The Update Of Champions

It's 3:58pm and I'm waiting for the oven to preheat so that I can make breakfast. It's sausages and (hopefully) scrambled eggs and toast today. Been a hectic week this last one. 24 15 page summaries, a 3D model and a 2k word essay PLUS presentation and finishing Mario Kart DS. Okay, so Mario Kart wasn't on the list..but it was brilliant. It's been raining these past two days and it's raining like mental now. Now when I say mental I mean not the mental rain we get back home...that's just preposterous. Well...there isn't much on this lazy Sunday to speak of (yet); I've just woken up about 2 hours ago to exchange some stuff at the shops, and I have been listening to Razor Ramon HG's Young Man on loop for a good part of the time I've been awake. It is really saysaysay. So then, it's been awhile since a serious update (wired posts at 5am don't count) and there's been tons that have happened. Well there was the Jacky concert which was just so brilliant. It went on for like 3 hours and was simply amazing. In between that time and now it's been blurry really... just a mix of free time and messing about watching Ewan's Long Way Round and drinking and a bit of Crown in between. Oh and I found out that when you do drink too much coffee(and you can), there is such a thing as a coffee hangover. Coffee veterans probably know this, but it is not funny at all. It's like an alcohol hangover except you're not drunk, and it's clear as hell; added with the fact that I think I overworked myself (I never thought that was possible; but constant-summarizing can do that to a man), it was terrible. Really. Well...what have I been up to presently then? Started Gurren Lagann finally; and have been trying to get myself to finally finish FF12, and the list of games I made to keep me going before the assignments were done. So what next? There's tons of media to catch up on; been planning to do this all month (since the beginning of the semester actually), but then haven't been able to even get a decent night's sleep. I have also found the recipe to the world's greatest neslo. It could be because it's not really nescafe I'm using. And the milo here apparently tastes funny. But it works! Ooh and yes the world's most beautiful steak as well. I suppose if you keep making the same thing, it'll evolve to something amazing. Staring at the xbox now, thinking of T3, Outrun 2 and SVC Chaos; the few games I DO have for that system; thinking how I really should get a PS3 instead. Been spending some time with GT HD and way too much time with Resistance: Fall of Man; which kinda sucked initially, but turned out to be a rather good and interesting foray. Just played Heavenly Sword yesterday, and it was brilliant. Seriously. Sal's been going on and on about it for months, and in true masterful fashion, I just ignored his hype; until now. It's interesting this. Anyways, there are the three big releases (FFXIII, MGS4 and GT5) next year so best get one of them machines by then. Or at least, figure out something by then. Either ways..I can't think of anything more to write about. Till the next time.

Oh, and that's Tash from Atomic Kitten if you're wondering. The wonders of print screen.

It's 5am I'm Wired

5am 2 cups of coffee later and listening to LL Cool J. He's cool he is. I mean no one else in Deep Blue Sea could beat his performance there. The chef. What a good show. Anyways, as you can probably tell from my nonsensical rant (or from the rather obvious title above) that I'm a little wired. It's bright here at 5am. It's annoying. All I've done tonight was watch human beatboxing , Jin's rap contests as well as the everbeautifulandlovelytastysupertalented Marie Digby. Marie-ay fellas. Marie-ay. Don't say it the wrong way. It's like when people pronounce stradale as stra-dale not stra-da-lay. Bloody annoying. Oh, and Gallardo is Gay-ar-do. Damn Akon don't know how his shit. Well anyways, it's been awhile since I've posted any real posts on this blog, and no it won't happen tonight. I'm wired remember? I'm not planning to do some endurance rant that will make me go on till 6am. I've got a class at 12; which means I need to get up by 11 to make it there on time; which also means I need to get up by 9 cos I've got a little design thing due. Damn deadlines. Keeps my life in check I suppose. Not too pleased with my progress this semester. It's been way too chill for this. Rubbish.

Better go. Sleepy time.

Evolution.

Thursday in September

It's 12:25am in the morning, so it's technically Friday. But I'm typing about Thursday. Thursday was a slow, lazy day. It was fun at the start. I slept at six looking for media on that pretty pretty Marié Digby. It's rather amusing how one youtube video can change your life (hers, not mine). Either ways, that's how it began. I went to sleep at six wildly tired, and woke up at 1pm-ish. Should have been sufficient, but I had like 5 hours from the night before, and that made things.....difficult. Anyway, I woke up at 1pm eyes feeling weird, brain feeling weird; just feeling weird overall; an urban headache that really isn't a headache. It made my day just lying down on the couch trying to dream. Trying to reach out. Trying to make my day work. But no. It didn't happen. Until now. I feel like the day's gone, but to badly quote Metallica, the memory remains.

