time I consider my future. Gossiping with friends about relationships and fashion trends keeps my mind away from the books and keeps my in touch with my youth.

So I guess the bottom line is, its never good to put yourself in one box. Sometimes it pays to hang out with different people and do different things, even if you may seem relectuant at first. If you don't try you'll never know.

Welcome back James

Hope and Happiness

2009-02-17T23:39:00.005+08:00

Chanced upon this picture on an occasional site visit to clubsnap forums.

The author gave the picture title "Hope and Happiness".

Happy B-Lated Valentines to all =]

Merry Christmas to all !

2008-12-26T03:30:00.000+08:00

I know it is a day late but its due to the hectic programs that I have lately that I've almost completely forgotten the existence of my blog. But better late then never :D

freaky online assignment

2008-12-09T11:48:00.004+08:00

zLong says:
james!
zLong says:
remember to do 2143 imparo
James ! says:
huyh ??
zLong says:
u got take sensor hor ?
James ! says:
yar
James ! says:
am I in the right time ?
zLong says:
ya last one u do already?
James ! says:
i tot exams are over
zLong says:
yup yup
zLong says:
i know
James ! says:
lols
James ! says:
which one is the last one
zLong says:
it sux to do during holiday
James ! says:
i only rem doing 2
James ! says:
review and op amps
zLong says:
there is the 3rd one
zLong says:
opened 1dec
James ! says:
wtf ?!?!

and so I went on to the online assignment website and there I have it

of course I didn't bother but it was nevertheless amusing

these little black clouds keep walking around with me

2008-12-09T00:04:00.000+08:00

relationship fell apart
friendships fell apart
overseas trip doesn't seem likely to happen

what more is there to look forward to this holidays ?

emo song for emo people

2008-12-05T23:41:00.001+08:00

Things to do after tomorrow

2008-12-03T12:31:00.005+08:00

Yea so you might have guessed I'm less then 26 hrs away from freedom ! We used to have this saying in the past - "to have something to look forward to". Well, here are some random thoughts before I hit the books.. for the last time in 2008.

1. Round-island photo whoring.

2. Catch up with old friends.

3. Do a little gambling on POEMS.

4. Overhaul my wardrobe, add in some Christmas shopping. Perhaps a HB-45 lens hood and 18-105mm VR would be nice.

5. My first IPPT as an NS-man on the 20th Dec! Looking forward to $200. That should suffice for the Christmas shopping budget in times of recession.

6. Korea Exchange! The Korea University of Technology is situated some 80km from Seoul. Doesn't matter the 1-2 hrs drive. No way am I gonna spend those 5 days in the campus compounds learning their Kimchi culture. I just wanna hit the streets !

Here's your picture

2008-11-09T19:09:00.002+08:00

the story's already been told before

2008-11-01T14:31:00.002+08:00

..so here I am in a semi conscious state of mind. One half of me is longing for the bed and the other half is urging me to study, exams only 3 weeks away !

The past 24 hours and more was spent shopping for a suit, birthday dinner and a lame halloween dinner organised by Bizcom. Frankly speaking I never liked the idea in the first place due to the venue. I mean comon, its Friday night on the actual day of Halloween. Which lame soul would wanna come back to school, dressed up for a party and pay $12 entry (previously $15) which includes a complimentary half slice brownie and diluted drink. Except me, and 50+ other people who is, in one way or another related to the organisers, had to come down for the sake of it.

Honestly speaking , I'm just glad's the events for this sem has finally come to a close. But well, at least I managed to get something out of the shopping :))

When was the last time ?

2008-10-26T00:34:00.002+08:00

I chanced upon this cool note on facebook so thought it might be nice to share with ya'll

----

When was e last time?

Mia: Don't you hate that?
Vincent: What?
Mia: Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?
Vincent: I don't know. That's a good question.
Mia: That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the fuck up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence.

Pulp Fiction

Random Musings

2008-10-11T23:24:00.006+08:00

Okay.. so I've been really lately and almost forgotten the existence of this blog. But honestly, there isn't a lot of things happening in my life either. Its still the same old me, going for lectures Mon-Fri.. skipping tutorials... 1 girlfriend..constantly going for cca meetings and hanging out with the usual bunch of people.

