Yo all~!

Anyone wants to make a guess on how long this blog has remained inactive? Well, if you guessed a month plus, you're pretty close. Its been a month or so, plus minus, give or take. Fine, this blog has been a dormant volcano for that period of time, no big deal. Iraq won't be free of insurgents if I stopped blogging. So just add this page to your favorites and check back every now and then. I guarantee an unique experience for each visit. =D

On to the reasons for this inactivity:
1) School has started for 5 weeks already( could you believe that? I mean i was slacking my life away like a mth ago and 5 weeks of skool had just whooshed by. Amazing.)

2)School= assignments = stress pileup = you-get-wad-i-mean ( actually this semester ain't as bad as the last one. Comparing Sem 1 and Sem 2, Sem 2 pwns Sem 1 hands down.Sem 1 had too many projects and assignments cramped into that 13 or so weeks of school...Almost had our lives... Brrr...)

3)Return of the MMORPGs (recently I've been playing MMOs on a regular basis, although not as regular as during my holz- 10 am to 2am DAILY. Other that the mandatory MapleStory, MU - Continent of Legend has also found its way into my laptop, along with the undying tatical shooter, Gunbound. All three, in the correct mix, serve as anti-stress grenades.

4)Lack of issues to blog( nothing much has been happening, other than my social circle, but more on that later. =D)

5)Plain Laziness ( Self-explanatory =P)

So there you have it my avid readers, the reasons listed by order of preference. So next time, before you think of scolding me for not updating, keep those in mind and prevent yourselves from creating self-fulfilling prophecies. Thks. XD

Moving on. In point 4 of my Reasons, I mentioned something about my social circle. Well, it has widened( sort of), both online and offline. On the online aspect, more aquaintances were made and existing ones strenghtened. We just had a Maple Movie Outing last Monday. Great fun. Old friends were also acknowledged. In short, my cyber friendships have improved.
In the offline realm, more friends have been made. Could've been the time factor, or could have been the school factor, the cultivation of thick-skinness. Either way, I'm glad. =D

Well thats about it. I killed at least a colony of brain cells just to pen this post, so pls pls pls appreciate it. =X Till next time, happy journeying on your quest of life!

Hey all~!
I apologise for the long pause between this post and the last. Oh wait. Long would be an understatment. Dilatory would be a better word. =D

You see, I had been cooping myself up all day at home during the holidays,playing MapleStory all day long. BUT, I do go out once in a while to gather with frens and well, pretty much just hang out. So thats why I did not update this humble blog of mine. So all my taggers, with the exception of a certain shady individual -_-, FORGIVE MY IMPUDENCE. XD

Moving on to the activity I take part most during the holidays - MAPLESTORY. Here's an image to whet your appetite.

Cute eh? I created this character from an avatar simulator i chanced upon when I was browsing the forums. Here's the link:http://aporo.s54.xrea.com/ Have fun~!

My characters in-game are currently a fire wizard, which also happens to be my sister's account, a bandit-sin, my own character i train when i have the spare time, a warrior which serves as a party quest character as well as a few mule beginners. The following image should pretty much sum up my Maple characters.

YAY. I finally know how to upload images onto a post. -_- Sorry ppl, I lags. =P

I gather once school starts I won't have much time to invest into this marvellous game, and speaking of school I LURRVE my timetable. NO CLASSES ON TUESDAYS~! XD XD How cool is that? WAY cool! One school-less day means I have a day to do what i want, and in this case its to MAPLE! Oh yes, Galileo Cafe allows us to Maple there. =D So ppl who are looking for me, you know where to look.

Thats it, I have updated my blog! Thank you all you taggers for your continuing support for The Silent Cartographer~! This post is dedicated to you all! =D

And 'J', I bet you didn't understand a single word from that previous post. =D

Happy Mapling~!

The worst has passed. The horrors of the assay of our abilty has left us, leaving us with the luxury of time, a privilege that had avoided us since the education term began. Now its back in our arms, back in our embrace...

However, with each chapter closed, a new one emerges. It is up to the individual to assess these challenges, and make the necessary adjustments, changes, and sacrifices to satisfy the lowest common denominator. No room for mistakes, no room for procrastination. All that matters is the indivdualistic quality of accustomisation and acclimatation, and living through them is all that counts.

A personal doctrine oversees all that you will go through in life, from handling touchy girlfriends to accepting that major corporate rejection. This dogma is crucial and vital for one's survival in this gritty, cut-throat world. One diversion or digression from this corpus of principles might spell certain doom if the individual is not careful. The unitary's own idiosyncrasies may further jeopardise his own fate, if not kept in proper check.

For those utterly without social redeeming value, do not fret. The situation can be salvaged. If you have been blacklisted or condemned from aiding a failed coup-de-grace or foiled diabolical intention, you can recoup your losses, raise refreshed support and try again. However, if your vested or purient interests have time and again compromised your work quality and disrupted the lives and process of a pressing issue, your path to enlightenment would be a tough, if not impossible one. Then again, "there was only one road to freedom, I had no choice".

All of us should practise the prinicple of caveat emptor,and be on your guard at all times. You may never know what is coming, never see what is lying in wait to bring you your untimely demise. A fatal stab in the back is all someone needs to remove your exsistence from the face of the Earth.

***

Thats all I'm going to share with you people for today. Tune in next time for more boring philosophical posts. =)

MARKETING TERM PROJECT

Instructions and Guidelines

Product Categories for November 2005

One-time-use 2 Step Rocket

or

Communications Satellite

Group Project

Objective

To check for understanding of the material being presented in the course.
To develop basic investigative and marketing analysis skills.
To demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge learned to a practical problem.
To provide students with opportunities to practice communication skills through interaction with other group members.
To become competent in the writing and presentation of data.
To understand the workflow and execution of creatives in an advertising campaign through an integrated approach in marketing communication.

Scope of the Project

The scope of the project should enable the student to analyse the selected problem, apply appropriate knowledge and to recommend a course of action. This should be done on the basis of the quantitative and qualitative information obtained. Projects that solely describe a certain situation or record basic facts are not acceptable.

Project Details

1. You will assume the role of a marketing team, assigned to describe the marketing plan of a product and its brand in the proposed product category. Each group’s basic assignment is to explain how their chosen product is being marketed. Each group must try to follow guidelines given in the report structure when writing the final report for submission.
2. At the end of the report you are to recommend how to make this product successful in Singapore marketing place and provide a formal presentation to both tutor and client (NASA).
3. Your choice of the product and brand is subject to final approval by your tutor.
4. Each team should have 5 members ideally but not more than 6 members. Any variations will be resolved in class by your tutor.
5. You are encouraged to work on the project throughout the semester to reinforce the course material. Set aside some time every week and work on the project. Do not leave it to last minute. Consistency is the key to success.
6. The report should not be longer than 40 pages (excluding attachments). It should be double-spaced, 12 point font size.
7. Any plagiarism will be dealt with severely.

Project Description

Client: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Objective:To conduct an exploratory and description research and develop a marketing plan for the above mentioned product categories (choose one per group). The client wishes to know understand the needs and wants of the local market and verify whether a micromarketing approach is needed in the asian market.

One-time-use 2 Step Rocket:

NASA wishes to deveop a space program for land-locked Singapore without disrupting the lives of her nieghbours. Develop a product to suit this.

Communications Satellite:

NASA wishes to help Singapore develop its own satellites. For this, Creative has agreed to join hands with NASA. Develop a product to achieve this goal.

Approach: This project will integrate with the skills learned in your other THREE modules – Graphic Communication, Web Design and Graphics and Location Video Production. The idea generation will be developed in this module, and the execution of ideas or creatives (website, print ads, brochures, bus ads, TV ads, etc) will be developed in the other THREE modules you are enrolled in.

Deliverables:

-A marketing plan that will provide possible product ideas and market opportunities.

-A series of print advertisments(posters,brochures,etc) showcasing your product idea

-A website demonstrating your product

-3 30-sec TV ads showing your product to the target audience

-A final oral presentation will be required to display all works from the 4 affected modules. NASA's team would also be present to judge the sessions.

Note:This is a REAL and VERY POWERFUL CLIENT we are serving!!!Do not screw up!

Assessment Criteria

Marks for the reports will be awarded according to:

-thoroughness of research
-relevant information
-consistency of information
-appropriate use of marketing concepts and terminology
-soundness of recommendations
-application to Singapore as the marketplace
-practicality and creativity (conceptualisation and execution)
-organisation of report

Description & Due Date
Week 4
SWOT & Competitive Analysis
(Country and Industry Profile)

20 Marks

Week 7
Research findings of consumer behaviour (customer profile)
20 Marks

Week 10
Tutorial consultation: submission of Templates 1-4
5 Marks

Week 12
Tutorial consultation: submission of Templates 5
5 Marks

Week 14
Final Submission
-format
-relevancy
-viability
-creativity
-application of concepts to market
30 Marks

Week 15
Oral Presentation
20 Marks

Total…
100 Marks

Resources of Information

-Ngee Ann Polytechnic Library Books (e.g. Rocket Science)

-Ngee Ann Polytechnic Library, Databases (e.g. Global Marketing Database,Reuters Business Briefing)

-Ngee Ann Polytechnic Library, Databases by Title, Kompass.com, The Business to Business Search Engine

-Public Libraries

-Registry of Companies And Businesses, International Plaza, 10 Anson Road, #05-01/15, S079903 (e.g. Business Profile @S$5, Company Annual Report S$1/page)

-Newspapers

-Public Listed Company Annual Reports

-Brochures and Flyers

-Exhibitions

-Magazines

-Advertisements

-Internet Websites

-Department of Statistics, Ministry of Trade & Industry, 100 High Street,
#05-01, The Treasury, S179434

Sample Bibliography in APA Style

Armstrong, G. & Kotler, P. (2000). Marketing: An Introduction. (7th ed.). New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.

