Monday, December 31, 2007

Ah, the end of the year.

And December is here.

The end of the year.

Time of reflection and realignment with one's goals and visions and mission in life.

Time of recollection, and sorting out memories; some to be kept away permanently, others to be hung on the walls down memory lane, to be looked at occasionally, to serve as a reminder.

Time to shed the bad skin off, and let the new one grow.

Time to look back, and trudge forward. No matter the terrain or the weather.

Things I've done. Things I should have done. Regrets, hesitations. Times I turned the other way when I could have offered my seat. Times I've done an act of kindness to someone. Times I've been physically offended, and utter silent curses. Times I've used humor as a shield against insensitivity. Times I've hurt others. and been hurt myself. Times to treasure. Times to forget. Times of prayer.

[heh, you would think I'm doing an advertisement for Times, the Bookstore]

So, I've been reflecting. But reflecting isn't about thinking of the past, and falling into a snare right in front of us - the snare of self-pity and rejection, but it's about looking and saying 'there, I did that wrong. Why did I do it then? and how can I not do it again?' or remembering the special occasion 'the priceless look on her face when I helped her down the stairs'.

and Reflection's about resolutions too. Making resolutions to avoid mistakes observed and acknowledged while doing reflection.

Can't say I'm all too pleased with myself, my actions, deeds and thoughts this year. But, it has ended pretty well. Or am I just consoling myself. =X

Ah, but a new dawn beckons. The start of a new year. A start to every possible thing, of all imagination.

And make the most of the year before it flies by again.

To all you readers, here's wishing you a blessed year ahead!

Cheers,
R

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Home Sweet Home

I spent my Christmas break designing houses. Now, don't be alarmed, I'm not switching professions nor am have I had too much food and wine, it's merely a game that I'm talking about. Home Sweet Home is a PC game developed by Big Blue Bubble.

Chances are you probably never heard of that company nor that PC game. Well, neither did I. Till I chanced upon it on www.shockwave.com that allows you to download it for a 60-min trial.

Now, I've played games like Cake Mania and Pet Shop Salon, so I was expecting a simple point-and-click game, riding the wave of such games recently. How wrong I was.

In Home Sweet Home, you not only get the chance to design homes for clients, with a wide range of options at your disposal, but you also get to direct your builders to work on it.

You start off as a Designer. Clients will tell you what they want - their favorite colors, likes and dislikes etc - and then you get to work using the amount of cash you are provided, and you start to design.

The graphical interface is akin to that of The Sims, which is totally idiot-proof. However, unlike The Sims, where you can rotate your view of the house, here you can't.

But, what you get, is a wide array of tools at your disposal. From tiles to tables to entertainment, like plasma TVs, you get to purchase them all. It has to be within the budget of course.

Other than purchasing below the budget, there are two other checkpoints you need to meet. Namely, satisfying the clients demands, and meeting the minimum number of items required to be purchased.

After you are done with your designing, you are ready to build!

And this is where it gets slightly challenging. [Well, for me, it is.]

You are given three workers to help you assemble the furniture and well, make your dreams come true, literally. And, time is money, both in the physical and virtual world. As such, you're given a certain amount of days to complete the construction. To achieve completion of the construction, you not only need to allocate tasks to each construction worker, but ensure they have enough energy, by giving them coffee, providing them the necessary tools, and healing them when they get injured.

Oh, and did I mention, you get to design your own home with the money you've earned. No construction needed. :)

Interested to try it out? Check out the following links to download the trial, and get your creative juices flowing.

http://www.retro64.com/home_sweet_home_download.asp
http://www.gamefools.com/downloads/HomeSweetHome/2614.html
http://www.jeezdownloads.com/home_sweet_home.html

Oh, and check out screen-shots of the game below.














Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas!

Ah, Christmas eve.

Where people are supposed to go out, and contribute to the economy by spending.

Not for me though. I'm broke.

So I stayed at home, and ate porridge with my parents for dinner. Not that we're so broke, we only have porridge, but because my dad's sick.

And I watch TPE with my dad. No, not the expressway, no doubt that can bond parent and child too, but the TPE I mean is The Polar Express.

Of course, this would have a whole new meaning in Singapore. It would probably be The Present Express : 280, with sequels of The Present Express : 300 and The Present Express : 320.