However, there is something new and that is the eco car project, part of a compulsory design module for all year 3ers. The first few weeks was spent going for what I would call basic theory lessons on automobiles, stuff that any car enthusiast would know. Following that comes the allocation of projects. There was Chassis, suspension, aerodynamics, CVT, super cap, electricals and fuel cell. Being ignorant on all the others, I conveniently chose Chassis and little did I expect that to a nightmare I am facing now.

With the week 9 approaching, I have a little more than 5 weeks to design the chassis consisting of wheels, brakes and steering. To make matters worse, the professor who will be grading us would like to have a car thats more road friendly, that spells a 2-seater, comfort, safe and noise insulation. Having a team of 3 guys doesn't seem to make matters any easier cos they are equally as clueless.

Oh and did I mention that we have to CAD them out using a software that none of us are familiar with ?

On another note, I am currently facing a recession too, no thanks to the panic selling of stocks in the global markets. Warrent Buffet once said "be greedy when others are panicking and panic when others are greedy". Well I was greedy 5 days ago when everyone was massively bailing out and 5 days later the bearish market had headed for the worse. ..Makes me wonder if the bearish market ever ever reach the bottom.

Tower of Power

2008-09-22T22:31:00.002+08:00

heh.. F1 Singapore here I come !

RUN NUS 2008

2008-09-05T15:09:00.001+08:00

Tseng Jeng Lim (20073)

Your timing is 1 hr 8 min 55 sec
You rank 40th out of 133

..not bad for someone who hasn't ran in a while :)))

Then again..

2008-08-13T23:18:00.001+08:00

Then again, it is just whole lotta shitwork for the student's union. What have I gained?

Finally..

2008-08-09T12:31:00.004+08:00

Finally its over ! Rag day is over !!

I could still recall the night before.. it was raining heavily and our ops plan has already been delayed by 1 hour. Weather stations have reported an overnight rain with thunderstorm over the next 12hours. Halls and Faculty club presidents were called to the SRC field for an emergency meeting. I couldn't help but think of the worse that can happen. All these months of planning and overnight meetings, could the event be cut short, or worse still canceled ??

In desperate time calls for desperate measures. I phoned my friend, VP for Arts club to unleash his what he calls a 100% sure-fire way of stopping the rain. Have several bags of chili, onion and garlic are throw them out into the rain. A while later, I received a one word text message - "Deployed". Unbelievable as it seems, the clouds started to clear after an hour and stopped completely. By now we are already 3 hours behind time.

Fast forward through the performances.. Everyone had gathered in front of the VIP - performers, float builders and presidents, eagerly anticipating the announcement of results. Some clenched their fists, others with arms around their friend's shoulders.

Results were swiftly announced and the shields were presented. The winners cheered and celebrated as if they had won the olympic gold medal, the others looked on with disbelieve and disappointment. The whole grandstand reeked of emotions, everyone was in tears including myself.

"No more email spamming
No more overnight meetings
No more saikang
No more baking in the sun
No more putting up with incompetent people"

It was all worth it. The satisfaction of witnessing the entire flow of event, ensuring that every hall and faculty are given an equal opportunity to put up a great show.

Photos of the event can be found here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=140756&id=648880006&page=2

girls and cars are not compatible

2008-07-02T12:08:00.001+08:00

(nah) James ! says:
the toyota was drivin to its max speed while the bmw just merely kept up
(nah) James ! says:
after 10 laps the toyota did 17miles / gallon
(nah) James ! says:
bmw.. 19miles/ gallon
(nah) James ! says:
top gear top tip, its not what car u drive but how u drive it
(bah) Siok ! says:
orh
(nah) James ! says:
can u at least pretend to be interested
(bah) Siok ! says:
oh wow!
(bah) Siok ! says:
the toyota is good
(bah) Siok ! says:
maybe they are skilled
(nah) James ! says:
.......

