It's nice to be tall.

The air is fresher up here.

Especially when you have a huge crowd of people between you and the screen.

Yay for chirstmas countdowns. Soon, we will have countdowns for just about everything else too. Rofl.

Merry Christmas!

Prom dresses.

While on MSN, I chanced on this rather strange quote.

"I saw the prom pictures and could identify where half the dresses/gowns come from. So pathetic."

For those who care, it is one of the girls I'm rumored to be with.

Perhaps this should easily say why it will stay rumored, and nothing more.

Proms are big things. People spend hundreds of dollars to make themselves look nice and presentable.

And of course, it is pretty fun to see everyone dressed up so nicely, instead of wearing the same dull colored uniform which you are in every day.

However, to truly blow hundreds of dollars on a piece of clothing one would probably not wear after this one occasion?

Worth it?

Doubt it.

I fail to see how it can be "pathetic" that one's dress came from a shop you knew. Not everyone have multi-millionares as parents who can fly dresses direct from Paris, Everyone is in it for fun, and while it is nice to blow a little money, it would be simply absurd to spend anything over $400 on it (and $400 is pretty high already -_-. I say $200 or so would be pushing it, but hey, some clothing is pretty steep.). We students have yet to earn our own income, and it would be simply wasteful if we spend money like how we use water.

Hence, it would be simply logical to be able to identify where half these gowns and dresses come from. It's simply because that's what we can afford, and what we would buy.

Then again, if you are able to identify where half these gowns and dresses come from, it speaks quite a bit about yourself.

And to go so far as to call them "pathetic", speaks nothing but volumes.

Bird watching

Hmm, there is this very neat conservation park which is pretty near where I stay.

And so, bird watching, I went.

Pretty good too. Wonderful weather (14 degrees, no sun).

Hugely enjoyable, especially with relatives. It's nice to see the birds soaring into the sky, gliding with the winds, and diving down to get a catch.

Wish I could soar as well.

--

The thing about Hong Kong, has always been the freedom which I always found amusing.

When I visited last year, it was the Koreans protesting as WTO graced Hong Kong.

This year, the issue is the Red Star Ferry at Central which is about to be demolished to make way for land reclamation.

And, as usual, there are protests again.

The people who are protesting says that it is a national landmark, and it should be protected. The people who are for the demolishing says that it isn't, as it is merely 40 plus years old, and it must go to make way for more land for Hong Kong, who is desperately in need of it.

What amused me to no end, was not the protests.

But the legislators.

They were in session, turning a usually boring meeting into an exciting one because of this issue (it becomes exciting when there is something to talk about). However, when they heard that the protesters are being arrested and getting violent, most of them left to have a look at the situation, leaving the parliament house (or something) virtually empty.

Yes, they left, to have a look.

XD

The situation is that the police detained some dudes who sneaked into the place at night, and were threatening to tear down the coverings which was erected to prevent the public from looking at the demolishment work (or something). They are held on the charge of "destruction of public property".

XD

Home never fails to amuse me.

Perhaps...

I can see her again.

Perhaps.

She moved out.

Damn.

Viva la MSN. \o\

Need for Speed

I finally got my first taste of speed rush.

About damned time too.

My dad thought that it would be good to let me drive to Cameron Highlands, for some unknown reasons. But hey, I do need the experience after all, I guess.

Straight stretches of road.

Few cars.

These are mere invitations for people to drive over 120.

And take them, I did.

130.

140.

...150.

Although, admittedly, 150 was due to me being a little unknowing and placing my foot on the accelerator for longer than usual.

But, the speed rush. Cutting aside the slower cars, and then moving back in.

The world around, has merely evaporated into a blur, whizzing pass as you don't really give a damn what happens.

But hey, I did learn something.

For one, it is terribly amusing when some really fast car, say RX-8 or BMW X5 gets stuck behind a Proton Saga. Of course, the Proton is driving on the outer most lane, and the BMW/whatever is flashing lights and whatever.

Usually, the car in front will move aside.

Usually.

I happened to chance on a poor BMW who got boxed in between a Proton Saga and a huge truck. The Saga isn't moving fast enough to over take the truck (on purpose, presumed), and the BMW driver is stuck inbetween the Proton, the truck, and the guard rails with no where to go.

Of course, a jam causes soon after, so the BMW driver has no choice but to keep speed.

Amusing, because the road in front of the Proton is virtually empty. You could almost play football on it, and still have time to run a few laps.

Lesson learnt 1: Never irritate drivers too much.

And of course, there's always, the usual traffic jam, when 4 lanes is suddenly merged into 1 due to road works and stuff.

Some cars try to weave in and out, hoping to get better positions, or they are just rushing for time.

