Here's some interesting news for the week of 26th May 2008.
In the world of technology,
Samsung's SSD
Samsung's 1TB HDD
In the world of food,
Food in college just got better! For one friggin' meal. We had laksa for lunch on 27th May 2008 ! And damn, it was good. Not too spicy, not too much coconut milk. Very nice. Very colourful too. Mark this day in history, it shall be remembered for generations to come!
Commercial break. And oh, Happy Birthday, JL. Mine's coming soon.
Back to happy news, moving on, there's been really happy dreams lately. Mostly of girls, partying, having good clean fun, nothing bad, nothing bad, it's all good. Sad news alrert! Except the part where there's this lonely girl, of whom shall not be named. Just too bad for her. I'll treasure the memories.
More happy news, my neighbour, N, just got his QUAD CORE 2.4gHz, 4GB ram, 750GB HDD, 256MB ATI GFX Card, computer. Not to mention a friggin' 24" Widescreen LCD with remote and tv card. I can watch movies from my room using his computer, yes, that's how huge the monitor is.
Sad news, my final year project just took a leap into the technologically advanced direction. We're all upgrading to touchscreens and iMacs. This means, more headache for programmers and interfacing. That's for future me to worry about.
I end the news with a quote, "If it's not broken, don't fix it".
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Hello PayPal and Hello Rapidshare!
Yes, yes, I spent SGD$3 on PayPal and SGD$121 on Rapidshare. This post is to remind me to check my credit card statements when they come in at the end of the month. Haha...
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The Uncertainty Principle
Just some random post about how uncertain life is. Be warned, technical passage ahead.
The uncertainty principle is certainly one of the most famous and important aspects of quantum mechanics. It has often been regarded as the most distinctive feature in which quantum mechanics differs from classical theories of the physical world. Roughly speaking, the uncertainty principle (for position and momentum) states that one cannot assign exact simultaneous values to the position and momentum of a physical system. Rather, these quantities can only be determined with some characteristic ‘uncertainties’ that cannot become arbitrarily small simultaneously. But what is the exact meaning of this principle, and indeed, is it really a principle of quantum mechanics? (In his original work, Heisenberg only speaks of uncertainty relations.) And, in particular, what does it mean to say that a quantity is determined only up to some uncertainty? These are the main questions we will explore in the following, focusing on the views of Heisenberg and Bohr.
The notion of ‘uncertainty’ occurs in several different meanings in the physical literature. It may refer to a lack of knowledge of a quantity by an observer, or to the experimental inaccuracy with which a quantity is measured, or to some ambiguity in the definition of a quantity, or to a statistical spread in an ensemble of similarly prepared systems. Also, several different names are used for such uncertainties: inaccuracy, spread, imprecision, indefiniteness, indeterminateness, indeterminacy, latitude, etc. As we shall see, even Heisenberg and Bohr did not decide on a single terminology for quantum mechanical uncertainties. Forestalling a discussion about which name is the most appropriate one in quantum mechanics, we use the name ‘uncertainty principle’ imply because it is the most common one in the literature.
Adapted from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/qt-uncertainty/Thursday, May 15, 2008
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
Deuteronomy 5:6-21; Exodus 20:1-17
I am the Lord thy God ,
who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt (Mizrahim), out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt not have any other gods besides me
Thou shalt not make for thyself any graven image
(carved idol) or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, punishing the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those that hate me; but showing mercy to thousands of generations of those that love me, and keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ;
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
Remember to keep holy the sabbath day ;
six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a sabbath, that is, the rest of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not do any work therein, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy ox, nor thy ass, nor any of thy beasts, nor the stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest, even as thyself. Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the sabbath day.
Honour thy father and mother
that thy days be long in the land which the Lord gives thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's (goods)
house or fields, nor his male or female slaves, nor his ox or ass, or anything that belongs to him.
who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt (Mizrahim), out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt not have any other gods besides me
Thou shalt not make for thyself any graven image
(carved idol) or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, punishing the iniquities of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those that hate me; but showing mercy to thousands of generations of those that love me, and keep my commandments.
