i will be free TODAY as of 1130! haha...and i've kinda planned what i want to do.

first i'm going to check out guitar stuff. i've delayed buying a lot of stuff, now i have an entire list of things i intend to buy. now that exams are over, it's time to spend the money i saved. seesh.

i'll be going down to esplanade library sometime later in the afternoon, probably check out some scores, see if there's any blues stuff interesting to learn. if there's time i might drop by the 2 big bookstores in orchard...see how lah.

anyone wanna join me give me a call...

went back to NY for 30th anniversary.

actually i thought i would just be back for a while but ended up staying there longer than expected because i ran into many people there. ending up with lesser study time...

anyway, just gonna say happy birthday NYJC and thanks for everything, then i'm going to post a photo and go back to work. sigh. oh well, just a few more days...

laugh because i did jinx myself. my maths paper is my source of impending doom. probably serving myself right because i think i didn't study hard enough.

i fixed my computer's dvd problem today. for the past few days whenever i played any dvd on my com it was super skippy and laggy...made me so frustrated. but after i updated the driver and changed some settings...it seems alright now. now i just have to solve my usb problem and my com will run so darn flawlessly i could cry.

no thanks to the loser at the technical support centre who was just trying to fu1 yan3 me. bloody bastard. i called in to see if they could help me troubleshoot both problems. i asked him about the usb thing, he just gave some stupid...no the right word is LAME diagnosis that it's probably my devices...i'm sure it isn't because they run ok on my old com, but when i tried to tell him otherwise, he went "ok so what's your other problem...".

so hell to him i just decided he didn't know to fix it...so i just told him about my dvd problem and he suggested that i run some simple diagnostic tests on the drive which would obviously be fine because since there's only the problem when i run dvds (not CDs/VCDs) - i.e. the disk drive is fine it's probably some dvd video config problem, but no, he insisted it was my dvd that was faulty and just hung up.

anyway, i'm sorry that your company hired a loser like you. too bad i didn't remember your name or else i would have called in to the company and lodged a complaint. i know not everyone who works at the company is like that because the last time i called in, the guy was so helpful i felt kinda bad for troubling him cos the conversation went on for like an hour i think...argh...i hope it's only this one loser there...or no, i hope i won't ever have to call in ever again, good service or otherwise. seesh...

this exam, i haven't felt the sense of ultimate impending doom YET. i usually feel it sometime in the middle of exams...like how badly i'm going to do and how terribly i'm going to die. but not this time...anyway i hope i don't jinx myself by saying this...

i have 2 more papers before i go into official play-like-siao mode for...well, a couple of days then it's back to school again. out of the couple of days, i have already many things i intend to check out.

i propose supper on 30th April since it's a holiday on 1st May. jac what say you? tong shou's agreeable, as for me, i wanna do anything to piss rosa off i'll be celebrating my short-term liberation from brain fatigue...

got a heap of stuff i have been putting off till after the exams...and if i don't record what i'm supposed to do i'll probably forget...

1. buy guitar stuff namely
a. straplocks
b. straps
c. acoustic elixirs
d. good quality lines
e. new multi-efx

2. pack my entire room (ref. previous entry for sneak preview)

3. call compaq svc centre and kp about my pc (ok this is new)

4. go and see what changes have happened in the town area...(i simply haven't have a life)

5. play a lot of guitar...A LOT of guitar

6. go back to school (i don't think i'll forget about this and it sucks though)

7. see if we need to go back to do any av stuff

ok, now back to lablast (laplace) transform and the other crap...sigh.

oh the exam blues. sigh...i need to pack my table once this crap is over.
my pretending to study plan is getting real messy. argh.

i would like to thank profL for saving my ass today! i don't know him and he don't know me, but wah heng saved my ass!!!

he gave me a scare of my life when he stood behind me. i know i made some super major screw up but i couldn't see why. and he didn't say why, but he i think he scared the answer into my brain! yay! thanks man, i know why you know why...

although the paper was more or less gone case and screwed up, 13 marks out of 100 is still a lot. as for the rest, i don't even want to think about it lah...it's over. let's just say i lost my huo2 yan3 jing1 jing1 power, so took me darn long to visualise 3D today. i wonder why...must be the super heavy lunch i had...made me sleepy...sigh.

since it's now officially over, i guess it's time to review how my birthday went...since exams are in around 48 hours i didn't exactly celebrate...well, at least i had no intention to...

on saturday evening, SH and TH came over to personally pass me my present...it was quite hilarious how they got lost trying to get to my house...





haha ignore the timeout wrapper....it's part of my exam PTSP (pretending-to-study-package).















