it's official.
I've moved here.
Thanks for all the times, blogger. Perhaps we'll meet again when i feel better about your features.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
and ... i'm off!
yes, i'm going to move again.
sorry blogger, wordpress is offering better features, including post by post password protection, which i kind of like more.
of course, the best way to do it is probably to just use my own. then again ... haven't we all felt that way before? no? it's just me then?
stay tuned for the next iteration of ky-chan's neverending blog moves.
sorry blogger, wordpress is offering better features, including post by post password protection, which i kind of like more.
of course, the best way to do it is probably to just use my own. then again ... haven't we all felt that way before? no? it's just me then?
stay tuned for the next iteration of ky-chan's neverending blog moves.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Friday, November 24, 2006
Re: second try
I know i haven't been around for a while. I'll apologize for that. Maybe nothing's happened that was worth talking about. Or maybe, too much stuff happened and i can't even begin to talk about what happened.
I don't know.
I don't know.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
It'll be time soon.
Soon, it'll be that time of the year again. I should probably get back into shape.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Nerd me.
Poking around the receptionist PC, i realized i've been using a PII-400 as not only a server for the entire payment/attendance system, but also as the admin interface for the entire e-learning foundation, as well as for typical office use, like spreadsheets and word processing.
Poking around the english tutor's PC, i realized that he's been using a PIII-733 for just simple spreadsheet and wordprocessing, and the occasional web surfing ... and his computer runs almost half as slow as mine.
I'll be spending some time at work this weekend installing Ubuntu on it, and seeing if the english tutor notices.
Linux has comes a long way since i've started using it, back when Redhat was only version 5. Compared to now, version 5 was restricted as a nerd's toy: you install it, have to learn how to mount your drives, install your video card ... forget sound, you'd never get the kernels to compile anyways. But it was fun, because Linux came with a ton of free developer tools, like gcc. it didn't matter, because out of the box, you could compile your favourite M.U.D. codebase, like ROM.
Nowadays, Ubuntu automatically detects your video card, your sound card ... your network devices, automatically resizes your partitions, configures for internet access, automounts your hard drive and optical drives ... in some ways, it's even better than Windows ... you don't have to download the drivers yourself, especially your motherboard drivers. (i mean, if you needed your motherboard to get on the internet, how are you going to download the drivers if you can't get on in the first place?)
nerd moment over.
Poking around the english tutor's PC, i realized that he's been using a PIII-733 for just simple spreadsheet and wordprocessing, and the occasional web surfing ... and his computer runs almost half as slow as mine.
I'll be spending some time at work this weekend installing Ubuntu on it, and seeing if the english tutor notices.
Linux has comes a long way since i've started using it, back when Redhat was only version 5. Compared to now, version 5 was restricted as a nerd's toy: you install it, have to learn how to mount your drives, install your video card ... forget sound, you'd never get the kernels to compile anyways. But it was fun, because Linux came with a ton of free developer tools, like gcc. it didn't matter, because out of the box, you could compile your favourite M.U.D. codebase, like ROM.
Nowadays, Ubuntu automatically detects your video card, your sound card ... your network devices, automatically resizes your partitions, configures for internet access, automounts your hard drive and optical drives ... in some ways, it's even better than Windows ... you don't have to download the drivers yourself, especially your motherboard drivers. (i mean, if you needed your motherboard to get on the internet, how are you going to download the drivers if you can't get on in the first place?)
nerd moment over.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Ah, so that's what it means.
Your Brain is 93% Female, 7% Male |
 You have the brain of a girly girl Which isn't a bad thing at all You're emphatetic, caring, and in tune with emotions. You're a good friend and give great advice. |
Friday, July 28, 2006
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
What Energy Type Are You?
| Which Energy Archetype are You? Reflexive Mind You look inward for self-knowledge and to know your inner feelings. Your energy is contained, reflected, and amplified by your internal emotions. |
| Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. |
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Would the world be a safer place?
