Anthony and gang in the M3. 

Edit 01:
Saturday began early -- for the chance to win $10k "worth of prizes" in the TD car rally. Not sure if it was the dangling carrot that was our main motivation, but I'm certain that my team looked more forward to spending some quality time with each other, doing stuff we would not normally be doing.

There were 5 stations in all, scattered around the island. As each location represented a different aspect of Total Defence, there were 5 different kinds of activities for us to accomplish. There was a bonus activity: a scavenger hunt for various small articles that added to our overall total.

Station 1 was the NTUC in Marine Parade where we had to buy items for a personal emergency kit without exceeding the cost of the $20 voucher found in our clue package. Here, budget shoppers, June and NBS proved their mettle and we got everything on the list, plus the bonus items as well. Theme: Psychological Defence.

The URA Building was our next destination. Basically a scavenger hunt for information scattered around the numerous exhibits and displays on 3 floors dedicated to the organization's PR dept. We didn't do so well here, only completing about half the quiz paper before time ran out. We could have been better organized as a team, but the exercise was somewhat boring anyway. So much for Economic Defence.

The Civil Defence Training Centre was Station 3. Vince and June aced the CPR exercise, while NBS and I amazed our assessors by putting out the fire in our test pan almost at the instant they started their stopwatches. All I was thinking about was that I really needed to use the bathroom -- fast -- and that somehow translated into a more powerful jet from our extinguisher. Ha ha.

Vince and I were almost a complete washout at SAFTI, though. In the indoor electronic shooting range, he scored 2 out of 35 targets with his M16, while I, with a SAW, got absolute zip. I had always wanted to shoot a SAW ("Guns & Ammo" once billed it as the Best Light-Machine Gun in the World a long time ago) so I jumped at the chance. But looking through the apature immediately dried my eyes and my vision went foggy. So I just pointed the weapon at whatever seemed to be moving and randomly sprayed rounds hoping to hit something. Guess that didn't work. No wonder I'm no longer serving NS. Sigh.

The final station was back at the starting point, ECP. Here we, as a team, had to score as many goals as possible in 120 secs. against a lone defender from the junior squad of the SAF S-league soccer team. Despite the lack of experience amongst half our team members, we still managed to score 2 goals, which was ok, I suppose.

All through the route, we stopped to pick up all kinds of rubbish to complete the long list of side-quest items, but we didn't really put our heart and soul into trying to get every single thing on the list, like Anthony's team did. Learning point: photos or reasonable facsimiles of the objects on the list are just as acceptable as the actual objects themselves. Keep that in mind for next year.

No, we didn't win. But we got some nice souvenirs for participating, including a hydration backpack each. Could be useful for 'blading. Maybe if NBS doesn't want hers she can give it to JY?

Celebrated the end of a long day at Swensen's, J8. Phew.
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Woke up at 5am on the floor of the study. Had some pix to upload of Saturday's Total Defence ExplOrally (that's "Explo-rally," not "Expl-orally"), but the day's adventures must have taken quite a toll on me. A short rest to clear my head turned into a 6 hour delta-state affair, in which I had the most bizarre dreams.

Am now famished. Need breakfast. NOW. Pix will follow, perhaps later today.

Still hee hawing my way through. Stayed on campus till late, editing stories for the NY-X print edition with Vince and Amy until Auntie really, really had to lock up and go home. We broke for dinner at Cartel, Gardens, then off home for further editing, still keeping in contact with the two by MSN. And that was just last night!

After barely 2-3 hours sleep, we're back on campus rushing the final edits before submission to the printers.

This donkey is so lucky to have such willing assistance from two great pals and he is grateful.

We finished the final edits early this evening, and now the roughs are with the printer, ready for a more professional layout job, though I daresay we did a reasonably credible job struggling with MS Word as a layout programme. We've worked like mad, and there were lots of silly, frustrating obstacles throwing up unexpected panic moments, but we survived.

