Self Interview

Kept seeing this recently on my emails and on the Bulletin Board of Friendster.
I haven't filled up one of these in a long time so I decided to take a shot at it. Ha ha


1. WOULD YOU GET BACK WITH YOUR LAST EX IF YOU COULD?
Absolutely not. I'm contented with what I have now.


2.WHAT KIND OF SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
A red Quiksilver Tee with a white, yellow, bue and black stripe across the chest.


3. WOULD YOU KISS ANYONE ON YOUR (Friendster) LIST?
Oh yes... I have a few in mind... Mmmm...


4. DO YOU HAVE "A THING" FOR ANYONE ON YOUR TOP FRIENDS?
Not really among my top friends but I do have several "Things" for some people I know. Heh heh.


5. HOW MANY PEOPLE ON YOUR (Friendster) LIST DO YOU KNOW IN REAL LIFE?
I'd say about 90%. Maybe 1 or 2 are people I got to know online.


6. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT TO HAVE?
None! 0! Zero! Zilch! I think I'll just stick to dogs.


7. DO YOU HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH BOTH YOUR PARENTS?
Only my Mum. I really don't know where I am with my dad.


9. WHAT NAME WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE BESIDES THE ONE YOU HAVE?
Hmm... I'm quite used to my name... never really thought of getting another name. Maybe if I had to have a change of identity like the people in some Witness Protection Scheme... I'd like to call myself James. It's what I use when the barrista at Coffee Bean ask for my name to put on the cup. Initially, I dutifully told them "Julian" but for some reason, they all seem to go "Huh?" and I have to repeat it 3 times before they get it and even then, they tend to write it as Juliet or Julia. So I came up with James.


10. WOULD YOU EVER MAKE OUT WITH SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX?
Hmmm... yes if he's cute. Heh heh.


12. WHAT DID YOU DO FOR YOUR LAST BDAY?
I was working I think...


Hey... What happened to Question 13???


14. WHAT TIME DID YOU WAKE UP TODAY?
7am... then I fell asleep again and woke up at 8am... Late for work.


15. WHAT WERE YOU DOING AT MIDNIGHT TWO NIGHTS AGO?
Working on the August Schedule.


16. DO YOU LIKE HAVING YOUR HAIR PULLED?
Good grief. Who would? Spastic question.


17. NAME SOMETHING YOU CAN'T WAIT TO DO?
Graduate.


18. LAST TIME YOU SAW YOUR MOM?
Yesterday morning.


19. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF?
I wish I was more of a selfish bastard... then I wouldn't be making my life more complicated by going out of the way to avoid troubling others.


20. IF YOU HAD $250,000...HOW WOULD YOU SPEND IT?
Give my mum $100K. Then either go on a looooong holiday or buy a car.


21. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN AT YOUR CURRENT JOB?
Since April1 2002. Yep. I started work on April Fool's Day.


22. DESCRIBE WHAT COLOR UNDERWEAR ARE YOU WEARING?
Mine are all white.


23. LAST THING YOU ATE?
KFC Original Recipe Chicken.


24. WHATS YOUR FAVORITE MONTH?
December! I love the weather around this time.


25. YOUR LEAST FAVORITE MONTH?
June... School holidays... pesky kids running all over the place... hot & humid weather... ARGH!!!


26. WHAT'S THE LAST PIECE OF CLOTHING YOU BORROWED FROM ANYONE?
Well... I rented a Superman costume complete with moulded muscles for halloween 2 years ago...


27. WHO IS GETTING ON YOUR NERVES RIGHT NOW?
No one in particular... I'm the one who gets on others' nerves. Muhahahahaha!


28. MOST VISITED WEBPAGE?
www.gizmodo.com


29. LAST PERSON YOU TEXT MESSAGED?
Surolan... regarding the schedule.


30. LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU SAD
My mum... yesterday morning... Made me feel really guilty actually...


31. WOULD YOU TAKE A BULLET FOR YOUR BEST FRIEND?
On the spur of a moment yes.
Scene 1 [Showdown with gun wielding villian]
Me: Look out! *Push friend aside & get shot instead* ARGHHHH!!!!!!!
Friend: Nooooooooo!!!! (I hope)
Me: *Die dramatic death*

Pre-arranged no.
Scene 2 [Torture chamber with Maniacal Evil Overlord (MEO)]
MEO: I will give you a choice. I will spare your friend's life if you take the bullet meant for him.
Me: Erm... dowan can? Bullet wound painful leh. Messy some more.


