Hey guys! I will be starting a series that will be posted every Wednesday of the week. Why Wednesday you may ask? That’s because it is the middle of the week and is probably when everyone is most stressed out and busy with work. Just thought it would be good to share the fun stuff I view to take my mind off serious things and hopefully put a smile on my reader’s faces ^__^.
Here’s the very first of the series which is a clip from The Daily Show by Jon Stewart where he makes fun of a REAL news report about a serial killer by Fox News that went very wrong. Enjoy!
Bet all the guys would love to work as a cameraman for Fox News
In February, Sharon Foong, a journalist from The Sun newspaper in Malaysia contacted me for an interview on an article about female gamers she was working on. After about 3 months the article was published and I’ve finally managed to get hold of an online copy of it! I’ve uploaded it online so if you’re interested in reading about what female gamers think about games and fellow “guy-gamers”, you can read it here. There are a few quotes from me in there.
One of the more interesting questions asked was whether there was a bias among developers to develop games oriented for guys with all these sexy warriors, violent weapons and mass explosions. I wouldn’t say that there is a bias because these games appeal to some girls (yours truly) as well and if they were a girly game, I wouldn’t be playing them coz then they would be uncool. On the other hand, there is a growing number of developers (but maybe less well known) who are developing casual games that are more suited for girls like those on Facebook(Fluff Pets), BeJewelled and Maple Story. However, we can’t deny the fact that most hardcore gamers are guys and it only makes sense to develop games of these type oriented towards the male gender.
.
========== || ==========
On a side note, I’m still stuck on deciding whether to get a Sony PS3 or Xbox 360 with my limited income. As some of you know, I’m a RPG junkie and both of these consoles seem to lack RPGs what more decently engaging ones. I miss RPGs like Final Fantasy 7, Xenogears, Skies of Arcadia and Grandia 2. I know there are great games of other genre(which I love too) on the Xbox 360 but I’m still holding on to that small glimmer of hope that some developer will develop a great RPG to help me make up my mind. I’m biased towards RPGs coz they have the ability to bring one into a “fantasy-dreamy-like state of awe” for a long period of time even after the game is finished. If you know of any RPG of this sort out there on either of these 2 consoles, do let me know ya!
Honestly having owned a Dopod 818 Pro for 2 years, there isn’t that many ways you get to woo your friends with your PDA other than everyone going “COOL phone”(from its physical appearance) or “Wow! You have Windows on your phone”. Sadly, it all ends there. It isn’t enough to convince them that owning a PDA is cool unless of course the person you’re showing it to is a true techy who’d be imagining all the hacks he could do if he owned one. I decided that there must be something cool out there that would make even laymen understand how cool a PDA is. So… I spent 2 days hacking my PDA and one of the biggest change which “wow”ed a lot of people is the interface!
No, I did not get an iPhoney interface because it isn’t really a skin. To those of you who are curious, there are 2 versions of the iPhone interface for Windows Mobile.
1) Just the surface
This version is actually more of just an application “layer” with a look-alike of the iphone screen. The buttons load the appropriate Windows Mobile applications when pressed on but the huge problem is when you do that, the interface is gone and you’re back to plain old Windows-looking app. In other words, you only have a “layer” on top of Windows Mobile and the interface is not integrated with any of your apps. Kills the excitement. However if you still want this skin, you can get it here along with instructions.
.
2) Integrated iPhone skin
There is however a version of the iPhone skin here that integrates with Windows Mobile applications including cool stuff like sliding contacts, missed call and message notifications but it requires a LOT and a LOT and a LOT of hard work. I gave up half way through because I couldn’t get most of the files needed and things were getting complicated.
.
