Unusual Thoughts

Blind Play

2012-01-09T14:06:00.002+08:00

Alright, the next gym's an Electric gym, and I got myself a Ground-type Sandile to crush them. Let's go!

...

Hey, cool. Emolgas. They're Unova's Pikachu.

Aren't they flying squirrels?

...
Then, they're part Flying... I can't hit them with Ground moves...
They're still Electric, so they're not Elec-weak...
My Archen's can hit their Rock weakness, but it's still weak to Elec...
...
NOOOOOOOOOO!

Theory vs Practical

2012-01-06T21:19:00.004+08:00

Theory

Defensively, Skarmory would be a good choice against Garchomp. Its Steel typing provides resistance to Garchomp's Dragon moves, while its Flying typing makes it immune to Ground moves.

Not to mention that Skarmory's high Defense can let it hold its own against Garchomp's massive Attack, so even the powerful Dragon Rush won't hit so hard.

In Practice

Garchomp used Fire Fang!
It's super effective!
Skarmory fainted!

...

So much for analysis.

Pokemon Game Mechanics

2011-12-06T20:47:00.004+08:00

-Staraptor flew high up!-
-The wild Machoke used Scary Face!-
-Staraptor's Speed harshly fell!-

Wait, what? How'd that manage to connect?

You do recall some Machokes have an ability that ensures that all attacks on both sides connect, don't they?

Well, true, but when a Pokemon uses Fly like this, how exactly does a Machoke attack?

I don't know. Maybe it does its best to stay up close to the target Pokemon. Perhaps when your Staraptor chose to Fly, it's hanging on by a leg.

...

A Machoke... hanging by the leg of a Staraptor... just to give a Scary Face.

This kind of determination is frightening. No wonder any Pokemon would freeze in fear.

?

2011-11-28T16:44:00.001+08:00

A good hitchhiker always knows where his towel is.

-NO TITLE-

2011-10-31T23:15:00.001+08:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Something About another 4koma

2011-10-19T16:50:00.004+08:00

Say, it's been a while since you posted a 4koma on your blog, right?

Well, yeah. But since the single 4komas looks pretty okay in this blog format, let's see what happens when we try uploading the double-4komas.

...Uh, oh crap. It doesn't look very good.

Let's scale it down and try to attach a hotlink to the full image.
Just scale it down. There's no dialogue to see.
Upload it anyway.

I notice that you're not exactly paying attention to the Fourth Wall in your comics.

It makes them more funny in a trippy sense that way.

Something About an Anthology

2011-10-19T16:29:00.003+08:00

Ah, greetings, Kai-san.

I see you have something new in tow. Care to share?

Oh, that. It's a comic anthology, with entries from the Art Club members of '09, '10, and '11.

The same anthology project which you had been procrastinating and despairing over a few months ago?

The same one. I actually managed to get everything done right before the deadline.

Guess you really do achieve amazing things in times of desperation.

You know, with my comic being positioned in close proximity with everyone else's, it easily shows where I stand in drawing proficiency.

I've always had this feeling that it'd look really horrible in comparison to the others if I didn't put in extra effort in the shading and colouring. But now that I see it, I'm actually pretty okay.

And for something completely hand-drawn, it's not that bad.

I still see the little specks of dirt, leftover pencil marks, and eraser dust from my hasty scanning.

At least there's less clutter in your panelling.

I suppose...

Something About Dialogue Trees

2011-10-06T17:08:00.002+08:00

Hey, Kai-san. What's with the bullet points lately?

These? Oh, they're dialogue options.

Dialogue options? Wait, don't tell me you're envisioning the world as a visual novel?

Well...

No, no, that'd be a tad too delusional, don't you think?
If you'd put it that way, that is a nice way to view the world, right?
Yes.

So why're you throwing these in?

Since it's a blog, might as well express nearly everything that I think. I see life kinda like a chess game where you have multiple choices presented to you and you end up picking one of the sort.

Chess game, huh...

Also, expressing my thoughts like this is also kinda funny.

Seriously...?

You don't quite see these in most blogs, do you?

I also don't quite see most blogs taking the format of conversations with personae.

Well, then we'd stand out a little more, wouldn't we?

If we were even getting noticed in the first place...

And by the way, what's with the odd extra option that seems a little out of place? I find its presence a little off-putting.

What's wrong with that? I mean...

I just throw these in because they sound funny.
A dialogue tree is never complete without a strange choice!
I really think like that.

Well, whatever floats your boat, I guess. Just don't do like Excel Saga and throw a "Put It In" choice.

I was inspired by such ridiculousness to do things like this.

You're here because you've got nothing better to do, right? Why not do something more fruitful?

Definitely. I was just thinking of...

Studying something completely irrelevant.
Going for a walk in this ominous weather.
Drawing suggestive sketches.

...Eh?

THERE'S NO WAY I'D DO ANY OF THAT!

Even your own thought processes conjure nonsense. Honestly...

Something About Difficulty

2011-09-21T21:21:00.005+08:00

*boom*

Damn, the Bonus Boss killed me again.

Give it up, there's no way you'd win without extreme dedication.

Hmm, what can I do at this point...

Try defeating it again anyway; you might win this time!
Spend more time grinding; you'll definitely win at the level cap.
Give up and just proceed with the main plot; you're already very overleveled.
Spazz out in frustration.

...Ah, what the heck. I can already curbstomp the plot bosses at this point.

Something About A Question

2011-09-18T14:05:00.005+08:00

Say, Kai-san, if you had $20 billion to spend on the medical industry, where would it go?

Ah, this question again. Let me think...

A cure for diabetes
Cancer research
Pallative care
Antibiotic gel

What.

But it makes everything so much easier! Disinfection, stopping bleeding, healing minor wounds, even sustaining vitals while Kyriaki are ripping the patient's organs apart--

You know, even with that, you still are unable to complete Under the Knife's X-1.

I can't be blamed for Atlus deciding to make that operation inhumanely difficult!

Something About a Bot

2011-09-15T19:29:00.004+08:00

Come to think of it, why the heck are all these blogwalkers Malay?

What's wrong with having foreign visitors?

For one, I don't have any Malay friends who know of my blog URL.

Not to mention the difficulty they might get in trying to recall it.

I don't think people need to be Malay to struggle with recalling this URL.

Next, their links are highly suspicious. bit.ly? Never heard of that.

Definitely a bot.

Finally, once you think hard enough... Just how the heck do so many bots find their way all the way here?

Probably because there's so many of them.

What a bother, I'd actually have to sift through bot comments to find actual responses here.

That's okay. You don't get many anyway, so they're easy to spot.

Something About a Discussion

2011-09-15T19:20:00.003+08:00

Yo, I'm back.

It's been a while. How have you been?

Army and stuff. Things are a tad boring in camp, so I hardly have anything to blog about nowadays.

No wonder you've never posted in months...

Not to mention, Facebook's starting to compete as a place to post presistent non-sequiturs that surface in my mind. Just that I can leave it at one sentence and not bother elaborating.

I bet nobody comments in response.

Unfortunately.

So, Daisuke, how's stuff been going without me?

Oh, the usual inactivity you'd expect from a dusty blog. Nobody comments in the chatbox anymore except for blogwalking bots.

Great nuisance, aren't they...

Indeed.

By the way, what's with the title?

Eh, it just wormed its way into my head one day. Maybe while I was thinking of some track title befitting a spacey person. Something About a X...

Considering where your thoughts have gone sometimes, I'd say the theme's fitting.

Transfer

2011-07-08T13:40:00.003+08:00

It's been a week since I finished my BMT. My new posting is Regimental Police.

I hear it's quite relaxed compared to other postings. Guess this wouldn't be so hard after all.

I recall you stating that you wanted to get some things done during this week break. Did you?

...

orz

Time Dissonance 2

2011-06-11T08:29:00.003+08:00

Good day to you. It's been a month and a half since you last blogged.

Yeah, I know. Had NS eating up most of my time, and the rest of it spent tying up loose ends from before NS.

But it's surprising. A month and a half has already passed by, but it felt much shorter than that.

Time really flies when you're doing something.

And oddly, the weekends tend to go by slower than the weekdays.

Isn't that good? You have more perceived leisure time.

Time Dissonance

2011-05-02T23:57:00.003+08:00

Man, it's been a while. I never realized that it'd be May this soon.

You're finally enlisting. Have you finished everything you wanted to do?

More or less. Except for doing the lineart for my anthology comic. I lazed around and missed out on time to work on it, and now driving lessons and packing will sap up the remaining day I have left to finish it.

Oh well.

...

I really don't want this day to end...

Community

2011-04-10T15:59:00.002+08:00

While applying for Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, I have to do an essay test and a couple of interviews. Today happened to be the essay test.

I suppose the essay topic is something related to Medicine?

Actually, not always. Looking at the history of essay questions raised in the past, it appears that there is no set pattern nor common topic amongst the essay questions. Which means that there's no telling what they'll come up with.

So, in a sense, it's like your GP, just that you only have one question instead of 12 to work with.

Close enough. The topic was actually about community. Something like "describe your community and your place in it."

Oh my.

Yeah, I didn't see it coming. Fortunately, the broadness of the topic allowed me a lot of room to discuss, so the community I discussed was that of an online forum. In general.

An... online forum.

Hey, I can't go wrong if I fulfill the question's criteria, right?

Still, discussing something so out of the ordinary...

Ordinary is something I'm not always satisfied with.

SOYC

2011-04-09T22:35:00.002+08:00

So, today was SOYC - Start Of Year Continues. It's an annual convention held in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. And much like other conventions, there's lots of cosplay there.

So, you're cosplaying again? I thought you didn't find suitable replacements for the Cardboard Gundam body.

Yeah, never got around to finding a proper replacement. Head's still nice and intact though.

Instead, I cosplayed with a bunch of my art club juniors. We planned it several weeks in advance. Though we couldn't get enough people, we did Team Fortress 2.

So, who exactly did you guys cosplay?

I cosplayed as The Scout, since his outfit was the simplest and could be improvised using what I already had in my wardrobe. A friend who previously did The Spy still had his costume in good condition. The only girl among us went as The Engineer, and she really put a lot of work into assembling her costume, complete with toolbox. One of us tried The Medic, but gave up after failing to complete the Medigun, while the remaining one who was going as The Soldier couldn't quite finish his rocket launcher.

So it wasn't all perfect (the paint on my bat was flaking off), but when you're cosplaying with a group, it doesn't matter how accurate the costume is, or whether your face is shown or not. Some people actually liked my cosplay despite the imperfections.

That's good to know. So I suppose it's mostly group photos you posed in?

Pretty much, though we did mix it up a little bit. The Spy cosplayer got all the cool spots since he's the one doing all the backstabbing. While it was unplanned, one of us brought a rather... distracting poster, in order to re-enact bits of gameplay where a Spy uses a diversion to create a chance for a backstab.

Ah, he also had a number of paper masks as "disguises". Hilarity ensues when he got the PaedoBear one and began handing out "free candy" to little girls around.

What about the event itself?

To be frank, there wasn't anything too interesting. Aside from the usual cosplay competition, there were tournaments for games I don't play - specifically, BlazBlue (fighting game) and Weiss Schwarz (card game). Nothing of note on sale that wouldn't attract unnecessary attention, either. Well, except for an artbook.

I suppose you had fun.

Definitely. Those soccer socks make me feel like I can really run and jump like The Scout.