Hendon Camp

2008-06-22T01:21:00.005+08:00

...yep thats all the pic I have. So much for camwhoring along the way and not remembering to recharge since "Henderson Waves"

I'll be away from 25-29 to visit a friend in Kuching, Malaysia. 2 days in Holiday Inn and 1 day at "Damai Beach Resort". At the same time to take time off to chill, to get out of the concrete jungle, to evaluate the past and plan for the next step in the new academic year.

There's been some setbacks in my personal life recently but I'll get through it, somehow. Just as the saying goes - the show must go on.

Holiday Updates

2008-06-05T11:38:00.005+08:00

So maybe its all these work stress getting into me that has turned me into a highly provocative and ill-tempered person. Its already June and think about it, 1/3 of my holidays r gone and I've hardly enjoyed much except for the Sentosa trip yesterday. The amount of work will just escalate from now on until the event is finally over. And, worst of all, I have hardly lost any weight since exams !

The poor camera's lonely in the DIY-ed "lock and lock" box accompanied by a layer of thin foam, battery and a sachet of thirsty hippo. Didn't really dare take it out to Sentosa yesterday as I've got no cleaning tools on hand!

And yes I've also been thinking a lot recently - perhaps this is what they call a mid relationship crisis. I need a spark to reignite the flames.

D60 Day 2 - Henderson Waves

2008-06-03T13:14:00.003+08:00

D60 Day 1 - My Neighbourhood

2008-06-01T21:38:00.005+08:00

Camwhore !

2008-05-31T01:59:00.001+08:00

This is how busy I am

2008-05-21T22:32:00.001+08:00

2008-05-06T21:59:00.000+08:00

HOLIDAYS COMETH !

Pursuit of Happiness

2008-04-21T01:34:00.004+08:00

Before knowing the path towards achieving happiness, perhaps one has to define the meaning of happiness. Happiness can mean different things to different people. Some people associate happiness to materialistic gains (the 5 Cs - Cars, Condo, Credit card, cash and club membership) while others derive happiness through interaction and spending time with family and loved ones.

Different as the 2 definitions may be, there is however, a common link to the 2 definitions as mentioned above. That is, contention. In terms of material gains, how much is enough when it comes to achieving your target? An japanese car is better than a china made car, which in turn is overshadowed by an european make. On the other hand, you might have been so focused on your objectives and are subconsciously taking for granted the simple pleasures in life such as family dinners or even spending time with ur pet dog.

It is not easy to truly achieve happiness especially in our competitive, result oriented society. So perhaps, the key to achieving so would have to depend on how we define happiness and the process towards attaining it . If one sets his or her goals too high, then sad to say, he or she will never be happy.

..edited from my secondary blog.
Thanks guys for sticking around despite my infrequent updating.

..Lemurs

2008-04-20T13:25:00.004+08:00

"I like to move it move it"

my pretty girlfriend's new rimless

2008-04-17T22:57:00.005+08:00

and her environmental friendly hair

Been super busy lately. Somehow Iv gotten myself into a whole slew of commitments lately. Vice chair for Bizcom, Vice head for Rag, OGL for Union Camp and Councillor for Engin Camp. There goes my summer holidays. And no, I haven't included girlfriend, photography, Bintan, and the hope of working at Starbucks (so I can get an infinite dosage of caffeine). But James will take it one step at a time, starting with.. EXAMS next week !

Top 14 reasons to date an engineer:

2008-03-18T22:47:00.000+08:00

14. We are trained to do it right the first time
13. We are used to all nighters
12. We are always willing to experiment
11. We know how to decrease and increase friction
10. We know all about heat transfer
9. We do it with more torque
8. We can wire your circuits
7. Free body diagrams
6. Potential for smart children
5. Engineering couples have better moments
4. We know how to deal with stress and strain
3. We know it's not the length of the vector that counts, but how you apply the force
2. "Lubrication, Friction and Wear" is actually a class
1. The world DOES revolve around us....we pick the coordinate system

..Taken from a friend's FB profile.

2008-03-13T18:17:00.000+08:00

You know you're an Engineer when..

2008-03-02T23:04:00.004+08:00

You believe what you study (Engineering) can be applied in real life.

You refer to a pillar as a "vertical beam".

You handwriting is illegible.