Yet another day.

Another typical day.

I emerged from a fitful slumber at around half past 8, and got ready to proceed to the school campus to start editing our video production. The meeting time was at nine-thirty, but I expected them to be late. As usual.

And I was not disappointed.

The latecomers streamed into the facility one after another, muttering profuse apologies and even the occasional threat. Alas, all these are part and parcel of our very existence, and the best we can do is to take them in our stride. Or, in harsher terms...

Adapt or die.

Life at this phase is rife with trickery, subtlety and subterfuge, either coming from the indvidual himself or from his peers. There is no escape, no hole to dive into for cover if the stresses of sarcasm and hypocrisy are too much for your hulls. One wrong move, one misguided step, one uncontrolled syallable and your life would plunge into the deepest bowels of hell, sworn to eternal purgatory, never to see the light of day again. That is, if your life is still on the tectonic plates of the rotating backwater planet we called home for the past 6 billion years or so.

Life, however hard it might be, is still life. The thing about this phenomenon is that it is so bad that it cannot get worser. That is about the only thing worth rejoicing over about life. However, one is the master of his own destiny, and his very fate lies in his very hands. He shall reap what he sows, and for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is the Universal Law, an integral part of the Grand Design, where every being, every particle, every atom, right down to the most minute substance, has a specific role and function to perform in the universe, and if it shoukd fail in its primary task, the entire Design would be thrown off-balance. Take the Solar System for example, without the Sun, there would be no life on Earth. Without Mercury, Earth would take the place of Venus, and the harsh heat would literally evaporate all fluids from the helpless planet. The list could go on and on and on and on...

My my, I'm getting a little too philsophical. That is however, the sad truth, the truth that most of us are afraid to face, much less embrace. Whenever they run into a major problem, they will crumble, and sink into a black hole created by their very consciousness. A dead-end. A stone wall. A cul-de-sac. All describe the helplessness and fultility of the situation, to these pessimists at least. To me(self-proclaimed optimist), every problem has its solution, and its up to the individual to find out where that solution lies. Whether, through, argument, hypothesis or calculus, the answer is out there.

With that, I shall end my post. I do not wish to see my style of writing become my Napolean's Waterloo. To all reading this post, good night.

WEEEEEEEE~!
Just finished that confounded Flash Assignment, albeit a basic one, but as long it garners me a pass I dun really mind. =)

Today is a hybrid of both sadness and euphoria. Sadness as the 3rd floor study room of Bishan CC is gonna close. T_T In its place is a similar room on the 2nd floor two-thirds its size. Although the physical conditions of the room can be replaced, the winding and twisting paths of memory lane that had built up till now can never be. Oh well, we have to make way for progress.

However, this last day was also filled with fun and excitement. Old memories returned to the room, among which are the 2 ex-Presbyterian High Table Tennis exponents. Judging from their dressing, notes and testimonial evidence surrendered by my sister, they should in a polytechnic by now, most likely Nanyang Poly. Its been a long time since I have seen them.

Last year, when I first step foot onto the room's tiles(thats one small step for me, one giant leap for mankind), they were the among the first people I began to notice. Firstly, of course, were their very-much-above-average-looks, and secondly were their definitely-above-the-national-average height. How tall can they be, you ask? MY HEIGHT. They are 182 cm tall apiece. AND THEY PLAY PING PONG. They are easily the tallest girls-and maybe the tallest people- there in the room. Last year they towered over me, but now we are on par. HAHAHAHAHAHA.
Guys: 1, Girls: 1.

Next were a bunch of JC peeps. They love to make so much noise, and took up practically the entire room. ZZZZZZZZZ. And today was peak, the room was fully occupied at about 1230. Yesterday, at the same time, there were still 3 big tables left.

Ok thats it for today, My Date with a Vampire start liao. Till next time~! And Miche, this is your part:Train faster.

Four down.

Three to go.

Finally, all these would come to an end, these days of pain, days of stress, days of anxiety. In a couple of weeks, all these would vanish into thin air, with only a filmsy piece of paper as a memory of it all. And what a memory it has been.

I awoke early this morning to embark on my quest for knowledge. After the necessary complimentaries, I made my way to the antechamber of wisdom, only to find scholars already there.

I have to awake even earlier tomorrow.

My quest for knowledge was not an easy one, hindered by fatigue, boredom, and the sheer frigidness of the place. It was not an easy task trying to learn under such conditions, but I tried my best, bearing the hope hour after hour that my beacon of hope will arrive.

Jeremy came today, and he did his best to study as well. Alas, he too succumbed to the hellish conditions that had plagued my being. Despite that, both of us continued to strive on, as best we could. My eyes floated to the door every five minutes, wishfully thinking.

At around noon, both of us went for luncheon. The grilled fish on a platter I had was alright, other than the price of it. However, if a certain factor was present it would taste better than foie gras (fwah-grah) and baked potatoes combined. I'm quite sure the innkeeper implemented cost-based pricing for his product lines, but his higher prices were justified by the quality of his product, which fulfilled its core benefit and the actual product did well in conveying this benefit to the consumers, namely me.

After lunch, we headed back. Theories and facts found niches in my neural network, which, day by day, is being taken over by an identified but sadly unstoppable virus. The theories and facts which managed to wrestle a place in my mind from his deadly virus were the lucky ones, the ones that I would most likely remember for life.

Four in the afternoon:snack time. Jeremy and I proceeded to the shopping arcade to purchase some warm sustenance to satiate our hunger. A certain stall sold curry puffs at a dollar each, ten cents more than what I perceived it would be. Whatever happened to the societal marketing concept? Aren't companies supposed to implement marketing mixes that would serve the individual consumer and improve the society as a whole? And the price of a product is part of that marketing mix. Seriously speaking, I am appalled. The service sector has degenerated as of late, with an attitude-deterioation epidemic spreading like wildfire among the salespeople. If I met another one of these species of salepeople, I'll flip. Unless...

Well, the day did not bring anymore surprises. And I'm brought crashing down to Earth once more. ..

YO all~! Guess wad? Teacher's day is round the corner! Have you gotten something for your favourite teachers yet? No? Well so have i. Anyway they probably dun deserve them but oh well....

Wrapped up filming yesterday, everything went as they should be with minimum mishap. On behalf of my group, I thank Cindy, Hanjie, Jasper, Cheng Yin and Kit Min(in order of appearance) for taking time off from their busy schedules to act for us. We really appreciate it. =)

THE CC'S GONNA CLOSE FOR 5 DAYS!!!! WHERE AM I GOING TO STUDY THEN???? ARGH~!!!!! T_T

Ok thats it for this post, Got no motivation to write longer... So drained... Till next time fellas~! =)

Hey hey.

Finally found time(or rather decided to) blog. So tired today, but I expect even tired-er days ahead. Oh well, I got myself into this and I have to make the most of it. Jiu duo chuang qiang er yi. Haha, kidding la. I dun have latent suicidal tendencies. Yet.

Anyway, today was a rather straightforward day. Had LOCVDP Editing Test in the morning. Was quite alright, other than the irritating trashy junkyard-candidate of a DV tape. Kept giving me problems like no one's business... ZZZZ. As a result I took a far longer time to complete the test than I anticipated. And yes, i have to comment on the footage. That robber is stupid, he could at least check the car before his big hit, or at least get someone else to drive the car instead of himself. And which robber wears a stocking nowadays? Helmets and cool black ski-masks are the in-things now. Outdated fella. Opps I'm digressing, sorry~! =P

After The Test, the Fab Four(Baubug,ZX,Jason,me) proceeded to the library to finish our template 4 while the other 2 went there to do some reasearch for their poduct. At the word "Library", you envision a place of calm, tranquility, and above all, Silence. Well, the guy who came up with the definition of Library obviously hasn't met us. =)

We were like having a concert in the project rooms. At first it was a cacophony of loud, rojak tunes and melodies from the 2 main language factions, and Clarence later added in his own voice, a solo concert. So that made the project room noisier than ever. But after a while, the Singer decided that he had enough. He made us take turns to play one song each. Well, at least that went well, for 15 mins at least, cause we had to vacate the room to allow the next booker in. And we did this THREE times. Well done man all those bookers. =)

By the time we finished, it was almost time to consult Peter for our FP. The Fab Four went to the workshop and alas, we were greeted with a chaotic sea of confusion. Shockalates( i think so) was there, as well as some of the ppl from my class having The Test now. And, yes you guessed it, talk talk talk talk talk talk talk~

Other than the complimentary small talk and "Hi"s and "Ho"s and "Yo"s, there were of course my favourite topic during this phase of my life - GOSSIP. I'm loving it, ba la ba ba ba. Lol. Gossip is rampant almost anywhere in society, and our class ain't spared. But then, WHY SHOULD WE? Its like so interesting. Listening to what ppl have to say bout others and their 2 cents about you... Its enriching, yet terribly confusing at times. Its easy to lose your footing, orientation and even dignity in the perverse region of gossip. But thats what make's it soooooo fun. =) I better cut back though, everytime I do that I feel like an auntie from the wet market. Brrr....