My only regret is that we didn't specify for some of our Journalism students to be attached to us as we worked so they'd see for themselves how many steps and processes their stories have to go through before it appears, as if by magic, on A3 newsprint.

The students have to learn to take over the job from us, leh. It is their paper, after all!

Well, NY conneXions issue #3 is up and running! Half the stories this week were written by our JC1 reporters so, hey, welcome aboard! As usual, I'll put a link here for easy reference.

If things go according to plan, we'll be migrating the site to a new server [and launching a new look too!] by 21 Feb, so this issue should be the last one with any ties to "The Red Pill" which shall be finally put to rest after a troubled existence.

Don't know what the originators of the Red Pill think of how their brainchild has morphed over the last few years, but I hope the spirit behind the concept still lives on in NY-X.

Since yesterday's online update, I've already started editing for next week's PRINT edition. Yup. Next week, NY-X gets a limited dead-tree run. Because of the complexities of printing, we're cramming to the tightest of deadlines. Stories to edit, stories to chase then edit, stories to prioritize, a photo-shoot to call... all done and confirmed by Friday morning so that the printer can help us with the layout, the final approval, the colour seps, the printing, cutting and delivery on the morning of Thursday next -- Launch Day.

Online publishing seems so much less complicated, but there's nothing like holding a piece of paper hot-off-the-press, getting heady with the scent of printers' ink coating the finger-tips black, and devouring the printed word that burns a hole through the conscience of the school *lightning flashes majestically and a hush descends as thunder prepares to make an entrance.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. There's the donkey work to be done first. Hee haw.

Rushing out the final edits to tomorrow's issue of NY Connexions. Everyone's been working so hard and under such tight schedules too.

And then, this close to deadline, Kaiser has to go and smash the porcelain vase of artificial flowers June bought to brighten up our house for CNY. Stress, man! Must go clean up before someone hurts HIMself on a shard. Grumble...

Took M2 back to the Mazda workshop for his 20k km servicing. Yup. Have already travelled the approximate equivalent of a road trip from Singapore to Luxembourg and back within the few days shy of a year from the time he began driving with me. [In case you want to know how I came up with this comparison, I used a distance-between-cities calculator, here.]

Amazing how many Mazdas show up at the workshop daily. It's like a clinic that starts filling up with patients when the doors open first thing in the morning. Some patients, like M2, are there for a routine physical. There are many others who are there for assorted scrapes, bumps and bruises, like the one in the parking bay next to mine, whose owner was a little grumpy and understandably so.

There was a newish-looking M3 that drove in whose rear end had caved in. It was probably a truck that left a long bumper-like indentation on it's rear fender. As it drove past me in the workshop, the trunk popped open on its own and flapped helplessly along as the driver sought a bay to put into. I could barely hold back my tears.

I inquired about repairing the scrape along M2's left rear door. The mech advised me that it wasn't worth the $400 to get it knocked back and resprayed as the scrape wasn't so deep that there was a risk of corrosion. So M2 will have to live with his scar. Guess it adds character. Hur.

JY and Thad 'bladed into Bish Park from Bishan to join June and me this morning. Well, actually me, 'cos June's resting her knee for the next x number of weeks. Incapacitated, June contented herself browsing through the latest Her World, and looked after Q-tip who got to go out to the park and hence, was the only one to gain from her accident.

Getting more daring, JY suggested we try out some other pathways in the park she hadn't taken before. Some steep downhill runs, and a couple with quite sharp turns too. Alarmingly, her courage got the better of her ability, and she took a few nasty spills. She now has a bruised knee in almost exactly the same place as June's. It's like they're Corsican Sisters or something.

JY's injuries don't seem as bad, though. But Thad and I had to be firm with her and insisted that she learn to brake properly before she becomes so adventurous again. She wasn't hard to convince. Sensible girl.

Will insist on the same condition once June recovers and wants to strap on her blades again.

