=---Be Mine--->

::shengie::

gender male
age 21
dob 7-11, it's a store and more :p
horoscope scorpio, tough one eh?
hometown teck whye, singapore
location johns hopkins, baltimore, maryland
occupation student
yes yes good music, good food, sea breeze, happy times with family and friends, cool weather,
no no backstabbers, dogs that bark for nothing, regulars, hypocrites, misbehaving children, humid weather
sports i play badminton, swim, gym, cycling, kayaking
listens to jay chou, david tao, chinese and english pop, chinese orchestral, rock, r&b, world, inspirational, classical artistes
msn wujassng@hotmail.com
icq 44783954

aim aidanwu84

::Quote::

"You know, you only have half a heart, so even if you do something whole-heartedly, it's still half-hearted."
Me to Alex one day on 151
::calendar::
29.05.06 IBN Attachment
06.08.06 Concert@SCH
11.08.06 HCJC Booth
19.08.06 JHU BBQ
04.09.06 Back to JHU
::frens::

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The Study Rasu
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Tu Anh

::navigator::

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get around Singapore!
currency converter
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internet SMS:
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::frontiers::

Physics Web
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::credits::

design catchastar.blogspot.com

31.5.04

Monday blues

Today is the first day of the school holidays, and the journey to work totally sucked! Granted, most of the buses were emptier than usual, but the bus to PLAB was flooded with noisy NCC Air cadets, and even at the early timing that I usually board bus 90, I had to stand for most of the journey. :( And it will be like this for as long as the holidays last, I think. :((

Was on duty on Sat. Sian ah, played Need for Speed Underground for almost the whole day.

Went to K-ster at Lucky Chinatown last Thursday with campmates. Had Koo Kee yong tau foo at People's Park Complex hawker center before that.

Yl's flying back to Kuching tomorrow. Will be back only at the end of June.

Yesterday, my bro went for the TJCO concert. Wanted to go but could not get tickets last minute. Heard the erhu soloist played very well, damn.

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AidanWu was here on 8:56 am

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26.5.04

Memory

There's a positive correlation between the length of one's sleep and the quality of one's memory. I have been forgetting things that I want to blog about recently. Aiyuh.

Listening to Roberta Flacks' 'Killing me softly with this song'.

He sang as if he knew me
In all my dark despair
And then he looked right through me
As if I wasn't there
But he was there this stranger
Singing clear and strong

Everytime I listen to this particular verse, I become momentarily dazed. Don't know why also, guess it's everyone's worst fear come true when people who mean a lot to you just suddenly don't know you anymore. It hasn't happened to me, but it's scary nonetheless.

I read somewhere in National Geographic that the recipe for community only has one ingredient - the people. Just like a house is a home only with people around.

Madonna's 'Frozen' now.

You only see what your eyes want to see
How can life be what you want it to be
You're frozen
When your heart's not open

How come all the songs I am randomly listening to suddenly reflect the state of mind I am currently in? One can tell one's personality through the songs he listens to..

Well, actually, I wanna blog abut yesterday's treat. My aunt was really nice to treat my parents, two other aunts, my cousin and I to Spagheddies at Tanglin Mall. It was my first time at Spagheddies; I ain't a very Italian foodie. We had a real feast: Italian salad, Spaghetti Carbonara, B.L.T. pizza, Seafood Sizzleina, fried calamari and one more dish of which the name I have forgotten. Bargette-something. It was basically garlic bread with fresh cubed tomatoes on top. Short memory again..sigh.

Anyway, the salad was pretty bad, it was too sour and all, although Italian salad IS supposed to be on the sour side..that particular dish practically reeked of vinegar. The carbonara wasn't to my taste too, reminded me of the (much-worse) version at Pastamania. The garlic bread dish was not bad, but it becomes soggy very fast ('cos of the fresh tomato), so you have to eat it piping hot. The pizza was surprisingly good too, its thin crust was crunchy and light. The dish I really enjoyed was the seafood sizzleina, man..it's really THE dish! Although pretty pricey, I think it was 50 bucks a double serving, it was one of the few tomato-based pasta that I truely enjoyed. All the long, I preferred the white-creamed carbonara.