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ;
for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
Remember to keep holy the sabbath day ;
six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is a sabbath, that is, the rest of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not do any work therein, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy ox, nor thy ass, nor any of thy beasts, nor the stranger that is within thy gates; that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest, even as thyself. Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the sabbath day.
Honour thy father and mother
that thy days be long in the land which the Lord gives thee.
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's (goods)
house or fields, nor his male or female slaves, nor his ox or ass, or anything that belongs to him.
Now, let us recap on the 10 commandments. Hmmm, we are all guilty of at least 9 of them. Which 9? That's for you to know. Now, go forth and repent. And remember that He died for us, so that we can live for Him.
A word of judgement
Romans 2: 1-3
Do you, my friend, pass judgment on others? You have no excuse at all, whoever you are. For when you judge others and then do the same things which they do, you condemn yourself. We know that God is right when he judges the people who do such things as these. But you, my friend, do those very things for which you pass judgment on others! Do you think you will escape God's judgment?
Take some time to reflect upon this verse, and think of all those times that you've gossiped about others, judged others, say unpleasant things about them. All these things will be passed onto God and yes, YOU shall be judged before Him as well. Guilty as charged!!
Lastly, I end the post by saying,
"Never regret what you say, or it might come back and haunt you one day!"
Do you, my friend, pass judgment on others? You have no excuse at all, whoever you are. For when you judge others and then do the same things which they do, you condemn yourself. We know that God is right when he judges the people who do such things as these. But you, my friend, do those very things for which you pass judgment on others! Do you think you will escape God's judgment?
Take some time to reflect upon this verse, and think of all those times that you've gossiped about others, judged others, say unpleasant things about them. All these things will be passed onto God and yes, YOU shall be judged before Him as well. Guilty as charged!!
Lastly, I end the post by saying,
"Never regret what you say, or it might come back and haunt you one day!"
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Mother's Day 2008
On this day O Beautiful Mother
On this day we give Thee our love
Near thee Madonna fondly we hover
Trusting thy gentle care to prove.
On this day we ask to share,
Dearest Mother thy sweet care
Aid us ere our feet astray
Wander from thy guiding way
On this day O Beautiful Mother
On this day we give Thee our love
Near thee Madonna fondly we hover
Trusting thy gentle care to prove.
Queen of angels deign to hear
Lisping childrens's humble pray'r
Young hearts gain O Virgin pure
Sweetly to thyself allure
On this day O beautiful Mother,
On this day we give Thee our Love
Near Thee Madonna fondly we hover
Trusting thy gentle care to prove
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Reflection for Pentecost Sunday
John 20: 19-23.
I'm just going to focus on verse 23:
"If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
We all know that there are many people who have sinned against us. Strangers, and even at times our closest of friends. A misunderstanding, a passing remark, a slip of the tongue in the heat of an argument. All these are the ingredients of sins.
There's always two options for handling this.
1. Forgive and forget.
2. Forgive and not forget.
It is always tough to take option 1, but still, we must somehow, take it in our stride and just take it with a huge pinch of salt, and just carry on with life. Just don't let one sore remark ruin your entire day, or entire life for that matter. There's still so many things that you are capable of doing. So don't let a sharp tongue obstruct you from achieving a certain goal. Let bygones be bygones.
Option 2 is quite a tricky one, forgiving but not forgetting that it ever happened is quite easy to do. This just means that you'll just be wary of this particular person who has just tainted your image of him/her. Oh well, just be careful then. It's all an act. A facade. Hence, the part of being wary of the person. It may not be always what it seems.
For me? I choose option 3. Not forgive and just forget. Until today, I am still hurt, by the venom of a snake bite from a previous friendship. It is just too tough to move on. Therefore, those sins which I do not forgive, are not forgiven. They will reside in me until the day I find a way to love again.
To conclude, Dear Lord, please grant me and others like me, the strength to be like you, to be so loving and so forgiving. To love your people so much that you gave up your life for us. We, the people, who condemned you to the cross. And yet, with the power of your love, you forgave us. Thank you, Lord. I ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
I'm just going to focus on verse 23:
"If you forgive people's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
We all know that there are many people who have sinned against us. Strangers, and even at times our closest of friends. A misunderstanding, a passing remark, a slip of the tongue in the heat of an argument. All these are the ingredients of sins.