Blogwalking

2011-04-05T16:30:00.001+08:00

Have an idea on what blogwalking is?

Um, no, not really. Why do you ask?

Just take a look at the chatbox there. I find it slightly annoying.

These look like they've been posted by bots.

What a bother...

Another Quarter

2011-04-02T09:45:00.007+08:00

So, yesterday was April Fool's Day. An occasion where many would go great lengths to troll the unwary. A great day for great laughs, regardless of how cheap it was.

Did you do anything?

Not really. As usual, this neighbourhood's essentially a ghost town. There's no incentive for setting up a large prank when there's no worthy victim or audience.

So instead of going for a futile endeavour, I settled with watching from the sidelines. One of my friends, still in JC, went to fake a relationship. The other party was cooperating, of course.

Great success?

It was a bit of a success, having netted at least 30 likes on Facebook within the first hour. We're not exactly sure which proportion of those were genuinely deceived and which were just playing along.

When it was revealed it was an April Fool's joke all along, there were a few statements of disappointment. Well, it was amusing while it lasted. Out there in the neighbourhood, that day was just business as usual.

How boring.

Over the Nexus

2011-03-09T11:25:00.006+08:00

So, I recently downloaded and began playing Yugioh 5D's - World Championship 2011 - Over the Nexus.

That's a long title.

Much like its previous incarnation, it features regular one-on-one duels, tag team duels, Riding duels, Tag Team Riding duels, and certain plotline duels with special handicaps that can drastically change the difficulty.

You begin in Crash Town, a Wild-West themed part of the Yugioh universe, and have to work your way out to eventually join up with the rest of the main cast in the plot of the 5D's anime. Players of previous games will find the shapes of the locations very familiar, and would be surprised at the presence and familiarity of certain minor recurring NPCs.

In Crash Town, deciding who goes first is rather unique. Rather than doing the usual Rock-Paper-Scissors thing with the opponent, you are instead given a series of button commands and must input them faster than the opponent to get a guaranteed first turn. It's still RPS with the rest of dueling.

Not to mention your Starter Deck is a lot more competent than last time. You can form several well-used combos to perform Synchro Summons that would make owning your opponent a lot easier, and that's just using whatever cards you're already given at the start. And much like the previous 2 games in the series the AI is quite competent as it takes its time to think. However, the difficulty spikes faster since you have access to good cards earlier.

A few things that changed from previous games would possibly be the interface. It's gone back to a top-down view, and all the basic card information has been made compact in the bottom screen. There's also the option where whenever the opponent plays something new, all action stops to let you check the recently-played card. Good for new players, but annoying for experienced players who know what the card does already. It also slows down Tag Duels to a crawl, but fortunately this can be turned off.

New to the game is a "next move" option, where the game suggests to you what to do next. Good for beginners or those trying entirely new strategies, which can be critical when you're playing with a preset deck at one point in the plot. Note that this won't turn up in Puzzle Duels, though the people providing the puzzles are kind enough to give hints.

Speaking of Puzzle Duels, you do have the ability to make your own puzzles and share them with other players. A nice feature for people who love these kinds of Duels.

All in all, great game, great card database, great challenge. Just get the patched ROM or the authentic version so that copy protection doesn't cockblock you.

Results

2011-03-04T22:19:00.003+08:00

Ah, welcome back. How'd you do for A's?

Ahahahahaha...

...Kai-san?

Hehehehe... hahahaha...

Please tell me you didn't completely mess it up...

FIVE OF A KIND! FIVE! You can't ever beat that hand!

That's odd, I thought there were only 4 Aces in the deck...

...Wait, straight As?

A for all 5 subjects! H3 was a Merit, but still, it's much better than I estimated.

Sir, I am proud.

WORKING!!

2011-02-27T16:14:00.003+08:00

I began working part-time at Subway since this week.

Well, that's new. Finally ran out of things to do?

Not quite. I've left a few visual novels unplayed, but didn't really get around to playing them. Better working than lazing around like a NEET.

So what are you working as?

Sandwich Artist.

...That's something I've never heard of.

It's a fancy way of saying "bottom of the command chain". I'm entasked primarily with making the sandwiches, and on occasion put on cleaning duty. Well, that's more or less what I've expected working with them anyway.

Shifts are okay. It's either the Opening or Closing Shift, which means morning or afternoon respectively. Their duration is usually around 6 hours, though on occasion I'm called in earlier, which usually results in walking in during the lunch hour.

Must be a little difficult to handle, right?

I know. Especially when a number of orders surge in, causing a queueup of 5 unwrapped sandwiches or so, even with 3 people present in the stall. Difficulty spi~ke!

And just when I think it can't get harder, staffing problems ensue and I get things like almost getting transferred to other outlets, or having my shift extended even further. Better working from 1000 to 2000 rather than (unknown start time) to 2345.

Just how many people are working, anyway?

Oh, 2-3 people at the stall at any one time. It's a small place, so we can't squeeze in too many people, but that means a load of work per person. At least I'm still getting paid for extra hours, and the place does have short periods where business slows down fairly.

How long will you be working? Until just before you enter NS?

Exactly. This means that almost all the free time I once had will be drained away, but it's something to take my mind off the emptiness that results from enlisting late.

Well, I've only been working for a week. Who knows what will happen for the next 7. Guess it's best to wrap up at this point.

To Perth and Back

2011-02-18T15:24:00.004+08:00

So, for the past week, my family went to Perth to escort my brother to a hostel, since he's entering UWA. In between settling the admin for my brother, we actually did manage to do a bit of other things that wouldn't be out of place for a holiday.

12 Feb

Most of the day spent travelling and setting stuff up at the lodging. We didn't realize that there was another room on the ground floor behind the kitchen, so my mother was quite pissed until we found that it could accomodate 4 people. Lack of wireless networks here, so we had to set up a few LAN cables to get communications working.

My mother actually has a few friends in Perth. They dropped by and took us out to dinner, followed by a visit to their place. Man, the night sky without much light pollution is so beautiful...

13 Feb

Visited my god-grandmother's place today, before heading out to Swan Valley for a little food tour. Had quite a bit to eat over most of the day, and ended up skipping lunch. We went to a number of places, including a chocolate factory, a coffee outlet, and a few fruit farms and wineries. Mother insisted on getting some grapes and strawberries on the way out, and we also got a few sealed bags of some good coffee powder.

The smell's so strong even before we opened the bags...

14 Feb

Parents went to help my brother get his Australiant bank account settled, and I helped in moving my brother's stuff to his room in the hostel. Pretty much sums up the morning.

In the afternoon, we went down to the city centre for window shopping at Murray and Hay Street. Unfortunately, we came in at a horrible time as the shops were all beginning to close down. Most of the outlets are food or clothing - being not hungry and not in need of equipment resulted in me being very bored and killing time by browsing in the bookstores.

Headed to the casino next for dinner and attempted entertainment. You'd have to be at least 18 to get in, and if you don't look the part, they need to check your ID. I was the only one whose ID needed to be checked - just how old do I look anyway?

Probably 16 or something.

Didn't really play much in the casino. Mother was most interested in the slot machines but they're not the slots she's familiar with. Ended up just spectating ongoing games there.

15 Feb

Followed my brother to UWA to get a look around the campus. Nothing out of the ordinary, perhaps except for the lack of students there, since the term hasn't begun and they were having orientation. My brother stayed in UWA, while the rest of us went out for the afternoon.

So we headed out to the beach and the AQuarium of West Australia, AQWA. It's been a long time since I've last visited an aquarium, even one with an underwater tunnel like AQWA. Sharks, stingrays, and other Australian marine life galore. Even had an amusing moment when I saw some baby eagle rays trying to poke their little heads out of the surface of the tank.

We then decided to take the coastal route on the way back. The beaches are amazing, especially when coupled with the strong sea breeze and the blue shades of the ocean. Infinitely better compared to what we have in Singapore.

16 Feb

Bloody hell it's hot. Temperatures spiked to about 38 degrees Celsius mid-day. We took a long trip out to Manduras to take a little cruise up and down the canal. The itinerary mentioned dolphins, but we didn't get any.

Well, to be fair, it was a particularly hot day...

There were other things we could do at that town, but the extreme heat pretty much forced us to turn back home since there was little we could do without risking heatstroke.

We then went with my brother to visit Mother's friends for dinner. They volunteered to be the people to contact for my brother in case anything crops up.

17 Feb

Packing up, settling of paperwork, and final redistribution of unconsumed supplies before we left.

Overall, this was a pretty good trip. For one, it's the first in a long time since I went to a place where the temperatures were not terribly cold --

Um, actually, there was Sweden.

That didn't quite count, it was still a little chilly.

Right...

Sporadic.

2011-02-08T21:00:00.002+08:00

Today's word of the day is sporadic. The definition of the word is "a series of similar events happening at irregular intervals in time".

Just like your blog posts, right?

Right.

...That's it?

Yep.

Profit!

2010-12-30T21:50:00.004+08:00

So I entered a mini Yugioh tournament today. Unlike other instances, this one was unusually large - up to 54 participants taking part! Thus, the tournament was extended to 5 rounds of Round-Robin, with no top 8 positioning. This meant that the 8 participants with the most wins immediately get prizes.

Went with my Macro Deck. Luck was awful. All my die rolls were 1's or 2's and I often went second.

Round 1: Lightsworns. Funny enough, I duelled this guy a few minutes before the tournament began, and crushed him. He told me not to meet him in tournament. So when we got to the table we were both "...This is awkward." He put up a good fight and won 2-1.

Round 2: Blackwings. Horrible luck got the better of me, and I got OTK'd by a 8000+ ATK Sirocco. 2-0 loss.

Round 3: Another Blackwings, though my luck was finally getting better. My Deck's main engine turned up soon enough, had good monsters to deal with what the Deck was playing, and eventually won 2-1.

Round 4: Crazy Synchro. I've played against him before, and many of his tricks are Graveyard-reliant, so he was aware that Macro builds trip him up and went all-out for the brief moment when my engines weren't running. It was a tough fight, and he narrowly won 2-1.

Round 5: Fabled. Grave-reliant Deck. While I did flatten it 2-0, it's quite amazing how much the Deck can load the Graveyard on the very first turn. Hats off to that person. Oh, and it's unusual to use card sleeves that match the Yugioh card backings, but MULTIPLE COPIES OF A HIGH-RARITY BANNED CARD as a backing? Man...

So, while I didn't win anything, I did get a prize of my own. Apparently the large population allowed me to sell cards that I could not have sold before, and I got a pretty sizeable revenue for it. XD

End

2010-11-30T11:18:00.002+08:00

A Levels are finally done!

Shall we review paper performance?

...Maybe not. Might as well enjoy myself right now. Results are in March, so it's a long way.

Oh well...

Wave 2

2010-11-19T20:46:00.002+08:00

There goes the second week of A Levels. Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult.

Beginning the review, then.

Chemistry Paper 2 was a little difficult. A single question caught us all off-guard. What's worse is that it was worth 22 of 72 marks.

Ouch.

Yeah, I know. The inputs I got on the supposed answer to the question parts were so varied I don't know for certain how much I screwed up. Oh well. I should still be able to get that A.

Physics Paper 2 was quite okay. Except for planning. I'm not sure how badly I'll get penalised if my entire setup is wrong.

What's wrong with the setup?