Either ways, I'm off to watch Stranger Than Fiction, and hoping to enjoy the couch after that. Maybe tomorrow will be lovelier.

Chase The Dream.

Well it's another season of Entourage, and it's been good. Seriously, where is that lifestyle? Is it in hiding? Does it even exist? That really gets to me. Whether it really exists. Because if it does , then I can rest easy.
I mean logic would tell me, that if someone can dream it, and produce a visual representation of it, then someone somewhere is living it. Most of us dare not dream or see what we really want to dream simply because a stark comparison to what reality serves up to us, and that just basically scares us. Dismissing 'the life' as a goal, but not a realistic one.

I ask why. I ask how. I will not be scared to dream it, and compare it with reality. I will not be disappointed to find that it does not exist. Because I have seen glimpses of it; but never the full picture. Sometimes I wonder why society binds the majority to difficult situations that breeds counter-acts to this sort of behaviour. Because in the end, it is unmistakable that the reality of it all is the dream. And that dream really is nothing more than a collective state of mind. Materialism exists, no doubt; but the road to the dream lies in the mind, nothing more; definitely nothing less.

People are always dreaming because they can't find their invisible bridges to make them a reality.

I say let's start building them now.

Reorganizing Priorities

It's really quite fascinating how much one's life revolves around computers, and even more fascinating what a lack of internet connection can do to someone. By someone I mean me. Ever since the laptop suddenly called it quits last Thursday; I've been whining on and on about it, not necessarily as much as I had hoped for; but what surprised me the most was my ignorance on the night of the disaster, and the events (sorry, emotions) that preceded thereafter the very next day. It's odd that I would have been so accepting of the event when the laptop just didn't want to boot, sure there were things that went through my head like "how am I going to do my summaries now?" or "how am I going to complete my video assignment?", and although the solution is clear: that I use the computer outside, it was the start of something that I had not expected; something I'd like to call the privacy barrier, or lack thereof. I had not noticed as much before, but my laptop was all I had as my internet gateway. It was my private connection with my online persona, and it had gone. It's interesting how one can suddenly feel a void, a gaping hole in one's timetable; an amount of time suddenly freed that just left me lost. It's not as serious as I make it seem, but as usual, I like the drama of it all. The point is, it's really the reason a personal computer is called personal is that it does get personal. At the beginning, I felt that this was a good opportunity to not go crazy, but actually live life like everyone else; and to spend more time on social activities instead of wondering how well vista would suit the big picture. So it seemed. I ended up reverting to my old habits (they die hard, with a vengeance) and not only did I feel that it wasn't private anymore, it wasn't comfortable at all. In a way it has opened my eyes to new horizons on psychoanalyzing myself in understanding the cause and effect of the sudden loss of personal, or private space. The guinea pig being myself, it was easy to see that I obviously did the human thing and started colonizing the computer outside, the very one I'm typing on. It started with simple personalization and moved on to settings and ultimately getting comfortable with the UI. This is where the problem begins. I am not the only user on this system, and this leads to security issues, being the very insecure paranoid user that I am. Either way, it's been a good three days on this computer, and even though I am getting more comfortable with it; it still seems all the rather public. I suppose it's all a sort of training and good realization that things can just escape us without warning, and it is not how fast we adapt that makes or breaks us, but how often.

The Year Of Jacky Cheung World Tour 2007 X The Masterful Surprise

We here at TMS would like to announce our attending the Year of Jacky Cheung World Tour 2007 right here at the Vodafone Arena in Melbourne in October! And here we were thinking that our first concert down under would be something related to a certain Jay Kay. It's really one of the more exciting things we're looking forward to. TMS offices here in Melbourne has also realised that we indeed end up watching more HK movies here which is really odd considering how back home would be much more appropriate.

Lovely!

Days In Sunny Spring

Well, it's Sunday again, and boy is it warm outside. I'm glad winter is over, but then again am not really looking forward to summer. Spring seems fine, but really; I'm not looking for a tan. It's 2:37 in the afternoon, just woke up about an hour or so ago, Live In Verona is playing at the moment, really adding to the whole Sunday theme. If only I didn't have assignments at the back of my mind, It'd just be lovely. It's like another one of those nice Sundays when I was much younger.

Although, something seems different..

First Ever Arctic-Inspired Post

This is me; an arctic fox. I'm typing this post on my balcony.It's 1am and according to my widget, it's 7 degrees out here. My hands feel numb from the cold and I'm here sitting out here listening to the GT4 soundtrack; and I can tell you this is one seriously surreal experience. It's hard to concentrate on typing. My brain is confused on whether to pay attention to the elements or what to type next. It's really a first for me, for this blog; and dare I say it: all of mankind? But, but. The atmosphere is just right. The subtle music just compliments this whole debacle just right.