As expected, more changes have to be made to the script due to cast confusion, technical problems and timing issues. Haiz. All these are part and parcel of this module though, and I have learnt to take things as they come, take things in my stride. =) That way, I will live longer, and happier to.

So that means I have to produce the Script, the Lined Script, the Overheads and the Shot List by next Friday - Filming Day! You may think all those sound like a lot, but in actual fact its not. Its HELL lot. LOL. No la. Its quite alright. Why not split jobs with the rest you say? Well, we considered that, but everyone else have their own stuff to do, their own lives to lead. And since I enjoy doing paperwork, ITS ALL MINE! WAHAHAHAHAHA. -_- I'm swear i'm going bonkers... Too much Maple...Hmmmzz..

Ok thats about it. Stick around for the next instalment till then have fun absorbing the following. =) Good night and sleep tight all! And thank you all for your continued support. :)

If one man can dig a 5m hole in half an hour using a 2 metre long stainless steel shovel with lift power of 29J per lift, how long will 6 men take to dig half a hole of diameter 7m with 1.6m long wood-metal hybrid shovels of lift power 20J?
Those who know the answer pls dun give it away for the others. Thks. =)

HELLO. FINALLY I HAVE TIME TO POST! So sit back and enjoy this once-in-a-very-long while experience. Nah, just joking. Dun read nvm lor. =P

Ok where do I start? Hmm... Alright I shall begin with my Break week,the one week break all Poly-goers like myself get 7 weeks into the semester. Can you believe it? SEVEN WEEKS have gone by! Just 7 more and I have a 6 week holiday waiting for me. WOOHOO~

*Ahem*

Ok. Enough rejoicing. I dun even know if I can survive those 7 weeks. But hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Doesn't it? =D

Break week. Hmmm. Doesn't seem much like a break to me. Why so? Read on.

Super-summarised Chronology
Monday: Went to school. Purpose:Book LOCVDP equipment for filiming on Wednesday. After that wanted to go to the CC to revise for common test, but felt nauseous on the way home, so abandoned the thought and headed home. And guess what I did back there? You got it! Maple!

Tuesday: Went to school again, this time for PRMACOM template completion. Everyone was cooperative today however, so we finished our assignment without much incident. After that, went to the good ol' CC and revised Chapter 1 for the upcoming PRMACOM common test the following week. Why is Common Test called Common Test? There's nth common about it thats for sure, but its a test of our knowledge. It just doesn't make sense. =P

Wednesday: Back to school. Filming day for LOCVDP Adapted Project. I would attempt to chronicle every event of the day, but my memory is currently chock full of marketing theories, so I shall make a long story short: Wednesday was tiring.VERY tiring. Hit the sack once I got home, at around 10+. ZZZZZZZZZ.

Thursday: Back to school yet again(ZZZZZZZZZZZ), to return the equipment and finish up PRMACOM template 2. Oh yes we tried our hand on editing our AP then too. Scene 1 incomplete. -_-

Friday: FINALLY. NO SCHOOL. Spent the entire day in the world of MapleStory. Went to the new world called Bootes(what a silly name), and obtained the coveted Mark of the Beta Bandana!!! Wee~ Although I tried to "relax" today, I was plagued with numerous telephone calls from my colleagues. Guys, try to study on your own. I know as much as you do. =D

Saturday: Awoke early, about 9+ coming to 10. Got dressed and headed straight to the CC to stuff MEDISOC theory into my brain. Woah, that place was near empty when i got there, and was no better when I left. Oh well. It ain't the "peak" periods, where students have their examinations. Only an elite few were there. One SRJCian, 2 NJCians, a few Uni-undergrads and a horde(3 individuals) of casually-clad secondary school youngsters. And of course me, your Ngee Ann Poly student. Seriously, I think I'm the only Poly guy going there on such a regular basis. I must be outta my mind.... Anyway, I clocked 7 hrs of hardcore studious learning then, and returned home with a heavy head. Ow...How come I can't seem to walk straight? o.O

Sunday: Sunday rolled along.A day of rest, relaxtion, and release. NAH. Not for me at least. Sunday was similar to Saturday, primary reason being the MEDISOC common test was on the following Monday, which is yesterday. I crammed hard, my hand becoming a quasi-motor page flipper instead of an organic appendage. So draining. Clocked almost 7 and a half hours, then returned home. De-stressed a little with Maple, then went to sleep.

There you have it. My one week break. Hectic isn't it? So all you JC-goers who think that Poly life is slack, think again. Really.

Yesterday,Monday, was the MEDISOC common test. Quite alright actually, if you have studied for it, that is. Only thing I didn't know was what the hell COMPASS stood for. I swear never to work for them. Ever. Not in a million years. Ok...maybe if the pay was good I would consider. =P

After the test headed for the CC. Chiong-ed 2 chapters of PRMACOM. As expected that place was deserted. But if you had seen the situation today, you would agree thats nothing.

Today awoke at 10, rushed to the CC to finish revision for PRMACOM. As expected, the place was empty. Went for breakfast then started on the marketing road trip. Haiz.. So much info, so little memory capacity... And I was so lonely... No one came through the wooden door until it was almost 2, a NJC gal. Silent, steadfast lady, straightaway embarked on her studies the moment she sat down.WOW. After some time other ppl streamed in, namely my sis and her classmates. They stayed for barely an hour, then left. Funny people. =D As for me, I stayed till 6+, when I had finished with my revision. Came home and Maple-ed, then decided to blog, cos yesterday SOMEONE asked me to post more. So here it is. What you have just read. Phew, well its not so hard ain't it. Maybe this blog will be seeing more happy days ahead. Till Next time. Au revoir~

KEY
MEDISOC:Media In Society
PRMACOM:Principles of Marketing Communication
LOCVDP:Location Video Production
[Dun ask me who gave these modules their code names, I'm as clueless as you are. Not to mentioned amused. :) ]

First of all, SORRY.
I apologise for the lapse in between the posts,but I can't help it. I didn't feel the need to post. There wasn't a sense of urgency,nor was there any motivation.Besides I'm at home all day long,so nothing much happened. But fret not,the situation should be improving shortly. =D

Alright,lets begin shall we?

As per any other day till school starts, woke up and booted up the PC and played MapleStory. Well,its not reaally considered as playing,as I wasn't training,just sitting there talking to ppl till about one when my fren logged in. Yipeee.

Trained for a while,"scammed" a fellow Mapler then went to a part of the dungeon. There, I felt an immense sense of accomplishment:I killed 4 Cargos,an precedented feat performed by my character.WOOHOO...I was so proud of myself,although I used up half of my white pots,6 unagis and a crate of mana elixirs....well you can't win them all can ya? As I did this, my fren yielded to them. He couldn't drink his healing potions fast enough and became lunch for the mutated cats. Saded...T_T

Thereafter,I pulled myself away from the computer screen and made a trip to the library to replenish my ever-dwindling supply of reading material.Again,I selected books on my favourite topic-Weapons and Warfare =). With that i left for home,as ominous cumulus clouds loomed over the overcast sky.

Back at home,back to maple. No training done just chit chat. Maple is getting boring...should quit ASAP. :P

Well thats about all. Another uneventful day in my boring exsistence. Haiz...I need to go to school...fast... Wee Maple outing next week,wonder how my fellow Maplers are like... Ha ha... That wil remain to be seen...

Alright,this posts ends here ---------------->.

Random Outing

At last,something nice to post on my blog.Yay.

Today was another day with the word "OUTING" prominently displayed on it, as with last week. Same thing,KBOX once again. Spent three hours three singing our hearts out-Dez,Chienzz,Augustine and me.I think i sang a little too much,my throat still feels a little sore. Can't be, I only sang Di Er Tian Tang,Qing Tian,Ba Wo Hui Lai Le twice,An Jing,Yi Fu Zhi Ming and a few more only. Sianz,weak man me. Ha ha.And yes I have something to complain:our lunch didn't arrive until half an hour to our due time.Why like that?

After that we met up with Mich and Brian and Zheng and our little party was completed! Three Cheers! Now came a problem,coordinator did not plan where to go next. He suggested going to the Esplanade to see the Star Wars memorabilia again,all the Jedi's lightsabers and things,but the decision was literally ignored by most of us. He ended up rapping with me while Dez discussed the next move with the rest of the gang.By the way,coordinator=Chienzz. =D

We ended up in Heeren after a while and milled around the complex and around it,making a few small purchases along the way. Aug and I each bought a colored wristband which seems to be in fashion recently,and Zheng and Brian satiated their hunger with warm snacks from Old Chang Kee.With that,we entered Takashimaya,en route to Kinokuniya.