The question asked to find the efficiency of a solar panel. The solar panel presented by the question is one for heating water. I used a solar panel to generate electricity instead.

...But I'll still get marks for technique since I still took measures to ensure accuracy, right? I mean, I still end up finding the efficiency of this solar panel, even though it's the wrong model.

You'd better hope that happens.

Economics Paper 1 was pretty good. Both case studies were on topics I practiced earlier, and I could come up with sufficient answers to all questions. Never before has my right hand moved so quickly.

You're feeling pretty good about this, aren't you?

Which would mean that I might be screwed. But this time, I sincerely believe this good feeling is not a trap this time.

Right then, the next week will present us with Chemistry 1, Physics 3, Economics 2, and H3 Pharmaceutical Chemistry. All in the first half of the week. Let's hope I get everything together then.

Stand by, ready.

Wave 1

2010-11-12T19:15:00.002+08:00

So that cleans up the first week of A Levels. To be honest, it was easier than I thought.

Alright, let's review it.

Chemistry Paper 3 - Quite a number of questions were unheard of. However, everything was still doable. Just hope I don't mess one up horribly like last time.

GP - Awesomeness. I could get straight to work without pausing for too long to think. Essay had a simple question as I already did several other essays related to the topic, and the compre's AQ was simple to take on, since it stated "observations" rather than "arguments".

Math - Too easy. Could finish the paper with about an hour left on the clock. The A's more or less secured here.

Up for the next week, it's Chemistry 2, Physics 2, and Econs 1.

Standby, ready.

Begin the Finale.

2010-11-08T21:51:00.002+08:00

It's time.

Six years of secondary and tertiary education, all for this.

Don't screw up, you don't have any continues.

Yeah, I know.

All right, let's do this!

Haiku of the Day 2

2010-11-04T20:18:00.003+08:00

When writing haikus
Make sure that you end by the
Seventeenth syllab

.......

Concentrate

2010-10-15T18:00:00.003+08:00

Oh, you're back. You haven't been blogging for a while, nor even discussing any arbitrary topic lately.

Yeah, A's and all. Currently facing an increasing pressure to up my power level for GP and recuperate for Physics.

How'd you fare for Prelims?

After moderation, A A C E E. A mere two pair. Bleh. Could have gotten full house if I did my Physics properly.

Maybe after we're through with this, I can get back to thinking about the little things in life.

Despair

2010-09-28T16:09:00.002+08:00

Good day. It's been a while since you blogged.

...

...Is something wrong?

...I got my Physics Prelim results back...

I suppose you fared great as usual?

...

...You didn't.

It was my greatest fall in my two years in JC.

What exactly did you get?

58.3%...

C isn't too bad, now is it--

Don't give me that, Daisuke. Don't. And I had thought that everything completely going according to plan. All my concepts were there but my answers were just not accurate enough. I even had my father helping me out while I was preparing...

*sip* You can't give up yet. Not now.

A's are in 6 weeks... What can I do...?

Are you going to get up and keep going like you always have? Or will you despair in the fetal position like a certain guy?

...

You know what to do. You know which test really counts.

...Can't give up hope yet...

List Review: September 2010

2010-08-18T16:47:00.003+08:00

So, after plenty of predictions, false sources and whatnot, apparently many sources have all settled on the new Yugioh banlist for September 2010.

Banned
Heavy Storm
Brain Control
Substitoad
Rescue Cat

Comments: Okay, we all saw Substitoad and Rescue Cat taking the hit from a mile away. However, Heavy Storm and Brain Control banned? I wonder what Konami's thinking...

Limited
Monster Reborn
Dark Hole
Black Whirlwind
Royal Oppression
Infernity Launcher
Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier

Comments: Everyone pretty much predicted Black Whirlwind, Infernity Launcher, and Trishula taking hits. I'm not very sure about Royal Oppression, though. Maybe it's to weaken Oppression builds so they can't abuse Pot of Duality to scry. But Monster Reborn and Dark Hole coming back? And Call of the Haunted is still left untouched despite this? I predict some serious revive strategies going around, particularly following a field wipe with Dark Hole. I think Konami is now starting to let the S/T zones have a little bit of a chance here...

Semi-Limited
Mystical Space Typhoon
Chaos Sorcerer
Snipe Hunter
Ojama Trio
Magic Cylinder

Comments: Chaos Sorcerer has been blipping up and down the lists as of late, so there's no big deal if he comes back to 2. Snipe Hunter and Ojama Trio, like Breaker and DD Warrior Lady, probably has been given leeway due to lack of use. Magic Cylinder coming back to 2 is unexpected. I think it's so that Konami can take OTKs that involve giant ATK monsters on themselves or something. MST coming back to 2 could possibly be due to Heavy Storm taking a hit and getting banned. And now I feel funny for treating my excess MSTs like crap.

Unlimited
Goblin Zombie
Cyber Dragon
Treeborn Frog
Black Rose Dragon
United We Stand
Royal Decree

Comments: BRD is back at 3? Well, I suppose the field nuke isn't as strong anymore since there's Starlight Road to completely render the nuke ineffective. Goblin Zombie coming back to 3 would probably give Zombie decks a little bit of life, and Cyber Dragon back at 3 is clearly a proposition for Cyber Style decks to come back. I think Royal Decree here is to quell the inevitable reuse of Magic Cylinder to prevent THAT from becoming too big a problem, but I don't know.

Overall comments:
This banlist is likely to start a shitstorm, particularly with Dark Hole, Magic Cylinder and MST, two cards which have been snug in their previous positions for YEARS, coming back out to wreak havoc. Maybe Konami's trying to give the general backrow a chance to turn OTKs on themselves? No idea. All that's left to do is to wait one more week and see how things turn out.

Just Because I Can

2010-08-16T18:24:00.004+08:00

Multitasking again? Really, you won't go anywhere.

Just watch me, Daisuke. I'll finish my homework with my right hand while typing this blog post with my left!

I'll take my mug of water... AND SIP IT!!

...You really wanted to say that, didn't you?

The situation was begging for it.

Words fail me.

The quote's also so exploitable in many ways. There're so many permutations with the verbs.

I can see where this can go...

I'll take your milk tea... AND DRINK IT--

Ow!

Hands off my tea.

New Skin

2010-07-25T18:24:00.003+08:00

Well, we got a new skin. What do you think?

I don't know... It seems that the font's a little small and hard to read.

I'd love to increase the font size, but we'd end up with thicker walls of text.

Also, the profiles will have a very lousy formatting as the text wraps.

I guess we'll need to figure out how to expand the textbox widths without injuring the skin...

...

Well, looks like we can't do anything about the table width. At least the font size is a little larger now.

Block Test Results

2010-07-25T16:51:00.003+08:00

So the Block Test Results are all back, and let's see what we have here...

GP - C. Well, not much improvement from the last Block Test. The essay did great, but the compre... not as good.

Physics - A. The actual percentage is 69.7%, so it's an A by round-up. Could have been better, even if it's within the top 50 of the C2 Physics cohort.

Math - A. Not much different from my last Block Test.

Chemistry - A. A great improvement since I studied a little harder. Maybe it was also the giant organic Chemistry mindmap that helped.

Economics - E. ...Well, better than the U I got last test. The entire cohort did badly in this one, since the sources were anything but straightforward. For some reason (moderating, I guess) it got bumped up to D.

So the results are A-A-A-C-D. Can't make a poker hand out of that. Maybe 3 card. Now to finish the last chapters of the syllabus and work towards Prelims.

Block Test 2.

2010-06-28T20:15:00.003+08:00

Well, you haven't updated in a long while.

Well, yeah, tests upcoming and all...

I can understand... if you were actually putting more effort into studying.

Hey! A half-hearted effort is better than none at all!

So, GP as the first paper, as always. They usually take the longest to mark.

Attempted question was: "Mankind is totally powerless in the face of natural disasters. Discuss." Fairly straightforward, many others attempted it too. After-paper discussion reveals that the term "natural disasters" covers a lot more than the environmental ones - epidemics and the ever-unlikely collisions with extraterrestrial objects count.

A question I considered doing (but eventually ditched) went something among the lines of: "'Carried out in the wrong areas and for the wrong reasons.' What are your opinions on this view on medical research?" Of course, I couldn't quite figure out any other controversial areas of medical research beyond genetic engineering, and eventually ditched it.

It also became a problem when the first few things I began thinking of was among the lines of "GUILT", "Stigma", and "Rosalia".

You really need to cut down on those games...

Paper 2. General topic is about discrimination according to age. Both writers put up good points, but one gaping flaw was that the discrimination brought up was more suited towards jobs that require physical work. The reverse happens in administrations or management. Thus while doing the AQ it felt like...

"Objection!! There appears to be a glaring contradiction in BOTH the writers' arguments!"

Trauma Team

2010-06-03T20:29:00.004+08:00

Greetings. It has been 31 days since your last blog post.

Yeah, I know. Got really lazy with blogging lately.

Holiday mood, I presume?

...Sorta.

So, recently I got the game Trauma Team, and finished it in... about 5 days.

Wow. That's some obsessive effort you're putting in.

Why, thank you.

It wasn't a compliment.

Doesn't matter.

So, after beating Trauma Team and fully experiencing what it has to offer, I believe it would be sufficient to do a review.

Beginning with the overview. What can I say, this game's amazing. The story's engaging, the gameplay is sufficiently challenging, and music really suits the atmosphere.

The main gameplay focuses around 6 characters, each with their own fields of specialty - Surgery, Endoscopy, Orthopedics, First Response, Diagnosis, and Forensics. Each character has their own chapter, and all 6 chapters run concurrently within the main storyline. The result of this is that as you go on to play a different chapter you get to see another perspective on the same issue. That little girl you operated on? Now you get to diagnose her disease. And so on. It's not over after you complete all 6 chapters, though - a final chapter is unlocked where all 6 characters and their fields are rolled up into the climax of the story.

Oh, I've got to comment on the graphics while I'm at it. The gameplay graphics have been pretty fine, though initially the first issue I had was that the blood pools look like gelatinous blobs rather than the circular clouds of blood in previous games. However, I realized that this was so that the blood pools can be visible from different angles while you treat them in Endoscopy. True - it'd be odd to see a cloud of blood from the side.

Oh, and they tweaked the organ design a little bit, giving it some more detail (but not such that it'd be rather graphic like Under the Knife) so that we don't get those unusually glossy organs in New Blood.

Cutscenes have deviated from the visual novel-esque style of swapping character sprites in and out over a background to a comic book style. They still end up using sprites, but at least this improves the storytelling a good bit as you do get to see the different characters positioned across the scene. Dialogue is fully voiced and automated, though this gives a little issue of timing when the dialogue plays. Oh well.

About the story... well, they did say they were going for a little more realism, but I'm assuming they meant realism in the gameplay. You don't have GUILT, Stigma, and the Healing Touch from the previous games, but in the cutscenes you get superheroes, ninjas, ghosts, and phone calls with the deceased's last words. Then again, you don't get a lot of drama if you're going too realistic, right?

...True. Even reality TV shows exercise some "cherry picking" in their footage.

Also, knowing the Trauma Center series, they can't exactly get away without a fictional disease. Well, at least it's not as drastic as battling GUILT or Stigma. It'd be frightening to tackle these things with an endoscope.

Now the individual gameplay segments...