And the one who served the seafood dish was quite chio too. Heh. But I wouldn't advise one to patronise there just to see her.

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AidanWu was here on 8:37 pm

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25.5.04

Sunny Bay

Just burnt around 3 cds. One for Janan and two for me: Sunny Bay's the 6th album by Bandari orchestra and S.E.N.S. again.

A Soundscape of Serene Melodies

1. A Woodland Night
2. Childhood Memory
3. Irish Lullaby
4. Whistle of Wind
5. Irish Meditation
6. Luna
7. Children's Eyes
8. Greek Meditation
9. Just a Little Smile
10. Flying High
11. White Sand of Barbados
12. Moonlight of Capri
13. African Meditation
14. Goodbye Little Susy

Special Track
15. Peaceful Life

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AidanWu was here on 2:23 am

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23.5.04

Bleah

It's me again! As always, I try to throw away my troubles..so it doesn't show on my face and will not affect the innocent people around me. Nah, I am not repressing it all into myself, I know that's unhealthy. Thanks for the concern, this is something that will not be solved overnight, but neither do I need to live worrying about it everyday. Life is short, I enjoy what I can.

The other day, my mom was relating how a family friend advised me to start studying before college so that I won't find it too hard to catch up come August 2005. Well, I stick by my rationale: I'm gonna study for 8 years from next August anyway, this's probably the last 1 year of my life that I can live a carefree, happy-go-lucky life, and I fully intend to do just that. So far, I think I've been pretty successful. Heh.

A carefree life doesn't equate to just slacking whenever I want to, which is a very open choice for me now. I do things that I feel like doing, but which I would probably sacrifice if I had an academic schedule to be responsible to. I hang out where I want to, when I want to, and with my own choice of company.

Of course, my mom reminded me the other night, I am not a rich guy, so I can't afford to hang out all the time, but sometimes I don't know how to tell her that you don't necessarily have to spend money to 'hang out', contrary to the conventional attitude that hanging out means wasting money on drinks, pool and girls. For 4 Sundays now, I've been spending the whole afternoon at Stamford Arts House helping out this chinese orchestra which I've helped on and off since 1999. I consider it quality time as I continually keep my skills in check, and I make new friends everytime I go back there, as well as maintain friendships, some of which have lasted since 1997. Sitting around with real friends and communicating with them is what I consider hanging out. Not necessarily at Starbucks or Crystal Jade or in a movie theatre. Or at the KTV for that matter.

Not many people can take 'No' as an answer. Those are people who don't have self discipline. To be fair, I am sometimes one of those people who lack discipline. Because it takes my mom to remind that I ain't well-to-do and I should not just acquiesce when people ask me to go out, week after week. I still think that going out once a week is not frequent, but I recognise there're certain restrictions that simply cannot be compromised.

As the sole breadwinner now, I should really keep myself in check more often. Before that night, I didn't really appreciate how lucky I am that my pay packet is still partially mine. The rest are surviving on peanuts.

Slack week

It's been a really slack week. I can't remember when my last 'activity entry' was, so I'll just say what I feel like saying. Hmm..we nsfs had two treats last week..woohoo. Well, I had three. Haha. And one more coming up. *licks my tongue*

First was Tim's treat at Boon Tong Kee. Okay, this is really late, but it was a good lunch. They served their chicken rice in pyramid shapes and on plates that are identical jigsaw pieces. NEVER order their vegetables! Rule of the thumb: Eat vegetables at home, they're much cheaper.

Second was Pius's treat at the Air Force School cafe. Had fish and chips, which was pretty average, tastes pretty much like home cooked fare, which I like! The kitchen needs a lesson in micro-economics though, they are really quite inefficient. The cooks look pretty much like Filipino maids though. Explains the home-cooked flavor. Haha.