I went clubbing for the first time with my new friends. They were very understanding and accomodating. They tried to teach me to dance (sorry Thursday, your lessons were not in vain!), and i think i did okay, but as always, there were tons of beautiful people there who danced much better than i did. A fight also broke out, and my friends and i got splattered by the blood ... some guy got a bottle to the head.
Would the world be a safer place if there were no guys? is testosterone really to blame for violent behaviour? Personally, given the current circumstances, I would think yes. Despite all the changes and the promise of gender equality, boys are stil socialized to think that violence is an acceptable answer to problems. We can point to violent video games and explicit lyrics, but what it really comes down to is guidance (this is another topic in itself, so i won't get into it). I believe that when we are socialized to no longer believe that violence is an answer, that perhaps, none of this would happen.
Is it really the guys' fault though? Towa Oshima begs to differ.
Towa Oshima's Highschool Girls (yes, boys and girls, it's licensed! go out there and buy it! and i wouldn't recommend the anime ... it's degenerated into a panties fest. well, unless, you like that sort of thing. i'll leave that to you.) is based on actual experience in an all-girls school. The premise of the story is that when there are no guys around, girls stop caring about their appearances, and can get as messy and disruptive as boys.
Having never attended an all-girl's school, i cannot say for sure. But if it's true, then this becomes a social problem, rather than a gener problem. Conflict comes from having limited resources. Until the day humans can figure out how to have unlimited resources (don't forget cloning, because we fight over people's affection too), there will always be conflict. And until we all agree on a way, and socialize our children in a way that violence is not the solution to conflict ... there will always be violence.
sounds cultish doesn't it?
Would the world be a safer place if there were no guys? is testosterone really to blame for violent behaviour? Personally, given the current circumstances, I would think yes. Despite all the changes and the promise of gender equality, boys are stil socialized to think that violence is an acceptable answer to problems. We can point to violent video games and explicit lyrics, but what it really comes down to is guidance (this is another topic in itself, so i won't get into it). I believe that when we are socialized to no longer believe that violence is an answer, that perhaps, none of this would happen.
Is it really the guys' fault though? Towa Oshima begs to differ.
Towa Oshima's Highschool Girls (yes, boys and girls, it's licensed! go out there and buy it! and i wouldn't recommend the anime ... it's degenerated into a panties fest. well, unless, you like that sort of thing. i'll leave that to you.) is based on actual experience in an all-girls school. The premise of the story is that when there are no guys around, girls stop caring about their appearances, and can get as messy and disruptive as boys.
Having never attended an all-girl's school, i cannot say for sure. But if it's true, then this becomes a social problem, rather than a gener problem. Conflict comes from having limited resources. Until the day humans can figure out how to have unlimited resources (don't forget cloning, because we fight over people's affection too), there will always be conflict. And until we all agree on a way, and socialize our children in a way that violence is not the solution to conflict ... there will always be violence.
sounds cultish doesn't it?
Friday, July 07, 2006
You are MS DOS!
You are MS DOS. Often seen peeking out from around corners, you are shy but indispensable.
i'm cheating because i've been working so much lately.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Hope Is Emo
Watching it reminded me of the things i thought about when i was in highschool, sitting in class, bored out of my mind. It's funny because it's exaggerated. At the same time, it shows that different people think about different things. One of the things that has made me slightly upset is the backlash to all this. You can see it in the comments on their website, people telling her to shut up, telling her not to be like that, telling her that she's stupid, telling her not to cry all the time ... people telling her to conform to their vision of normality. Is that what we want? Is that what she wants?
(Spoiler alert): Yes, I am aware that there's a high chance that this is a parody. Does that mean that it's not worth talking about? It doesn't matter whether "Hope" is real or not, or whether she is faking all of this or not. You lose a great deal of its significance as soon as you dismiss it out of hand, as soon as you ignore the feelings of this person, and people like her. I guess what i'm trying to say is that people place significance on different things. Some things mean more than others to each person. Just because they don't have the same thoughts and reactions as you do doesn't mean they're not human. Just because they see things differently, and feel things differently, doesn't mean they don't have problems of their own, or they're not worth your time.