After paying a visit to our old friend Sauron's Finger aka Ultimate Nose-Digger, we travelled deeper into the vast bookshop,flipping through book after book and making jokes outta everything. LOL. Suddenly Zheng and Aug announced that they were thirsty,and we therefore proceeded to Cold Storage to get some cheap beverages,minus Dez and Mich.

Took em look enough to choose their drinks though. At first wanted F&N,then later switched to a big,cheap bottle of China-bottled cola,then returned to F&N after gaining enlightenment on that aspect of its manufacture.Make up your mind la! Give up....

Finally, we were outside the supermarket and Chienzz was trying to discern the whererabouts of Dez and Co.They were at a toy store and we promptly went to meet up with them.Wow,that shop was no ordinary toy shop,it was a store selling MIND GAMES.Puzzles and educational pieces aligned the shelves of the humble enterprise. Furthermore,they allowed people to play the games on display cool. We stood there fiddling with a metal mind puzzle for about half an hour,during which Dez and Co. left us,again.Now they were at the library@Orchard. Playing a while more with the puzzle and successfully solving it,we moved to the library,where we decided to be a little mischievious.

We "stalked" the pair of lovebirds for a while before some of us decided to give the game away. Sian.Spoil our fun.Anyway it was dinner time. We went to Crystal Jade Kitchen for it, as per Dez, only to find a LONG queue already there.We took a number and waited,while Brian entertained us with his many mind tricks.

Dinner was a time-consuming and costly affair,paying almost up to ten bucks for it. T_T no more outings for me until I get my allowance 38 days later. T_T Sob...To make matters worse, they wanna go Gelare for ice cream.Oh my god...

It wasn't too bad.The waffle was good,the ice cream excellant,and the floorshow spectacular. LOL. After eating,we did each other a fon adieu and went home.

OMG.HECTIC DAY. HAHA.

Thats its guys.Thanks for joining me. Till next time. =D

In the span of three days, the world would herald the arrival of the new year, and a new beginning. Typical of most, I was ridding my closet of all the old, unwanted stuff when suddenly a blackened silver necklace fell to the tiled floor with a resonating clank, and released a tsunami of painful memories from the past year through my head…

The first of August, me and Amily’s third date. Amily, with her long flowing jet-black hair and always-ready radiant smile,along with her colorful personality and cheerful character, made her an irresistible and very attractive lady. I, too, fell prey to her charms, but I was never happier in being the quarry. I could be her game everyday of the year forever if she wants me too. She was indeed, I realized, the one for me. Throughout the day, all went smoothly, with no significant incidents disrupting our peaceful, quiet and private encounter. I had no idea how wrong I was.

The movie had just ended and we were strolling down the lonely street with deliberate slowness, chatting with each other in hushed whispers. Across the street, the familiar ring of the ice-cream vendor’s bell beckoned all to his humble stall, and it looks like he had succeeded. Amily then told me to get her one, and they could share. Thrilled, I immediately made her promise never to leave me and happily gilded towards the very busy old man, just as the purple-black night sky lit up with a sudden, radiant glow.

At the approximate centre of that blanket of darkness, a single, brilliant orange sphere materialized, and grew larger and brighter with each passing second. Wisps of clouds disintegrated in the wake of the fiery object as it intensified in both speed and power, streaming across the now-bright night sky like a ballistic missile, complete with a thick black exhaust trail. Its target: Amily.

As I was enlightened with the horrifying truth, I was too shocked to do anything. Quickly shaking off the feeling however, I anxiously rushed towards Amily, shouting to her to take cover. However, Amily did not even flinch. She just stood her ground and looked imploringly into my eyes, shaking her petite head. I shook mine vigorously, screaming to her to get put of the way as the cosmic missile streamed ever closer to its intended victim.

Amily closed her eyes.

“NO!” I hollered at the top of voice, as if hoping the force of it would deflect the flaming projectile’s initial trajectory. It did not.

The burning sphere smashed into the pavement six feet away from where Amily stood, but the force was still sufficient to throw her seven meters back. Anxiously, I fought my way through the dense clouds of thick smoke that had become part of Amily’s funeral pyre, shouting her name the whole way. At last, I found her, a terrible sight to behold.

Amily’s lifeless body lay slumped against a red brick wall, the redness of it emphasized with her blood. Cuts and grazes and lacerations decorated her once slender body, and her flowing black hair had been reduced to a tangled mess of crumpled, smoldering veins. Her smile, however, had not vanished. It still remained fixated on her disfigured face, a testament to her cheerful personality. Amily, however, was gone. Forever. And my heart went with her, to the deepest bowels of hell.

Amily’s demise was splashed across all forms of media, and her story told all over the world. The National Association for Space Administration claimed responsibility for her death, citing a technical fault that caused a navigational globe from one of their newest satellites to separate from the main body and plummet to Earth, killing Amily in the process. NASA was prepared to compensate her next-of-kin, but since Amily was an orphan abandoned at birth, I was the next best thing. With shaky hands, I reached forward to receive the cheque for a million US dollars, but I was suddenly engulfed with a terrible surge of anguish.

The cheque lay in my still shaking hands, the digits staring at me, as if mocking me. Hot tears rushed to my eyes as I recalled the events that led to this day. In a fit of anger, I was very tempted to tear the cheque symmetrically in half. I almost did.

However, at the apex of my rage, I stayed my hand, realizing that doing so would only be letting NASA off too easily. I calmed down and looked at the smiling NASA spokesman, effectively erasing that disgusting smirk off his hideous face.

After the accident, a huge void showed in my life. Loneliness became my friend, and desolation talked to me day after day. I was reduced to a wrinkled cadaver of my former self, living my life aimlessly and without purpose. The silver necklace that Amily was so fond of wearing, now blackened, lay tightly clutched in my right fist, never once leaving the fleshly constraints of my palm. Slowly but surely, despair crept into my life and become an omnipresent force, lingering around me like a disease. I was sinking into the inescapable quagmire of depression, fast.

Fortunately, I did not. Through a strange twist of fate, I got to know Emily, who bore a striking resemblance to the late Amily, bizarrely enough. However her character was the direct opposite of Amily’s, crude, rough and violent, but extremely compassionate on the inside, probably the only thing similar to Amily other that the synonymous pronunciation of their names.

Emily was much bolder than Amily, and time and time again tried to hint to me to reciprocate her feelings for me. However, I could not. I still could not put the past behind me. However, Emily’s determination was a powerful weapon, and she knew how to wield it effectively. Eventually, she convinced me to look ahead, and to leave the past behind. I agreed. Soon after, the wedding bells rang.

A surge of sadness washed over me as I painfully recalled the events of the past year. Fighting a battle against an enemy that could not be won, I hurriedly strove to return the necklace to its original, undisturbed place, despite the fact that I did not want to. In my haste, I accidentally displaced an old porcelain display plate, and it rolled off its stand, towards the floor. In the course of its journey, I saw Amily’s smiling face on it.

I smiled.

The plate connected with the cold, hard floor and fragmented into a hundred tiny pieces, along with Amily’s face. My recently mended heart went with it, shattering into a thousand bits, releasing the wave of sadness that I had tried so long to repress. The battle lost, I knelt before the broken display piece and wept bitterly, the tears flowing freely from my tired eyes, and down my forlorn cheeks. I knew I would never be relieved of this feeling as long as I was allowing the past to haunt me.

After settling the taxes for my dear wife, I kissed my young son on his forehead. I strolled to the balcony, and opened the window for some fresh air. I stood there for a while, and the next thing I knew I was in Amily’s embrace once more.

About time for an update don't you think? So here it is...

Today started off typically enough,the old wakeup-oncomp-brushteeth-playmaple routine. Trying to level up,which is like,oh so difficult.When i was slaughtering a herd of fire boars though, I received a SMS from Chienzz,asking me to meet him at 1 outside his school. Wierd,isn't he supposed to be in a lecture now? And he told me that he intended to skip C Maths Lecture. What a guy.

Anyway,I couldn't keep to the appointment,as my grandma was out,with the key.It was until 1.20pm that she finally set foot in the house,and handed over to me the reins of the outdoors. Change of plan:Meet at Toa Payoh Interchange.Fair enough,but impatient chienzz wanted me to get ther in 5 minutes.Woah,no way man,I know you're reading this by the way.Yes YOU,CHIENZZ,don't turn your head around trying to act innocent.Nonetheless,I managed to arrive there in 10 minutes,and still ended up waiting for him.Sheesh.In the meantime,I continued my reading of Man,Civilisation And Conquest, a two-year history textbook for European Schools,which i just found out...

After a simple meal of prawn noodles,we made our way to Popular bookstore.Chienzz wanted to buy Ten Year Series,wanna get ready for promos.On the way,he enlightened me on the happenings in his school,like how he was bullied,how his belongings got vandalised,how tough F Maths is,how horrific chemistry is,yada yada yada....And he repeated it about nine times for the entire outing.Soon Augustine came to look for us.I don't know how he knew we'll be there,but he just did...awesome...