wah...even the box is nice lah...













i can see my thermo notes in the background...sigh...
























it's the very first present i've got this year. so really thanks guys...and it's definitely something i will use soon once my current one wears out...then we went to longhouse outside to have dinner, before i came back to continue studying...btw, wasted...we should have taken a photo together...


today aaron suddenly came over and surprised me with an ice-cream cake. wow...so touched...





deciphering my expression - "uhhh...so am i supposed to cut the cake now?"
- i didn't know whether my uncle was going to take the photo already.











we're all turning 21 this year...
"haha don't say i old lor, your turn soon man!"













my bro & i
-jac, unlike you, i doubt i will get any scandals sprouting because of this pic...








last but not least, i would like to thank...
elizabeth - for the phantom of the opera treat!
TH, SH - for the super nice wallet!
aaron - for the super nice cookies & cream ice-cream cake!
guen - for the birthday greetings on friendster!
ean - for the funny birthday picture of me playing guitar and drinking booze.
elaine, jane, val, SQ, JD, lh, GS, jh, serena, yei ling, jacwong, shiaw, XR, yihui, rosa, kenny and zixin - for all the sms-es of happy (or not so happy) birthday greetings and well wishes...of course not forgetting those who sent the sadistic notes of ji-siao-ment of having no choice but to study for exams on my 21st birthday...

haha exams coming but i still do everything but study. so much for motivation.

heard this song on the radio and i thought it sounded interesting so i couldn't resist. anyway this is my rough take on it...click HERE to download.

i hope it'll provide entertainment for those trying to study. comments welcome as usual...but don't flame me lah, there's a reason why i don't usually sing...it's air recording thru mic, so quality is bad and i only did 1 take for this song, so it's quite rough and imperfect...

nonetheless hope you all can get back to studying after listening to it...erm don't end up trying to flush your ears in the sink can already...

THINGS WE CAN LEARN FROM A DOG

-- Author Unknown

Run, romp and play daily

Never pretend to be something you're not
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm
Take naps and stretch before rising
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them
Let others know when they've invaded your territory
Be loyal
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle gently
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout....run right back and make friends
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

hey jac, this post is for you...cos that day you were asking me what i learn in my course rite? so now...i'm putting up a couple of photos of the stuff we worked on last design lab. this is part of the course lah, about machine components...so this is what we work with...

we observe all these components then we learn how to design our own machines from there lah by calculating based on the specs given, how to buy the parts that we need in the sizes that we need etc...



gearbox system...stuff are contained inside the housing i.e. the external shell thingy

then inside is all the shafts and bearings that the helical gears are mounted on...

the helical gears cannot really see lah, but the shafts and bearings are clear...




we dismantle the gearbox getting the parts inside... - this is nick's (my groupmate's) idea of art...he say must put nicely then can take photo...haha...

front - one of the helical gears
back - shaft with the 2 bearings - the bearings actually were taken out liao, they just put it there...for fun.



this is close-up of the bearing...this one has balls inside - so this is a ball bearing.

bearings help to let the shaft rotate with minimal friction at the contact - to give maximum power transmission.

sometimes can have rollers inside instead, then it'll be called roller bearing. both are for different kind of loadings lah but i shall not go there.


and of course since the parts are lubricated, it's oily and smelly and stuff. yeah, so now you know what i mean when i say there's always this weird motor oil-ish smell on my hands after design lab. oh yeah...and that was my mini-revision for my design module.

i know i just got a new strat and stuff. but after i went to sweelee to buy my strat, i saw this and now i have a new target. i didn't really want to talk about my gear acquisition syndrome - guitarists call it GAS for short...but a few people have been asking me what i want for my birthday i really can't help it.

music rising is a charity U2's the edge is involved in and it helps to fund the purchase of instruments to people of New Orleans after the hurricane.

it's technically just a epi standard though but there's an extra amount of course because it's a limited edition piece. so anyone generous enough? can contact me and i'll give you the details on where to buy it and how much you have to put aside. it's not A LOT lah, at least to some people i know. heh.







since i'm on the topic i might as well just get all thick-skinned. because the few of you have been asking, i updated the wishlist thingy on the right side of this page. but i somehow think no one has really noticed. and i think i want to add some specs to those stuff because i'm fussy and have no shame thick-skinned.

anyway, whatever i don't get i'll probably just get myself in just a matter of time. so no obligations...in a way i'm just kind of gathering my own thoughts. all this shopping for other people's presents have made me kind of know what i'm looking for...and quite specifically somemore...


jacket/windbreaker

• non-school-based
• dark-coloured
• non-fur - those smooth windbreaker material, i don't like those wooly/furry material
  