Well, Christmas is where money is spent. All for a good cause. I hope.

[If you've been busy spending money and cashing in on good offers just to get gifts to pamper yourself, then shame on you.]

After all, Christmas is the season of giving. And sharing.

Whether friends or family
Separated by distance
Physical or emotional or mental

Whether friends or foes
Separated by feelings
hatred or anger or bitterness

Whether friends or lovers
Separated by obstacles
time or distance or love

This is Christmas, where grudges be forgiven, and barriers be removed.
And why erect the barrier, or remember the grudge, after Christmas?

Just let it go. and be at peace.

Because this is also the season for peace. and joy. and love. and happiness. that erupts from the heart.

Merry Christmas!

Just a Tag

1. WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP?
hmm if I have lessons, it would be two hours before the start of lesson. If not, it would be uh, whichever time I wish to arise?

2. IF YOU COULD EAT LUNCH WITH ONE FAMOUS PERSON, WHO WOULD IT BE?
haha who else but the reason for the season. haha Jesus Christ.

3. GOLD OR SILVER?
Gold. Cause Gold for IPPT will get more cash.

4. WHAT WAS THE LAST FILM YOU SAW AT THE CINEMA?
Enchanted.

5.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
I have a favorite list, does that count? It includes Criminal Minds, Killer Instinct, Whose Line Is It Anyway, Numbers, and Heroes, and probably more in the future.

6. WHAT DO YOU HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?
hmm what DO I have for breakfast? It would depend on where I am, if in school, then maybe curry puff or a sandwich, if not, then I wouldn't have breakfast, because it would be lunch by the time I'm out of bed.

7. WHO WOULD YOU HATE TO BE STUCK IN A ROOM WITH?
haha people with negative and pessimistic feelings that ooze out of them, like dementor.

8. CAN YOU TOUCH YOUR NOSE WITH YOUR TONGUE?
Nope. Whatever for? That would be so gross, especially if you have a runny nose.

9. WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
nah, it's not what. it's who. :)

10. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME?
uhhhhh it's either an empty space, or jia yuan, cause my name's teo jia yuan randy. but if you mean middle letter then it would be either N or YU.

11. BEACH, CITY, OR COUNTRY?
How about a city's beach in a country? :D

12. FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
[I have no clue what this question asks. As such, I shall give a no totally weird answer.] Ya.

13. BUTTER, PLAIN OR SALTED POPCORN?
All of the above.

14. FAVORITE COLOUR?
No particular favorite = All.

15. FAVORITE CAR?
The one that you need to pay 250 or 270 or 280 when you go in. That one.

16. FAVORITE SANDWICH FILLING?
Bread. :)

17. WHAT CHARACTERISTIC DO YOU DESPISE?
hmmm despise is such a harsh word. How about people who think they know me because they hear about me from their friends, but because it's from their friends, thus it is bias towards their aim or goal, and as such, it ain't truly me.
And others that escape my mind at the moment.

18. FAVORITE FLOWER?
All. Including see hua. [hua means flower in mandarin]

19. IF YOU HAD A BIG WIN IN THE LOTTERY, HOW LONG WOULD YOU WAIT TO TELL PEOPLE?
Depending on the definition of 'people'. It's not as if I'm going to go on air and announce now, would I? I might as well not have won the lottery.

20. FIZZY OR STILL WATER AS A DRINK?
Fizzy if I want something sweet. Still if I want a refreshing taste of nature's finest. :)

:21. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR BATHROOM?
White. and blue. and a brown ceiling. because there was leftover brown paint somewhere in my house, and my mum decided to use it.

22. HOW MANY KEYS ON YOUR KEY RING?
one bicycle lock key, one safety deposit box key, one key for the metal grilles. one for the padlock locking the metal grilles. and one for the wooden door. so in total, would be five.

23. WHERE WOULD YOU RETIRE TO?
Wherever that makes me happy.

24. CAN YOU JUGGLE?
Ya. Wait, I can do two Ferror Rochers with two hands. Is that counted?

25. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK?
Sunday.

26. RED OR WHITE WINE?
Both.

27. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST BIRTHDAY?
uh. I forgot. Seriously.

29. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ANIMAL?
None. Except maybe a monkey. or a chimpanzee.