You start examining slow motion videos of water droplets.

You believe the world is governed by equations.

Update on 18th March:
A Vertical Beam subjected to axial loading is known a column
.bah

hacked

2008-02-15T15:00:00.011+08:00

$#$^$%&%^*^*$&@$%*^&(&*)(&*(#&*@$^!^%$&%$^*#(^()&))&

james' blog has been hacked.

this is because he hasn't been updating. hence, i shall update for him about valentine's day :)
first, it started off with the making of pancakes... or prata?

Pancakes.. of all shapes, sizes and .. colour...

some decorations to save the day...

Heaven and hell.

satisfied! (i hope)

yay

2008-01-25T14:23:00.000+08:00

If your too bored and wants to know a little more about my (politically) correct answers, here's where you can go : http://jamestjl.blogspot.com/

Its supposed to be a e-portfolio created by students why flunked their English test taking the module EG1471. It carries 0 MCs but somehow it seemed more interesting than any other core modules that I've taken.

Oh and not forgetting to acknowledge my secret editor who'll be around to wipe out any deficiency in my use of language.

The inconvenient truth

2008-01-19T12:34:00.000+08:00

Oh, look what you've done
You've made a fool of everyone
Oh well, it seemed like such fun
Until you lose what you had won
- JET

***

On a lighter note, here's recap of the pleasant surprise 2 days ago at Macdonalds

If you're one of those who's forgotten (e.g Jeremy..), shame on you ! But that just makes us even since I'm usually the main culprit when it comes to remembering birthdays. (sorry dear)

Also like to apologise on my negligence of this blog. Oh no, it must have bored the hell out of you readers ! But if I were to list out every single thing I have done over these past 2 months or so, I might as well publish a book already. Also no thanks to all these recent numerical formulas that been crammed into my head that has inevitably distanced me from what is know as "English" .. and "Alphabets".

Hopefully the compulsory 0 MC module known as "English for academic writing" will turn things around ..

Sunday Morning

2008-01-06T12:25:00.000+08:00

Excellent song for the wee hours of a Sunday morning cruising along PIE. Having sent my cousins family off at the Airport, I couldn't help but sense some bittersweetness. Having spent most the last 9 days in their company, driving to every corner of singapore, entertaining their 3 year old daughter has also made me hate children a little less.

Now that the house has quietened down again, its also about time the car gets returned to its rightful owner.

School's starting in a week ! *celebrates with sarcasm*

Post Results Review

2007-12-27T21:12:00.000+08:00

With a CAP of 2.55 , am I supposed to feel satisfied with my results ?

You bet I should. Cui as my CAP may be, (and definitely a far cry compared my results back in poly), all I ever wanted was to pass all my modules and I did basically just that. Hopefully the next semesters' will be better :)

For now I'll just enjoy the next 7 days of my holidays cruising around sg. Now where's that key and GPS ?

James loves Holidays

2007-12-14T23:46:00.000+08:00

I am absolutely enjoying every moment of this. First off, there is the urge to lose off the extra calories I've gained throughout the semester so I hit the gym last friday, and then again today. It was also no surprise that after 4 months of inactivity, to even complete 3 km on the treadmill was a struggle, and my body ached for 4 consecutive days following the bodypump class. But its all for the sake of losing that love handle Siok's complained about

Next off is the Student Leaders' Camp- in short for SLC. An annual event for representatives of various student groups to gather and "interact". Initially I was rather skeptical of the venue, held at Coasta Sands chalet, I was expecting it to be just another chalet. But it turned out pretty enjoyable. We had treasure hunt, management workshops, obstacle courses (there was supposed to be a high elements but the rain had it canceled) Never had I came across a group so garang, running from stations to stations and doing ridiculous things like swallowing a tube of wasabi..

So perhaps, its true they say university life is enriching and enjoyable..just that its only applicable in the holidays.

Looking forward to tomorrow..

The day of Pasta salad and Bratwurst

2007-12-07T00:02:00.000+08:00

Just a recap an extraordinary meal today, the fact that its prepared by Siok made the salad taste pretty special and combined with those oh so yummy steamy juicy succulent bratwurst sausages ! ..Post-exam highs never felt this good

2007-12-01T21:36:00.000+08:00

"no decent gpa, no glam job" - Quek

"there's no such thing as free lunch in this world" - Prof T.T Lim

Hope that answers you, ES.