Thank you, Hope, for reminding me of this small fact, and good luck to all you different people out there.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
What i learned from The Lakehouse
I went with my friend to watch The Lakehouse, and then, Nachos Libre ... but let's talk about The Lakehouse first.
The Lakehouse has a strong element of You've Got Mail ... and not just because both movies are about exchanges of letters. (Spoiler alert): In a way, Keanu's character had a similar revelation, the same way Tom Hank's character did. They both knew just a bit more than their female co-star, and they use that to their advantage, kinda. it's cool, because us, as the audience, knows what's going on and what's going to happen, but at the same time, it doesn't seem that fair.
One of the things i noticed in both movies though, is that the relationships are really magical. Obviously, the main character and the love interest will inevitably get along, if not fall in love. (Spoiler alert): In both movies, however, the process is quite magical. They start off noticing each other, then bam! they hit it off! It was a bit unrealistic for me in both movies. Perhaps i'm more interested in how relationships develop a lot more than how it progresses.
It also made me think about how we are socialized through movies, and sometimes fooled into thinking that relationships are magical. one look, one little note and people can fall in love. i do not deny that mutual love at first sight can happen. i do argue that it doesn't happen often enough on both sides that it actually works .... in which case we're back to slowly manuvering and probing, testing each other out to see how compatible we are with each other.
If you do want to watch these movies though, i would recommend it. The Lakehouse felt like it was put together a bit random, and there were definitely were entire scenes they could've taken out to make the movie shorter. (Spoiler alert): And note to Ms. Bullock: if you really really do find that perfect someone ... don't just give up so easily. I know it's probably the script hamming it up for some drama, but still. i think if they tweaked the script a little bit more, they would've had a much better and cohesive storyline ... i have one question about the whole movie though: So ... how does Jack fit into all of this?
note: the spoilers are so vague that it probably wouldn't be anything you couldn't have guessed from watching the trailers. but as always, read at your own risk :)
The Lakehouse has a strong element of You've Got Mail ... and not just because both movies are about exchanges of letters. (Spoiler alert): In a way, Keanu's character had a similar revelation, the same way Tom Hank's character did. They both knew just a bit more than their female co-star, and they use that to their advantage, kinda. it's cool, because us, as the audience, knows what's going on and what's going to happen, but at the same time, it doesn't seem that fair.
One of the things i noticed in both movies though, is that the relationships are really magical. Obviously, the main character and the love interest will inevitably get along, if not fall in love. (Spoiler alert): In both movies, however, the process is quite magical. They start off noticing each other, then bam! they hit it off! It was a bit unrealistic for me in both movies. Perhaps i'm more interested in how relationships develop a lot more than how it progresses.
It also made me think about how we are socialized through movies, and sometimes fooled into thinking that relationships are magical. one look, one little note and people can fall in love. i do not deny that mutual love at first sight can happen. i do argue that it doesn't happen often enough on both sides that it actually works .... in which case we're back to slowly manuvering and probing, testing each other out to see how compatible we are with each other.
If you do want to watch these movies though, i would recommend it. The Lakehouse felt like it was put together a bit random, and there were definitely were entire scenes they could've taken out to make the movie shorter. (Spoiler alert): And note to Ms. Bullock: if you really really do find that perfect someone ... don't just give up so easily. I know it's probably the script hamming it up for some drama, but still. i think if they tweaked the script a little bit more, they would've had a much better and cohesive storyline ... i have one question about the whole movie though: So ... how does Jack fit into all of this?
note: the spoilers are so vague that it probably wouldn't be anything you couldn't have guessed from watching the trailers. but as always, read at your own risk :)
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
That's interesting ....
it's interesting when the only people who will, and can stand up for everyone are comedians and entertainers. i won't comment much on this, but i always thought issues like abortion and gay marriage were good indications of how far apart the church and state are seperated.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
The longest line, ever.