• cool design - i'm thinking along the lines of adidas?
• not too small - i would like to be able to freely flap my arms in it (get the picture?)

watch

• metal strap - preferably matt finish kind (not plastic/rubber/leather)
• analog or analog+digital
• cool design - i'm thinking along the lines of fossil?
• face not too small - i'm cock-eyed to some quite a large extent

sunglasses

• tinted lens - i.e. i can see people but people cannot see where i'm looking
• protects from UV
• blocks out enough sunlight so i can see when i drive
• cool design - i'm thinking along the lines of oakley?

wallet (non-urgent - current one still working but starting to look for something i like)

• leather
• landscape format - i.e. open like a book
• no velcro, buckle, button etc
• black - no exceptions
• cool but plain & simple design
• enough space to put all my cards - say 10-15 of them
• coin (zippered) section - but no need to be big i use it for guitar picks

to those of u all who know about guitar stuff can get me guitar stuff also...haha...

ok lah actually anything's fine...

but there are some stuff i definitely DON'T want...

• soft toys
• any display (bai2 mei3) stuff
• shirts/t-shirts - because i don't wear the stuff people give me in order to keep them
  
• you get the idea...
  

what's more important is that you guys are seriously my best buddies lah see how you bear with my crap?...eew i feel so bad, haha but since i've already put so much time into it, argh just gonna post it...

i really really don't want to spend next weekend studying but at the rate i'm going i might not have a choice and even say i deserve it if i don't get to go out playing. my progress in terms of work has been miserable. and even though i must admit my exam workload for this sem is really quite little compared to what i had last sem, i don't see myself doing any better. and it's not a good thing i'm sure.

i think what they say about work expanding to fill the amount of time available is freakishly true...esp when it comes to me...at least when it comes to me recently. i wasn't like that in the past i'm sure...don't know where the motivation went to. i.e. the general motivation for waking up in the morning, for sitting down and getting the basic workload done.

ok, have to make my way to school...it's gonna be a loooong day. i hate tuesdays. so much for monday blues...i have tuesday greens instead. ARGH.

i'm behind time once again, before i go back to work...

to all in need for inspiration for exams...
too bad i doubt i'll ever play this song, cos it's VAN HALEN lah.
haha the man is the power...
and partly because i'm not that interested to play this kind of music - me and my excuses

Van Halen - Dreams

World turns black and white
Pictures in an empty room
Your love starts fallin' down
Better change your tune
Yeah, you reach for the golden ring
Reach for the sky
Baby, just spread your wings

We'll get higher and higher
Straight up we'll climb
We'll get higher and higher
Leave it all behind

Run, run, run away
Like a train runnin' off the track
Got the truth bein' left behind
Falls between the cracks
Standin' on broken dreams
Never losin' sight, ah
Well just spread your wings

We'll get higher and higher
Straight up we'll climb
We'll get higher and higher
Leave it all behind

So baby dry your eyes
Save all the tears you've cried
Oh, that's what dreams are made of
'Cause we belong in a world that must be strong
Oh, that's what dreams are made of

Yeah, we'll get higher and higher
Straight up we'll climb
Higher and higher
Leave it all behind
Oh, we'll get higher and higher
Who knows what we'll find?

So baby dry your eyes
Save all the tears you've cried
Oh, that's what dreams are made of
Oh baby, we belong in a world that must be strong
Oh, that's what dreams are made of

And in the end on dreams we will depend
'Cause that's what love is made of

they say a picture speaks a thousands words...so this is my new strat.





















sounds very good with the blues stuff that i attempt to play....but i personally feel it loses out to my "cheapo" guitar when it comes to harder rockier stuff. i THINK lah, the pickups not really good with too much distortion a bit of OD still ok...vintage stuff...cool.

anyway, did i mention i screwed up my brand new guitar...yeah literally screwed it up. the screw broke as i was screwing in the straplock, and i damaged wood at the entire area around the strap pin because i had to pry out the bloody screw...and it's still stuck inside, i just managed to get out the head. ARGH...i'm not THAT sian because i know the guitar will wear sooner or later, but i just got it so i still feel pretty lousy.

anyway LUCKILY it doesn't affect the tone of the guitar, but that means i had to use wood filler to fill it up and now i've to buy a new set of straplocks (which is seriously not cheap) and screw a new hole - hopefully covering up as much of the scarring as possible.

so this is my collection as of now...and no i have not neglected my yamaha, it's just sitting on the new amp box i got because i haven't decided whether i want to get a stand, multiple guitar stand or hard case for my strat.