2007-11-23T22:00:00.000+08:00

Here's a pic to complement my mood

pre exam blues and banter

2007-11-22T00:31:00.000+08:00

We have finally come to the end of the semester. Much like in games where you have to come face to face with the boss, we students, too will need to face the exams. If you "die", chances are , you will have to respawn from the beginning of the stage and start over again...

At times like these, you start cramming everything into ur head
- things that you missed completely
- things you thought you knew (then realise you actually don't) and
- things you actually knew but forgotten over time.

So back to the analogy of bosses appearing at the end of every stage. You defeat one so you may begin another stage, just to face a more powerful boss in a matter of time.

Will there ever be an end ?

Ans : refer to blog subtitle ;)

2007-11-12T01:14:00.000+08:00

Its the beginning of the final week of semester 1... and I'm starting to feel really panicky about my progress.. countless loopholes in tutorials still left unanswered. And I have barely started on Organizational Behavior.

and then I thought, will there ever be a time when you could sit down and tell yourself, I am confident now that I have mugged enough ?

The Lie

2007-11-03T00:23:00.000+08:00

A lie is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement with the intention to deceive, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation.

the purpose ?

To make someone happy by complimenting on his/her efforts, even though deep down you know that the standard's below par.

To avoid confrontation cos speaking the truth will only complicate things. Better to not say at all or to twist the story.

To avoid dampening moods by putting up a false front, you will blend in with your peers. Revealing your negative emotions will simply spoil everyone's mood.

To get your point across by exaggerating on things and situations. Else it might just be taken light heartedly.

To achieve your goal, for example a lawyer defends his client, whom in reality is guilty of committing a crime. (reminds me of Jim Carrey's Liar Liar)

Fact of the matter is..
Truth hurts.

So its better to lie sometimes. Of course not so much to the extend that you start losing trust. I'm just making some general instances on why people lie. In no way do I advocate such doings. Trust me ;)

driver application

2007-10-23T21:56:00.000+08:00

Lately, I've been arrowed to do some transportation for my cca.

Here's a glimpse of the application form to be sent to the head of resources for NUSSU Exco. Its no surprise why he likes people to call him G4 .

The orientation and test is this Thurs evening, wish me luck.. need lots of it

the cure to your mid-week blues

2007-10-16T22:13:00.000+08:00

Aye it ain't even mid week yet, but the irony is.. this time I am actually looking forward to it. The reason is obvious ;)

***

Life is a GAME itself.
You go through different stages, each with increasing difficulty.
You take what you have for granted, and then demand for more.
You seek a greener pasture on the other side.
Your curiosity awakens you from the mundane routines..
and you head out in search for more fun.

..
James was inspired and started crapping. At least you readers finally have something to read.

The Right Brain or the Left Brain ?

2007-10-11T01:36:00.000+08:00

Take this interesting test and see which category you belong

Click Here !

No matter how I see it, always seemed clockwise to me.
Not a good sign for an engineering student I must say

Revival

2007-09-22T01:39:00.000+08:00

A reader must have been so pissed with my negligence and went on to set a fire to burn the entire template off.

Anyway here's a temporary one just to keep things in place. Until the holidays that is..

FYI, James is still well and truly alive, albeit struggling in his studies.

2007-09-16T02:01:00.000+08:00

oh no. the template's gone

2007-09-10T21:30:00.000+08:00

Was mugging this afternoon on the "Applications of Integration" when the other table beside was having a heated discussion on the economy and inflation ..along with examples of current affairs brought up to justify their arguments.

..Makes me wonder all that recent stuff thats being crammed into my head was at all worthwhile and related to my future..

Is obtaining the volume of an oddly shaped sphere really that important as compared to putting oneself in the know of whats going on in our current society ?

..