With a phonecall,we the terrific trio took the subterranian public transport to Orchard road,to meet up with Timonty and Jasmine Incoporated,to hang out with them. Went to Macdonald's, then loithered in Kinokuniya for a long time,laughing and making jokes out of everything that could be made a joke out of,like Sauron's finger's model. LOL. With that we went home.

There,done.Another boring day of my boring exsistence chronicled.Until next time.Tata.

MapleTip:Warrior Job Advancement At Level 30
If you like one-handed weapons and the defense of shields,a Fighter or a Page would suit you. A Fighter is more on the offensive side,with skills such as Rage fully maximising a warrior's weapon attack capabilities.It is not quite the same for a Page,as Threaten scares off monsters, allowing the Page to pursue and hunt them down at his/her leisure.
A Spearman excells in ranged attack,although not as long-ranged as compared to other classes.A Spearman's attack exceeds those of a Fighter and Page by far,and although the latter and former can both use spears and polearms,the Spearman pushes unleashes a spear's or polearm's true potential.To make up for the defense lost to having no shield,Iron Will increases the weapon defense as well as Magic defense for the entire party for a short time,incliding the caster.

Good evening ladies and gents,glad you all can make it here tonight. Just kidding,couldn't think of a better way to start things off,must be the writer's block on my table.Hmm...Gotta take action soon.

Anyway,today I had a rather-oh what's that word-holy,appointment with one of my schoolmates,Hai Kiat of 4J,today. He cordially invited me to his church's easter celebration happening today and tomorrow at the Indoor Stadium.
I'm impressed.
The church could actually afford to book the ENTIRE stadium for 2 days,and let the public enter free of charge.Wow.
Anyway,we were supposed to meet each other at Kallang MRT at 1pm,only the both of us, cos all of his frenz didn't respond to his invitation.Poor guy.You oughta be ashamed of yourselves, Hai Kiat's so-called "Frenz".Upon arrival,i noticed the station was jam packed with people of all ages,sizes and colors.I had a hunch they were here for the same reason i am.If it is so,the stadium would be packed.It was hilarious watching the lady inside the "fish tank" shouting to the bystanders to "Stand Back!" Priceless.
After a long walk to the stadium,we were told to queue up.Crap,i hate queuing,and the person behind us tried time and time again to cut our queue.But his efforts were thwarted by Hai Kiat, who made use of his bulk to seal the passageway. Atta boy!
An hour and a half later,I was finally seated on a comfy reclining chair inside the comforts of the stadium,shielded from the harsh torrential rains that were coming down in sheets outside. Won't want to be out there when the mini-tyhpoon is on a rampage.Brr.... With the compulsory pleasantries and greetings exchanged,we sat down and waited for the show to begin.
Or so I thought.
The show didn't start until three.But when it did begin,it was kicked off with a series of rock-style biblical hymns,something totally new to me.I was amazed,but held it in check,didn't want to embarass myself in front of 17000 people.It was sorta cool and scary watching the people there singing along and moving to the beat.They were swaying their hands high in the air and jumping on the spot when the music got loud.They were sure a fervent and zealous lot,totally devoted to their faith,and that wasn't nessesarily a bad thing. Ha ha. Sadly,I didn't have the courage to join them. I just stood there and clapped my hands to any rythum my mind could make out from all that racket.
Then came the interesting part. A play.In a mixture of English and Mandarin,the drama wing of the City Harvest Church played out the dramatic story of Christ and his noble demise. Not that I had not heard about it before,but the way they tell the story makes it feel like I'm listening to it for the first time.Remarkable.
After another series of hip-hop praising tunes and a long prayer,the show was officially over. Good,for I'm starving. Rushed outside to acquire some sustenance,and they were VERY expensive sustenance indeed.A fish sandwich plus a simple hotdog amounted to 9 bucks. I was like "OOOkkkkk.....".Cursing under my breath,we started the long journey home.
I felt like telling you guys,my regular customers(Thank You),about my day today,and it is what you have just read. Sleep tight everyone. :)

I will always rememeber this day,the agony that this day brought,the anguish that it carried.
Why? Why must it be me? Why? Oh the agony! The pain! The Horror! The...

Ahem.Got a little carried away.Do not take offense.The 2004 GCE O Levels Joint Admission Excercise Results were released today.First choice:Mass Communication in Ngee Ann Poly,out.
Second:Media and Management at Singapore Poly,flew out the window.Third:Media Studies and Management offered by Nanyang Poly,in my next life maybe.Fourth:Media and Communications Management in Temasek Poly,never.Fifth:Law and Management at Temasek Poly,welcome aboard.
As you can see,the results are horrid,grotesque if you will.I got posted my FIFTH choice, courtesy of the ever-loving MOE.-Curse you-But,all was not lost. I had applied for the Mass Communication Course @ NP under the Special Admission Exercise,sorta like an appeal. Hopefully,*fingers crossed* I can be granted admission into the course of my choice. Check back for updates.

Spent the whole of today playing Maple Story,guess this is what you call a slacker's life. Not too bad,both my warrior and thief gained a level.Progress,as compared to last time when I spent ten days just to gain 50% in experience,and the laggy server is no help either.I got disconnected from the server at least 40 times today.I'm not complaining,just lamenting loudly.

My thief-In-Game-Name:Theifingtom-started the day as lvl 14,wearing Black Dream Set coupled with Black Ninja Boots,all cheap,low leveled items.The only item valuable enough to tempt a scammer would be the set of Snowballs,my weapon.Hard pieces of snowball that come in sets of 800 each,which must be recharged at your friendly neighbourhood armory upon depletion.They do pretty decent damage,40-65 to Green Mushrooms,good enough for my level.
By afternoon,I had leveled my rogue,with some help from my Maple Pal Litnight,level 25 warrior.Thanks to her,I could change my clothes to an awesome cool-looking blue set. Way cool.

After that,I logged on as my warrior.Spartan118 was level 36 at first,but level 37 by nightfall.
It was a slow and ardous task of exp gaining,with each ligator killed giving me a mere 0.03%.
And my motivation to train wasn't there,facing the same old character everyday will produce that effect.In a bid to alter my destiny,I teamed up with Litnight and Xiaoyun03,both lower lvled players,and went hunting.My exp meter rose 5%.Still too slow.Xiaoyun logged off soon after,leaving me and litnight to bite the dust.I then "abandoned" her for a while,to finish off a quest.Guess wad I got? A stupid 10% scroll for helmet defence. I was like,"What in the world..."
You get what i mean.Angry,sad and perturbed at the same time,I marched towards the Kerning City Sewers with speed,and a blood lust.200 Ligators fell in my wake of destruction,and my exp meter rose steadily towards 100%,with 13 more to go.Almost immeidately,I was hit with shocking news.

Litnight,lvl 25 warrior,lagged and died,taking 10% of her present exp with her as she did.The worst part was that she was very,very close to leveling up.Bad luck girl.But one thing good did come out of her death.She found and picked up a Mithril Pole Arm just prior to her demise. It was a powerful level 30 weapon with a level 35 weapon's attack,a formidable partner in a battle.
Sadly,she couldn't use it,yet. So I asked if I could borrow it,and she agreed.You cannot believe the fun I was having with that thing.

With a visual prompt from one of my newest additions to my social circle,I finally located and added Mapine to my buddy list. Before I had actually seen her,I had envisioned her to be a level 40+ Wizard,not the level 25 warrior I found.Oh well,you can't get it right all the time can you?
Chatted and trained with her for a while,found that she was a very-oh whats that word-cultured,gentle person,sorta like tissue paper. Oh my,wad a wierd comparison I made. Oh well.

After dinner,I rushed the last few percent and YES! finally emerged a level 37 Fighter. Dilemma.
Which stats to pump?Strength or dex?Or strength and dex? Which skills to learn? Should I max out Power Strike,or should I increase my chances for Final Attacks?I pondered over these questions for 3 seconds,then made the appropriate adjustments.3 points went to dex,while 2 floated to Strength.I leveled up my Rage,learned a new skill called Power Guard-a very cool defensive spell-,and finally gave my Final Attack that little bit more possiblity. After which I went tracking and found my old fren.I then followed her to where the Gollems are,and watched her kick Gollems' stone butt with gee. Alright,I'll end here.My eyes are drooping.Good Night all and live your new lives as fruitfully as possible.Hmm...should i concentrate on training Spartan? Or should I level up my thief? Dilemma once again...haiz...

Today was a day in which it is spelt as D-A-Y,a typical day except that mine was filled with travelling,a LOT of travelling...