3) PointUI Home
After many hours of tweaking and disappointment, I decided to abandon the iPhoney journey. Decided to find NORMAL Windows Mobile skins that would just make my PDA look cool and voila! I came across the fantastic PointUI which beats even the iPhone skin! (And a lot easier to install too!). Don’t believe it’s cool? See for yourself
The demo is using v0.92 but I’m using v1.5 which has a waaay more sleek and sexy interface now:
Ok! So since I got this fully up and running as the “default” skin on my PDA, I’m going to post up the easy steps on how you can have this on your PDA as well here:
1. Download the .cab file from here
2. Transfer into PDA and run .cab file
3. PointUI is now installed. Everytime you want to run it, just go to Start > Programs > PointUI Home
Here’s the making it your default skin part: (Thanks to capt_harlock77 from the PointUI Forum)
1. Download MORT Script from here
2. Transfer the file into your PDA and run .cab file
3. Write this script in your favourite text editor
Change the path of the first line if you installed PointUI Home according to where you installed it. For me I installed it into the default location on my PDA’s memory
4. Save as script1.mscr
5. Transfer to PDA location “Windows\StartUp”
6. Write this script in your favourite text editor WaitForActive("Desktop", -1)
If(WndExists(”PointUI : Home”) = 1)
Show(”PointUI : Home”)
Else
Exit
EndIf
Run(”Windows\StartUp\script2.mscr”)
7. Save as script2.mscr
8. Transfer to PDA and paste in location “Windows\StartUp”.
9. Restart your device and you’re done!
Hope this helps! Enjoy your newfound “Windows Mobile”. Honestly, after going through this weekend I realized that Windows Mobile is actually a really powerful OS with lots of undiscovered potential. It also made me realize how software can make a huge difference on the impression it gives people of a device. The iPhone is not the only cool communication device out there after all.
Update: Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that PointUI is better than the iPhone but rather better than the WM iPhone skins currently in existence out there. Also, I’m not comparing WM and the iPhone OS coz there are quite a number of features which WM has and iPhone doesn’t and vice versa. Hence depending on the type of user you are, you will prefer one over the other.
.
==========||==========
On a side note, apart from all the tweaking and hacking I spent my weekend with a long-time friend Cheryl whom I’ve known since secondary school. We watched a really good band performance at The Esplanade by The Philharmonic Winds titled An Evening with Tim Reynish which was held in conjunction with Reynish’s 70th birthday. (He is 70 but jovial like a 35 year old). I really enjoyed the performance (loved 4 songs out of 6) as it was really fun hearing how the individual instruments came together while figuring out which instruments were playing the different phrases. It was a really good getaway from all the techy stuff I’m doing at work right now. Thanks lots to Jiin Joo for the performance and tickets!
No, I did not join the VSOP club. As many of you know, I’m not an alcohol fan. Why am I writing about it then? That’s because I happened to pass by it a few weeks ago when I was back in Malaysia and it turned out to be something unexpected.
Check out the pics and see for yourself:
You’ve gotta admit that they have got a really creative and cute name. ^_~ It looks like a very well-maintained establishment and active society for the elderly community to network and do activities together. What have they done in the past? Well I did not venture in to check it out (obviously!! :P) because it was not for VSYP!
Most of us have thought about how the grass is always greener on the other side, making comparisons between various aspects of foreign countries and our own; living conditions, career prospects, government administration, education opportunities and etc. Remember the guy who created the controversial movie Farenheit 9/11? A few months ago Michael Moore released his latest movie titled Sicko which compared the health care benefits between US, UK and France.
Norway however, was left out of the original movie as Moore thought it was too scary for movie-goers. Was it really that scary? Watch for yourself.
The first thing that came to my mind was “Wow! *_* How do I get a citizenship there?”. It really is paradise! Getting a tropical island vacation during the Winter to help you cope with your illness, police patrolling alongside cute well-groomed poodles, free cars for the disabled, waste-energy generation, no death sentences and much much more. The peaceful and serene environment makes it seem like the perfect place for a slow, comfortable and laid back life. (Not to mention their HIGH GDP! I’d love to feel rich wherever I travel. How did such a small and pristine country get so rich?).