All sorts of things come to mind sitting out here: cars, girls, even class. I've got a class early tomorrow morning which spans just about till afternoon/early evening. Not really that excited about that but I suppose it's something to look forward to. Blogging here under the stars in winter really has got to be one of the experiences I would remember. I think. It's like man and machine against what mother nature throws against us. It's beautiful, but somehow I've got the feeling that the cold would eventually get the better of us. I mean, the battery can only last so long anyway. And my hands are really freezing at the moment. I mean like really. It feels like when I touch cold stuff out of the freezer. But no matter, it's all about the now. I feel I'm just rambling on endlessly; not to mention needlessly about my newfound "sport". Extreme blogging I'd call it. Makes you wonder if anyone else is doing the same at this same moment. I doubt their stupidity. Absurdity even. Well, I think I better stop here before I really freeze.

Winter eh? It's all about ingenuity.

Confused.

So Apparently I've missed one or two Vista features before uninstalling it all and abandoning it like a sinking, terrorist-laden (haha good pun, if I may say so myself..terrorist-laden...geddit??) ship stuck in the Arctic; and thus contemplating whether to give up this secure, stable-ish xp platform I'm currently typing on and move back to the choppy but incredibly beautiful risk-taking everyday of the average Vista user. So what makes me think this?

Well, good marketing for one. I mean; I was just checking acceptance of Vista in Japan, simply because of my obsessed J-style mentality (which ocassionally pops up from hiding and messes up my western-influenced direction in life) and found these pictures. Apparently able to run H games fine is one thing, but to run 8 of them simultaneously, with seperate audio controls and with aero to flip between them all? Granted that I do not indulge in such games often (stop sniggering... AG2 was ages ago); but the ability to do so, and it being the Japanese mindset to sell Vista (shops are actually promoting it this way in Japan) it's just very tempting...I mean...really...look at them screens. Interesting to say the least.

The other reason was my ignorance, forgetting to test out the readyboost feature in Vista. You see, what Vista does is you can insert any USB 2.0 device, and/or flash memory cards into the drives to increase system memory, and thus launching stuff faster, apparently making it a better experience. And I do have a spare micro-sd lying around.. so then two reasons. That and video detection is slightly better for the TV s-video connection. Granted that I'm slightly biased on this point and that XP can probably achieve the same settings, it's just that Vista does that automatically. Oh, and apparently the Sp1 is coming out soon, which should sort out tons of issues...I hope.

However, I am not oblivious to the fact that I switched back to XP because I did miss the stable feeling. But. I do not feel that safe. It just feels like returning to that rough neighbourhood again. I had a trojan the first time I installed on Saturday night. Hence a re-install on Sunday. It's a risk I'm thinking about evading. No doubt this pc is better suited to XP (illustrated by the flawless microphone performance), with the nice aquarium screensaver to boot, but there's a nagging feelinhg at the back of my head that keeps telling me to switch back.

So the verdict? I'm not sure. Only time will tell.

Windows Vista, I Bid You Adieu!

a·dieu

interj.

Used to express farewell. Especially used when expressing anger and/or hatred to poorly written programs by Microsoft.

Note: When something is more useless than it is pretty, it is deemed pretty useless.

n., pl. a·dieus or a·dieux

A farewell. To rubbish operating systems.

[Middle English, from Old French a dieu, (I commend you) to God : a, to (from Latin ad; see ad-) + Dieu, God (from Latin deus).]

So, What Have You Been Up To Then?

It's 9:30 in the morning. I still haven't slept yet. I've been up all night trying to finish Final Fantasy XII. Yes. The same Final Fantasy that I didn't sleep while levelling up back home. It's the whole reason why I brought the PS2 here to Melbourne, and as procrastination would have it, I have left it till the last few days of my winter holidays to start playing again. Needless to say, there's a lot of ground to make up. I've been playing it for about 8-9 hours straight. And I'm still not past half way. The game really amazes me with it's graphics presentation and storyline. I mean, there's much better graphics nowadays with the PS3 and the 360, but this one really puts up a fight. I was thinking about it and it would be safe to say that this could be my PS2's swan song. I've just cleaned the internals a week or so ago (and it strangely just got more moody) and while it's in good physical condition, it really doesn't like to read DVDs much nowadays. So I suppose this will be one of the last big games the trusty PS2's going to play. I would hope not, but it seems that way. Ah, the end of another generation of consoles. I can still remember the first time I laid my hands on a Nintendo Entertainment System. How times have changed...