The day before,me,Zinc aka Si Yin and Xuan Yu,all colleagues(ok,fine once were...)arranged to visit the open houses of two Polytechnics,namely the young and vibrant Republic Poly and the scenic Temasek Poly.At first all was settled on Wednesday,that we would visit BOTH Polys on Friday.But,as luck would have it,one of their co-workers took ill,and was issued a three-day Medical Certificate,with effect immediately.That laid waste to our plan,and the backup was initialised.Why?Because although Xuan Yu still remained off on Friday,the other had to take over the duties of her fallen comrade,as per Jasmine the supervisor.She didn't had much choice. To quote her,Jasmine said the following to her,"Eileen took MC,you come tomorrow at two ok?", in Mandarin.The die was cast.There was no way to reroll it.Si Yin submitted to her fate and did the most logical thing:inform the "coordinator" of our so-called "outing"-yours truly.

It wasn't too hard to right the wrongs though,tricky maybe,but never difficult.At first I suggested to her to let Dickson, another one of our working pals,to take over her place instead.Why Dickson?Because they are both cash-register-trained and the most trustworthy in the company...according to sources whom I will not disclose.The suggestion however,was thrown down the waste paper basket,as Jasmine would not approve of it.Morever Dickson could not change his shift again.So Jasmine's iron will still held.She did however,allow Zincate to arrive two hours later,no more,no less,no strings attached.That gave us more room to work with,and I finally decided to put the visit to TP(Temasek Poly)back one day,to Saturday.Anyway I planned to go on both days,so it didn't make much difference.Thus the plan was corrected and implemented the following day.

The Time Of Meeting(TOM) was at 0900 hours sharp,and the Point of Meeting(POM) was outside the Prime Supermarket.As a punctual person who hates latecomers,I awoke from my deep slumber at approximately 0810 hours,with a little help from my faithful alarm clock and my trusty 3200. After a bath,I dressed appropriately-no sandals with long jeans and no dark color over dark color-and hurriedly left the house.Time-0824.

Since there was still time,I proceeded to the hawker centre named Kosma food centre for some early morning sustenance-steamed rice cakes with salted radish bits.Exquisite.Shortly after,I headed to the POM with fifteen minutes to spare.I was first,no surprise.Seeing nothing interesting to take part in or take heed of,I whipped out my Mp3 player and swayed to the tunes of Jay.Time-0846.

My first associate arrived at 0853,seven minutes early.I smiled.At least she knows that punctuality is a virtue.As for the other one,he arrived at 0915,exactly fifteen minutes late. Apologising profusely upon arrival,he joined us as we boarded the bus and later the train bound for our terminal destination-Republic Polytechnic.

It was 45 minutes of combined bus and train rides,and we reached RP early,too early.There wasn't a single soul around that was our age.Following sign after sign,we finally found ourselves at mailto:Megabites@RP, campus's only canteen.Xuan Yu skipped breakfast,so he was hungry, and promptly ordered himself a chicken chop,only to find it too sweet for comfort.Numerous complaints later,we followed yet more signs and finally got to the entrance and were rewarded with goodie bags.In them was a booklet for us to complete with stamps,after which we would receive a prize.Sounded attractive,only we didn't know where to start.That's when two RP seniors approached us and asked if we required any assistance.We replied unanimously.

First stop:the School of Technology for the Arts.We learned from our very helpful guides that RP adopts a different system of education from the rest of the Polys,the Problem Based Learning system,or PBL.That meant that getting a diploma at RP would involve a lot of hands-on experience.That's what we got at our first stop.We were told to make clay figures and decorate them if we wanted a stamp.We reluctantly complied.After staining our fingers with the sticky,icky subsolid clay,we earned ourselves a stamp each,although i dpn't know how Xuan Yu got two...Still at the School of Technology for the Arts,we were next told to write poetic masterpieces using given words.We hurriedly finished and left with yet another stamp.

Our guides then took us to their school,the School of Applied Science,or SAS they so affectionately call.Once there,we were told to complete a simple jigsaw puzzle before our real task,building a spaceship,using Lego bricks of course.One of was tied at the wrists and led to a room where a completed model stood,and told to memorise the structure of it,exactly...I stood there for about two minutes and finally began to give orders.Hilarity ensued.In the end we only got 60% correct,which was quite good according to the people there.We then proceeded to our next stop,CSI:RP.

------To Be Continued---------

The sun beat down mercilessly on its subjects,scorching them with its abundance of blistering heat.I quickened my pace.First day at work,cannot be late.

The supermarket was surprisingly serene,none of the hustle and bustle of early morning life was present,taking into mind that the New Year was just a week away.Shoving these thoughts into a crevice deep inside my mind for later consideration,I approached one of
the cashiers and politely requested to see the manager.She complied.

I was put in charge of the frozen goods department,with the responsibility of replenishing any stocks that needed replenishment,and helping out with the running of the supermarket should the need arise.Besides me,there were five others that were temporary staff for the supermarket.After a few days,we got aquainted and soon became friends.Out of the five,two of them-Sally and Tim-were older than the rest of us,nineteen years old. Sue,Joe,Frank and I were just seventeen.No matter,we still hit it off the first time we met.

Day after day,the supermarket grew increasingly crowded,and I found myself multi-tasking all the time.I had to place the frozen chicken wings into the display trays,direct a customer to another department and retrieve a bottle of sauce for another consumer, all at the same time.Day by day,I grew increasingly tired and drained,but I found solace in the most unexpected place-Sue.

When I first met the two girls,I was instantly attracted to Sally,her long flowing golden brown hair,her deep blue-brown eyes and cute physique.However,I was not the only one. Tim too,was smitten with her.Gradually,the attraction between us diminished,and I found myself climbing out of a trap of affection and falling into a ravine of love.

Sue was just your typical schoolgirl,neither too tall or short,with a normal figure coupled with above average looks,she did not stand out in the looks department.However,her personality and character outshone most girls I knew,which was not a lot.That was what drew me towards her,and gradually I grew to like her.

***
The Holy Warrior stood in the middle of the barren wasteland,awaiting his opponent.Clad in shining silver-white armor that covered him from head to toe,the knight certainly looked intimidating.Beyond the slit in his helm,two weary eyes remained closed,until a sound tore the eyelids apart.His opponent had arrived.

The Dark Knight strode confidently to face his rival,left hand resting on the hilt of his weapon.Dressed in shining black armor,”deadly” was written all over him.He wasted no time.With a piercing war cry,the dark warrior drew his blade and charged at the Holy Warrior with full force.

The Holy Warrior drew his own weapon in time to parry his opponent’s blow.It held,just barely.With a forceful thrust,he threw the dark knight back and began an assault of his own,his meter-long sword making an angry screech as it sailed through the air to find its target.

The Dark Knight remained unfazed.He stood his ground as his opponent charged at him with the blessed blade.Just as the weapon was about to bisect the evil fighter,he dissipated into thin air,and the holy kinght’s weapon cut nothing but a cloud of black smog.Inside the shining white helm,two weary eyes bulged in astonishment and shock, and the pupils shifted to the back just in time to see the Dark Knight’s kris-like blade plunge deep into the side of its owner’s torso,tearing the life away from him.

Bleeding and beaten,the white knight’s knees fell to the ground,accompanied with an inconspicuous amount of dark red blood.He hung his head down in shame,and waited for the inevitable.

With a final swinging blow from his kris,the Dark Knight decapitated his adversary and collected his trophy.The battle was over.My heart was now hers.
***

Everyday,I fought off the urge to steal a glance at her,and the belief that I was not good enough for her,and after hearing one of her conversations with my supervisor, I did not bother fighting any longer.

She had a crush once,but did not tell him.Last month,however,he left for Australia with a simple “Goodbye”.She has not gotten over it.My supervisor suggested to her to get a substitute,but she graciously declined.It was against her principles to do such a heartless thing.Little did she know that I would gladly do it for her.Gladly.

As the New Year neared,the supermarket grew crowded,and we grew increasingly busy.Whenever I saw her frowning at work,I would ask Joe-whom I believe also carried a torch for Sue-to help her.It was like serving Sue up to Joe on a silver platter.But it was worth it to see her smile.If she was happy,I would be too.

The days flew by and soon my contract was finished.I had to leave.She did not had to until next week,with Joe.It pained me in realization,but what choice did I have? Do me a favour Sue,give Joe a chance,and at the same time give yourself a chance too.See how it works out.And keep smiling and keep yourself happy,because if you are happy,I would be too.