But, if you keep pace with the car in front, the car at the side, cannot get a chance to weave in. Of course, my mom was screaming to let them in, but I just showed accelerated and stuff. O_o

Strange me. Must be the jam.

However, it is still a fairly smooth ride. 140km/h can only be done across the causeway.

Still, at 140, it's merely accidents waiting to happen.

It saddens my heart to say this.

But, I've murdered a cone.

Damn. ~_~

They put these cones on the road side to warn you of the merging of lanes due to road works, but I was having too much fun setting fire to the road, I didn't manage to get into the sole lane in time.

And in my path, was this unlucky cone who I grazed with my side (or, smashed, whichever you prefer), because I was just way too fast.

Oh well. Thankfully, nothing major truly happened.

But still...

140.

150..

160, next time. XD

Viva la Vivo.

It's actually about damned time to visit Singapore's largest shopping center, and probably the only major one I've yet to step into.

What better way, than to walk into it with friends that you've not seen for such a long time?

Alright, fine, excluding Fengzhi, Xin Lan, I've not met Joanne since the 14th of July. (The other two are important too! I wasn't intending to mean otherwise!)

Vivo, as the advertisements said, it is huge. The sky pool at the top allows children to wade in, as well as for everyone else to enjoy the scenery of the trees found in Sentosa.

All in all, a pretty huge place to relax in when you're bored.

Too bad it's all the way in HabourFront. XD

The movie, Casino Royale, isn't too bad. However, I was deeply disappointed in that there isn't a new gadget which is the usual front of James Bond.

The new actor isn't too bad, but I guess everyone has their own unique properties.

A very fun day. Nice to meet everyone.

Hope you enjoyed the chocolates! (Assuming they didn't melt)

---

Plastic bags for 10 cents each.

Hmm...

So, there was this article in the forums a few days back where a woman was backing the move to charge for a plastic bag.

What amused me was her saying that, by being charged for a bag (in Ireland), it "raised awareness about saving the environment". However, it isn't exactly raised here because we aren't charged for it.

So, from what I gather...

You'll only feel the love for something, AFTER you feel the burn in your wallet?

Wow.

Mother Nature thanks you too.

While I do believe that saving the environment is important, I believe that, if forcing one to pay is the only way to "educate" you, then it is rather meaningless.

The example I would have used, would be one from Australia.

People are encouraged to buy reusable plastic bags which cost a few dollars, but is way more stronger, and bigger. Almost everyone in a supermarket brings one (Except for the occasional forgetful ones like me, or maybe I was just too damned lazy), and being reusable, it helps protect the environment.

Even then, they do not charge people for using a plastic bag. The people has this concept in their heads, and keep these bags in their car/drawers (The common drawer is somewhat filled with it), so that they will use them.

Charging people to make them get used to it is simply stupid. Moreover, to do it just to raise awareness of it isn't the way to go. Australia has shown that it can be done.

Christmas Shopping.

I believe, the best time to shop, has always been during the period of Christmas.

Just look at the computer exhibition in Expo. One cheap bargain too many, and I was forced to part with cash to get a new external hard drive (80gb for 113), and Hitman: Contracts ($15).

Well, the expo itself is a joke. Prices go down every hour, but never go up. However, the discount is usually in terms of a dollar or two. The stalls at the back will ride the wave set by those up front. So, if some front shop sells a product for $99, some shop at the back will sell it at $97.

So, who profits in the end?

Me.

However, Expo wasn't the only place crowded with people. Orchard Road was also insanely crowded, and Takashimaya, was no exception.

With a gift wrapping counter at each level, and my impending visit to my cousins back in Hong Kong, I had to part with some cash so that their Christmas will be a rather joyful one.

One thing I noticed was the selection of toys. Promoters are promoting toys which actually fly around, such as helicopters. Even then, they do come rather cheaply, at $39 after discount. Toys are no longer mere guns and figurines. Now, what kids get are things that move around, harassing people/animals.

I was extremely tempted to buy the helicopter, until I found some spy kit thingy which snaps forward into a binoculars. However, the thing which truly caught my eye was the motion sensor.

Burglar alarm at night for $50? Well, you have to take care of the intruder yourself, but still, it could come in handy for Aussie. LoL.

Season to be jolly?

More like, a season to spend money. Whehehe.

However, nothing for me though. I was sorely disappointed in seeing the figurines looking terrible, and not being on discount. =( Even a Megami magazine in Kino costs $22, although it comes with a nice poster.

But, bah.

---

Song changed to COME TO by Takanori Arima and Hideyuki Fukasawa, from the Mobile Suit Gundam Target in Sight Original Soundtrack. As with any Gundam OSTs, even if it's a game, this is a fantastic soundtrack.