Now, on to the food issue..

"Roast Chicken Drumsticks served with Spaghetti and Brown Gravy" - Worked out better that I thought.








"Spaghetti Bolognaise" - Well, it's bolognaise..


"Fish Fingers in Toast with HP Sauce" - This one was Jamie Oliver's recipe. It tastes surprisingly lovely. And real easy to make too. Although he did specify tomato ketchup instead of HP sauce. Potato Potahto I say.

"Fried Rice with Fried Beef Sausages And Egg" - Forgot salt on this one but ended up not too bad; thanks to the chicken stock. Will try again soon. Still have to get this one perfected.

Oh, and finally got the laptop connected to the telly thru S-Video link. You know what that means... Daytona USA on Model 2 Emulator! Still has some issues but looks so much better. Capcom games run almost arcade perfect! Keyboard bashing commence!

Of Connoisseurs, Good Wine And Hartz Chicken Buffet.

It's early Wednesday morning, Pink Martini softly sounding in the background; creating a sort of "ambiance" that, with my eyes closed, would suggest a sort of atmosphere one would find in a beautiful classy vintage European restaurant; I mean, I'm thinking steak house; something akin to The Ship, but because of yesterday's foray into the whole lamb chop debacle coupled with the stumbling on Oz & James Great Wine Adventure; a nod to the return of unshaped internet, it opening of my mind to a whole new way of looking at my life here in Melbourne, but more importantly: at life itself. I have learnt a great deal of ,um, let's call them facets of everyday living this week. First of all I noticed (from Sunday's watching of Formula One) that most of my life's heroes have a certain quality to them. Besides being champions at whatever sport or genre, and being really exceptionally good at what they do; they tend to have an air of arrogance around them. Now, I know society (and probably your mom at some point) would frown at such said behaviour and you've been taught that it's not such a good trait to have; and people would hate you for it. Well, look at Michael Schumacher, Jay Kay; even Raikkonen. While there tend to be parties that view them as pretty arrogant pricks, and to some extent love to hate them; those very same parties cannot deny their talent; and when on form they just elevate much higher than the rest into a different level from those who can only do things well. What I'm trying to get at here is that it's arrogance that makes them who they are. It's arrogance that comes from being on top. It's arrogance from knowing that you have the ability to do so. And it's arrogance that gives them character. Now, I'm not saying I'm just going to be arrogant. I'm just saying it's a nice position to be in when you can.

Other things I've come across this week are the sudden passion for cooking, and a sparkling newfound intrest on wine. It's a real easy explaination this one. It all started on Sunday (or more likely Monday morning) with the Jamie Oliver book. Okay so I was reading it going like I could probably learn a bit from it; so far it's just a sudden interest in spices and that lovely fish dish I would love to make; anyhow, it all started from last night's lovely lamb chops (see below) and today's spaghetti dinner; when the sudden realiasation that something so tasty could come from something so easy to make; (and really affordable too) just made me point in a new direction, thinking what I could make for tomorrow. I'm sure I was dreaming of food last night. That, and watching the Great Wine Adventure has got me thinking, tasting, and smelling what has to be a good nice dish of European flavour. It's been really educational, that show. It's even got me pondering to go down to the store downstairs tomorrow to get some cheap wine. I mean, I've tasted wines at dinners tons of times, but to be able to enjoy it without the notion that all you wanted to do was get drunk; but as a compliment to great food is still a relatively new concept to me. And besides, if you don't start with the bottom of the lot, how can you differentiate it with what lies at the top? Brilliant.

Oh and the whole experiment of what if. What if I had woke up and just pretended that I was somewhere else. Somewhere like in Venice. Or France. I mean it's kinda hard when Melbourne Central's just staring you in the eye, but think about it. The weather's just about right. The colour too. And the older buildings just give the correct atmosphere. I suppose I still think I'm in KL. I mean, as getting used to the city goes, I pretty much can say that I have conditioned myself so I'm not really excited by the place. It feels pretty normal. But I got a feeling that somewhere in my thought patterns it's just because my brain still thinks I'm still back home. I mean the sights and sounds might look a little different, but they all feel the same. Even the winter cold that came from night walks to Lygon that just numbs your face and hands just felt a little...fake. I've got a whole theory on how this really isn't real. And just some long, dated, crazy yet detailed imagination of a dream. It's just odd. People say how you learn a lot living in a foreign country. I've learnt a lot from a BBC programme which I downloaded off the net while living in a foreign country. Does that count? I mean seriously, I've learnt cooking from oven instruction manuals and bits and pieces of advice from friends and family, but a big part from that cookbook that I bought simply because Jamie Oliver looked like a cool bloke and he was on last season's Top Gear. Does that count? It's the same stuff you can do at home. It's the same stuff all over the world. So, what's the difference? The key I believe is understanding procrastination, and knowing how to push it to a corner. No one can tell you how to do that but that nutter that's shouting and waving his hands wildly whilst running around chasing an imaginary tail: you.