Sausage Fest

2007-08-26T12:52:00.000+08:00

Had an eventful BBQ at the sio pad last night in the good company of 5 regulars, Th's gf and my significant other. We must have swallowed tonnes of sausages and sausages alone (with variety of course) along with beer, vodka , wine and .. unfortunately Campari as well. We enjoyed a short guitar performance followed by the sadistic drinking game. The beef patties I bought is probably still in Sio's fridge along more leftover sausages.

Round 2 anyone ?

So, back to reality now. Week 2 of school is over but yet I still feel that mental block somewhere in me restricting a shift into full gear. This translates to an abnormally longer time to take in new info, be it the seamless formulas in maths and physics , or the never ending pages of words in management studies. The inertia to get myself down to study is already hard enough, and my head feels exhausted in no time even if I do eventually settle down.

Alright, I should quit bitching. Everyone else is in the same shitty situation.

mug James, mug !

..
On the flip side,
A whole new exciting chapter is awaiting

2007-08-25T02:25:00.000+08:00

Having mugged 3 friggin years on ME in poly
yet here I am .. unable to solve a bloody qn in PHYSICS 1 tutorial myself

sigh

2007-08-17T01:42:00.000+08:00

Ambition

Foolish Games

2007-08-11T20:09:00.000+08:00

Warning : Emo song

And so, the O week draws to a close on a high (and noisy) note with the NUS Flag n Rag - a Chingay lookalike performance held at Padang. Shagged as ever, zero regrets.

2007-08-07T16:49:00.000+08:00

2nd and 3rd day of o week

Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony - inspirational talks by president NUS, performances by in house an rock band, salsa dance and Jasmine Tye. Followed immediately by war games and SP rd2. Wonder whats the big fuzz about getting hitched in uni nowadays.. Round 2 wasn't exactly fun, more like a torture session . Imagine, a pail of hot cereal drenching you down.. now convert that to reality is what I received.

No sleep, continuous rounds of heart attack in the wee hours of the morning followed by my first and (also possibly last) flag event. We picked raffles place. Its amazing how the ang mohs being perceived as the more generous, completely turns the whole notion around..

*Author at this point in time is too shagged to share his chronology any further. He is heading down to Sentosa tomorrow.

2007-08-05T11:30:00.000+08:00

Attended the first day of "O Week" yesterday

Apart from the usual cheers and mini games in between, there were 3 segments consisting of the mass dance, SP (special partner) session and team-building games - of which I particularly enjoyed the most.

We did an incredible 4 level pyramid,

convinced someone to do a cheer whilst stripping himself,

and whilst at Charades, I must have done something that made everyone drop their jaws in an attempt to portray "Harry potter and the 7 horny drawfs". Nevertheless, the phrase was solved in no time thanks to my brilliant acting.

The o-week resumes tomorrow in conjunction with the NUS Freshmen Inauguration Ceremony.

Now.. where is that tie ?

***

On a second note, lets all welcome QUEK's earlier than anticipated return. Having escaped a cop's prosecution for speeding (with just a fine) and missed out an opportunity for a steam bath at NYC.

2007-08-01T21:17:00.000+08:00

I took my first stumble @ NUS today
..flunked an English (qualifying) test before school's even started

.. Pathetic

Blackle.com - Saving energy one search at a time

2007-07-30T15:51:00.000+08:00

Check THIS out.
Do your part to save the earth.

..until you purchase your first fuel guzzling supercar

2007-07-28T17:29:00.000+08:00

Plain White Ts - Hey There Delilah

2007-07-28T01:46:00.000+08:00

2007-07-26T11:33:00.000+08:00

quick update:

*James is in progress of defrosting his brain*

I'm doomed for maths

2007-07-24T14:40:00.000+08:00

Attended the first maths preparatory class yesterday.

Turned out much worse than expected.. what is supposed to be a "Refresher" course all seemed alien to me. My pursue towards a degree in 3 years is turning bleak..

LOST HANDPHONE ~!~!~!

2007-07-22T17:24:00.000+08:00

*speechless*

Rewind

2007-07-20T13:14:00.000+08:00

If you realised, the frequency of me updating this blog is comparable to that of a snail's movement. But on the contrary, the enthusiasm has not faded a single bit - as proven in my latest post which garnered such overwhelming response. Kudos to you my dear readers.