Today,the 18th of January,Tuesday,A very significant day

Today,the 18th of January,a glorious Tuesday!How so? Cos its my 17th birthday!Whee!!!!
Happy birthday to me and Jay Chou!Contary to what most people would do on their birthdays,I had to go for a training session,complimentary of my employer-Yeo Hiap Seng or simply Yeos. The factory wasn't that difficult to hard to locate,but it was so inaccessible,and besides I didn't which BUS-repeat BUS-goes by there every half an hour-repeat half hour-,therefore I resorted to the next best thing,walk.
And walk I did,for a full half an hour.Stupid ppl,put the factory so inside for what?Can withstand nuclear strike ah?Kaoz,walk until my dry shirt become a soaking wet one.Once inside the accursed building,I was instructed to sit and wait for further instructions.Not too bad,at least there's air-conditioning in that particular wing of the factory.Soon enough,the receptionist told us to follow a fella,whose name we found out later to be Charles.He's supposed to be one of our trainers.He led us into an auditorium.Woah,I wasn't prepared for the sight before me.At the front,in front of the white screen,were two tables laden with Yeos drinks.That part isn't too bad, what was shocking was what was at the BACK.Thousands,yes thousands,of tetra-brik packs of beverage as well as the cool blue colours of Pepsi.I gasped,didn't see so many drinks together in a place before.An eye-opener.
We had to wait for a further half an hour before the training started,as the late-comers streamed in.The training started soon enough,with a guy going through the history of yeos as well as their products.He then handed the mike over to Charles,who briefed us on the proper stacking,display and merchandising techniques.It was pretty useful.When he finished,he passed the baton to a guy called Nick,the individual responsible for the promotion of Pepsi within Yeos.
He was something of a joker,cracking those as if they were nothing but peanuts,and led his colleagus into upheavals of hilarious laughter,minus us.He explained to us the importanceof effective advertisment using Listerine pocketpaks as example.It was a lame example.
Soon,Nick ended his humor-laced speech,and passed the baton to yet another guy,Patrick.He told us that they would call us within these few days to start work,and we needed to come back to claim our uniforms.Oh crap.Now I have ta wear a uniform.I think I'm gonna cry.No,no tears on my birthday,save it till tomorrow.
Finally,the training officially came to an end,and I dreaded it,cos I needed to walk the same way back.Yes,another half hour.Bummer.However,it was more eventful as compared to the previous one,good caring ppl were sending me Birthday greetings.How thoughtful.Thank You All! I mean it,especially Peggy.Haha,she should know why!Its been seven years since a Birthday song was targeted at me.I'm so touched.Thanks again!
At night,at about ten,TBC called.Drats,I was posted to Ang Mo Kio.Bummer.I hoped to be posted to the supermarket opposite my house.Oh well,you win some you lose some,at least there is a slighter chance of me running into anyone I know there as compared to the other location,both has its own pros and cons,and its no use crying over spilt milk,what is done cannot be undone,unless of course,through divine intervention,which is highly unlikely.Ok,I'm ending here,going to sleep.Take care guys!

The Conflict

"Fire main cannons on my mark."Captain Ziegler paused for three seconds then shouted:"Fire!"

Almost instantly,nine white-hot projectiles burst forth from the huge barrels of the Hydra's three sets of Supersonic Shock Cannons in nine simultaneous explosions. of flame and noise,and sped toward their intended target:a monolithtic Rencond flagship.

The conflict started two hours ago,with the Rencond initiating it.One of the Terran's scout vessels,a Sparrow-class interceptor by the name of the Raven,had collided accidentally into one of the multiple Rencond space probes,and wrecked it.Although the Raven was also severely damaged,it managed to return to Zion Prime,the massive,rotating complex in Zeanur 4's orbit that the Terrans call home.It did not return alone however,an armada of twelve alien vessels materialised out of nowhere,and started shooting at the sight of the Raven.Thus began the conflict.

Initially,the battle was going well for the humans,with their Orbital Defense Platforms keeping the Rencond ships at bay.One white-hot depleted uranium projectile was enough to punch through the silver,shimmering energy shields of a Rencond Stratoforce-class destroyer,and gut the hapless vessel from stem to stern.Out of the twelve vessels that had come after the Raven, only five remained after half an hour,a testament to the superiority of the Terran defenses.

However,all that changed an hour into the conflict,when the Rencond forces moved out of the Platforms' range,and started to bombard the Terran ships with long-ranged weaponry:energy beams and torpedoes.Six Tempest-class Terran destroyers went up in flame in the six minutes that the Rencond had renewed their assault,and Zion Prime wanted those robots terminated.
Thus,Captain Ziegler was ordered to mobilise,and quell the onslaught.

Captain Ziegler was a man of outstanding capabilities.His Career Service Vitae was a full seven pages long.He had survived eleven battles with the Xeno,six with the Zelarians and two with the Rencond.His charisma,as well as bravery,has gotten his crew out of dangerous situations time and time again.He was truly a war hero.His customised Dreadnought-class heavy crusier,the Hydra,is a ship worthy of the man's name.Along with the standard issue triple batteries of three Supersonic Shock Cannons each, four pods of Arbalest Atmospheric and Space-use Missiles and twenty-four 40mm autocannons,the Hydra had a secret weapon that gave it an edge over any ship in the fleet:a Neutron Cannon.

An advanced prototype,the neutron cannon is capable of delivering a compacted uranium bolt encased in a class-five electromagnetic field to targets almost sixty kilometres away,and place that bolt with pinpoint accuracy.Upon impact,the field collapses,and the compacted atoms disperse,their neutrons separate from the other members of the atomic system,and thus creating the deadly "splitting the atom" effect that ended the second World War in the 1940s. This effect is sufficient enough in force to decimate half of Earth's moon.However,once the cannon is used,the ship carrying it will lose all power,and be dead in space until another ship comes along to pick it up.The complicated array of equipment needed to fire the ray would also have to be remade,making the neutron cannon very not cost-effective.Captain Ziegler had pressured the dockmaster to install it on his ship,sacrificing a few cigars for it.Under Ziegler's relentless assault,the dockmaster finally gave in,and agreed to "accidentally" install the cannon on the Hydra's bow.Finally,the weapon could be of some use.

"Track those Apex fighters,Lieutanent Jones,"Captain Ziegler ordered,"and give them a warm reception."

"Aye sir,already engaged,"the cute-faced lieutanent replied.

On the sides of the Hydra,twenty-four rectangular hatches slid open,and an equal number of twin-barrelled 40 millimeter automatic cannons emerged from the openings.Almost immediately,spouts of flame spewed forth from the barrels,chipping away at the Rencond single-ship fighters' shields.The small,highly manuverable Apex-class interceptors were just another item in theRencond's bottomless arsenal.The small things proved to be both a nuisance, and a lethal threat,their energy cannons draining the shields of the Hydra precipitiously. Nevertheless,once the autocannons were deployed,nine puffs of fire emerged on the view screen and vanished from the radar.

"Stand by for course correction,declination zero zero three six by zero zero eight two."Ziegler told the navigation officer,Timmons.

"Course set.Awaiting your order sir,"Timmons replied,hand hovering over his console.

Ziegler,however,said nothing.He just stared at the massive metallic vessel in front of him. The Rencond ship was shaped like an arrow,with its bow sharpened to a point.The brigde stood on the stern,above the powerful engines.Cubes flashed beams of energy,cutting any unlucky ship nearby.The ship had a sort of odd,predatory beauty,blemished however,by a gaping hole in its starboard prow.The metal was jagged and serated,and curled away from the wound.One of the Hydra's cannon shells must have impacted into it just now.Yet,the vessel was still fully functional.If only we knew what goes on inside those ships,then we would have a better chance against these metallic monsters,Ziegler thought angrily. If only-

Ziegler halted in mid thought.He had a brainwave.

Quickly,he hit the button for the intercom.It buzzed to life,with a man's coarse voice enamanting from it,laced with static.

"Bunker to bridge,Smith here.What's up Cap?"Smith asked.

"Smith,I want you to ready your squad and get to launch bay Seven ASAP.I got a little mission for you."Ziegler smiled.

"You serious?"Smith quizzed dubiously,"I mean we ARE in space,aren't we?"

"You are correct Smith.But we require you to-",Ziegler paused to search for the correct word,"- take over an enemy ship for us.I'm sure you can handle it."

Smith processed the information for a whole three seconds,then said,"We're on it sir.Bunker out."He then proceeded to issue his own orders to his team.

Finally,there were aliens to kill.

And none of them wanted to miss out on the fun.


To Be Continued...

The Conflict

The Hydra fired her port micro thrusters and flew sideways, just as a lance of slender green energy swept through the place where the Hydra was a moment ago.Captain Ziegler heaved a sigh of relief.That was close.Too close.

"Engines all stop and turn one hundred and eighty degrees.Point us at that thing."Ziegler ordered Timmons.

"Aye,sir.Engines answering.All stop.Rotating now."Timmons said,a tinge of worry present in his meek voice.

The four-thousand-ton Hydra came to a standstill and swivelled to face the owner of that energy beam.Captain Ziegler expected it to be one of the Rencond's deadliest starships,a Valken-class crusier,but it was not.

It was something larger.

Much larger.

Directly across the Hydra, the space started to distort.The area became like a pool of water,with ripples coming from the centre of it.Then,something emerged from the distorted space.A ship. A Rencond ship,unlike any Ziegler had seen before.Instead of the usual arrow-head design characteristcal of most Rencond vessels,this one was a solid rectangular block.A black,equipment-laden area was sandwiched between two silver-white layers.A circle served as the only decoration for the bottommost deck of the ship.On the topmost,layers of small squares, most likely hatches,could be seen surrounding a hexagonal region,probably the bridge.Captain Ziegler could not discern any weapons onboard.

"Computer,"He called out,"Give me a full scan of that ship.I want every plate of alien metal overturned for answers."

"Processing,"A female voice emnamated from nowhere,with the characteristic warble of synthesized vocals,"Vessel is approximately four point two kilometers long and two point four kilometers wide.Spectroscopic analysis proved inconclusive.Ship's material doesn't match any known Rencond materials.Black region impervious to scanning.Recommend caution."