30. FAVORITE ANIME?
uh, none?

31. FAST FOOD OR HOME COOKED MEAL?
Both. You can't cook shaker fries at home.

32. WHAT ATTRACTS YOU TO OTHERS OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
The eyes.

33. DO YOU BELIEVE IN UNICORNS?
I believe in yellow corns. Do you?

34. WHAT'S YOUR DRESS STYLE?
Black shirt, jeans, and shoes bought from the neighborhood shop.

35. SAY SOMETHING NICE ABOUT THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU.
Something nice about Qing Hui = Something nice.

36. WHO DO YOU LEAST EXPECT WILL COPY THIS?
I don't know? It depends on their festive mood no?

37. PERSON YOU EXPECT WILL COPY THIS FIRST?
Read my answer to Qn. 36.

38. FIVE PEOPLE TO DO THIS:
Uh, sheesh. Santa Claus. My fairy godmother? I can't think of any. Cause i don't wanna bully people to do. Okay, Okay. Simple.
I want YOU to do this :)

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Christmas

Ah, Christmas. That festive season where cash register ring like sleigh bells, and songs are repeatedly blasted everywhere.

Yet, how many of those songs we hear constantly, are true original Christmas songs, that while may seem traditional, but simply aren't?

Of course, some obvious ones, like 'I saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus' or 'All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth' are totally untraditional.

What about songs like 'Deck the Halls' or 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'? It does sound traditional, does it not? After all we've seen and heard them for eons. But. they aren't linked to Christmas in any religious way.

Take 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' for example. In nowhere in the Bible can it be found, of the Twelve Days of Christmas, or the birth of Christ. This would totally rule out any linking to Christianity.

What about the number 12, you say?

True, there are several numbers that has significance in the Bible, and 12 is one of them, like the 12 Disciples, and the 12 tribes of Israel.

But there is absolutely no connection between the 12 Days of Christmas and Christianity itself.

A glance at the lyrics of the song, and one can understand why people would be confused over its origins.

A search of the song's lyrics would produce numerous websites, that each gift for each day has a religious backing in the Christianity.

Whether you find it just a mere coincidence or not, is up to you.

As for me, I'm convinced it's just a song and more of the 'I saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus' category than the 'Angels We Have Heard on High' category.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

good game

Well, I know most of my posts now seem to be more of recommendations of games to play and what not, but hey, I like to recommend good stuff.

Now we've all played an online game at least once before, be it MMORPG or a flash game on well-known sites like Miniclip.com or other games that transcend physical boundaries like Yahoo! Pool.

[Btw, MMORPG stands for Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game. I recall reading once, in a secondary boy review of a game, published in the papers, in which he said it stood for Massive Men Online Role Playing Game]

So, I went looking online for flash games to kill the time, and make the most of my 'holidays', and I found 5 Differences Flash Game

Now, I've played 5 Spots and 5 Spots II before, so I dare say I have a bit of experience playing such games, where you have to spot the differences. And true, 5 Spots/II would need to be bought, and while it can be played offline, it requires installation.

Yet, it pales miserably when compared to 5 Differences (http://www.vx4.com/puzzle-games/5-differences.html)

What's unique and striking about 5 Differences are its visuals. 5 Spots uses landscape images and tourist attractions. 5 Differences has none of that. And neither does it have sound.

Now, you're probably thinking I'm crazy because how can it be better without good looking visuals and sound?

Well, 5 Differences isn't just made up of still images. There are movable objects too. Another feature that is significant would be the count or the number that tells you how many differences there are left for you to seek.

In 5 Spots, the number is displayed prominently at the top and in the middle of the screen. In 5 Differences, this count is actually within the image itself. Or should I say video, since there are movable objects. I guess in times like this, it is a bit hard to classify it as a 2D or 3D object.

One flaw that I wasn't satisfied with, is the lack of hints or 'helplines'. It's either you find the Five differences. Or you don't.

But don't be alarmed. The game doesn't take very long, i.e. it has very few stages, and should it be marketed commercially, I dare say it might be very successful.

Now, if what I've just said sounds so confusing, just ignore all that, and go try the game now. Free.

5 Differences
http://www.vx4.com/puzzle-games/5-differences.html

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

isn't it amazing

Isn't it amazing how soothing and relaxing cross-stitching, a cup of hot instant herbal tea and a bed can make one feel? :)