Went with June to recce ECP as a possible blading venue. As long as we stay away from the central area where the McD's is, it's a long stretch of beach and it isn't as crowded as we thought, even on a Saturday morning. All along the way there are soft drink and ice-cream vendors, so as long as we bring some cash with us, we'll always be well provided for. A 100 Plus, btw, only costs $1.

There is one major snag, however. We encountered another slope (just 1 significant one), and for June, it was pretty much the same story. June + slope = disaster. My intention was to take the slope first to assess the risk factor for her, and I judged it to be unsuitable for her skill level. But when I turned to go back to advise her, I saw she was already on her decent and there was nothing to do but see how things played out.

Actually, she took the slope pretty well. She stayed on her feet all the way down, so the safest thing for her to do was to simply ride it out and slowly decelerate once she reached level ground. Instead, when it looked like she had arrived safely, she did an equivalent of jamming her brake. Given her velocity, the sudden stop was the very worst thing she could have done. She twisted herself around her injured knee and, well... She's hobbling around again.

I'm now quite convinced that for everybody, there are certain skills that we will never be able to learn beyond a certain level. For me, it's lower primary mathematics and pre-school conversational Mandarin. For June, it's confined-to-the-rink in-line skating.

Celebrated M-i-L's birthday at Jumbo, Gardens. Dumb Chinese seafood restaurant waiter joke of the day: "If you're in a hurry, you can order the Soon Hock. If you can take your time, you can order the Later Hock." Right.

The campus newspaper can be quite a painful balancing act. It's role is to be the platform for student voices to give their thoughts on things happening around them an airing. Yet, since the publication is also a reflection of the college that is accessible to all and sundry, we also have to be aware of our Admin's sensitivities and not air dirty linen in public view.

Our current feature story, based on the information our assigned reporters have amassed so far, put them in a difficult position. It looked like that there was a lot of negativity towards a major event that took place just recently. Our reporters had a dilemma: report "the truth" and face the cancellation of our fledgling news agency by a wrathful Admin; or embellish and pretty up the story and claim that it was an unqualified success, and lose all credibility with our readership who will view us as yet another "propaganda" tool of the powers-that-be.

We discussed the issue and came to the conclusion that neither was an acceptable option. Tracing further, we discovered that what our reporters took as "truth" was information provided from only one particular point of view. The issue hadn't been examined from sufficient counter-perspectives to be given a fair public hearing. So immediately one reporter took off to interview another source, who happened to be available, cooperative, forthcoming and honest in providing an alternative viewpoint.

For the last few weeks, we've been struggling with the identity of our 'paper. Should it be a sensational tabloid, a boring event-by-event scribe, a critical commentary, or what? After today's discussion, it looks like we're trying to make every opinion count. To see from multiple angles. To broaden perspectives on issues. To point out where improvement is needed. And to initiate dialogue that will facilitate such change for the better.

Noble words. Let's hope they aren't also famous last words.

Hmm... would this entry count as the NY Connexions manifesto?

Hmm(2)... I don't think every single story we write needs this level of nobility. That would also be nuts unrealistic. But when there is a need to take an editorial decision, then perhaps this should be our guide.

Our lunch circle seems to have expanded a little this year. Though we've lost Anthony due to staff movement, we're getting to see more of NBS, HP, Dee and Josh, and our culture of picking on one another over food still continues.

Today, we carried out our character assasinating, aspersion casting multilogue at Friends (how ironically ironic) at Gardens. Good food, good company.

Now back from a nice, long break over the CNY period. Apart from visitations to kin (though I must admit, not as many as I might have made), I've also been revisiting the worlds of KOTOR2 in a determined effort to make it as a Dark Side Force user for once. The story plays out differently depending on your avatar's alignment and I want to see the Dark Side version now.

Playing Dark is tough, well, for me, anyway. It's not that the game gets any harder -- in fact, some Dark powers are incredibly effective and spectacular to use -- but the choices one has to make in order to be Dark so rubs me the wrong way. For the moment I'm sort of playing mildly Dim (alignment, not IQ) because I can't stand to see people suffer without wanting to help them somehow, given the powers at my disposal. To be properly Dark though, you've got to abuse your powers as you take advantage of the situation, and if the suffering increases or you end up directly or indirectly causing the sufferer's death, well, them's the breaks, honey.