On second thought, it is too scary a place to live in! Everything looks too peaceful and ideal to be true; almost like the scenes you see only in Disney fairytales and The Stepford Wives. It is the relaxing, carefree lifestyle a lot of us city dwellers have been aspiring to have but for retirement? Maybe only a year. For rest of my life? No. Its too peaceful and boring. I need some occasional chaos to make life a bit more interesting or else this utopia will in the long-run become a nightmare. For holiday? Yes, if I can afford it. It’d be fun to live in a fairytale once in a while.
What about for you? Is Norway a nightmare or utopia?
Highlighting an interesting event by a friend. ^_^
Pictures are a snapshot of moments in our lives, memories which we would like engraved in the stones of our heads as long as we live, to remind us of the few important words among the 1,000 a picture is worth. However, more often than not we fail to capture the tiny significant moments that have shaped our lives, culture and memories indirectly like the traditional ding dang candy stalls that used to roam the sidewalks of Singapore. Speak to elders about the ding dang candy and it should ring a bell with joyful stories of them craving while waiting in queue lines. Speak to the younger generations about it and you will get a model-perfect “o_O?” expression. As expected, these little intricacies have vanished over time as our priorities and lives are continuously sculpted around the ever-changing world. Many of them have waiver off to become only vague words which will only be remembered as long as the older generations live. Once they leave, so will these intricacies.
Some of you might say “Hey we have pictures. Why not just capture them?”. True, but how many of us have captured them? Most of us take pictures of our friends, festivals, beautiful buildings and sceneries but neglect these tiny tiny times. (Who knows, 2 generations in the future we might not have hawker centres anymore). Next time you roam the streets, just take out your camera and start shooting some pictures you had never thought of taking before; the Chinese music peddlers on the sidewalks, the folded grass origamis or even the scene of the 3 ice-cream stall uncles having territorial quarrels at Bugis Junction. Never know what happy thoughts these pictures will spark in your mind when you look back in the future.
Need an incentive?
Not a problem. I’m just as much a procrastinator as every other human being(sometimes probably more than usual). As part of the Explore Singapore! campaign by the National Heritage Board this year, there is a photo blogging competition where you can win a Nikon DSLR camera. Don’t have a blog? Start one just for the competition. All it takes is one blog post with a photo and your personal story. Dunno what to start snapping? Well, the 80 heritage events being organized might be a good place to start getting some ideas.
What would I personally snap? Haha well I already gave some hints about that earlier! (Pretty sure you can guess which of the examples I’ll be snapping right? :P).
Hey guys! Min Xuan sent me this fantastic video which is a collection of the best newspaper headline jokes found by Jay Leno! Thought I should share it as a treat for all of us who will be having exams soon.
Enjoy! ^_~
Side note: This is precisely the reason why ad copywriters are highly paid and sought after!
Ever remember those times when you were bored at school, spinning your pen a few rounds between your fingers slowly? And trying to gain bragging rights by competing with your friends to see who could spin the fastest? This video shows what you get after many HOURS/MONTHS/YEARS of boredom. Who could have imagine that pen spinning would become an art!
O_O!!!!!! I’m stunned! I have no idea how these tricks are done with such precision and speed. They must literally be spinning pens in EVERY lecture (on the assumption that all students get bored in lectures haha!).
Side Note: Thanks Arzhou for sharing this video with me!
Recently I had the privilege of attending a talk from the University Scholars Seminar series by Mr. Kwok Kian Chow, director of the Singapore Art Museum. It was a talk on the challenges faced by the museum in obtaining rare pieces of art, portraying non-conventional pieces like seal carvings as art to the public and bringing more awareness to various art forms around the world.
One of his points which caught my attention was how art pieces no matter how minuscule, are dramatized and enlarged when they are placed within the frame of the museum. Art pieces showcased in a museum are perceived as having a greater value and recognition than before. This made me wonder, as the idea of “art” is so subjective and obscure, how does the museum select pieces that qualify to be showcased? I got the impression that the museum is similar to an examination body which passes and fails its candidates (in this case potential artists) based on performance. Those who pass get their pieces showcased and labeled as artists while those who don’t, remain as “aspiring” artists.