32. FAVORITE KIND OF DRINK?
Cold. DR PEPPERS!!!!!


33. FAVORITE FOOD?
Please don't make me choose! It's horrible!!! I want them all!!!!


34. FAVORITE DESERT?
NZ Ice-Cream - Hokey Pokey Flavour!


35. HAVE YOU BEEN TO EUROPE?
Been to Spain a few years ago. It's no wonder my sis doesn't want to come back to Singapore.


36. IF SOMEONE YOU HATED DIED, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Er... I donno... I don't hate anyone so much as to wish them dead. Whatever hatred I feel usually turns to pity.


37. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE 10 YEARS FROM NOW?
Somewhere non-tropical. I can't stand heat.


38. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?
Duncan just placed his head on my arm and gave me a soulful stare with his almond shaped eyes. I'm happy.


39. DID YOU EVER LOVE SOMEONE SO MUCH THAT IT CAUSED YOU PAIN?
Didn't we all at some point... That kind of pain is the worst. It hits you where you are weakest and no painkiller is strong enough to overcome it.


40. FINAL QUESTION: DO YOU THINK YOUR LIFE SUCKS?
I don't think so. There are others whose lives are worse.

I Love Thursdays!

Thursday... how I love Thursdays. I love Thursdays the same way most people love Saturdays. For the past 4 years, Thursdays have been my off day. I think it's a perfect day to be off. It's near the end of the week when people are getting a bit more relaxed in anticipation of the coming weekend and yet still captured within the confines of a work day, which makes it perfect for shopping, going to the beach, catching a movie, having coffee, etc... as opposed to a weekend, where you have to squeeze with the weekend crowd and stand in lines for everything.

Of course the only drawback to having a Thursday off day means that most of your friends are at work. So in order to maintain a social life, my other off day is on a Saturday. That means my Thursdays are all to myself and my two idiots.

Today, I work up at 2 in the afternoon, did some cleaning up around the house, gave Perseus a shower and spent the rest of the afternoon reformatting my computer and giving the 2 idiots hugs and belly rubs in between.

I guess they were having so much fun today that when as I was leaving the house to meet Weng for dinner, Perseus felt quite surprised and just stood in the middle of the living room with his ball still in his mouth and gave me a look that made me feel so guilty about leaving them at home.

"Where are you going? I'm not done playing!"

I then spent the entire lift ride down to the ground floor battling emotions of guilt but the fantastic weather that greeted me when the lift doors opened washed away any feelings of negative emotion. The sun was just setting and there was a nice cool breeze blowing. The sky was cloudless and had a wonderful blue colour which faded into a stunning orange in the horizon. It was such a welcome change in weather following weeks of sweltering heat and humidity.

Weng and I then went to the Subway at Tampines for dinner. I had a foot long Italian BMT sandwich on Honey Oat bread along with 2 adequately soft White Chip Macadamia cookies and an iced tea. After that, we met up with Kimmie at Siglap where we did some grocery shopping. As usual, I went overboard and bought lots of junk food, including a six-pack of Dr Peppers! One of the treasures I uncovered among the supermarket shelves was this irresistible item...

Even with a 12" sandwich making its way down my ol' digestive tract, I could feel a buildup of saliva in my mouth...

I also bought a loaf of Banana Carrot bread, lots of carrots (for the 2 idiots and myself), a slab of Emmental Cheese, some creamed corn, a bag of Kim Chi (yum!) and 2 cans of Tuna in brine.

To top off the day, we then went to Coffee Club where the 3 of us shared a Fresh Fruit Chocolate Fondue, some Fried Calamari and I had a Coffee Milk Shake. Sinfully delicious!

What's more, the staff at Coffee Club were fantastic! Fast, polite and effecient. Really good service.

What a relaxing way to spend an off day. I haven't felt so re-energized in a long time. As I type, the 2 idiots are asleep. Watching them sleep has a kind of calming effect.