This weekend, DramaQueen came up to Anime North to give a panel at 12noon. I didn't pre-register because i was too busy that weekend to attend all three days, so I got there at 10:20am to register.
This is me at the end of the line
This line bends around the corner of the building
Which, at the tree, looks like this
which reaches to the entrance, at which point there's another line until you reach the windy curvy things
at around 11:45am, i finally plunk down my $30 CDN to pay (i asked if i could pay in US, and they said yes, but it will be the same amount, ie. $30US ... despite what the website said). it took me 5 minutes to figure out that the panel was ACROSS the street in the hotel. I ran through a small muddy ravine as a short cut, and made it on time. And there's DramaQueen!
After the panel, i ended up tagging along with Is, Taka and Rum downtown to look at the Toronto Goth stores. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Toronto has much in terms of Gothic Lolita. We also ran through chinatown for asian fruits, and bought beer ... which we carried from Kennsington alll the way to Queen and University (not fun) ... but at least it wasn't humid hot. We ate lunch at Salad King, and Rum got her ear pierced at the top! I also met Taka for the first time. Taka's awesome :) Rum's like this huge talent magnet that just attracts people, most notably, editors and bishies.
Unfortunately, i came very close to failing mass. Must practice! ^^/
This is me at the end of the line
This line bends around the corner of the building
Which, at the tree, looks like this
which reaches to the entrance, at which point there's another line until you reach the windy curvy things
at around 11:45am, i finally plunk down my $30 CDN to pay (i asked if i could pay in US, and they said yes, but it will be the same amount, ie. $30US ... despite what the website said). it took me 5 minutes to figure out that the panel was ACROSS the street in the hotel. I ran through a small muddy ravine as a short cut, and made it on time. And there's DramaQueen!
After the panel, i ended up tagging along with Is, Taka and Rum downtown to look at the Toronto Goth stores. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Toronto has much in terms of Gothic Lolita. We also ran through chinatown for asian fruits, and bought beer ... which we carried from Kennsington alll the way to Queen and University (not fun) ... but at least it wasn't humid hot. We ate lunch at Salad King, and Rum got her ear pierced at the top! I also met Taka for the first time. Taka's awesome :) Rum's like this huge talent magnet that just attracts people, most notably, editors and bishies.
Unfortunately, i came very close to failing mass. Must practice! ^^/
Friday, May 26, 2006
Jihi no Kokoro, the benevolent heart, and the two types of people
a while ago, i was doing some research on Maasaki Hatsumi, the inheriter of 9 schools of japanese martial arts, and quite possibly, the last ninja alive. while playing Diablo 2 last night, something he said suddenly made sense.
in Ninjutsu, History and Tradition, he mentioned attaining the Jihi no Kokoro, the benevolent heart. I won't try to paraphrase it, because i don't think i can, so here's a quote from winjutsu site regarding this matter:
By experiencing the confrontation of danger, the transcendence of fear of injury or death, and a working knowledge of individual personal powers and limitations, the practitioner of Ninjutsu can gain the strength and invincibility that permit enjoyment of the flowers moving in the wind, appreciation of the love of others, and contentment with the presence of peace in society. The attainment of this enlightenment is characterized by the development of the jihi no kokoro, or "benevolent heart."