Interesting,Ziegler thought,a new ship.This should be of some entertainment.

"All thrusters to station keeping.Computer,evade any energy beams fired in our direction and alert me if there are any anomalies."Ziegler commanded,"And get me Smith on the intercom."

***

Slowly,cautiously,Smith rounded a shiny metallic corner.Nothing.For some reason,the alien vessel was empty,devoid of any life.Since they landed the Albatross into the ship's hole, they had seen nothing but metal and more metal.Smith was getting bored.Sighing further,he gripped his weapon tighter and moved on,with his team in tow.

Smith was a commado,the creme de la creme of the human infantry. And he proved it numerous times that he was,too.His team was responsible for the deaths of thousands of enemy troops,and the victories on the ground.Name of his squad:The Freikorps,after the real ones during the German Weimar Republic.

Smith advanced slowly,right hand on his Mark 8A Light Machine Gun,standard issue for commandoes.Under the barrel of the weapon hung a small cylinder-the shell launcher.A modified grenade launcher from the now obselete M16 assault rifles,these tubes could either fire an armor-piercing round or an inciendiary one,making them very invaluable on the battlefield. The inbuilt fire-control computer,coupled with Smith's compulsory neural implants done at birth,made the weapon a monster.

Clank.

The sound of metal banging against metal resonated throughout the dark,deary corridor.

Clank clank.

And it grew louder by the second.Smith swallowed and put up two fingers,and pointed them to the left.Winfield,the heavy weapons specialist,and Suzuki,a stealthy Infiltrator,silently moved to the opposite wall,and prepared for their first meeting with a Rencond soldier.

The being rounded a corner,and came into full view of the Freikorps.It was astounding.It was about a meter high,stood on chicken legs,and had two metal extensions along its cuboid torso as arms.A single red line pulsed in the middle of the torso.It too,turned to face the intruders,and lifted its arms.Without any sound,two blocks slid forward from the back of the alien to cover its arms,and locked themselves there with a resonating click.Then,twin spheres of green energy started to materialise in front on them.

Energy beams.

Smith and his teammates were dumbfounded,all except one.At the back of the Terran group,a lone figure vaulted high into the air and came down,just infront of the alien.The alien,visibly surprised,hurriedly raised its charging arms and prepared to release their deadly cargo.Its efforts were in vain however,for the lone human had a M2C heavy pistol levelled at the creature's red line-eye.He fired a sustained burst of three armor-piercing rounds into it.

The alien fell to the ground with a satisfying clank,silver blood formed a pool on the metallic floor.

The human,Combat Elite Number 12,said in a cool monotone,"Threat neutralised.Resume initial operation."

To Be Continued...

The Conflict

"Lock all missiles on that vessel and blow it out of the sky!"Commander Kim ordered her Weapons officer,Lieutanent Rosemary.

"Aye,ma'am.Missiles away,"the cool,porcelain-featured lieutanent calmly replied.

On screen,dozens of elonganated Fletcher missiles streamed towards their target,their exhaust leaving white streaks on the blackness of space.The Rencond Rampage-class destroyer,however, did not attempt to take any evasive manuevers.Instead,it just held its position,and continued to pummel the Freedom Alliance with energy beam after energy beam, reducing its proton shields to twenty-two percent,and dropping further.

The Freedom Alliance,a Terran Tempest-class destroyer, was a vessel built solely for the purpose of war.It sported two Supersonic Shock Cannons,thirty pods of twelve Fletcher missiles each,two Jupiter-class nuclear missiles as well as a launch tube capable of firing the vessel's sole Gamma Charge,its three Sparrow-class interceptors,or a team of highly-trained commandoes in a space-faring pod.A destroyer also had almost two meters of armor plating covering it from stem to stern,along with the standard-issue proton shields.Theoratically,the Freedom Alliance can take,and deliver,an enormous amount of punishment.Right now,that theory was being tested.

The Rencond equilvalent of the Freedom Alliance appeared out of the distorted space created by the Rencond monolith flagship.As soon as it re-entered normal space,it started attacking the Freedom Alliance,blasting her with energy beams and torpedoes.Commander Kim had lost more than twenty hands since she engaged the enemy,and she was not about to let them die without avenging them.

***
The Hydra lay hidden in the debris field,awaiting the chance to launch an attack on the Rencond forces.Already,the fleet had lost twenty ships,frigates and destroyers.Zion Prime did not want to risk the Armada-class carriers,for fear they will be easy targets.Captain Ziegler flinched.A carrier was two times larger than his crusier,and had nearly four meters of armor plating as compared to his three and a half meters.Each carrier was equipped with forty-eight 40 mm autocannons for mounting a point defense against the smaller ships,and relied on other ships for protection.However,the presence of a carrier would significantly increase the striking power of the fleet.Each massive ship carried six Assault Units,humanoid robots armed with a heavy machine gun and two pods of Fletcher missiles,capable of dealing massive damage to an enemy target over a short period of time.Six Sparrow-class interceptors are also carried on the giganyic vessels to tackle the faster ships of the enemy fleet.Along with those,carriers also had four Hawk-class Fighters.These larger versions of the Sparrow fly at Mach 4 and are capable of both deep space and atmospheric flight.A quartet of fifty millimeter cannons and a Fletcher missile pack served as the armnament for the swift ships,and are sufficient to put a Zelarian Hyperthorne-class crusier out of commission in just ten minutes.Ziegler,for once,resented the higher-ups' decision,but shrugged it off and continued to find a way defeat the Rencond,just as the frigate,the Mackenzie,flew up to the starboard flank of it,missiles firing.

What the hell was that ship's captain thinking?Ziegler thought,That's suicide!

As if he was right,a slender blue beam shot out from the black,equipment laden area,and engulfed the Mackenzie,immoblising it.A tractor beam of some sort,Ziegler pondered,interesting.

"Sir,we are receiving a distress signal from both the Mackenzie and Freedom Alliance,"Jack,the operations officer,suddenly called out.

"On speakers,"Ziegler calmly replied.

"Mayday,mayday!We are incapable of moving off!The Rencond ship has us trapped in some kind of tractor beam and we are detecting high levels of energy coming from the ship!Hurry! Send hel-"The speaker went dead,and static filled the room.

On the other speaker,"Commander Kim of the Freedom Alliance requesting reinforcements at these coordinates.We had depleted all of our ammunition and shields are at 8 percent and dropping steadily.Rencond destroyer and frigates bearing down on us.Please send aid,fast."

Captain Ziegler looked worried.He had to help both the ships.Both were under his command.He had to think of a solution fast,or else hundreds of lives would be lost.Finally,he made a decision.

"Lieutanent Timmons,plot a course for the Freedom Alliance's position but make these corrections to the course.We are going after both of them."

Love,A Myth?

Your destruction is the will of the Gods,and we are their instrument,the sentence read.It was as meaningful as it was scary,with a sinister alter-meaning behind it.Just reading that sentence gives me both the shivers and an overhwleming sense of awe.With that,I closed the book and returned to waiting for my very late friend,silently promising to deliver a fatal blow to his spine if he does not turn up in five minutes.

It was then she appeared,like a goddess,desecending from the clouds,with a face and aura to match.I could not peel my eyes off her.No,I can't let matters of the heart get into my way,not at this time of the year.My head says 'NO!',but my heart says 'YES!'.I was in a dilemma,torn between the devil and the deep blue sea.In the end I resisted and choose...the deep blue sea.With a heavy heart,I trudged off into the shopping centre.A small,barely audible sigh emnamated behind me.

The next day,I had another appointment with the same friend at the same shopping centre.As I made my way there,I silently wished that she would reappear as she did yesterday,as suddenly and as beautiful.And what do you know,there she was,as perfect and as innocent as time had left her.My heart started to intensify its beating,to my discomfort.The urge to get to know her better was tearing me apart,but no matter how great the strain was I always resisted,until now.

Resistance is futile.

What?My heart.It broadcasted those ominous words into my neural network,making me lose my focus in curbing my feelings for a spilt second.However,it did not just halt there.

Resistance is futile.You will comply.

No...I cannot succumb to my desires...not now,not at this crucial point in my life.The message however,really appealed to me.Ah! I could not hold on any longer! But I had to...for my future's sake.I held on,my upper canines leaving incision marks on my lower lips.

Resistance is futile.You will adapt.

The stress was becoming too great.My will was losing a vital battle to an enemy that was once an ally, and that could barely be fought.I stole a glance at her.She shot up,her long flowing brown hair falling into place around her petite face,her blue-green eyes bulging in a most remarkably beautiful fashion.It could be due to the fact that I thrust my head up too forcefully,startling her.At that instant, her eyes met mine.They seemed to exude a radiance so brillant,so bright,and so powerful.In a figment of my own imagination,those windows to the world seemed to unleash a stream of crackling electricity into my own,blinding me,separating me from my will,numbing my conscience and all its affiliates,effectively putting an end to the resistance I had been working so hard to maintain.The war was over,with my heart the victor.

Resistance is and always has been,futile.

To Be Continued...