Now Playing: X-Men Legends II - Rise of Apocalypse (PSP)

I actually bought this game quite some time back and have been playing it on and off. It is a must have (in my opinion) for any PSP owning, true blue fan of the X-Men.

The storyline is a timeless X-Men classic. Apocalypse tries to take over the world, the X-men teams up with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to stop him.

You get to choose a team of 4 high octane, power seeping from their fingertips mutants from a whole line up which includes Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Magneto, Storm, Toad, Bishop, Sunfire, Gambit, Rogue, Nightcrawler, The Juggernaut, Scarlet Witch, Cable and unlockable special characters such as Professor X (who is actually able to walk & run and is in fact the fastest moving character in the whole game), Ironman, Deadpool and the Dark Phoenix.

The graphics are fantastic and fans of the super powered mutants get to see their heroes and their evil counterparts unleash devastating powers that you get to unlock by spending points that you earn when each character levels up. That's not all though... after unlocking a certain skill, you get to increase its potency and strength by spending more points on it. It is impossible to unlock every single ability by the end of the game but enough to make your character sufficiently powerful to face Apocalypse. That's if you spend enough time running around to level up.

However, the game allows you to start a new game using the data of a saved game (ie after completing the game) and that allows you to further improve your characters. I've gone through the game at least 10 times and I still haven't managed to completely fill up my characters' skill points.

The game consists of 5 levels with each level boasting several lavish maps in which your team of 4 mutants gets to explore. Each map contains familiar enemies from the comics such as the Brood, the Morlocks, the awesome Sentinels and mini bosses such as Lady Deathstrike, Omega Red, The Sugarman, Strife and Bastion (from Operation: Zero Tolerance). The major bosses are the Four Horsemen of Apocaplyse, mainly Abyss, Mikhal Rusputin (who is interestingly enough, Colossus' brother), Holocaust, Archangel and of course, the man himself... En Sabah Nur. The Apocalypse.

In between levels, you are treated to a stunning FMV sequence which can be accessed again anytime in the review library, along with production sketches and stunning artwork of the characters. There are also mini sub games such as Danger Room training sessions that consist of lessons of increasing difficulty that incorporates the basic game play as well as individual character challenges. These courses are unlocked as you find hidden Danger room discs throughout the game. There's also playable comic book mini missions that you can unlock such as the famous "Fatal Attractions" story in which Wolverine faces off with Magneto in what I consider to be the most fantastic showdown in X-men history.

One of the things I like about the game is the amount of detail that the game makers placed in the relationships between characters (Unlike the crap that was shown in the movies. Iceman and Angel were two of the original X-Men! Do your homework Brian Singer!). For instances, when choosing your 4-member team, a combination of related characters from the comics gives the team an advantage such as increased damage, health or experience earned. Also, when certain related characters meet each other in the game, special animated conversation sequences are activated that would not be played if it was another unrelated character present. Personally, this was the factor that gave me the most pleasure in playing this game over and over. Every time I used a different character, some small element of the game changed.

Oh and there's also a Trivia game which is unlock with each level. Lots of interesting facts about the X-Men Universe that can be learnt. And it's accurate too!

This game is truly a gem, packed with lots of playable action and eye catching graphics. Despite the numerous loadings in between maps and occasional lagging, it is generally extremely fantastic. (That plus I am biased when it comes to the X-Men.) I bought it months ago when it first launched for SGD$86 but I'm sure it's much lower than that now. Go get it if you don't already have it. It's worth every cent for X-Men fans!

EEEYUCK!!!

I had a damn gross night man… (well… gross by my standards.)

I was ¾ of the way through with my 1hour bus ride home from school when this uncle got on the bus and plonked down on the seat right in front of me. Within seconds, his smell wafted right over and slammed straight up my nostrils. IT WAS SO HORRIBLE I DONNO HOW TO DESCRIBE IT. If I really had to, here’s how it would be.

Take a person who doesn’t wear deodorant.

Assume he eats (and sweats) loads of vinegar.

Multiply that by a few hours in the sun.

Incubate that for a few hours in a humid environment.

Garnish generously with sweat and other skin secretions.

Serve warm.

Initially, I thought that I could bear with it as I was almost home. Then I started getting nauseous. It started with slight giddiness. I tried filtering the air through my slightly Hugo Boss scented handkerchief but it was not working. Through the reflection of the window, I could see the lady seated behind me doing something similar.