Yes, i know this already sounds like some infomercial or new religion, but it makes sense. if people were able to move above the fear of injury or death, and know their personal power and limitation, then they would achieve strength and invincibility. does that mean that they're going to go and kill everyone? or take over the world? or go berserk? climb walls, break into banks, steal money? possibly. but at the same time, it frees you from the worries you have regarding injury or death, or being a victim of crime.
anyways, to make an amazing idea stupid, i was playing Diablo 2 last night. It had been almost two years since i've played it. when i use to play, i played with a set of rules called "Hardcore". Basically, it means that if my character were to die, the character is erased. all the time, all the investment i had in this "life" would be gone in an instant, as if i didn't do anything at all. Hardcore works on the basis of fear; the fear that you can die any moment, not only from the monsters you fight, but also from other players who have nothing better to do than to kill your character, and find joy in ruining your achievements.
however, before i can play hardcore, i have to play on "normal" mode, where death doesn't matter. still, old habits die hard, and i find that although i was out of practice, there were a lot of things i did that were different than the others. for one, i didn't die. i knew my limits and manouvered in such a way that i didn't die. i wasn't concenred about loot, because i knew i would outgrow the equipment at such a low level. i also noticed deaths a lot more than others did ... simply because in "Hardcore", it's a major even when someone died. Playing "normal" is like playing in a world where lives don't matter. If you throw a thousand lives at any enemy, they are sure to die. In "hardcore", you value your existance a lot more, because it represents an investment of time and energy. You can stand there proudly and say, "I was once on USEast ladder, amongst the top 100, because i didn't die once, and i was just as good as some of the most powerful players on this side of the continent."
and then Dr. Hatsumi's words suddenly made sense. now that i know this, and trust myself that i won't die (easily), i noticed a lot more about the game, from the intricacies regarding skill placement and synergies, the way people are dressed, to how a zombie falls apart after you've whacked it enough times. i started to give away stuff i knew i wouldn't be able to use, and lessened the degree of my packrattedness (ie. hoarding equipment.) i'm not saying that i attaned Jihi no Kokoro through Diablo 2 ... far from it. but the concept made sense.
This leads me to another point. I think there are two types of people in this world: those who live through physical experience, and those who don't. Imagine a movie. There are those who absolutely must see the movie to experience it, with a crowd of other people, in a huge theatre with superior sound equipment, and those who say, i'll just wait for the DVD comes out. then borrow it from a friend, and watch it on my tiny television set with mono sound. it makes no difference to them whether the sound or image is "faithfully rendered", all they want is the story. I would go a bit further to link this to other things. People who want to go to bars, go to clubs to "meet people" ... and those who are content to stay home and "meet people", but the people they meet are in books, television shows, and the internet. Physical interaction is not as important to the second group of people as to the first.
So my question is: Is there really a big difference between experiencing it through something virtual, and experiencing it yourself face to face? obviously, there will be some difference. I'm not trying to compare great arts like martial arts to video games, but i do see a parallel between what i felt and what i was thinking last night, to Dr. Hatsumi's words.
in Ninjutsu, History and Tradition, he mentioned attaining the Jihi no Kokoro, the benevolent heart. I won't try to paraphrase it, because i don't think i can, so here's a quote from winjutsu site regarding this matter:
By experiencing the confrontation of danger, the transcendence of fear of injury or death, and a working knowledge of individual personal powers and limitations, the practitioner of Ninjutsu can gain the strength and invincibility that permit enjoyment of the flowers moving in the wind, appreciation of the love of others, and contentment with the presence of peace in society. The attainment of this enlightenment is characterized by the development of the jihi no kokoro, or "benevolent heart."
Yes, i know this already sounds like some infomercial or new religion, but it makes sense. if people were able to move above the fear of injury or death, and know their personal power and limitation, then they would achieve strength and invincibility. does that mean that they're going to go and kill everyone? or take over the world? or go berserk? climb walls, break into banks, steal money? possibly. but at the same time, it frees you from the worries you have regarding injury or death, or being a victim of crime.
anyways, to make an amazing idea stupid, i was playing Diablo 2 last night. It had been almost two years since i've played it. when i use to play, i played with a set of rules called "Hardcore". Basically, it means that if my character were to die, the character is erased. all the time, all the investment i had in this "life" would be gone in an instant, as if i didn't do anything at all. Hardcore works on the basis of fear; the fear that you can die any moment, not only from the monsters you fight, but also from other players who have nothing better to do than to kill your character, and find joy in ruining your achievements.