There's always two options for handling this.
1. Forgive and forget.
2. Forgive and not forget.
It is always tough to take option 1, but still, we must somehow, take it in our stride and just take it with a huge pinch of salt, and just carry on with life. Just don't let one sore remark ruin your entire day, or entire life for that matter. There's still so many things that you are capable of doing. So don't let a sharp tongue obstruct you from achieving a certain goal. Let bygones be bygones.
Option 2 is quite a tricky one, forgiving but not forgetting that it ever happened is quite easy to do. This just means that you'll just be wary of this particular person who has just tainted your image of him/her. Oh well, just be careful then. It's all an act. A facade. Hence, the part of being wary of the person. It may not be always what it seems.
For me? I choose option 3. Not forgive and just forget. Until today, I am still hurt, by the venom of a snake bite from a previous friendship. It is just too tough to move on. Therefore, those sins which I do not forgive, are not forgiven. They will reside in me until the day I find a way to love again.
To conclude, Dear Lord, please grant me and others like me, the strength to be like you, to be so loving and so forgiving. To love your people so much that you gave up your life for us. We, the people, who condemned you to the cross. And yet, with the power of your love, you forgave us. Thank you, Lord. I ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
4 more weeks left of school proper
Okay, here's a reality check. There's only 4 weeks of school left. Lectures and tutorials are gonna end in 4 weeks. How time flies. Just a blink ago, I just arrived in this lousy excuse for a continent, next moment, I'm halfway through my degree. Just so fast.
Updates for this week.
Basically, I've been singing "Jesus, Lamb of God" for 2 weeks straight for mass. Well, practice makes perfect. Stage fright has no power over me anymore. Never had, still don't, never will.
On a much heavier note, there was a 'Process Instrumentation & Control' test on Friday. So it was revising for the whole of the week. Had been revising the week before. And well, the hard work paid off. The test was a walk in the park. 10%, here I come!
On a happy note, we found a glitch in the game Rainbow 6 Vegas 2. There's this point in the 1st stage where the enemy just respawns indefinitely. And killing him, grants us 10 exp points! Woohoo! I'm going up the ranks! Well, there's the Iron Man game that I've played too. It's as good as the movie. But it gets rather repetitive. But still, pure Sega Arcade fun. Ah Long Pte Ltd has been released recently too on VCD/DVD. You know what that means. Heh heh! Where's my "LEAP YEARS" movie?!!?!?!???
I'll end with this verse taken off my iGoogle page...
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
My interpretation is that... We should not look for Christ only when we are in trouble, but we should look for him and talk to Him all the time, regardless of whether it's for help, thanksgiving, blessings or even healing. So, speak to Him everyday. :)
Updates for this week.
Basically, I've been singing "Jesus, Lamb of God" for 2 weeks straight for mass. Well, practice makes perfect. Stage fright has no power over me anymore. Never had, still don't, never will.
On a much heavier note, there was a 'Process Instrumentation & Control' test on Friday. So it was revising for the whole of the week. Had been revising the week before. And well, the hard work paid off. The test was a walk in the park. 10%, here I come!
On a happy note, we found a glitch in the game Rainbow 6 Vegas 2. There's this point in the 1st stage where the enemy just respawns indefinitely. And killing him, grants us 10 exp points! Woohoo! I'm going up the ranks! Well, there's the Iron Man game that I've played too. It's as good as the movie. But it gets rather repetitive. But still, pure Sega Arcade fun. Ah Long Pte Ltd has been released recently too on VCD/DVD. You know what that means. Heh heh! Where's my "LEAP YEARS" movie?!!?!?!???
I'll end with this verse taken off my iGoogle page...
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
My interpretation is that... We should not look for Christ only when we are in trouble, but we should look for him and talk to Him all the time, regardless of whether it's for help, thanksgiving, blessings or even healing. So, speak to Him everyday. :)
Friday, May 2, 2008
Movie Review: Iron Man 2008
Before I start the movie review proper, here's an epilogue. I thought of it all by myself, using some literature skills leftover from way back when.