Third was Jimmy's treat at Ramen Ramen, this quaint Japanese restaurant at Rail Mall, just yesterday. ALright, that's at Upper Bukit Timah Road, I think beside me, only monkeys at the Nature Reserve know where it is located. Had Dumpling Ramen. Not bad lah, but I think the side dishes were pretty average fare.

Jim's place at the Hillside is really a good environment to live in. One is literally embraced by nature. I love the extending garden balcony. And I like the 'castle-like' feeling inside there. He's organising a BBQ treat for my branch..so that's the 5th treat coming up! The 4th is Tim's section A treat. Hehe.

I love treats. Everyone enjoys treats. That's hanging out without expense for you. Haha..I am not so cheapskate lah. -__-

Aiyah, tired already. Byebye.

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AidanWu was here on 8:24 pm

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20.5.04

What's wrong with me

Maybe it's me, but these few days are days when smiles don't mean smiles, laughter doesn't mean laughter and joy..no real joy.

Maybe it's just a phase, but I hate having no one to tell it to..

Of course, I will still be smiling again tomorrow, for the people around me have only given me reasons to smile. But inside..I won't be smiling

Something is seriously wrong at home, yet I feel the calm before the storm. The calm which may last any time from before I ord to 8 years later..

Sometimes when people think you've got it all, it doesn't mean you've got really it all. You've got something extra, which neutralises everything you've got so far. And that's really worrying.

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AidanWu was here on 9:52 pm

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19.5.04

Tomei na Ongaku 2 (Transparent Music 2)

Yay, my fren just burnt S.E.N.S's 30th album for me. The following is the catalogue of songs in this album. 14 is my favorite. It's in realplayer format though.

1. Aurora
2. Stone of the Moon and Water of the Earth
3. Boy
4. L'oiseau Bleu ~ Guitare
5. Affinity
6. Something in the Air
7. Your Scene
8. Prime Season
9. Feel Me
10. Lunar Dream
11. Afternoon Tea
12. Theme of Bunsei
13. Away from Home
14. Future
(Only First Limited Edition [Bonus Track])
15.TORO ALATO ~ Live Version

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AidanWu was here on 8:44 am

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18.5.04

Adieu, Tim

Today marks the last day that my section mate, Tim, will be here before he embarks on his clearing-leave journey, and thereafter to the path of life after ORD. So this is a tribute to him.

'Wah lao eh..'

Wishing him all the best in his future (and ongoing) endeavours. Eat less eggs! Save the chicken dynasty!

'Don't touch me! I feel violated..'

And of course, i've lots to thank him for: always being the nice guy who stays in during lunch so we can go to the cookhouse (actually it's a win-win situation but never mind..),

'I'll do it.'

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AidanWu was here on 3:32 pm

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16.5.04

I decided to be the King

Now tell me, who else in the world can get to blog while giving tuition? Heh heh. I am giving tuition now, but decided to blog while she's doing some exercise I assigned to her. Wah lao, today is damn jialat, she's having a bad cough and I feel like I am covered with a thick carpet of bacteria and germs.

Ok, she's gone. Just did a major sterilising of my room and myself. Phew! I kinda hinted that she should cancel lessons if she's not feeling well next time..so she won't suffer..haha I left out the 'so she won't spread germs' part. I don't wanna fall sick so soon again!

I miss Duty

I know I am mad to miss duty, but who won't if duty entails playing carrom, Mario and Need for Speed, all in one evening? Damn slack haha. I don't have duty until next next Monday! Sucks big time!!

Aiyah, byebye.

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AidanWu was here on 11:21 am

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15.5.04

Once in 4 years...a beautiful sunset

If you looked out of the window at around 7:30pm, you would probably have seen the same scene as I did. The world was flooded in a vermillion shade, the roads seemed orange, the whitewashed HDB flats across the garden seemed orange, the trees looked orange..the orangeness seeped into my flat as well..consuming me in an orange entirety. It's probably partly due to the haze. The last time I was acutely aware of such a scene was in Sec. 4, one evening after dinner, listening to 'Reflections of Nature'. I almost drowned in the beauty then.