however, before i can play hardcore, i have to play on "normal" mode, where death doesn't matter. still, old habits die hard, and i find that although i was out of practice, there were a lot of things i did that were different than the others. for one, i didn't die. i knew my limits and manouvered in such a way that i didn't die. i wasn't concenred about loot, because i knew i would outgrow the equipment at such a low level. i also noticed deaths a lot more than others did ... simply because in "Hardcore", it's a major even when someone died. Playing "normal" is like playing in a world where lives don't matter. If you throw a thousand lives at any enemy, they are sure to die. In "hardcore", you value your existance a lot more, because it represents an investment of time and energy. You can stand there proudly and say, "I was once on USEast ladder, amongst the top 100, because i didn't die once, and i was just as good as some of the most powerful players on this side of the continent."
and then Dr. Hatsumi's words suddenly made sense. now that i know this, and trust myself that i won't die (easily), i noticed a lot more about the game, from the intricacies regarding skill placement and synergies, the way people are dressed, to how a zombie falls apart after you've whacked it enough times. i started to give away stuff i knew i wouldn't be able to use, and lessened the degree of my packrattedness (ie. hoarding equipment.) i'm not saying that i attaned Jihi no Kokoro through Diablo 2 ... far from it. but the concept made sense.
This leads me to another point. I think there are two types of people in this world: those who live through physical experience, and those who don't. Imagine a movie. There are those who absolutely must see the movie to experience it, with a crowd of other people, in a huge theatre with superior sound equipment, and those who say, i'll just wait for the DVD comes out. then borrow it from a friend, and watch it on my tiny television set with mono sound. it makes no difference to them whether the sound or image is "faithfully rendered", all they want is the story. I would go a bit further to link this to other things. People who want to go to bars, go to clubs to "meet people" ... and those who are content to stay home and "meet people", but the people they meet are in books, television shows, and the internet. Physical interaction is not as important to the second group of people as to the first.
So my question is: Is there really a big difference between experiencing it through something virtual, and experiencing it yourself face to face? obviously, there will be some difference. I'm not trying to compare great arts like martial arts to video games, but i do see a parallel between what i felt and what i was thinking last night, to Dr. Hatsumi's words.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Hong Kong is a friendly place to be.
So, for those of you who aren't native cantonese speakers, english substitle (subtitles) are available for you. What happened to be a regular argument on the bus regarding cellphones has managed to turn into a cult hit, complete with cafepress store to make money off it. While the regular video by itself is rather boring, it's the remixes that make it interesting.
no, there's no nudity.
The one that got me was this ... they cut up the words and spliced it into a popular dance song ... full of swearwords and so on. not content with that, they even put karaoke style so you can sing and swear along.
煞科 (ft. 巴士阿叔) (This is based on a popular song by Sammi Cheung) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwy3_RrGnZg
煞科featuring巴士阿叔, 後生仔卡啦ok版 (same as above, except with karaoke style captions) - http://youtube.com/watch?v=_v48tRk-Yy8
巴士阿叔 = Bus Uncle
巴士阿叔 Mortal Kombat Mix - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md-EKRf5lLo
巴士阿叔 Mortal Kombat Dirty Mix - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE7ys1WspN0
巴士阿叔keroro版 (Keroro Version) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y032mi4C6Hs
巴士阿叔 古惑仔 mix (Young and Dangerous mix) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI5wBIC6K_M
巴士阿叔 之 受性騷擾篇 (Sexual Harassment version .. it's done in the style of a dirty phonecall ...) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0OF6M6IWcQ
巴士阿叔 遇著 周星馳 (Meets Steven Chow) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXmBWPego-g
there are still tons more ... just not that interesting.
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