Surgery is more or less the same as the main gameplay element in the previous Trauma Center games. Fortunately, they took out the timer that was the source of pressure to many other gamers. Unfortunately, the surgeries and procedures are a little more complex. Imagine carefully removing an I-beam lodged in a patient's liver (!!!) while taking care of the lacerations and hemorrhages on the organ. The difficulty's still rather merciful at the Resident (medium) difficulty, though.

What about the harder ones?

Oh wow. The Specialist (hard) difficulty. They not only had the vitals plummet like the bonus surgeries in the previous games, but they took the bonus criteria and made them much more stringent. Cleared an operation in under 3 minutes? Good, now do it in under 1 and a half. An operation that I S-ranked on the first try in the Resident difficulty scored a C rank on Specialist. Looks like veterans who mastered the previous games (I know I didn't) will still have something that will challenge them.

First Response. This is where you play a paramedic, juggling multiple patients while giving first aid to them before they are stable enough for transport to a hospital. Treatment of wounds is a lot simpler, but the main challenge here is that you'll need to manage up to 5 life bars at a time. Not an easy task when they're all on the verge of death. You're more or less doing things a first-aider would do - securing splints, giving CPR, and temporarily sealing wounds. The intense music goes well with the fact that you're rushing to stabilize them quickly.

Orthopedics. Rather than speed, you need to be very careful here as you're dealing with the skeletal system. You don't have a life bar, just up to 10 mistakes you can potentially make before getting a game over. Indeed, this is quite relaxed as you have (almost) all the time in the world to carefully make your incisions or secure plates. The music's quite catchy too. Good for work that isn't as intense as surgery or first response, too.

Endoscopy... Ugh, difficult difficult difficult. You advance with the Wiimote, while adjusting the camera angle or using tools with the Nunchuck. Definitely a drastic conflict with the muscle memory cultivated from the other Wiimote-centric fields. In addition to handling the new tools and controls, you can't rush too quickly with the endoscope, or you'd hit an inner wall and damage the patient's vitals. It'll take a while to master this, especially when you're pressed to get the time bonuses for some stages.

Diagnosis relies more on a sharp eye and a keen mind rather than quick reflexes. You've got a stringent 5 mistakes to make, but at least you won't be making mistakes very easily. The main aim is to spot symptoms in the patient either by listening to what they say, spotting unusual abnormalities in their appearance, and examining the results of tests and scans. After which you'll be matching the symptoms with potential diseases to narrow them down. No difficulty or rank for this one - if you're replaying it it's likely you're looking for bonus abnormalities.

Forensics is similar to diagnosis - no lifebar, 10 mistakes, and rather than treating patients you're discovering their causes of death and how they died. How? You collect pieces of evidence by examining the deceased's corpses or personal effects, along with listening to testimonies or checking out crime scenes. You even get to use the tools they sometimes use in forensic dramas, like luminol spray for detecting traces of blood, and powder to detect fingerprints. You might end up spending time pixel hunting, if not for clues, for the bonus quizzes located at each crime scene. Still, it's quite enjoyable as its element of mystery blends the storyline into the gameplay.

What else is left... ah, yes. The music. The composers seem to have outdone themselves again - this time with music that really fits the atmosphere of each separate field as the player first experiences them - moderately intense for surgery, VERY intense for first response, relaxed for orthopedics, curious for endoscopy, really relaxed for diagnosis, and mysterious for forensics. It gets even better as the game approaches the climax as all fields get caught up in a mix of mystery and desparation.

All in all, it's a very good game. The developers have really done quite a lot to simulate the various actions you'd be carrying out in each field using the Wiimote. Some fields are not best for those with slow reflexes, but hey, at least it's better than being pressured by a 5-minute timer at the same time.

Playing God

2010-05-03T12:21:00.002+08:00

...

Thinking of something?

About euthanasia, mainly.

Studying for GP?

Not quite. Just my own thinking.

Well, what about it?

A few weeks ago I heard of this physician named Jack Kevorkian, who was known for physician-assisted-suicides some time back. One very notable thing he said after serving his jail term is that the very practice of medicine is a form of "playing God".

Oh, that. The argument used against abortion, euthanasia, and the like.

Yeah. He claims that the act of extending a human's lifespan is the same as interfering with a natural process. From what I can infer, extending lifespans or even saving lives would be similar to denying people deaths chosen by the natural cycle, and as such we're choosing whether we'll be living or dying. This choice between life and death is pretty much the basis of "playing God", isn't it?

This sounds like the views of a certain fictional medical terrorist group...

I know, right? So, if we're denying deaths through the act of saving lives, why not help people end their suffering by bringing a quick painless death? Either way, it's both playing God, right?

Well, maybe the definition of "playing God" is a little different from what we're looking at...

Seems that way. Most of the time when the "playing God" argument is invoked when we're looking at imminent death, like where abortion and euthanasia is concerned. As such, delayed effects like curing of diseases prior to birth wouldn't quite fall into this "playing God" thing, would it?

Or could it be the individual's choice that's the main cause of concern? Lots of times when this is invoked is when we're choosing whether someone lives or dies without their consent.

Then what about physician-assisted-suicides where the patient actually requests for it? This still kicks up a bit of a conflict between a patient's wishes and a doctor's duty to save lives. Not to mention, what if the subject can't even consent in the first place, like, oh, a foetus?

Hmm... Just how would a foetus be considered a human being and have similar rights to live, anyway.

If only the world was much more straightforward...

...You know what, let's make GUILT and kill them all.

We can't do that...

Only joking.

Wood Chucking again.

2010-03-28T10:27:00.003+08:00

...Did we ever figure out just how much wood a woodchuck would chuck?

We never reached a conclusion.

School... and stuff.

2010-03-27T15:27:00.002+08:00

So, we just finished our Block Test 1 for JC2. It's been going well. Sorta. Econs went surprisingly well (hopefully I get a C or D for this one), GP had a horrible AQ (seriously, GUILT?), and for the rest, I expect As.

...Except for Chem. I'll settle for a low A.

Meanwhile, seems that my operation has left me with some difficulty in doing pull-ups. I've spoken with a doctor and it seems a letter's being written to excuse from NAPFA.

So, no silver, hm?

Though it comes with a bonus of possibly being downgraded to a non-combat role in NS. I never knew that pneumothorax was such a prominent problem in NS.

Good for you, then.

A comic a day.

2010-03-25T18:28:00.007+08:00

Someone suggested that I post my comics on my blog or something. I've been holding back on it due to a lack of a scanner, and now with a scanner, it's about time I do this.

You've got these on your Facebook and all though. How're you going to vary this one?

Dunno. Maybe erratic postings and all.

Come to think of it, it's quite a while since I redrew this, and the art style has changed a fair bit. It's amazing what time can do.

Reuse.

2010-03-10T19:25:00.002+08:00

So, I finally found my Photobucket account from 2+ years ago, and decided to give it a better use.

Formerly it was used to upload screenshots to post on a forum.

Now it's a means to upload my drawings.

But I lack a scanner. Taking photos will cast shadows across the image as individual pieces of paper are a little crumpled.

*sigh*

Of Gravity

2010-03-02T21:51:00.003+08:00

Hey, what happens when two black holes meet?

Why would you ask that?

I just got thinking. So, what happens when they meet? Does one swallow the other? Does the size matter if that happens?

Black holes had sizes?

Okay, "strength of gravity".

Still unlikely for this to happen...

Or do they collide, invert, and form a white hole instead?

Where would that white hole be connected, then?

Or perhaps it would cause the end of the universe?

Then our universe would be likely to end somewhere down the line.

Or maybe --

How about they pass by each other and nothing happens?

...Point noted.

Randomly Epic

2010-02-24T19:26:00.003+08:00

Somehow, the epic things just pop completely out of nowhere, when you least expect it.

Today, while going to swimming class, I passed by my Scout unit, who was on standby for the cross country run.

My Group Scout Leader came up to me and initiated conversation. Somewhere down the line, he said something among the lines of, "You haven't been coming around lately, and I heard it's because you got a girlfriend."

*spit take*

Epic facefaulting maneuver.

Anyway, I was greatly shocked at this, but came to realize that he was joking and simply laughed with him. In retrospect, I probably should have played along and made up some ridiculous bullshit in response.

Like what, "Oh I'm sorry, but my girlfriend's dead."?

...Yeah, how did you know?

Great minds think alike.

Later today I was walking back from swimming class, passing by the High School field. All of a sudden, Never Gonna Give You Up began playing. In the presence of perhaps the entire High School cohort.

Never before had I witnessed such large scale RickRolling since the time Rick Astley RickRolled that Thanksgiving parade in the US. I salute the OT for that activity, particularly whoever got the idea to RickRoll the entire school. Good job.

The world is just awesome, isn't it?

Haiku of the Day

2010-01-19T21:05:00.003+08:00

Haiku of the Day
An interesting concept, yes?
Summarizing stuff.

Just to test this out
A simple description of
An Internet meme:

You're playing The Game.
When you think of it, you lose.
Loss must be announced.

...Well played. I just lost The Game.

On Three...

2010-01-18T21:16:00.004+08:00

One.

Two.

Four!

...Four?

Yes. Four.

Why four?

Three's kinda overused. I mean, look at all the places where there are 3 of everything. Triangles. 3 points, 3 sides, and one of the strongest shapes. 3 points to define the line of best fit. 3 readings for a suitable titration result. The Three Little Pigs, the Three Billy Goats Gruff. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, with the 3 porridge bowls, 3 chairs, and 3 beds. The usual count to three to get everyone to do something in unison. Why is this little number so prevalent?

I think I know. Perhaps 3 is used because it is the minimum number required before someone can recognize a pattern.

Is that so?

Think of these events like, say, points on a graph. You can't define a line with just a point. Similarly, you can't see a pattern just because something occurred once.

True...

And when you have 2 points, you can't exactly draw the line of best fit yet. These points may not correlate with the actual result. Similarly, just because something happened twice doesn't mean that there's actually a pattern yet, but you would get suspicious.

Then that's where the third count comes into play, to confirm this pattern.

So... One to get people's attention, two to have everyone prepare in anticipation, three for the synchronized effort?

Exactly.

And in a similar vein... One to laugh at a gag, two to laugh again when the joke is repeated, three to expect that the joke gets repeated, but laugh even harder when there's the twist.

One for a match, two for the other person to buck up an win, three for the high-tension deciding match between both players who're fully aware of what their opponent can do now...

"...then thou shalt count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out."

Captain Obvious

2010-01-11T21:14:00.003+08:00

I've noticed that humans have a tendency to state the obvious.

You've noticed now? What took you?

Actually, I read about it in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, and they do have a point about it. Like, for example, some guy catches fire and someone screams "this man's on fire!". I wonder why we do that.

Perhaps it's to inform those nearby on what has happened. Not everyone could be paying attention, after all.

And the others would roll their eyes and go, "No shit, Sherlock!"

Is that a standard response to stating the obvious?

Pretty much.

Also, I've noticed that every time a group faces an impending danger, someone usually screams "Run!" before everyone else begins fleeing.

Perhaps they're stricken with fear due to seeing the danger, and someone needs to get everyone to wake up their ideas and decide on what to do.

Isn't the instinctive reaction to a threat to run?

Sometimes it takes too long for the body to decide "fight" or "flight", so perhaps someone needs to abridge the process by issuing a command.

This would lead to funny situations and lines, though, like, "Mother, he has killed me."