I think this post has gone for quite a lot longer than expected, so I'll just end it here with a hats off to the new "Royal Hartz Chicken Buffet Club" banner found heading this post. It's lovely really, and I really am looking forward to be tasting the juicy, crispy chicken again. Till the next time then; ta!

Jamie Oliver X The Masterful Surprise

It's lovely what a bit of inspiration and some lamb chops can do. I mean really lovely; and yes: while I may sound a little proud of my latest masterful concoction at the moment, that's purely because it's so lovely to taste; and what more, the house still smells of it! Let's see what should I call it "Lovely Garlic Lamb Chops served with Pasta and Brown Sauce"..Pity it takes ages to grill though, but well worth it. It really opens the doors to the direction of cuisine I should be heading towards for everyday meals.

In a word: "Loveeelyyy"

The New Masterful Pad!

It's the same yet different! A new re-arrange has seen the TV stolen..er.. I mean bought from my housemate and all the consoles are now central in the room. Lovely. I also have come to the realization that I tend to recreate my room wherever I go..seriously...it feels...like...home...sortof. The color's about right and the compactness just feels all too familiar...kinda Bangkung; and I could just sit here if it wasn't for the fact that there are things that need attention. Like food perhaps.. But really, it's shaping up. Not my bank account though... It's getting really tight around thereparts...I blame shops.

Anyway, the top pic is er.. Generals again. I was about to uninstall it for good the other day and was like.. I HAD to give it one last go. I mean, really...it's been resident game on the computer for ages, and countless hours spent multiplaying it the past months..annnyways...if you examine the screen picture closely, I pretty much conquered the entire map. And then made them into all money generating things. Okay okay. I know this all seems very nerdy/gamer type; but I had a goal in mind. I wanted to see if the money counter would stop at some number. And more importantly, what that number was. Six hours later the number was still increasing. I think I stopped at 13 million. It was annoying, that sound. I was getting a headache from all that noise. So I just quit and got back my 2 gigs of free space. Pointless story really.

Okay then, onto more important things. There's really nothing important to report except that it's really bloody cold, and I really should be asleep by now. I mean; really. Got a long day tomorrow, and then followed by 3 weeks of doing something with the holidays; then it's the whole semester cycle again. All that talk about actually doing something I'm not sure exactly what; but my brain keeps telling me to finish Mario Kart DS and FF12. Which is wrong. Because I mean, what am I going to do on the plane then? In November I mean. Or December. I'm really not sure. Either ways, off to bed.

You know what they say:
"Early to bed, early to shine, makes Megan Fox all mine"

or something like that..

The Masterful Camaro

It's been pretty quick, this week; with Thursday suddenly looming ahead, that only means one of two things: the weekend's coming again, or the realization that I am not any closer to my goal with time running out; fast. Boy has it been quick, I mean; really... it's already July, almost my sixth month in Melbourne; and I did lose the plot most of last semester (although near the end it was good), partly because I didn't really have a plot to begin with, and also because I had no idea what I was doing.. setting myself in the right sort of direction was difficult; let alone any direction: it was on the edge stuff, with the end of semester completed with very little room for error. Now, although directionless, the past five months or so has been relatively kept in check by my desire to get something done. The holidays have come and put it all in a sort of limbo. That and my hurt left foot. Anyways, it all started to come back to me after Transformers, and the second viewing yesterday only made a stronger realization, but only right now; as I'm typing this do I feel the need to complete what I had started. So here I am at 3:27am local time with Player's "Baby Come Back" looping endlessly (since morning really) , Oh! and G-Star sale's now on as well, so it's something to do tomorrow; but anyway the point really is: that scene where Mikaela was almost walking away, that sunset, that buildup of emotion when this song plays; that is the point of it: so when I saw this Camaro at Safeway this afternoon, I had no reason not to get it. It's an American icon perhaps, but it stands for so much more. It stands for that moment. It stands for that feeling. It stands for reason. It stands for the meaning. It stands for that perfect picture.

It stands for all that is important.

Time to sleep. A new day beckons.