Amnesia

When you don't blog for some time, you forget things you wanted to blog about. Which is partly the case now. Sometimes, I think I need an 'auto-bio-blogger', a blogger that reads your mind, stores the thoughts in biochips which have a remote wireless LAN connection that can publish them online instantaneously. But seriously, I am referring to the last episode of 'Blueprints' on Channel 5. Don't know why, but the few episodes I managed to catch have left quite a deep impression in me. 'Amnesia' was the first one which had a supernatural twist, and some scenes were pretty gross and vomit-inducing, but which I felt without which the show would have been handicapped, in a way. Sometimes, you need to make an impact, to leave an impact.

Finally a decent movie

It's been a day of reunion. Met up with two coursemates today for Van Helsing, which was a very watchable movie I must say, despite its heavy violence. I find that I am moving away from horror movies and comedies, gravitating towards more serious movies. Epics like "Troy", which didn't use to stir any interest in me despite the whole world heaping praises on them, now do. I am starting to regret not having caught 'Pirates of the Carribean' and 'Saving Private Ryan', for example. Somehow, watching a meaningful movie means more now than getting the thrill out of laughing at repetitive ghost effects and cursing at lame slapstick comedies.

Pizza and pasta

Wah, had home-made pasta for lunch and then pizza delivery for dinner. My aunt's treat. Hehe. We had seafood and double-o chicken supreme today. I think the seafood looks kinda different, kinda darker than usual. Maybe overcooked lah. But my other aunt said it's the lighting. But then I reminded her that Pizza Hut's usually much darker than our living room.

Which reminds me, my mom offered me a very good piece of advice that day: Don't drink soft drinks overseas. When you're staying alone, you tend to be lazy to boil your own water and rely on 'comfort' drinks, or rather, convenient drinks.

My 1st commandment: Don't gain any weight overseas. Which I am sure many will applaud as going to be a very noble attempt.

Sigh, there're many more serious things I wanna write about. But that'll have to take a back seat again 'cos weariness is taking its toll on me.

Tomorrow will be a cooler day.

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AidanWu was here on 9:45 pm

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12.5.04

Rain rain come again tomorrow..

I love the rain. Especially so these days. I just feel like dancing in the rain when I heard the first streaks of thunder this morning. I've been sleeping with air con these three days when I usually get by with the fan. Today was a pretty boring day at work. So when Xm messaged me inviting me to flood Wy's blog, I readily agreed. So went Operation Flood Weiyang's Tagboard. Haha, and that's how we spent some time before lunch time finally arrived.

Free streaming CJK pop

To think I actually gained something from wy's blog today! *sarcastic smiley* Hehe, mp3s are so easily available nowadays that I've forgotten all about such 'free' music that are still available online. Okay, to save wy's face, I shall offer the consolation that I came to know about Ou1 De2 Yang2's songs through him. And they're not bad. For someone who doesn't show his face on his CD cover..

At least now I have an alternative to MediaCorp Radio and Yahoo!music at work..but at home cannot really make use of it 'cos I only have 256 modem.

TJC is really BIIGGG!

We had two cars today, so we made ample use of them to visit Bedok South for lunch, at the hawker center just opposite TJ. Of course, it's not big compared to Chinese High, but compared to all other JCs I think it's really dua3. Nice rock wall, which people actually climb. Unlike the Hwachong one. For SHOW only.

And Rasu mentioned that now TJ students can wear P.E. shirt the whole day long, I presume it's for days even when they don't have P.E. Damn song4 lor.

Hmmm, didn't see much good scenery there though, although there were supposedly 2 'chio'bus. Quite disappointing. Haha. Of cos our leoboi was satisfied just looking at their uniforms..*sarcastic smiley*

Ended up eating the Hill Street Char Kway Teow, which I remember eating when the stall was still at Hill Street Hawker Center. It was quite good! The pork lard was fried together with the kway teow, making it not too crunchy, which is quite rare nowadays with all the health campaigns and a generally more health-conscious society.. Must try the fish ball noodles next time, and the cuttlefish/kang kong dish that is similar to satay beehoon. The chin chow wasn't good though, had the acidic feeling you get when you drink coke.