"ironman ironman... does whatever an iron can.. ease a crease, all the time... keeps shirts straight... anytime... look out! here comes an ironman...."
Stay tuned for the movie review proper...
Quote from Crustation: "Tony Stark is female. Fe-Male." Fe on the periodic table is iron, duh.
Ok, enough of the fun stuff, let's get down to business. Rest assured, this is a spoiler free movie review.
Iron Man is based upon a Marvel comic character who uses his technology to create an exoskeletal suit to fight against evil. Thank you, Mr Stan "The Man" Lee.
I was in high anticipation when I first saw the trailers of this movie. Explosions, bullets, planes, tanks, moving robotic parts... Sounds like transformers all over again. But no. Thankfully, after seeing the finished product, I was not disappointed at the least. After seeing X-men and Spider-man, Iron Man surely promises and gives us a solid initiation of what could be a great trilogy, or more.
There isn't a long and draggy backstory. Instead, the information of what happened in the past was clearly and swiftly orchestrated, from the time he was a stuck-up industrialist to the time he realised that he had a greater calling, after his close brush with death. The story buildup and character background has been clearly structured in a way that even if you do not know who Iron Man is, you will empathise with him about a quarter through the movie.
It is unclear who the bad people are at first, but by the end of the movie, all the questions that you had from the beginning of the movie will unfold. Realising that his own weapons that were supposed to protect and defend the world, fell to the hands of the very people who wanna destroy the peace of the world. That's irony for you. Humbled and awoken to his senses, he then creates a state of the art suit, with air and land destruction capabilities. Ready for atonement, and feeling remorseful, he fights and destroys the bad guys. Typical superhero movie eh?
Well, all I can say is that Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark, a sarcastic industrialist with the technical knowhow of a technology genius. He is best suited for the role as he delivered each scene with professionalism. To top it off, there was a great balance of comic delivery and seriousness which shows his masterful acting ability.
Supporting characters also do as well. Jeff Bridges plays the almighty villain, great build up of character too. Terrence Howard is Tony's best friend and military liason, that's where "a friend in need is a friend in deed" comes into play. You'll find out in due course of the movie. A good future character build up too, Marvel fans would know what I mean. And there's the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow, who's Tony's assistant, at times neglected and is referred to as a female prop on the set. Don't worry too much, she's there for a reason. We also have Shaun Toub, who appears in the early stages of the movie and is deemed as Tony's savior for reasons that you will find out later in the movie. Finally, there's Clark Gregg, as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. Not to mention a Stan Lee cameo. Look out for that too.
It is not easy to forget this is action-packed film above all else, it is not all acting. It's the computer graphics and all the special effects which leaves you yearning for more. As you may have seen in the trailers, Iron Man was flying with F-22 Raptors (Stealth planes), that was one of the best flight scenes I must say. Everything is just amazing, the suits, the cars, the planes, the weapons, the scenery, the computers he uses, just amazing. Even holograms! Just too bad, apart from the planes and cars and scenery, the rest of the above mentioned are not available to us in this lifetime, yet.
On some moments rather crabby than witty, but otherwise this movie is a top notch summer release and is a definite must watch on the big screen. Trust me, stay till the end of the credits to see how this story will progress in the number of years to come.
Rating: 8.5/10
"ironman ironman... does whatever an iron can.. ease a crease, all the time... keeps shirts straight... anytime... look out! here comes an ironman...."
Stay tuned for the movie review proper...
Quote from Crustation: "Tony Stark is female. Fe-Male." Fe on the periodic table is iron, duh.
Ok, enough of the fun stuff, let's get down to business. Rest assured, this is a spoiler free movie review.
Iron Man is based upon a Marvel comic character who uses his technology to create an exoskeletal suit to fight against evil. Thank you, Mr Stan "The Man" Lee.
I was in high anticipation when I first saw the trailers of this movie. Explosions, bullets, planes, tanks, moving robotic parts... Sounds like transformers all over again. But no. Thankfully, after seeing the finished product, I was not disappointed at the least. After seeing X-men and Spider-man, Iron Man surely promises and gives us a solid initiation of what could be a great trilogy, or more.