The Brand With The Three Stripes / The Shoe Issue

It's all Jay Kay's fault really. It really is; although I have yet to experience Boss (though almost, very nearly almost...damn sale..); or see his line, Adidas (or what we prefer to jokingly call Asadi) has pretty much been prevalent in the house. Seriously I was out to get some nike trainers partly because the red Gazelle I've been using for running have been a little tight; and the blue/yellow ones just hurt my feet after long usage. Although the blue/yellow ones are a nod to the Oregon JKs I've been scouring shops to find, they're gorgeous in their own right (although the majority of people I meet tend to like my Londons so much more; it really is a mystery). So anyway, I was out for the nike ones simply because I was overwhelmed with BoA nike ad photos that I have been recently er.. overwhelmed with. So I was just down shopping when I saw these black Barracks: ok so it wasn't really love at first sight, but then I saw that the stripe designs were reminiscent to the 350z door handles, and that I had yet to have a non-colorful shoe (the Porsches were getting dirty too often, requiring too much cleaning; and in no way I wanted to ruin them as much); it was pretty dead on where I was heading. The image of Jay Kay sitting in that High Times DVD interview didn't help. So I was pretty happy with myself (I did splurge on some clothes as well, but that is left to another story..) until i met my housemate for dinner, and we decided to 'pop' by this other shoe shop which was on sale. That's how the Orions came home. It was really really reasonable and I did talk about them just a day before; though the original color I wanted was this dark blueish thing with orange stripes, it's now red with black. And seriously, those are some comfortable comfortable shoes. Haven't had a run in them, but had walked around the apartment yesterday being silly; annnyways... the point of it all really was..

I was supposed to get nikes.

It's all that space cowboy's fault.

Up Is Down.

It's the holiday time, and yet it doesn't really feel like the hols. I really believe I did more during the semester, and by doing more I really mean having more fun; having a crazy time whilst trying to balance classes and work. Now it's become rather laid back; up until the point almost that I haven't really had any time (wait..substitute that with motivation)to work out even.

Ah the joys. Reminds me of that Offspring opening to Smash. Good album that one. It pretty much summed up my mid-teens: roller-blading, R/C cars and The Offspring. That and my back neighbour's really really cute sister. If I could only remember her name. Cause' I sure as hell can remember her face.

Oh lovely. So where was I? Right. The holidays. I'm here typing this at 2:54am with YUI playing in the background; waiting for my sheets to get dry because the washer/dryer didn't do the job right the first time around. I've been sick again these past two days. I'm not sure whether it's the accumulation of the baked stuff and late nights; that few bottles of Smirnoff OR the coffee I've been drinking. It's French. Noir or something. It's lovely. It really is. But anyhow, I'm not getting off the coffee; so I better think of other ways not to get sick. I really don't like being sick (really,who does?-Ed) and yes, it's like really, really annoying. I just can't seem to do the things I want to do well, or at least; comfortably. Hopefully the end of this sickness marks continuing progress to my plans.

Like Jack Sparrow once said, really "Up is down."

Infiltration Plans

For many, the Inflitrator 3 project is/was long gone in their minds, with many key players out of the picture (quite literally), and with a half finished introduction that hardly told what was to come let alone communicate the big planned scenes. There has recently been talk between development teams to re-shoot parts of the intro and re-integrate on-location shoots. However, on other news, there is a rumored planned comic/animation in the works. How far is this true? The new logo featuring the three main characters have appeared; but there were no futher press releases. Only time will tell.

The Masterful Update June 20th!

It's been long overdue for me to update the blog; so here it is! Tons have come and gone by since my last post; the Chow Yuen Fatt DVD craze have extended to the God of Gamblers series (I couldn't resist the apparent "winter sale"; and speaking of which there is a mid year stock-take sale at Myer tomorrow...what oh what will I do?); and boy were they good...; the semester has finally ended, and a last minute frantic has hopefully gotten me through *fingers crossed*. Oh, and a long overdue thanks to all that helped me complete the semester on time; I owe you guys one..you know who you are ;P

That aside, this semester's been kinda packed; interesting, but packed with countless ups and downs; many new experiences; some more favourable than others, but you really can't really tell what's in store; much like the weather which has now permanently stuck in it's winter mode, it's like cold Genting weather outside. Even though we've decided not to opt for heating in favour for cheaper bills, nothing else really has been "super saver" so far; although I really should. It's really interesting how the word "sale" has an affect on me here. On other news, just finished all of Last Exile about a night ago, 26 episodes of pure goodness, why did Dio have to die? Annnyways, on other news, I've found Daytona machines at the bar across from where I live, and have been trying to set time records but am not up to par with my previous schoolboy days records; though in a drunken state. This is however; not defeat; as I have so far gotten names into 2 out of the 4 machines. I've never seen JSR light up the top slot of those machines in a very very long while.