Well, it actually takes a little time after the killing before the human body stops working...

So people don't die when they're killed?!

Not immediately.

To the New Decade

2010-01-01T18:49:00.003+08:00

Well, first blog post of 2010.

Hmm, it's a large milestone. What shall we do this time?

I'm not sure. We enter a new year, but somehow, life goes on without changing.

And I suppose New Year Resolutions aren't helping much.

Yeah. I'm pretty sure I lost track of the resolutions I've made last year.

What a pity. So, what do you resolve to do this year?

What else but to get my act together for the A-Levels? My macroeconomics is looking pretty messed-up.

Always good to start with here and now, huh.

Yeah. But, if I could, I'd aspire to develop antibiotic gel. Look at all the things it can do - it'll be a revolution in the medical industry!

Th-THAT antibiotic gel? Oh well, we'll see...

Yeah. We'll see.

Attachment, Final Days

2009-12-28T12:21:00.003+08:00

You're late again, I see.

Yeah, I tend to get a little negligent when it comes to blogging at times.

So, the final days of the attachment... Well, we were running short on things to see and do in the hospital.

Last Tuesday was free observation, and a Colorectal Surgery Recovery programme, designed to help patients who are about to undergo operations know of the post-op risks and what is to be done. They even included a survivor of colorectal cancer to give a little talk. A pity that of all the patients about to undergo the op, only one had family free enough to turn up.

Wednesday was another ward round, followed up by occupational therapy. That's where they help patients with physical abilities attempt to get as independent as possible so they can live on after the op with minimal difficulty. Examples include teaching the patient how to get from the bed to the wheelchair while exerting minimal stress on the affected area.

...Another brief post. Guess having an attachment extending past a week when you're not a medical student yet can be a bit too long.

True.

Attachment, Days 5 and 6

2009-12-21T17:43:00.004+08:00

Okay, I got lazy with blogging during the weekend, so today I'll cover Friday's and today's attachment days.

-Friday-

Had a visit to the hyperbaric centre. This is where patients get to breathe pure oxygen at high pressures, so that more oxygen dissolves in their blood and their wounds get to heal faster. However, the centre doesn't afford therapy to just anyone - only those with more troublesome conditions, like wounds that take too long to heal, get treatment.

Following that, the National Cancer Centre. They showed us their research labs and tell us about what they've been doing to improve cancer treatment. Currently looking into getting the body's own immune system to identify the cancer cells as foreign cells and attack them. We then had a look around the chemotherapy wards and some of the scanning machines.

-Monday-

Wound management again. This time, it's mostly leg ulcers, pressure ulcers, and foot amputees, along with necrotic tissue removal while changing the dressing. Gets a little boring over time when you're treating the same things over and over again.

Not sure what's in store for us next.

...That was short.

Attachment, Day 4

2009-12-17T23:11:00.003+08:00

Today, it's a clinical attachment. Very similar to my previous one, where we just sit at one side of the clinic and watch and listen to the doctor communicate with the patient.

A few differences between hospital clinics and neighbourhood clinics. For one, hospital clinics are manned by more specialized doctors. Ours was specialized in colorectal areas so all the patients seeing him were either having follow-up checkups or reporting colorectal problems.

...Yeah. That's more or less it. Since all the patients are having similar problems there's no need to go on and write about them. Time-consuming, page-consuming (in my notebook), and pretty much gives a wall of text that's bad for readers.

Well, that was short.

Next up is hyperbaric medicine, and a visit to the National Cancer Centre. Hmm...

Attachment, Day 3

2009-12-16T22:28:00.003+08:00

Well, long day today, so let's see what happened here...

Grand Ward Round in the morning. That's where we join a group of doctors going around and discussing the patients' diagnosis and stuff. Lots of use of medical terms so it got hard to follow about halfway in. This was followed shortly by a lecture on Infection Control, which is on stuff I kinda already know.

Most of the day's taken up by Wound Management. We followed a nurse around as she changed the dressings of several patients, while cleaning up any further complications that may have resulted. From what has been seen, abscesses (accumulation of pus, which causes inflammation) aplenty, and so there's plenty of pus drainage and extraction of necrotic tissue (dead flesh).

One notable patient was one who was subject to cancer on the scalp. They had to remove the surface tissue off his scalp (and also the rest of his hair), while also taking some flesh from the back as a graft. That one failed though, so that patient's got dressing where his hair would be, along with an incision wound down the back where they took flesh to graft. Whoa.

So, yeah, wound management is not for the faint of heart, as the patients may get pretty messed up depending on the condition and location.

Next up tomorrow is attachment to clinical doctors... haven't I done something like this before?

Attachment, Day 2

2009-12-15T21:47:00.003+08:00

Today's all physiotherapy, where patients are allowed to exercise within their limits to prevent their muscles from going weak due to being bedridden for a long time.

Did make a few interesting observations. Having been in a clinical attachment before, I can say that the general physiotherapists who aren't managing much exercise equipment work similar to clinical doctors.

With general physiotherapy done we took a look at some of the more specific physiotherapists - orthological physiotherapists (dealing with leg/hip injury patients) and neurological physiotherapists (dealing with anything that has hit the nerves). These people tend to go around and visit wards, as the patients normally are unable to move very far considering their conditions.

Got to see an EEG (a machine that reads brainwaves) in operation too. It's a little hard to understand the readings, but it's rather simple to get the big picture considering what the patient does and how the diagrams show it.

...That's more or less about it. Physiotherapy is quite dry, particularly when you've been exposed to it yourself prior to being discharged.

Tomorrow's going to be a busy day. Lots of different things scheduled.

Attachment, Day 1

2009-12-14T21:52:00.004+08:00

Welcome back, it has been 1 month since your last post.

I know, I know. I got lazy.

So, today my friend and I began our hospital attachment. It's going to last a week and a half, ending on the 23rd.

First day is the usual orientation to things. We were assigned to the Department of Polyposis Registry under Colorectal Surgery, where they log patients' history of polyps in the large intestine. This is indicative of likeliness of genetic disorders causing intestinal cancer.

We had a few opportunities to see some new things. For one, we were introduced to surgery simulators, where junior doctors can practice with endoscopes or minimally invasive surgery procedures without risking patients' lives. Interesting.

Later in the day we witnessed some colonoscopy demonstrations. Patient's given a sedative to become less anxious, while still conscious during the colonoscopy. The doctor also told us it has an amnesiac effect, so they don't remember much about the procedure. We saw 2 patients, one with no defects detected, while the other with [DATA EXPUNGED]

There's no reason to expunge data here. Nobody knows which patient if you stay vague with details.

Okay, fine. The second had hemorrhoidal vessels near the anus. These are enlarged vessels which are noticeable against the intestinal wall, and can develop into hemorrhoids, or piles.

...Well, that's about it for the first day. Next day, we're assigned to physiotherapy for the whole day.

...Oh, and I just started playing Trauma Center New Blood. Hands won't stop shaking. I suck with suturing and extraction. -_-

Nothing.

2009-11-16T20:37:00.002+08:00

This blog post is about... nothing.

Nothing?

Nothing.

Well, you do know there's a lot of stuff to talk about when it comes to nothing.

Yeah, but I'm not going to go there. My head would probably implode or something.

So we're going to discuss nothing about nothing.

My point exactly.

...

Hair.

2009-10-30T18:55:00.003+08:00

How exactly do anime characters maintain their hairstyles?

Well, it's because it's a little easier to recognize the character depending on their hairstyle, based on looks alone.

Still, it can get a bit ridiculous at times. Like a thoroughly crazy hairstyle holding its own across situations that would cause it to mess up a bit. Like, say, sleeping. Or standing on top of a speeding train.

You mean like Yugi Muto?

Yeah. His hair retains its rough shape after he is hoisted out of water from one point. Come on, if you had to have a crazy hairstyle like that you'd need pretty long hair.

Easy. He uses hair gel.

...Hair gel?

Yes, hair gel. Particularly the anime-only-heavy-duty hairgel.

Same kind Shobu Kirifuda uses?

Exactly.

No wonder few people in real life can have hair that becomes an Internet phenomenon.

Cake!

2009-10-28T19:33:00.003+08:00

Was eating some cake earlier today, and I just realized something...

Hm?

You know when you get multi-layered cake that alternates between cake and cream? How exactly do you bake that?

I'm not exactly sure how it works...

See, if you bake the individual cake layers separately... there should be that crusty portion on the outer areas, but the cake's soft all around...

I don't think they'd bake the cake AND cream together either...

Oh, I know. It's a lie, there was no cake to begin with.

... -_-

Alright, alright, I kid. How do they do it...?

After the Storm

2009-10-13T21:25:00.004+08:00

Hey, I see you're done with the exams.

Yup. Now I can breathe easier till Project Work kicks in.

So, how's it looking?

Pretty good. I think I can score As for the Sciences and Math. Econs and GP, I believe I can get a C or so.

Well, but Chinese...

Mm-hm, I see...

Yeah, been at it for 5 years and I've never scored well. It's like an unwinnable game. ._.

Huh...

Boss Rush.

2009-10-05T15:26:00.003+08:00

Hey.

Oh, hi. It's been a long time since you last blogged.

Yeah, kinda caught up in studying and other things.

How's your arm?

Dressing's removed, scab's flaked off, but the tissue is still a bit inelastic. My right arm can move, but slightly restrained.

As usual, I suppose.

I'm not allowed to overstrain my right shoulder, but since it's the exam period there's little to carry.

So, how's GP?

I kinda handled it quite well, really. But the AQ at the end was difficult. I don't read enough newspaper...

Oh well. Got to hope for the best.

After Surgery

2009-09-17T17:50:00.004+08:00

Well, surgery's been done, as of now I have an additional chest tube to drain off excess air from the op.

Doctor says that the chest tubes would be removed today or tomorrow. After which, it'd take an extra day of recovery or so before I'm discharged.

What, something up then?

Yeah. I've heard of fun things awaiting me at the school's Mid-Autumn Festival celebration. I'd definitely want that.

One more week.

2009-09-14T13:07:00.002+08:00

I didn't make it.

No way...

Yeah, I'll be needing surgery. After which I'll have to rest up for up to a week more before I'm discharged, and I still cannot move heavy loads about yet.

Don't worry. You'll make it.

Improving.

2009-09-13T14:05:00.004+08:00

Still in hospital, but condition's improving.

The air pocket has shrunk down considerably, but they need full deflation before they remove the tube and I can be discharged.

Well, at least I don't need the drip anymore. My right arm can move more, and I can type with both hands now.

But if I don't have full recovery by Monday I'll be needing surgery to seal the leak.

Hope you fully lose that last bit tomorrow for good.

But to be honest, I'd rather take the surgery. Granted, I'll have an extended hospital stay or something, but the doctor said that it will reduce chances of further similar cases popping up.

If it heals naturally I have a greater chance of something like this happening a second time. Surgery would be inevitable then.

Hmm...

Living Through a Tube

2009-09-11T16:54:00.004+08:00

Well, there goes my 1-week break.

On Tuesday I got hit with spontaneous pneumothorax.

When an air pocket forms between the lung and the chest cavity. If left unchecked it could expand and eventually result in death.

It first felt like an inner muscle cramp. I was hoping it was just that. Then the X-rays displayed otherwise. Ended up in hospital with a tube in my torso to drain the air pocket. They say I can get discharged once the air pocket shrinks to safe levels.