There isn't a long and draggy backstory. Instead, the information of what happened in the past was clearly and swiftly orchestrated, from the time he was a stuck-up industrialist to the time he realised that he had a greater calling, after his close brush with death. The story buildup and character background has been clearly structured in a way that even if you do not know who Iron Man is, you will empathise with him about a quarter through the movie.
It is unclear who the bad people are at first, but by the end of the movie, all the questions that you had from the beginning of the movie will unfold. Realising that his own weapons that were supposed to protect and defend the world, fell to the hands of the very people who wanna destroy the peace of the world. That's irony for you. Humbled and awoken to his senses, he then creates a state of the art suit, with air and land destruction capabilities. Ready for atonement, and feeling remorseful, he fights and destroys the bad guys. Typical superhero movie eh?
Well, all I can say is that Robert Downey Jr plays Tony Stark, a sarcastic industrialist with the technical knowhow of a technology genius. He is best suited for the role as he delivered each scene with professionalism. To top it off, there was a great balance of comic delivery and seriousness which shows his masterful acting ability.
Supporting characters also do as well. Jeff Bridges plays the almighty villain, great build up of character too. Terrence Howard is Tony's best friend and military liason, that's where "a friend in need is a friend in deed" comes into play. You'll find out in due course of the movie. A good future character build up too, Marvel fans would know what I mean. And there's the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow, who's Tony's assistant, at times neglected and is referred to as a female prop on the set. Don't worry too much, she's there for a reason. We also have Shaun Toub, who appears in the early stages of the movie and is deemed as Tony's savior for reasons that you will find out later in the movie. Finally, there's Clark Gregg, as the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. Not to mention a Stan Lee cameo. Look out for that too.
It is not easy to forget this is action-packed film above all else, it is not all acting. It's the computer graphics and all the special effects which leaves you yearning for more. As you may have seen in the trailers, Iron Man was flying with F-22 Raptors (Stealth planes), that was one of the best flight scenes I must say. Everything is just amazing, the suits, the cars, the planes, the weapons, the scenery, the computers he uses, just amazing. Even holograms! Just too bad, apart from the planes and cars and scenery, the rest of the above mentioned are not available to us in this lifetime, yet.
On some moments rather crabby than witty, but otherwise this movie is a top notch summer release and is a definite must watch on the big screen. Trust me, stay till the end of the credits to see how this story will progress in the number of years to come.
Rating: 8.5/10
As a deer.
As a deer longs for a stream of cool water, so I long for You, O God. I thirst for You, the living God.
Psalms 42:1-2
Reflecting upon this verse, it brings to mind that we all yearn for something in our lives. Being a student, I think that our top priority should be studies, and studies alone. After we get the "paper" that we have fought and bled for these few years, the rest of life will fall into place.
So, FOCUS people, FOCUS! The stream is just nearby.
Psalms 42:1-2
Reflecting upon this verse, it brings to mind that we all yearn for something in our lives. Being a student, I think that our top priority should be studies, and studies alone. After we get the "paper" that we have fought and bled for these few years, the rest of life will fall into place.
So, FOCUS people, FOCUS! The stream is just nearby.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Genesis - Chapter 1
On the first day.
Well, since this month is the month of Mother Mary, I've decided to start anew. So, hello and welcome to my life. Ups and downs. Ins and outs. Lefts and rights. Rights and wrongs.
Thank you Lord, for giving me this opportunity to express myself once again. Holy be your name. May your will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven. Give me today, my daily bread. Forgive me my sins and forgive those who have sinned against me. Lead me not to the test, but deliver me from evil. Amen.
End of day one.
Well, since this month is the month of Mother Mary, I've decided to start anew. So, hello and welcome to my life. Ups and downs. Ins and outs. Lefts and rights. Rights and wrongs.
Thank you Lord, for giving me this opportunity to express myself once again. Holy be your name. May your will be done on Earth, as it is in heaven. Give me today, my daily bread. Forgive me my sins and forgive those who have sinned against me. Lead me not to the test, but deliver me from evil. Amen.
End of day one.
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