Frankly speaking, there are many art pieces (especially MODERN art pieces) which leave me wondering “Is this art?” and “How is this worth hundreds of thousands??”. In this era where everyone’s talking about web 2.0 being the new way the world works, I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we took a “web 2.0” approach to art, one where the public is given the freehand to define art, one where they can nominate and vote for art pieces they believe deserve to be showcased in a museum.
In my opinion, a few things will happen:
1) No more kindergarten looking doodlings!
The following art pieces will definitely be left out in the cold. I personally don’t understand how these pieces can be considered as art. To me they are just a bunch of random scribblings which you commonly see little kids produce.
2) Picasso’s work left out in the cold?
I’d say that Picasso is one of the well-known artists among the populace who was the bridge between conventional and modern art. Picasso’s works consist of both modern and traditional art. However, when you talk to people about “art”, the image that goes into their heads are those of Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and beautiful imageries of landscapes.
Imagine we showcased some of Picasso’s more modern works without his name attached to it. Will the general public still consider them as art?
3) A BORING and biased museum?
Think about it, we might have a museum of very conventional, European-styled paintings and sculptures similar to the likes of Da Vinci, Rembrandt and Michael Angelo. Most of the pieces will be realistic looking, aesthetically beautiful, peaceful and non-radical. Non-radical because people in the past have been known to avoid/shun/despise radical pieces of works. E.g: The book on the Theory of Evolution by Charles Darwin.
The museum will be a more boring place than it already is because we might end up having very similar-looking/themed art pieces for DECADES. There will be no art pieces that make you work your brain like the INFAMOUS dot in the middle of a black canvas. Everytime I look at the piece, I try to understand how critiques came to claim that the dot depicts life. I stress my brain to find a connection even though I find it utterly ridiculous that people consider that art.
Coming to biaseness, As the general public’s perception of art is very European, we might leave out various lesser known art forms and styles from the rest of the world like Chinese and Batuan paintings.
These art styles and forms are very beautiful but as time goes by, they may be forgotten because people are less aware of their existence. Ever heard the saying that people are like herds of sheep, just following the masses?
Taking a “2.0″ approach to art may be both a good and bad thing. On one hand, the museum will be showcasing pieces which the public would like to see but on the other, there will be a tendency to favour the more conventional and widely accepted art forms and styles. Then again, I may be wrong. It’d be fun if someone tries this “2.0″ approach for an art exhibition some day soon, then we can see what the masses really think is art.
CJ sent me a link to a page which tests whether you use the right or left side of your brain more. The test works by having you look at an animation of a rotating dancer, and to see whether you see it turning clockwise or anti-clockwise.
I use the left side of my brain more because I often see the dancer rotating anti-clockwise instead of clockwise. What does being a left brain person mean? Let me copy and paste the descriptions from the site itself.
LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe
Looks like I am generally not a risk taker and have the tendency to think in terms of present and past instead of present and future. I find this really weird because in life, I usually have the tendency to pick the option which poses a greater challenge o_O and I’m always thinking about the future, even if its not my personal future, its my family’s, my dog’s, my friends’, etc.
Anyway, which side of the brain do you use more? If you missed the links to the test I posted earlier, here’s the link again.
Hmm, this test brings me to a question: What do people who use both sides equally see?
I miss RPGs like Final Fantasy 7, Xenogears, Skies of Arcadia and Grandia 2. I know there are great games of other genre(which I love too) on the Xbox 360 but I’m still holding on to that small glimmer of hope that some developer will develop a great RPG to help me make up my mind. I’m biased towards RPGs coz they have the ability to bring one into a “fantasy-dreamy-like state of awe” for a long period of time even after the game is finished. If you know of any RPG of this sort out there on either of these 2 consoles, do let me know ya! 
Recent Comments