Then the guy started coughing. Without covering his mouth. His head was held up so whatever microscopic projectiles and saliva went straight to the poor guy sitting in front of him. Everytime that guy coughed, I see a slight reaction from the guy in front of him. He was clearly being polite in not moving away but you can tell he is damn disgusted as he was trying to shift his whole body as far forward in his seat away from the smelly cougher. As you can imagine, he didn’t really move far.

By the time the bus arrived at PP, I was on the verge of throwing up. So I made a dash out of the bus into fresh air. I then took another bus home. Thank god the buses there all go past my place.

That’s one thing. Here’s another.

I got into the lift at my block and as soon as the door closed, I saw this LIZARD in the lift with me!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate lizards. They creep me out. I had a bad experience when I was a kid.

*FLASHBACK*

I was at my aunt’s house and I was walking through a doorway (between rooms. Not between dimensions) when this stupid freakin' lizard that was hanging out (literally) above the door frame decided to us me as a stepping stone en-route to the floor.

I didn’t even see it but I felt in land on my shoulder. Even before I could figure out what was happening, it darted into my t-shirt through my collar, took a freakin’ long, winding route down my back and then I heard the horrible slaping sound as it landed on the floor and scurried away.

Thank god my shirt wasn’t tucked into my pants.

*END FLASHBACK*

Now, whenever I see a lizard, my skin crawls and I feel super disgusted.

So there I was in the lift, face-to-face with this lizard. My immediate reaction was to squash myself against the opposite wall. Throughout the entire ascend to the 16^th floor, I kept my eyes on the foul beast. Daring it to come near me. I was armed with a large A4-sized envelope containing some publication which I just got out of the mail box and I was prepared to use it in a fight to the death.

The devil’s spawn was black in colour. With light bands on its tail. The only thing that went through my mind was a vision of Ian McKelly as Gandalf the grey in the Lord of the Rings facing off against the Balrog and screaming “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”. I was so wishing for a wizard… hell I would have been satisfied for anybody to stand between the foul reptile and me.

After what seemed like an eternity, the lift jerked to a stop and the doors opened. Now that’s the most dangerous moment. As soon as you made a move, lizards tend to like to strike and at that moment, an open doorway and a lizard was not exactly the best combination of nice things to have for me.

Precious seconds ticked by and I knew that if I didn’t make my move, the doors would close and I would be trapped in the lift with the lizard. The thought of that gave me the adrenalin I needed and I dashed out of the lift just as the door closed behind me.

I then spent the next 30 seconds shuddering, shaking myself and jumping around in the lift lobby to make sure that the bloody thing hadn’t jumped on me while I was making my light speed exit.

How I managed to get through my jungle field camp in the army is a mystery.

On an entirely not so related note, I have decided to take a leaf from Mei, who has been introducing the books she is currently reading, on her blog. In my case, I'll do the current game I'm playing. Heh heh heh.

Now Playing: Monster Hunter Freedom (PSP)

This game is fantastic! Great graphics! Very challenging! Super adrenalin rush!

You play this hunter in the middle-ages like setting accepting quests to slay monsters such as Dragons, Velociraptor look alikes and other giant lizards (Ha! Take that you bloody reptile!) and Bird-like monsters.

You get to upgrade your weapons and armour from rewards as well as from literally carving up parts from your fallen prey.

I haven't really gotten very far in the game as I'm really scared to proceed. Ha ha. So I'm running around re-doing earlier quests in the hopes that I can get enough materials to get really good armour and weapons.

The last major quest I did involved stealing an egg from this Wyvern (Some kind of Dragon). Apart from avoiding a direct confrontation with the HUGE T-Rex with wings, I had to lug the bloody egg back (which slows you down considerably) with a pack of Velociprey (Some kind of raptors) at me heels. My heart rate actually reached a point where it took me about an hour to calm down after I finished the quest (thankfully). This game shows lots of potential for replay-ability and is at the same time quite challenging. (Well... for now anyway.)

I paid SGD$68 for this game but I'm sure you can get it cheaper if you look around. Highly recommended! Not for the faint hearted or people with any form of heart condition though.

Let me know if anyone knows any *cough*cheats*cough*.

Hee hee.