Next morning: Air pocket seems to have expanded despite pain subsiding. Seems that there's a leak in my lung, and needs more time to mend. Evening X-ray showed no improvement, too.

Thursday: Not much improvement in condition. They even attached a pump to help out in further drainage. I did get visits from several friends, though.

Today: Some improvement shown. X-ray suggests that air pocket is still there, I can only hope that it's smaller than before.

Looks kinda bleak, huh...

Furthermore, the tube prevents me from raising my right arm. I can't write, I can't draw. Left arm's doing all the typing.

I want to go back. I want to use both arms again.

Chin up, stay hopeful. You'll get better soon enough.

I will recover. I will recover. I will recover...

I'll get my right arm back. I'll get my right arm back. I'll get my right arm back...

Logs from Sweden

2009-09-02T18:10:00.004+08:00

Ah, how long have I gone without blogging?

To be exact, about 2 and a half weeks.

Damn, that's too long.

So, anyway, I've gotten back about 2 1/2 weeks ago, and while I was there I noted down the entries during the days, so...

---

Day 1
14 - 15 Aug 2009

Whoa, that flight was long. Took a whole 12 hours of transit, and we've still got another 2 hour flight to Stockholm. Time here says it's 6.30 am, but my body thinks 12.30 pm. Gotta tune to the time zone difference.

Ah, there's a beautiful sunrise outside. Guess this really IS summer.

---

Well, we made it to Stockholm, and it appears the group members are scattered across different rooms in the hostel, in order to facilitate socialization amongst people from different countries. Here, in room 231, is Lahiru from Sri Lanka, Alonso from Chile, and Simon from Germany.

And Alonso doesn't speak fluent English. There's going to be some problems speaking with him. Took us several minutes and a drawing or two to actually understand what he was trying to say. It's the first time I see someone about my age have a business card, though. Heh.

They said the hostel's also got Internet service at the reception area, albiet at 1 kronor per minute. That's about S$12~S$14 per hour, and looks pretty expensive. Maybe I'll give that one a shot for a short while sometime.

The weather's reported to worsen later in the day, but it's still looking pretty good, even at this time. Who knows what will happen tomorrow.

Oh, yes, we also happened to have a nice view of some fireworks that shot up at around 10pm (+2 GMT). Been a while since I last saw fireworks in person.

---

Day 2
16 Aug 2009

Today's weather is looking fine, too, though it appears to have rained in the night. Doesn't change much on our schedule though.

So, today is the day when we set up our poster and present to the jury. 15 minutes total for presentation time and jury discussion, but the whole judging session's going to take up the afternoon.

Anyway, the judging session worked pretty fine. The judges looked pretty impressed with our project, and I feel that we could win this thanks to the novel ideas that this project involves. Well, there's still tomorrow's judging session, so time will tell.

I took a look around the other groups. Interesting ones include an auto-tap-shutoff mechanism from South Africa, an alternative to activated charcoal by Sri Lanka, a roof-garden cooling setup by Japan, and an adaptable flood dam by the Netherlands. These are some very interesting projects around.

Late after dinner was the International Cultural Cabaret, held back in the hostel. Wasn't of as great a magnitude as we thought. Some groups donned their cultural dress and did their cultural dance, others made do with distributing unique food items, and a few went with music pieces. Our group sang Singapore Town and Where I Belong, and compared to some impromptu acts from a few countries I could say we did a pretty good job.

The wind's getting damn strong. Really good for kites, but very bad for unsecured papers. It gets a little chilly, but not so much that I have to put on a second layer. Hah.

---

Day 3
17 Aug 2009

The Swedish really love their water, don't they? They've got plain carbonated water. Drinking it is like drinking a fizzy drink with your taste buds disabled. Well, at least the flavoured ones aren't so bad.

Opening ceremony for the World Water Week's today. Opening speeches were done, along with a presentation by the winner of the Stockholm Water Prize winner. Apparently he's designed a toilet system where the waste ends up being recycled as compost. Ah, and apparently during the talk a few of us ended up dozing off. A few pictures were taken, and hilarity ensued.

So, today's the second day of the judging. Unlike the first day, it was much slower as everyone's probably already gotten a look at everyone else's poster, so yeah. It ended considerably ahead of schedule too. Oh, and since there's free Internet there, I went in to get a few updates on things.

Ah, it rained, too. It came so suddenly and dissipated just as sudden I could conclude that it was cold frontal rain. Interesting.

Afterwards, a tour around the old Stockholm town. Plenty of nice sights, and interesting camera opportunities. Not to mention that since Sweden's consisting of several small interlinked islands there were some very nice boats.

So, the judging days are done, and the winner of the SJWP will be announced tomorrow. Damn important day, wish us luck then.

---

Day 4
18 Aug 2009

Today's the day where the prizes are given out. Nothing much for this except rehearsal for the ceremony. All breaths are being held for the moment.

---

And now with the winners announced, it appears that Turkey won the SJWP this year. The other Certificates of Excellence went to Israel and Canada. Funny thing is, all teams are solo girls. Yep, we were outmatched by solo girls.

But what the heck, making it here is already a good enough achievement.

And afterwards, dinner in the Parkside restaurant. We mixed with a bit of the judges of the competition and chatted for a while. And after a while the music kicked up and we began dancing to it. Once again the hosts (Jimi in particular) got up to their eccentricities.

Now with the serious part of the trip done, it's taking it easy for the other two days... almost. Gotta remember who to get souvenirs for, too.

Ah, yes, I also tried out the internet. It's only fixed to a couple terminals, and is paid by the minute like arcade consoles. Unfortunately it has some trouble loading overseas sites, and there's little I can do on public Internet. Oh well. At least I won't overspend.

---

Day 5
19 Aug 2009

First part of the day went to a boat excursion. We basically took a little trip about a small portion of the Baltic sea, and midway we stopped to pick up a sample from the bottom of the floor. We ended up scooping up quite a lot of mud, some rocks, broken shells, and one live shellfish... but that's about it. Whilst travelling the wind picked up considerably, forcing me to use the jacket for the first time this week.

The second part of the day was pretty much free and easy in Stockholm. Shopped for souvenirs, and took a little walk about the city. Apparently we were also pretty close to the Stockholm Parliament. Nice.

After that, we went bowling. It's definitely VERY different from the Wii game, and my shots were rather inconsistent, often guttering just before the ball reached the pins. Probably scored around 30 points. I suck... orz

---

Day 6
20 Aug 2009

Last day with events here. We went to visit Skansen, an open-air zoo. Aside from just being a zoo, there were other things like what appears to be a village here... or at least what used to be a village.

Pretty big place, I've only wandered around and seen about half of it, but those are where all the animal exhibits are. Took plenty of photos, and found myself erasing past unneeded ones to clear for space.

After lunch, we prepared for the Stockholm Water Prize Ceremony and Royal Banquet. Problems ensued when my school blazer did not quite fit the requirement for "dark suit", but fortunately I could borrow a suit about my size from my national organizer.

The Ceremony's held at the City Hall, and it's a pretty grand place. Forgot to bring a camera, though I probably wouldn't need it. Photography of the Royal Family is prohibited, they say.

Nothing much to the banquet, particularly because we were all seated on the balcony and didn't get much of a view of the goings-on inside the hall. I mostly conversed with those on my table about daily life and school in our countries. The food was rather unique too, with the chicken and artichoke puree packed together in a single cylindrical shape. o.o

And afterwards we picked up our posters, had a little photo slideshow from the previous few days, exchanged souvenirs and had our last bit of small talk before our departures tomorrow. I'd better start packing, too.

---

Day 7
21 Aug 2009

Packing, done. Time killing, done. Departure, awaiting. Souvenirs, given out, with the exception of some souvenirs brought in from school. Batteries, charged... maybe I'll find a power source for my handphone later. Keys returned, room settled. That's about everything before I leave the hostel. Perhaps a few things left to do would be to snap a few pictures of the area before I leave for good.

Ho boy, looks like our "Singapore Town" managed to stick with some people. Well, the song was made to be catchy, so yeah...

So long, Sweden, and thanks for all the potatoes.

---

Well, that's quite about it on the events in Sweden. Apparently the souvenirs I got cost about 700 kronor total, about S$140. Mother's made a bit of a fuss on the prices, but hey, it's Europe. Prices like that are to be expected.

Off we go.

2009-08-14T21:36:00.003+08:00

Hey, looks like there's an extra bit of time before we board our flight.

Oh. Well, don't take too long.

Yeah, I know. So, we're blogging here from the airport's Internet terminal. Can't quite say much here, because I've run out of things to type about.

How pointless. Let's finish this up already.

Flying off.

2009-08-13T21:16:00.003+08:00

Hey, Kai-san. Seems you've been busy as of late.

Yeah, I'm flying off to Stockholm this Friday night for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize.

Is that so? Been busy packing and tying up loose ends, I assume?

Yeah. Well, most loose ends. There are some things I can't quite accomplish.

Well, I wish you the best of luck with your trip and competition.

What do you mean? You're coming with me.

Wait, what?

Yes, Daisuke, you're coming with me. Effective wireless is not guaranteed where we are staying during that one week, so I can't blog in between.

Hm. Well, no point tending to the blog then if it's going to be like this.

There's plenty of stuff lined up in the schedule for the week. Looks like it's going to be a bit hectic, particularly with the tests coming up right after I get back.

So, yeah. Wish my team and me luck.

Combination

2009-08-02T22:19:00.003+08:00

I've noticed...

Hm?

In Jap Culture Club, there is a disappointing number of boys who show up regularly. It's about 2 - mainly the President and I, not counting former President.

On the other hand, Comic Wing has a disappointing number of girls who turn up regularly. About 2 of them as well.

And what are you suggesting...?

If we were to combine both CCAs, the gender distribution problem will be solved! The ultimate combination!

._.

...Only thinking. This wouldn't exactly work.

Blocks: Aftermath

2009-07-29T09:15:00.004+08:00

So, Kai-san, how'd you fare for Blocks?

orz

Well, that doesn't look good...

Math - A

Hey, that's not so bad.

It is when it's 74%!!

...

Chemistry - B

Last questions screwed you up?

Yes.

Physics - A

Okay, this one is pretty much fine by me.

Economics - D

Ouch.

Yes indeed ouch! I didn't expect me to miss critical points for some questions!

General Paper - E

Comprehension got you?

No. Essay killed me bad.

Chinese - E

Comprehension got you again?

No. I fared fairly fine... then my essay goes OFF POINT.

Didn't see that coming.

orz

At least you know where to improve this time.

CosFest 8

2009-07-12T20:52:00.003+08:00

Recently went to CosFest, though only for the second day only. There's a good number of differences here since last year.

1. Fewer things to do. Last year there was things like a large showcase of several different costumes. That's sorta shrunk down this year though.

2. More people, more fun. Last year I showed up with only Bowie, Wei Rong, and a few others. This time it's almost the entire (regularly present) Comic Wing group, along with a few other people who showed up unexpectedly.

3. A slightly different ending note. There was no Nico Nico Douga singing at the end, but in its place there was some guy cosplaying as Armstrong and singing YMCA, only with it twisted to Y-A-O-I instead. Damn funny.

*ahem* Uho! Ii otoko!

For most of the time, I was walking around in the old Cardboard Gundam cosplay, salvaged and repaired from AFA 08. MANY lulz ensued, especially when I went up and posed with the other Gundam cosplayer there.