Here's a summary of whats been going on around me..

Yesterday was disastrous. I attempted my first essay (t be graded) in a span of 6 years (4 years in poly + 2 years n army). Blogging and filing WITS report in army not included. As expected. The handwriting was horrible, there were tonnes of cancellations, made me realize how much Iv taken for granted that "<- backspace" key all along.

Night before was spent at holland v - essential brew. Nothing much except for lotsa yakking and gossiping. Everyone seemed pretty fascinated with CLUBBING, photo whoring and pairing up couples. It all seemed like my life has suddenly skipped a few years back in time. But one thing's for certain, hanging out with these 19-20 year old has made me feel younger.

Tues night was spent in Timbre with the good company of Dan. There was supposed to be a Third but was turned down last minute due to well.. "uncomfortable" reasons. Oh well, as the saying goes - some things in life you can't have it all. Much of the evening was spent reminiscing the "good" times in Army. The endless canteen breaks, the dead boring nights spent prowling and guarding the gates, the star studded night in wallaby, the bumpy rides on tonner, the constant nagging and orders from our superiors, the morning mass runs along bt batok estate .. etc etc

Memorable and fascinating as the army days may be, I will have to accept the fact that such chapter in life is truly over. As someone once advised " Do move on, but let the memories not fade".

after "camp" review

2007-07-16T08:42:00.000+08:00

As you can see, there really ain't much to complain much bout the company.. perhaps just a tad too large, as a result several clicks r formed and the quieter ones r left out. What you see here are just the female seniors (and I can barely remember half their names !) .. multiply that by FIVE gives you a rough estimate of our "strength"

On a whole, I believe most were disappointed with the camp activities due to, perhaps inadequate planning and lack of creativity. On the hindsight, I must have been the luckiest guy in the entire camp, for my SP( secret partner) more than made up for all the shortcomings.

2007-07-09T23:05:00.000+08:00

Will be outta action till saturday , that'll probably include the whole of sunday to rest.

Time to put up with those endless games and cheering

Time to put on a masquerade

Time to put the past behind
..

P.S: Erdinger rules

An eventful evening

2007-07-08T01:05:00.000+08:00

This evening, I found myself back in an unfamiliar territory for a play, staged by SMU's theatrical production house - Stageit! .. titled Lao Jiu aka 9th born. Performance was staged at Jubilee Hall on the 3rd floor of Raffles Hotel, as you can tell from the location itself the place looks grand and exudes of old colonial furnishings.

The play sets itself in the 80s describing a boy, the only son amongst his 8 elder sisters who gets an a rare opportunity to score for a scholarship. He undertakes pressure from every member of his family (total of 18) to bring "pride and glory" to the family name since paper qualifications is perceived to bring in wealth and success.. even till modern day

However his true passion lies in puppetry, a hobby he inherited from his dad's pal. Sad to speak, traditional art and culture is a dying fad and one can barely earn a living out of, as such, lao jiu found himself torn between societal conformity and his passion for puppetry.

A particular highlight came in the part when he described those who abide by the social norm to focus and excel only in paper qualifications as puppets manipulated by the society - to study , to graduate as society's elite workhorse.

The dilemma faced by Lao Jiu seems so true and evident in each and everyone of us, be it a student blindly aiming for that straight set of 'A's .. or one who has ventured into working society, dreadful of the repetitive and mundane kind of lifestyle.

Check out my spanking new chair !

2007-07-06T12:36:00.000+08:00

Its swedish, but born in china...Allak is her name

2007-07-04T22:39:00.000+08:00

One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
A little flesh, a little history
I can feel an angel sliding up to me

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me

Death Proof

2007-06-30T12:11:00.000+08:00

An original Quentin Tarantino's kinda movie - sadistic and funny, in fact I can't remember the last movie that gave me such good laughs. Not to mention a bloody (pun intended) good car chase scene.

mole no more

2007-06-28T19:07:00.000+08:00

"Do you wish to hear the good news or the bad news first ?" ..asked the nurse

"Bad one first" goes my reply.