And of all coincidences, Rasu saw his bro there too. Haha.

Ok, phone call coming in..

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AidanWu was here on 9:36 pm

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11.5.04

Unit photo

Yesterday we took a unit photo. And now I have to collect money from whoever wants the photo. Which reminds me of how hard it was to collect money from CO members last time.

After that we had nasi lemak for lunch; it was buffet style, and we had no idea who treated us to it. No one bothered to ask the regulars though. And I couldn't really enjoy it 'cos of my sore throat..but this morning it was finally better, though not fully gone yet.

Sunday

I forgot that I already promised to watch Van Helsing with William Hung this weekend, and told sq I can watch it with the girls. Then I remembered I have Hsinghai practice this Sunday..argh.

Buses

Why is it that we see the same people on the buses each morning, recognise them, and not make an effort to smile at them?

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AidanWu was here on 10:30 am

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10.5.04

Hot!!

It's damn hot!!

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AidanWu was here on 7:21 pm

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Mothers' Day Special

Yesterday was Mothers' Day. Spent the morning giving tuition. In the early evening, went to the Singapore Conference Hall to watch this Mothers' Day concert by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Not bad, they had children reciting with the accompaniment of the orchestra, which were actually full-length pieces themselves.

My erhu teacher's wife also played solo an excerpt of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto, which was quite a good attempt despite minor hiccups due to physical defects of the gaohu's strings.

They even invited Pan1 Xiu4 Qiong2 as a guest singer. Haha, probably not many people from my generation know who she is..she is old even to my mom! But she sang very well. And she's a local singer born in Malaysia.

Then we had dinner at Lau Pa Sat. Lau Pa Sat always has the same crowd whenever I visit it - not too crowded, not too empty, always half full. So far I have visited it at 6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 11:30pm.

The MRT Rule

One lesson learnt from yesterday: Never take buses you're not sure about. Or rather, never wait (endlessly) for buses you've not taken before unless you've a lot of time to waste. The MRT is more reliable when it comes to waiting times. We almost missed the concert for that reason.

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AidanWu was here on 3:36 pm

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"An eye for an eye makes the world go blind."

Mahatma Gandhi

Suddenly recalled this conversation I had with Prem one day on 985 on India's modern history. Realised that it is actually very interesting how accounts from different groups of people may differ. What he told me was somewhat different from the perspective my father put across to me.

But one thing remained: the greatness of Gandhi's ideology of non-violence which he used in pushing for India's independence, best illustrated by his following statement

"Non-violence is infinitely superior to violence; forgiveness is more manly than punishment."

Watching "Breathe" music video by Faith Hill now.

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AidanWu was here on 10:12 am

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8.5.04

I only have 3 duties this month

Yes, too bad. It's SOP that I can't do duties when on Attn B or when on medication. Sigh. No duties means have to wake up early in the morning more times a week and attend more muster parades.

Mario

After a decade-long hiatus, I started playing Super Mario again this week. And I really suck at it. But it's fun nonetheless. With the help of the Mario freak xm and a very good Tim-player in my Tim. Hahaha. Sorry ah Tim. *touches Tim's hair*

Hsinghai

That day pb's mom texted me reminding me of this Sunday's practice. I can't go 'cos the concert starts at 5pm, so I texted back "Sorry I can't make it..it's Mother's Day.." Then after I sent it, I felt quite lame. But it's true what!! Anyway I am quite hyped up about this song which they may play, 'The Legend of Sha-di-er".

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AidanWu was here on 7:46 pm

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Samsung --> Nokia 2100

Went to Bukit Panjang Plaza with my mom just now, and finally got a hp that can read chinese text. It's frustrating to have to forward smses to my mom's hp whenever I see lots of squares, which denote Chinese text is being used. Could trade in my Samsung for a Nokia. Actually I could have gotten a 3100 for free but my Samsung was rejected 'cos it had some pretty bad scratches..I had to fork out 28 bucks to get the 3100. But the lady said I could still get the 2100 for free. So I thought that was okay, until I saw the horrible pink colour of the hp. And when asked she said there was only one color. Argh..then I had a brainwave. I asked her how much it cost to replace the cover: 19 bucks. Well, cheaper than 28 bucks. And I don't care for color on my hp screen anyway. A phone is a phone. It's for communication purposes, not decorative purposes. As long as I don't find it ugly, that is. :P Pink IS ugly. So I chose a sky blue cover, which I like very much. So my history of using hp has gone back to a Nokia. First it was Alcatel, then Nokia, then Samsung, then Nokia again.