Other funny posings included the Gundam and I pointing weapons at each other, my pointing my rifle at someone cosplaying a character with a different weapon (can't remember any, except for "he's got a rifle, you lose." LOL), and posing the Cardboard Gundam with Solid Snake's Cardboard Box.

Cardboard with cardboard...

Spotted a fair amount of Touhou cosplay. Yukari, Flandre, Alice, Iku, Wriggle and Advent Cirno. Looking back now, that Reimu cosplay from last year was much better compared to these...

Weirong drew the HCI clock tower on the top corner of the graffiti wall. Too bad it got swapped out the next time we went back to see. In its place was now Miko-Miko Suika stamped on the corner en masse.

Spent $20 on a little bag with 3 Touhou doujins. Ah well, everything else was a bit too pricey or would draw unneeded attention.

From other people?

That, and my family.

Mass Caramelldansen at the end, once again. Now that I had a cosplay costume to equip, I went in and joined them. XD

So, that's one more for that list of things you wish to accomplish?

Yup.

Whoo.

2009-07-04T15:38:00.003+08:00

Blocks are finally over and done with!

*monotone* Hooray. */montone*

And, lets see. Monday's Youth Day, and Tuesday and Wednesday are for Sabbaticals.

Actually, Sabbaticals have been cancelled.

Whut?

Yes, Sabbats are cancelled. Instead there's e-Learning. You don't get your lessons but you lose the opportunity for art style assimilation.

D-Dammit...

Anyway, the outlooks for all subjects:

General Paper - Should do fairly well. Around B.

Economics - B expected.

Chemistry - Reasonable with its concepts, but unfairly complicated in the process. Still, A expected.

Physics - Rather simple. A expected.

Math - Doable. Some questions were unusually tricky. Can't perfect this one, but A expected.

Chinese - Surprisingly simple compared to the stuff I faced in the past years. Chances of passing are a little higher.

So, that's all for the Block Test outlooks. At the end of this next week would be...

*monotone* CosFest! */monotone*

Hey, Daisuke, your tone is rather bland today.

I don't feel like being enthusiastic for now.

*shrug*

When Lists Run Out

2009-06-27T15:42:00.003+08:00

Hey, Daisuke.

Oh, hello there. How's your holidays so far?

It's been pretty good for the first half. Did all sorts of things, watched some new anime, played through a few new games, doodled a bit... yeah.

So, why so bored now?

Apparently, I ran out of things to do on my list.

Sans work, right?

Sans work. Well, with blocks coming right up after the holidays, I'd better get back to mugging.

Wait, this is the last week, what did you do in your third week?

Go about killing time.

Whut... *sigh*

Right then, back to work.

Thwarted.

2009-06-22T22:04:00.004+08:00

It's amazing how some ridiculous ideas can be put aside by an even more unusual means.

Huh?

[Friend A] spoke to me of a plan he was drawing up. He had an idea of spreading H1N1 through school to get everyone infected with the disease and thus have nearly the whole school avoid taking the Block Tests.

What!?

Yes, I kid you not. Ridiculous plan indeed.

Then I did a little count on what'd be missed out during a 1-month quarantine. That'd include CosFest 09, which'd be around the second weekend immediately after Block Tests.

[Friend A], upon hearing this, decided to discard the idea in favour of CosFest.

W-what...

And he seemed serious until he shelved the idea.

In a sense, a potential (ridiculous) terrorist threat has been thwarted by pointing out that an event (often catered towards otakus) would be missed.

I'm still not believing this...

Yeah, some of my friends can get really weird. Guess this world doesn't get that boring after all.

Non-Sequitur 2

2009-06-14T14:48:00.003+08:00

Well, it's been a while since your last post.

Yeah, it's been a while. Then again, I've never quite picked up a topic to blog about.

And even then, I tend to forget the topics before I actually get to blog about it.

I see.

...

So what was I supposed to be blogging about in this post again?

...Ah, crap.

What MasterCard?

2009-05-26T22:10:00.003+08:00

Cosplaying Cardboard Gundam: 1 Internet.

Pulling the "in b4" meme a split second before line in question: 2 Internets.

Making an amazingly epic video: 3 Internets.

Taking bus from JC side gate to poolside: Lose.

There're many things worth the Internet. For everything else, there's facepalm.

No, seriously. While heading to Nanyang so as to use their kitchens we took bus in that short a distance as some people were too lazy to walk all the way. D:

Victory!

2009-05-25T22:17:00.003+08:00

I... I don't believe it.

My team and I went to participate in the Singapore Junior Water Prize. We made it to the finals.

The finals were today. We had practiced the presentation hard for this.

...We did it. We won first prize.

And now in August we will be heading off to Stockholm, Sweden to represent Singapore in the International Junior Water Prize.

I'm impressed.

This is amazing. We didn't score well for 2008 Projects Day. We didn't win a thing for SSEF. And now, when we least expected it, we represent Singapore.

Words... cannot fully convey my feelings for this.

And this year, I'm finally getting to travel to an European country. It'll be cold, yes, but a new experience.

Best of luck for Stockholm.

Lonely.

2009-05-24T20:33:00.004+08:00

And so there comes a time when you get a strange rare opportunity.

What?

Well, my parents have gone overseas for a short time, at least until Wednesday.

My brother just went off for NS.

So that means at home it's just the maid and me.

That IS rare.

No ramblings from my mother or repeated prompts to go to sleep when it gets late now.

It's going to be a bit lonely here, isn't it?

Probably. But there's always school where I can lurk.

I thought you didn't like staying around in school.

Somehow, by high school, or JC, lurking around in school with friends makes it better.

I see.

Mental Notes

2009-05-20T17:49:00.005+08:00

What're you doing?

Thinking.

Of what?

Oh, I'm just updating my mental notes. They come in handy in several situations.

Well, mind if you tell me of a few of your latest ones?

Let's see...

-Apparently, the cake is now a pie.

What's that supposed to mean?

The cake is not a lie, it's a pie. Pies are delicious.

Right...

-Never look down on a bag's capacity until you've actually tried it out.

Let me guess, you've managed to stuff a whole lot into your bag.

Yup. Card album, art folder, pencilcase, 3 deck boxes, a box of counters, portable hard drive, calculator, extra shirt. Into a bag with about half the capacity of my schoolbag.

Okay...

-Nyoro~n.

What is THIS supposed to mean?

Nothing.

Nothing?

Nothing. Some of my mental notes are nonsensical. Like this one:

-Woodchucks chuck as much wood as stone which a stone block is capable of blocking, provided that woodchucks can chuck wood and stone blocks can block stone.

This... is confusing...

Then I have done my job.

No wonder why you don't scribble that many notes during lectures...

Stardust Accelerator

2009-05-15T20:53:00.005+08:00

So, I have acquired this game and have been playing it for quite a while...

...And sacrificing some of your work effort at the same time...

Okay, besides that. So, yeah. This blog post is a brief review on Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2009 - Stardust Accelerator.

So, it's the standard Good, Bad, and Ugly routine, but a brief overview. You have two modes to choose from: 5D's Story Mode and World Championship Mode. Obviously, Story Mode is what you want to complete first, because it's where you get your (usual) pathetic Starter Deck up to speed, and it's also where you unlock other opponents in World Champ Mode. As with all other games, 5 wins on every NPC should unlock nearly everyone and every pack in World Champ Mode.

So Story Mode is essentially very similar to the 5D's anime's first 26 episodes, but with several differences. One, you're the central character in the storyline, and so you end up walking through Yusei's footsteps... and a little more. Two, less exposition, more card games - though this will make several arcs seem rather short, like the time spent in Neo Domino Jail. Three, there are several minigames included, comprising of a motorbike racing minigame, some block-pushing puzzles, and a stealth-based mission.

The latter two sound familiar, where have we seen them before?

World Champ Mode is pretty much similar to the other World Championship series: opponents to beat, and a win/loss/tie record for each. Nothing to see here if you're familiar with these games.

The Good: For one, they've greatly expanded the card database since World Champ 2008, AND filled in several cards which World Champ 08 has missed out! The packs go up to Crimson Crisis, Duel Terminal 4, and Structure Deck 16, so there's a huge card database, and plenty to experiment with. Also, the introduction of Riding Duels is a nice addition for fans of the anime, and those who wish to attempt playing one out themselves.

The Bad: Well, they sure have nerfed the continuous win bonus. Now it just caps at 10 DP. Oh well, guess Konami didn't like how people exploited the old bonus and racked it up to 1000+. Also, the announcer in Story Mode tends to get irritating. It's understandable when you're in the Story's tournaments, but when in Riding Duels with certain opponents outside of tournaments, the announcer mysteriously shows up and DOESN'T shut up. Oh, and some cards are relocated to packs that don't unlock until you've done quite a bit.

The Ugly: Face it, you've got a pathetic Starter Deck and several of the NPCs sport decks that are tiers above yours. One of the first few opponents you may find outside the storyline-mandatory duelists sports a deck designed for countering many moves. Also, another portion of the storyline pits you against FOUR top-tier decks (okay, one may not be so) with no recovery in between. In short, pray that you have good luck on striking staples in the packs, or that the AI messes up and gets a bad hand, or you will have a lot of trouble getting through Story Mode. Oh, and if you came expecting only card games, the mandatory minigames will most likely irritate you too.

But, after you've gotten your deck up to speed and opened up a large portion of the card database to your disposal, there's plenty of decks you can design and test. The up-to-date card database also allows for playtesting of nearly any but the latest card combos and decks. Once you pass all the annoying obstacles in Story Mode, it's a rather awesome game for those who love the card game in real life, since you're not creating a hole in your pocket to get your hands on those rare cards that would complete a deck you want to try out.

Well, you still are using up a lot of time just getting through the game itself.

That's not the point...

Hmm...

2009-05-11T17:51:00.003+08:00

Daisuke, can I ask a question?

Yeah?

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Alright, let's see. "Chuck" here would mean "to throw a short distance". A woodchuck is a small rodent,alternatively known as a groundhog.

Ah, dictionary definitions.

Now, considering the size of it, a woodchuck would not be able to lift much, or throw much wood. In fact, I doubt it has the ability to throw larger pieces of wood.

Makes sense.

Also, the question is somewhat faulty, for a woochuck could chuck any amount of wood spanning any set time frame. As there is no time frame I'd say that the intended time frame is an entire woodchuck's lifespan, 22 years.

So, in those 22 years, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck?

...Not enough information.

...That's it?

Yes. We haven't seen the rate at which woodchucks could chuck wood, and I doubt we can calculate it, either.

I see.

...So, how much stone would a stone block block if a stone block could block stone?

Just as much stone as wood chucked by a woodchuck, should it be able to chuck wood.

Ah.

Greenworks

2009-04-30T23:30:00.004+08:00

Yeah, just had faculty event. Somewhat fun, actually.

Our barbecue pit took quite a while to get fully started. Bowie came up with another practical use of his paper-and-rulers fan by using it to fan the flames.

Class's selected Fac Prince and Princess nominees are Mark and Laiweng respectively. We were trying for Mark and Chai Bin, but oh well. Too bad they got eliminated from the first round of games.

Mmm, roasted marshmallows. I thought I'd never be able to taste the white gooey sweetness for some time.