Speaking of the old times, I've managed to find tons of retro video game albums online, official and some even remade. I never knew some of these gems exist! Lovely. Also found some songs that have evaded me for some time.

Been getting used to Melbourne, but the cold is mental sometimes. However, there are tons of stuff that is good and bad about this place. I mean, I can see why some people are addicted to the lifestyle here, but then again, you can't really do as much. Which is why I always end up at Chinatown, which is really a nice piece of bits of home. The Sungei Wang bits especially. Still haven't set foot in Vic Market. It's what I'm starting to call a myth. People talk stories about it, but I've never seen it, so it just might not exist. But then again, I'm just being silly.

So what are my plans for these few weeks of break? Well, there's Wolf's Rain which I just started last night, as well as the need to complete FFXII and the other tons of games that have literally been lying around. Then there's Mai Hime, Tenjou Tenge, starting the whole Gurren Lagann thing and maybe squeezing in Miina. It's all very J-fanboy I'm sure, but then again; I've been catching up on Megatokyo, so go figure.

Well, it's 4:55am over here, and Younha's been playing for the past half hour (probably less); it's really hard to think of what to type, so might just go to sleep; or maybe catch up on some Wolf's Rain. Who knows?

Not me.

I Really Wonder If You Know How They Live In Tokyo

It's been a weird month; the semester has technically ended; with the one exam left on the 14th; and as there are no classes.. whats' a boy to do? I've recently got the entire A Better Tomorrow Trilogy and Nintendogs (although have yet to finalize my dog's name; it's like a hard epic battle between Kelly and Rachel) and although it should mean enough entertainment for a long time; we've finished the trilogy in almost one night and well, I can't really start on the game until I've figured out a name. So; as demonstrated in last night's ordeal; what we ended up doing was watching the Tokyo Drift DVD extras; followed by the movie, and then the movie again, then looping it on the laptop while going to sleep. Waking up to sounds of tyres squealing is surreal; but then again, it really isn't the first time I've done that. Then if you look closely at the bottom picture, yes that's two 360s in the house at the moment (none of them mine); which equates to enough processing power to topple even the mightiest of PS3s; if only it worked that way. Anyways, going to sleep. Need to catch up on that. Ciao.

Welcome Back, General.

The past few weeks have been pretty much this scene. Ever since the sudden Command & Conquer: Generals craze hit off that faithful day, every other day has turned into a raging battlefield filled with er...battles and a sudden overuse of the words Colonel and Burton. That has temporarily stopped at the moment; mainly because most of us have gotten a bit sick of it, and in partial because I had tons of assignments due last weekend; and more to come.
So what's been up? Well, all I can say is that it's mostly been something to do with food, or something to do with alcohol; namely the sudden beer drinking fiesta that started a few weeks back (could it be Generals related?) and yeah, it's been good and bad at the same time. I do miss the simplicity of home life terribly, not to say that I'm not starting to really like drinking at 5pm on a Tuesday evening. At 15 degrees. Outside. Without a jacket. It's great. The weekend's really almost stopped existing. Everyday can be weekend material; although there might be a price to pay the next day. Which is fine if you don't have weird assignments due the following day. I'm getting used to writing 1,500 words with referencing desperately in about 5 hours but have yet to get used to actually doing it a week before so that I wouldn't have to. And the DS lite if finally into it's second battery charge at the moment as I type this..not really big news but well...yeah..Oh! and I finally got around to getting that new YUI album..she's so brilliantly cute and her music has just evolved into some really brilliant stuff but sadly the shop didn't have any extra posters this time around..I was hoping to get one of the promo ones like when I got the Mika Nakashima album a month or two back. Oh well; such is life (pardon the pun). Can't really think of anything else to say at the moment; so I guess that's it for now...

The Food Issue..With Chef Justin "Jamie Oliver" Raymond

First off, there's this, a Twin Chicken Chop With Separate Sauces, which consists of brown and mushroom sauces respectively. This was inspired by the neverending quest to find chicken chop here in Melbourne. Like they say, if you can't find it, make it! Below are the other tasty specials that the masterful surprise has cooked up!















Macaroni With Braised Steak & Onion. A lovely serving of macaroni soaked in ox-tail soup tasting sauce with juicy steak and onion bits. A local favorite!















Pasta With Braised Steak & Onion and Baked Crumbed Fish. The beautiful helping of pasta encapsulated with the aforementioned special home-made steak & onion joined by a helping of tastefully baked crumbed fish to delight!















Bruschetta ala Corleone'. The house classic special where specially prepared garlic bread is topped with juicy fresh tomato, onion and oregano!