I'm such a lousy Dark Sider that I've been barred from a major plot juncture in the Shyrack Cave on Korriban. Apparently, only those strongly aligned either way can enter and experience further plot development; whereas those less committed to either cause might have to bypass this rewarding side quest and continue with the main story. I also lose out on character bonuses (special powers or attributes) simply because I'm so half-past-Sith. Where I am now in the plot, there doesn't seem to be any more opportunities to push my alignment any further as it seems to be almost an all-out straight fight to the finish from this point -- no need to make psychotic decisions anymore because "psychotic" will now be the automatic decision, regardless.

I like KOTOR because it allows me to explore my personal values. Yes, it's just a game, but precisely because it is a game that's why whatever decisions I make shouldn't matter, but they do. Even though my limited, virtual decisions affect only virtual puppets that follow a set of scripted responses, I still feel terrible when I steal from them, or cheat them, or hack them into little bits with my supercharged lightsabre just for some paltry personal gain -- some credits here, a useable item there, or some small increase in experience and/or Dark alignment points. If you had the power of the Force, what would YOU do with it?

And on a side note: after many, many attempts, I finally hunted down and captured Latios this evening. 'nuff said.

Heh. Posting pix while brain is still on vacation. This is Kaiser taking a break from all his naughtiness. 

And one for the Wong family album. Q-tip and I look like we're doing a Bart and Homer impression! 

A very happy and prosperous new year, everyone! Now, can somebody please help me off the sofa? 

Happy Lunar New Year!

After last year's MSG poisoning incident, and the near-altercation between Uncle and some pushy lady-patron of the year before, this year we decided to ring in the Year of the Dog with a home-cooked clan reunion dinner instead of a restaurant-do. After tonight, we all agree that we had the right idea. No fuss, no pressure, no MSG, no unwelcome guests at our table. Here, everyone is family and in this assurance we can rest easy.

The occasion didn't call for carol-singing, but we got out the trusty keyboard anyway, and with cousin Lyn thumping on the keys, we sang croaked through a selection of oldies (from the '20s!) to keep ourselves occupied until the final countdown.

In 3... 2... 1...

Had quite a decent time immediately after Friday's X-country run. For us, whenever we can manage the time, we like to lunch at Tomoko, Casuarina Road, on Friday afternoons because of their osakana special. We get a light set meal involving some form of fish. Usually for me, it's salmon sashimi. With miso and a couple of other side dishes thrown in, it's a pretty good buy for only $7.90.

This time, there were 12 of us in 4 cars -- a much larger group than what we're used to, but then, most of us were also there to catch Memoirs at Lido later.

On the way to the movie, I tailed Amy's Swift as closely as I could thinking she knew the best route into town, and possibly the best parking as well. Discovered she's not infalliable after all: we both took a wrong turn, making a wide detour Westwards. As a result, by the time we arrived, we very nearly missed the movie's opening. Guess it's time I learned to trust my own instincts and not rely on her so much for driving advice any more. Haha.

Memoirs was quite stylo. Lavish sets, costumes, quite eye-catching cinematography, rich in production values. But the storyline was disappointingly simplistic and predictable. Here, I was hoping Zhang Ziyi would turn into some psycho-ninja-warrior and end up kicking half of Tokyo's ass in increasingly creative ways for her childhood mistreatment, but it was more like a Cinderella story instead. I felt the conclusion was abrupt; grinding to a halt rather than ending with >ahem< a bang. Maybe I just have the wrong idea about Geisha?

After our group parted ways after the movie, June and I had dinner at Tonkatsu. Seemed appropriate ending to the day's All-Japan fest.

College annual x-country run. Participants form up at the starting line. 

Focused and determined, Dot keeps her eyes on the prize.

And they're off! With Dot leading the pack.

No stray goes hungry when June's around.