Today marks the 7th day since my mole removal surgery, also my 3rd (and probably last) visit to the National Skin Center, situated at a rough distance of ~10 min walk from Novena MRT. The first visit was a checkup about 2 months ago, followed by the actual surgery which lasted no longer than 10 minutes. Being a local surgery, I was conscious throughout the entire surgery, except that a black towel was laid over my face thus my vision was disrupted (I reckon the purpose of the towel was also there to prevent all that blood and gore from splattering over my face). First was the anesthetic needles which tested my endurance of pain, followed some instruments which snipped away my blackies and finally the stitching. I could peep through a little opening from the towel and noticed his busy hands criss crossing the threads with such amazing grace that'll make tailors envy.

Anyways, back to present. The nurse went on ..

"The bad news is your skin cells has grown at such an amazing rate that most of the threads r hidden beneath the skin, so its gonna be tough*. The good news is.. well.. what Iv mentioned earlier about your speedy recovery, but not under such circumstance, ..HAHA"

I guess his definition of tough* meant I had to endure more pain during the stitch removal as i was proven right immediately after.

Now my blackie's gone and its been replaced by a faint scar line which bore a small resemblance to .. gulp, never mind

2007-06-25T17:21:00.000+08:00

Damien Rice - Cannonball

2007-06-22T09:53:00.000+08:00

Its finally over, 3 full days (and a little more) of constant games and forfeits have finally come to a close, albeit a slightly more disappointing one for me since I couldn't be part of the finale night.

Just to name a few key activities:
- Sentosa Beach Games and Treasure Hunt
- Secret Partner Nite
- Mystery Nite (aka Fright Nite)
- Pool Games and Drag Queen competition

Not to mention the cheers we did day in day out, which till today still rings in my ears. I must admit to have given a cold shoulder initially as I find them stupid. However as time goes, I realize these cheers do serve a purpose, they bond the group together and uplift the morale, which is virtually non existant in the army. I guess this explains why everybody could last the incredible 4 days (with less than 4 hrs rest per night) after which, the body goes into a state of hibernation at the end of camp.

Incredible, isn't it.. when you think back of how the exact opposite you felt at the end of each outfield exercise, feeling rejuvenated and couldn't wait to get out to party.

To quote on TH, camps like these may be mad and stupid, but its certainly memorable once you look back upon them, cos chances are you'll never be more crazy ever.

2007-06-16T21:57:00.000+08:00

2007-06-15T23:55:00.000+08:00

So its about time I update something else I might as well wipe out the entire blog again. Blame the absence of what I would call, the Blog Bug - the longer you drag on attempting no significant contributions to to your web log, the less enthusiastic you get. Its like an inertia, which snowballs itself over time , retarding the will to pen down any thoughts.

Alright here's something new. I shall attempt to gather a list of keywords in random order related to my activities over the past 14 days or so. That way, leaving you to decipher whist exercising your imagination, and I wouldn't have to recap and pen down everything in detail :

starbucks, monorail, river, cupcakes, fred, lesbians, china town, facebook, adelphi, beach, yoda, interview, murder, pool, telephone, casino, gym, war, beer, suntec, jeweleries, burgers, insomnia, oysters, tiramisu, wine, tiger airways, saliva, immigration, thongs, tongs, vodka, bangkok, camp, volleyball, receipe, shades, wharf

gosh that was mind exhausting, and a bloody waste of ur time.
I need some inspiration to write.

Song of the day

2007-06-12T02:19:00.000+08:00

..In case u were wondering, yes my blog is still well and alive and I'm living each day to the fullest ;)

2007-06-06T18:46:00.000+08:00

How does one define a Bad day:

- Sleep deprived

- By having make a repeat journey to lavender to submit more irrelevant documents.

- By heading to high tea in hope of savoring some tiramisu to lighten my mood.. only to realize they ran out of it.

the good the bad and the ugly

2007-06-04T23:47:00.000+08:00

Featuring ..Beauty

The Beast

And last but not least .. Shrek (notice the side mirrors)

**
After the tennis game at NUS in the evening, I made a first encounter "coincidentally" with my upcoming course mate and boy, is she cute !