Meat Pie With Mashed Potatoes, Baked Crumbed Fish & Brown Sauce. Beautiful combination of three lovely tasty meat pies, butter-soft mashed potato and our special baked breaded fish: all topped in a sexy brown sauce!















And in true Kim Gary fashion; Omelette In French Fried With Brown Sauce! Oh what a name! Delicious like crazy! You try! I try! I like!

1m02s

Every Friday seems like a battle with academics. The last time around I had to work 12 hours straight to get everything done with about 30 minutes to spare. This time around it was 1 minute 02 seconds, an adrenalin filled end to Assignment 1 for Interactive Games Structure as internet connection had to be boosted significantly to send the file through to the internet dropbox. Let's hope I get the next one done at least a day before. It's getting crazy.

Let's party.

The Return Of The Masterful Surprise

Not that soon, not that soon...but it will happen, and I do hope it happens according to plan..in a brief burst of nostalgia mixed with a heavy dosage of will to make it coupled with the fact that it's actually 5:08 in the morning, and Jay Chou's been looping on the laptop (Eh?), it suddenly becomes clear what the whole plot is. It's a very different plot from that originally planned (okay, so maybe the fundamentals are the same; but the outlook might be a bit different..), and with that whole project kay becoming a distant memory; along with the original plot pretty much vanishing out the window the moment I set foot on that bus that got all of this madness going in the first place. The past month(s) (has it really been that long?) have been a confused, weird thing really. It's hard to tell which part of this is reality, or indeed a very long dream that I just cooked up from one too many late night snacks. I have trouble believing what I've gone and done. I have even more trouble actually believing it actually happened. It's just gone by too fast. It's just one surreal picture that does not include any room for error. Losing the plot was really an issue. Partly because losing the plot that held up all this in the first place is a very dangerous thing to do. I would like to clarify that the plot is not conventional, nor is it what you think it is. It really is a messed up thing, something that I really don't want to note here. Though I really wasn't clear of the plot to begin with, or what it involved. Which makes losing it kinda hard. That's what The Masterful Surprise really is all about: the ability to astonish, or in this case, the ability to lose something you never had in the first place. However, I think I'm beginning to shape together a new one (a plot that is..); and the funny thing is, the new plot really doesn't really differ from the fundamentals that always was the driving force behind it all anyway.

On another note, (and I think I already told Ian this) it's funny what you miss when you're far away from home. And now, now, most of you ready to say I told you so; then pointing at the ability to have mamaks or whatever normal people miss when they leave home will be very wrong. First off, I do not miss the food. I only miss the chicken chop; simply because the idiots who portray it as western food when it's really a recipe cooked up by some hainanese back in the day gave me no warning of this. Chicken Schnitzel is NOT THE SAME THING. Secondly, I would like to point out, for some very weird reason, I miss driving 180km/h on the NKVE and Federal Highways. I really do. I think about it almost everyday. It's annoyingly weird. I also miss Hartz Chicken Buffet, but that one is understandable..so...but annnyways... there might be a couple of things I miss about home, but those are the main ones..it's weird how they have excellent chicken rice here (and I mean absolutely stunning) with equally excellent waitresses to boot..AND NO CHICKEN CHOP.

Anyways...it's getting late...back to stalking that beautiful japanese girl I keep bumping into in the elevator (cue Harold & Kumar moment minus the nice bits at the end)

The "Wow" Starts With Hypocrisy..

After weeks of campaigning on how Windows Vista is so completely and utterly rubbish, I have gone back and installed it simply because it's so pretty, and a sad realization that I'll eventually have to use it anyway, so why not start now?

As you can see from the screenshot, it's really very pretty; and I hope the system stays pretty much stable. I still blame Bill Gates appearing on The Daily Show for nudging me into my decision to using the Vista CD I have kept stashed away somewhere in the room. As much as I still maintain that he is the work of pure evil and that Microsoft is the end of all things free and lovely for computing as well as the internet, (and your very soul perhaps?) but he seemed like a pretty okay guy. Jon Stewart really did poke fun at him though, and the fact that if The Daily Show did in some weird off-key way promote Vista...it surely can't be THAT bad...or can it? Either ways, it's 4:08am, and the PC's pretty much set up... (I started all this Vista marlakey at 11am) so I gotta go...oh and by the way, to all you avid readers of TMS, we would like to wish you HAPPY EASTER!

Ciao.

Somewhere, Somehow, Someone...

The Masterful Surprise is back. It's been an incredibly hectic 24 hours; with 2 major assignments due, and tons of stuff in between. Now it's easter break, so hopefully it'll be a bit more relaxing.

It's just been one crazy week.

Will post more soon.