Some people are just so cheap

My mom was settling the bills with the lady boss, when suddenly there was a mild commotion in the shop. This middle-aged man with a pronounced moustache was insisting that the battery he had bought from the shop earlier (probably days earlier) was not a new one. Despite repeated attempts by the salesman to explain to him how to identify a used battery from a brand new one, the customer refused to accept it, making lame, and I mean really lame, statements like "I am not sure about that (referring to what the salesman had just explained)" WTF? You do not have to understand it fully for a fact to exist! I felt like telling the man. And then the salesman took out all the unsold new batteries to show that just because the battery was not in a sealed packet at the point of sale does not mean that they are all old reused ones, and even offered to make a replacement for the battery. The man continued to avoid the subject and said "I am not sure about that" then quickly added, "I want a refund." What a LOSER.

Of course, from hindsight, the man's primary intention was perhaps not about the validity of the newness of the battery; he probably regretted buying the battery after purchasing it and wanted to sell it back, but knowing that's not possible (you can't buy a pen from Popular and return it an hour later for your money back), he tried to create a lame excuse, hoping that he would be offered a refund.

He got his refund in the end, that's because the lady boss was kind and wanted to avoid more trouble. My mom said she did not have to give him a refund and was right if she chose to brush him off. But the lady's explanation later was that she did not want to spoil the reputation of the company at the expense of the cost of a battery. Which is really quite shrewd. Of course, the salesman relayed the message triumphantly to the loser, "Sir, here's ur refund, we won't let a battery ruin our reputation." And guess what the loser said?

"Well, I am not sure about that." And left in a huff. Typical case of dunno-what-to-say-cos-I'm-just-finding-fault-with-you.
Which reminds me of some SAF regulars. As usual.

Van Helsing

Suddenly had an urge to watch the vampire show yesterday evening but many have already caught it. Was arranging to meet William Hung for the show today but 'cos it was so last minute we could not fix a time. So we postponed it to next week. Which I ain't really sure whether I am free then yet. Actually, right now, I don't have an urge to watch it anymore.

After seeing the first ten minutes of Dawn of the Dead free on the net, I decided that I don't like ALL horror flicks. Just those purely ghost or psycho-thriller ones. Not those bloody and gory ones. Where the amount of blood each on-screen character has is grossly out of proportional to their total internal body volume. Haha.

Sore throat's getting worse

=( I ran out of painkillers on Thursday. That was the day I felt quite well and decided to go for a run, the first time in almost 3 weeks. It was quite a good run. But the next morning the sore throat came back, and has persisted till now. It's that kind of splitting sore that when you swallow, you feel like there's a (blunt) knife slicing the longitudinal axis of your throat. =( Ouch.

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AidanWu was here on 7:40 pm

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7.5.04

I am Pass-less

I have been Pass-less since last Friday, when a stupid RP caught me for using (unintentionally) an expired pass. So I had to write a statement and my pass was since then confiscated.

Killing 2 birds with 1 stone

If I am not wrong, 79's meeting on the 15th of this month for cycling at East Coast. Coincidentally, I read somewhere in the Hopkins yahoogroup that they're also meeting on the 15th for cycling (probably at East Coast). *Dang* Such things should happen more frequently 'cos there isn't enough time to do everything.

Tagboard

I am tempted to get a Tagboard. But I don't want people to flood it. That's why I am holding on.