Quite a bit of stuff going around with phototaking. I somehow managed to walk into a few pictures before realizing it, and after which I deliberately invoke the "ghost-insertion". Somehow people don't notice me until I have entered the picture itself.

Chai Bin took Abner's camera and spun around with it, snapping several shots. The resultant effects looked awesome to warrant an animated GIF or something.

Ah, yes, Jodie's birthday today. We got 2 cakes. One was eaten, the other... well, we've left it to Andai to store it for the moment. There was also a large birthday card directed to all those born in April. I ended up keeping it as a bit of compensation for whatever that was lacking that day.

Oh, and Fac Dance. Good to know that I still remember almost all the moves.

Win.

2009-04-23T20:03:00.004+08:00

NAPFA today. Several win things happened.

Kia Wee initiated his kickass Trance Mode in pull-ups and did 11. He's taken a level in badass while I wasn't paying attention.

I've been having trouble with my Sit and Reach, but somehow I squeezed 40cm from it. I also managed my fourth pull-up for a D.

And the results?

B, D, D, D, B, E.

...Ouch.

Damn right ouch. My E's in the 2.4. Guess I gotta run again for that Silver.

がんばって。

Silver or bust!!

----

We're sharing our last day with our Physics Tutor. He's going to be promoted to teaching a JC2 class.

It's a good thing, isn't it?

He's the most interesting tutor we've had so far. As of late he had been bringing little toys to demonstrate the law that we're learning. Also, he's a really cool guy.

Eh toys with pyhsics and doesn't afraid of anything?

Exactly. It's a little disappointing to see him go after just a few months.

He passed us a few cheap physics-related toys as a farewell gift. I got a little slinky. Gets a little addictive after a while of playing with it.

So, farewell to him and thanks for all the fish-ics?

He'll still be doing lectures for the JC1s.

So, here's to the hopes that our next Physics Tutor would be nearly as good.

----

Today for Art Club, it's Senior Treat Junior. Nothing too special until we got to that last slice of pizza. Then a lot of chili and cheese was added along with a bit of Pepsi.

We then played "guess the number" and the loser had to take a few bites of it. I got hit first time.

What's it taste like?

It tastes like bullshit.

Don't ask how I can confirm that. That thing IS bullshit.

Wei Rong took a few pictures of the losers eating that lump of crap. It was said to be like eating cancer... And apparently it LOOKS like I'm eating cancer.

How unusual.

Then the idiot who had the initial idea of adding that stuff got hit in the end. He ate it... and his expressions were rather... suggestive.

Wh-what?

Mosaic where the lump of bullshit is in the picture, and... yeah. But it looks a little weird because it shouldn't be THAT red.

----

That's about it for today. Plenty of unusual things worth blogging.

ウイルス

2009-04-14T19:17:00.004+08:00

"OMG!! Is this really you?! *insert link here*"

"This weight loss pill really worked after X and I have tried it. Order it here: *insert link here*"

"My webcam is on, watch me get naughty ;) *insert link here*"

"You have some unread mail. Check it now. *insert fake link here*"

"Tired of the same partner all the time? Click here to find some horny people *insert link here*"

DAMMIT, CUT IT OUT ALREADY.

The above messages are examples of annoying crap I get through MSN, most likely due to the viruses going around. The infected will show up, drop me one of these messages in an attempt to infect me, and logout shortly after.

Troublesome.

What's even more jarring? Some of these messages sound like they are being sent from horny women, or "experienced" people. But the infected people are boys. YOUNG TEEN BOYS. It doesn't even TRY to disguise itself.

And some are silly enough to actually FALL for it?

Maybe that's how the virus spread about. But anyway, there's something common about these virus messages. If they send a link which, for some reason, contains your email, it's a virus link. Also, if the message differs from the contact's usual messaging habits (proper English used when the contact normally doesn't do that), it's probably got a virus link on it. Also, if someone sends a link with no proper explanation (unless you have requested for the link) afterwards, it's also likely a virus link.

So, yeah.

Think about it.

2009-04-12T13:15:00.003+08:00

You know, it just bugs me.

Why do we have "filthy rich" and "dirt cheap" yet they have completely different meanings?

I suppose "filthy" and "dirt" are just adverbs used for emphasis.

But why use similarly related adverbs for emphasis of complete opposites?

...That I don't know.

Not to mention, how did these sayings originate? I highly doubt wealth can be associated with being dirty or something.

Now that you mention it... Some of these words have the strangest origins.

Yeah, like how a goldfish isn't exactly gold. Or a grapefruit doesn't even look like a grape. And what's up with the "money tree"?

Maybe the seemingly random names for advertising just stuck.

...Right. This is probably why I shouldn't think too hard about some things.

Non-Sequitur

2009-04-10T10:57:00.003+08:00

Okay, with people like Bowie and Wei Rong around, Comic Wing has got to be one of the craziest sub-CCAs around by far.

Is that so?

Every session something new and strange happens. One session we have Bowie drawing out silly puns (Caps Lock, etc), another session we have Wei Rong editing a self-drawn angry face into a Shoop da Whoop (I still can't get over that one), and just yesterday, Bowie synthesised a new strain of "cancer".

Tell me more about this.

Well, we were learning to draw adult human figures...

Oh, that one...

And Bowie decided to modify his figure into unnecessarily manly --

Excessively, unnecessarily manly.

-- proportions, giving the figure more abs and muscles than Cho-Marisa or Mannosuke could have. Then he drew on a silly face with a flower on top for extra kicks. It took me quite a while before I could apply sufficient Brain Bleach to be able to look at that abomination and not want to claw my eyes out.

When you gaze upon it, many lulz will be had. Bricks may also be shat.

After which, he drew a more normal-looking person, wearing a robe... with flower prints. Granted, this was a little easier on the eyes but for reasons unknown was still called "cancer".

About a total of 4 strains were synthesised, but the subsequent ones were less effective.

...And that body figure? Not compatible with my drawing style. Bleh.

Oh, and last evening, our Ministers unknowingly RickRolled the viewers and audience of Don't Forget the Lyrics. EPIC WIN.

The Strange Things People Do

2009-04-08T09:21:00.004+08:00

A brief look at my surroundings.

Many people are reading EMB. Fair enough, it's rather important for checking up on events and all.

A few are accessing FaceBook. Some are chatting. Some are checking up on the changes in their FaceBook games. And others are taking even more random FaceBook quizzes. I wonder what's the point in that...

Some are searching their own name on Yahoo Search for kicks. They're trying to compare what ends up getting associated with their own name.

Another bored soul is going through YouTube looking for strange funny videos.

And what am I doing? I'm blogging.

Some people have the strangest means of passing time...

Back to work, Kai.

Yes, yes, I'll get to it.

誕生日

2009-04-07T18:23:00.003+08:00

So, I turn 17 today. Yeah. While your own birthday is one where you're supposed to be pretty "high", somehow I'm not as lively as some others today.

Maybe it's because we're a little too focused on the "more important" things in life that we have little time to spare to have an actual birthday party.

I've hinted at this for several of my former classmates. Only 2 of them actually remember that today's my birthday without my explicit mention, discounting the ones who are sharing the same day for their birthday. Kinda sucks that your birthday may tend to be obscured by another bigger event, like Council Election Voting.

"How disappointing" was essentially my thoughts on the lack of people who remember this day.

...Until just at the start of our Economics tutorial, when every other classmate gave me wishful thinking. Bowie, Benjy and Kia Wee, who went to Coro during the hour-long break, even got me a birthday present shortly before that... kiwi fruits. Oh well, better than nothing. And fortunately they're still in good edible condition after transporting them home.

It's a pleasant surprise. Just when things look pretty dull it all turns around, and for once you enter the spotlight, regardless of how brief it lasts. It's a very nice feeling. Thanks, guys.

Happy birthday, Kai-san.

One Quarter

2009-04-01T21:28:00.003+08:00

It's my turn! Draw!

I summon Lord of Kuriboh, and play Kuriboh of Summoning Dragon, allowing me to Special Summon Blue Eyes White Kuriboh from my hand. Blue-Eyes, direct attack!

Reverse Card Open. Saint Barrier - Kuriboh Force. All your attacking monsters are destroyed.

What!!

...Yeah, it's April Fool's Day. I have no elaborate scheme that can be suitably carried out on this blog, so instead for ridiculousness' sake I've gone to changing part of Yu-Gi-Oh card names to include "Kuriboh" inside. This ends up with several ridiculous names involving the (in)famous hairy ball.

Why do you find yourself with a lack of ideas for a good April Fool's joke?

Let's just say several things constitute a good joke. First, it needs to be suitably implausible. If it's too plausible, people may not actually laugh when you reveal it's a joke.

Next, delivery. It also needs to be convincing, else people will easily spot that you're trying to crack a joke and call you out on it. That also means you can't be too implausible.

Though I believe there are some examples of a good prank that don't completely adhere to the parameters which you have just defined.

Yeah, sometimes ridiculousness trumps all. Early this morning for our first class we turned all the tables so that we face the other direction in the classroom. We even went to the trouble in moving the teacher's table. And to seal the deal one of us even showed our teacher in through the "actual" back door. Hilarity ensued, never mind that we were called out on this quickly.

I would like to put forth my opinion on your idea of jest which states that it is up to personal opinion and judgment to determine the implausibility or apparent hilarity within a prank designated for the annual occasion of April the First would yield the desired reaction from the target audience.

...Wait, what?

Simplified, "I believe it is up to the person to judge what makes a good April Fool's prank."

Locquaciousness... How unusually entertaining.

P.S. That EBP prank that made to the news is ingenious. Arresting people randomly... just like in Just For Laughs Gags. XD

"What did it just say?"

2009-03-27T19:31:00.001+08:00

Recently, our General Paper lessons have shifted topics to art, and we started off with attempts to comprehend an excerpt on Leo Tolstoy's "What is Art?".

How hard is it to comprehend?

Really confusing. Can't figure out what exactly is going on.

The weirdness began when my friend began pointing out various lines in the excerpts and inserted innuendo into it. For example...

"...we cannot fail to observe that art is one of the means of intercourse between man and man."

You do know that there are other definitions of "intercourse", right?

Yeah, but at first glance it would often bring a double-take to the reader. Then there's this line...

"...it is not, as the aestetical physiologists say, a game in which man lets off his excess of stored-up energy..."

I'm not exactly getting this one.

A "game" where man "lets off" his "stored-up energy"...

You can do that to a line like this? Whoa.

Oh, it wasn't the end of it yet. The excerpts also went on about art creating pleasure, or something amongst those lines. You can guess how this all went once you manage to insert innuendo into the lines.

Oh, the pain.

Yes, it's amazing how many clean and informative lines can be mutated just by putting the correct emphasis at the right timings.

...Now excuse me while I go clean my mind.

Easing into Adventure

2009-03-26T21:58:00.001+08:00

So, I've moved here from Windows Live Spaces. Hope I can properly work this thing out. So many things to learn and all.

Anyway, a brief explanation on things that will occur in the posts to follow.

Several posts will be normal blog entries, whereas at times it will follow some sort of "conversation" discussing a topic or whatnot. And introducing the other person who will be "conversing" with me...

Greetings, I am Daisuke, Kai's personal non-existant assistant and discussion partner. All of my points, views and words will be written in italics.

So, as you can see, this blog's not going to be normal in most ways.

And so, on we go into a new environment. Let the weirdness commence.