NKF

Some one told me Jason won the car and condominium from the NKF show. I dunno what to make of it, I was stunned. How to win both? Anyway, this prize thingy is biased towards richer people. The rich can afford to make more calls, and hence have a higher chance of winning. The poorer, who really want to donate, can at most make so many more calls before practical constraints prevent them from over spilling their altruism. But I still think the chances of winning both are quite incredible and hence I doubt the veracity of what I have been told.

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AidanWu was here on 10:08 am

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6.5.04

Medical Center Visit

Had to report sick today 'cos this Major wanted to see a doctor certifying that I am unfit for IPPT on Sat.

Had to change my 11B for a pass 'cos mine had already expired last last month. The Medical Center is FULL of medics! Like Rasu said, it's not meant to be lame. I just could not help but notice how there were 7 medics manning the registration counter at one point. Actually it was more of a gossip counter; it was practically empty. And I could not miss the fact that every minute some medic will be walking across the lobby holding nothing and with no aim in mind. Wah, must be damn sian there. Saw my two friends there, one of whom took my blood pressure and heartbeat, taking 10 minutes to do so instead of 2. Hehe.

The M.O.

The moment I saw the MO, I felt like laughing. To be harsh, he is that nerd that I see at the bus stop after booking out a bit later sometimes. Hahaha. Sorry ah, Sir. He looked totally like a pre-med student, blur blur type. But to be kind, he has an honest face. And he gave me 3 days light duty.

I had to ask for it though.

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AidanWu was here on 8:58 pm

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5.5.04

Stuff

Just added Rasu's blog..heh welcome to the bloggers club! Actually I just added Jon's too 'cos I realised somehow it wasn't there yet.

Anyway, I reported sick on Monday. And then the stupid doctor didn't give me light duties for a few more days..he expected me to go for IPPT in this condition? Now I have to report to MO tomorrow to get an official excuse for this Saturday...sigh.

Bought tickets on Monday to this SCO concert this Sunday, Mothers' Day Special. Haha, actually I wanted to go 'cos I wanted to hear my teacher's wife play the <>. But then I thought it will be good to bring my mom along. :)

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AidanWu was here on 2:27 pm

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Some food for thought...

_______________________

Could nanomachines be tomorrow's doctors?
Nature/29Apr2004

DNA computer diagnoses disease and dispenses drug.
29 April 2004
HELEN R. PILCHER

DNA strands can sense abnormal RNA that can indicate some types of cancer.
Source: Nature

Scientists have built a tiny biological computer that might be able to diagnose and treat certain types of cancer. The device, which only works in a test-tube, is years from clinical application. But researchers hope it will be the precursor of future 'smart drugs' that roam the body, fixing disease on the spot.

Instead of silicon chips and electrical circuits, the miniscule machine is made of DNA. And rather than being controlled by electrical signals, it senses changes in its environment and responds by releasing biological molecules.

The biocomputer senses messenger RNA, the DNA-like molecule that helps create proteins from the information in genes. In particular, it can detect the abnormal messenger RNAs produced by genes involved in certain types of lung and prostate cancer.

When the computer senses one of these RNAs it releases an anticancer drug, also made of DNA, which damps expression of the tumour-related gene, researchers report in Nature1.

Billions of the computers can be packed into a single drop of water, so they could easily fit inside a human cell. "It is decades off, but future generations of DNA computers could function as doctors inside cells," says Ehud Shapiro from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, who led the research. The idea is they could diagnose disease from within cells and dispense drugs as necessary.

Fantastic voyage

"It is a little early to start thinking about applications," cautions DNA computer expert Lloyd Smith from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "But it is an important conceptual leap." DNA computers are not new but this is the first in which both input and output are biological, which means it can be hooked up to living systems.

So far, the computer only works in the confines of a finely balanced salt solution, and there are many hurdles to overcome before it can be applied to real disease. It is necessary to ensure that the computers will survive inside a biological setting, will not provoke an immune response and will be safe to use, says Shapiro.

They would also need to be far more complex than the prototype, which recognizes only messenger RNAs related to cancer. And they would need to deliver a wide variety of drugs, not just DNA therapies. They would need to be tested in cell suspensions, tissue cultures, simple organisms, mammals and finally humans.

But if such hurdles could be overcome, then "it could be the killer application for DNA computing", says Smith. The idea is not a million miles from the 1966 film Fantastic Voyage, where a surgical team is miniaturized and inserted into a dying man.

Research like this is the interface between real science and "off the wall" science fiction, says Smith. "It is where science fiction is driving technology."

References
Benenson, Y., Gil, B., Ben-Dor, U., Adar, R. & Shapiro, E. Nature, published online, doi:10.1038/nature02551 (2004). |Article|

© Nature News Service / Macmillan Magazines Ltd 2004

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I think it's amazing.

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AidanWu was here on 2:14 pm

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Long time

Wah, time to update this..

Went to Hsinghai for practice on Sunday for the July concert. They're inviting Wang Yong Ji from China. The practice was okay, got to know a new friend that day. It feels good when the 'regulars' in the orchestra greeted me when they recognised me from the last few times I helped them. It feels good to be appreciated. They're playing this song "Mi4" (means Searching in English) which I find very unique. It doesn't use the traditional Chinese music material that gives CO songs the CO feeling.

Hungry hungry hungry..yay the food's here!

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AidanWu was here on 1:19 pm

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1.5.04

Scattered thoughts

It's Labor Day and I spent the whole day at home. Woke up with a sore throat again, ate breakfast, read the papers, played some computer and then I had a splitting headache again. Then I went to sleep till lunch time. Argh. Gonna report sick again on Monday as I've run out of medicine. =(

Richie passed the interview! Yay~~ Philip Yeo actually asked him to choose Berkeley instead of Johns Hopkins as "the undergraduate environment is better there". -__- I remember in April 2003, when I told him I was applying to Berkeley, he told me not to go there as "everyone is going there", and "we should establish our (read: A*STAR's) network in universities where fewer Singaporeans go to", and suggested UC San Diego. Hmm, I thought not many went to JHU, so I applied that. But he's contradicting himself now! Haha, luckily Richie still decided to stay with JHU since he has already been accepted, although not into his first choice BME. Well..anyway he's more interested in biomolecular engineering, which is a valid course in the chemical engineering department, so I guess he isn't complaining. Haha, he went through the same dilemma as I did about whether he should choose a more 'fun' place like Berkeley, or a more academically intensive place like JHU.

Was talking to a JHU alumnus the other day, she graduated from BME just last year, and from what I gathered after the brief chat online, BME is really interesting!!

Today's outing was cancelled, 'cos of the poor weather and the poor turn-out. Sigh, as usual.

Watched the S.H.E. mini concert on Channel 8 this afternoon. Sometimes, they really can't sing. But sometimes they're so damn cute. Dunno which one outweighs which one. And I was laughing when my mom commented that she thinks all 3 of them are prettier than Cai Yi Ling.. and Selina cannot cook. She was so scared of oil splattering out of the frying pan that she screamed..they were supposed to fry an egg.

Today, I officially become 3SG Ng. :P

Stressed, 'cos the regulars are starting to ask me for a treat. :S

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AidanWu was here on 7:29 pm

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::Note::

You can click on the 'Stop' button on your browser to turn off the background music accompanying this blog.

::taggy::

::current faves::

Jay Chou - Nocturne, Fa Ru Xue, Qi Li Xiang
Guang Liang - Shao Nian
Liang Jing Ru - Yong Qi
Gigi Leung - Dan Xiao Gui
Lin Jun Jie - Yi Qian Nian Yi Hou
Stephanie Sun - Ting Jian, Wo De Ai, Tong Lei
Li Sheng Jie - Yuan Zou Gao Fei
Liu Zhong Yi - Ji Ju Xie
Yanni - Almost a Whisper

::boredom killers::

latest craze:
Adventure Quest

previous crazes:
Fortress Game
Telescope Game
Meganic Wars
Text Twist
YetiSports Flamingo Drive - high score 3755

trustables:
Throw paper into the dustbin - high score 5025
Miniclip
Mofunzone
Addicting Games
Utopia