Doing + Tweeting

Delaqroux Inc Updates.
For those who have me on their facebook friendlist or following my tweets, you might have seen that i make tweets/shoutouts a whole lot. And, as much as i make shoutouts, i follow people's updates and take them seriously too. However, one thing has been bugging me since awhile back and that's the tenses they are using in their shoutouts/tweets

For those who are going; "tenses?"; well, tenses are... (flips grammar book) verbs that shows an action done within a particular time frame... and shit. really? well, i'm not too sure if that's accurate enough but basically, tenses are those indicators of actions done in certain times. Present tense means i'm doing it now, Past tense means i've done it, Future tense means i will do it in the future. And Continuous tense means i am still doing it. There's other category of tenses but i'm not gonna go thru that. Yep, Dark Delaqroux, English teacher.. and that's my take on grammar...bitch!

AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaanyways, i've been reading through people's shoutouts and i have realized that those shoutouts are made in different tenses. Some indicate a past action, some're planning for the future and some are.. well.. doing it now. The latter bugs me the most. How can they are doing something and tweeting about it at the same time? Take this one for example;

Now, i dont care about the fact that the guy is dressed Mexican style, free-falling and eating ice cream all at the same. For all i know, he might actually possess the capacity to do that. But tweeting about doing something while guy is doing it? I cant help but to wonder, is that possible? Yeah, i know it's a minor thing but i just cant help wondering if that is humanly possible to the extend where i will actually try doing it myself. Okay, so you may say that the example above might still be a possible case. And in another example;

Now that example right there, while in present continuous tense, is do-able. You can enjoy ice cream while tweeting. I've tried that and while i have slightly sticky phone keypad afterwards, tweeting while eating ice cream and waiting for fireworks is possible (of course, i'm not too sure about free-falling). But let's just say, you argue that it IS possible to tweet while free falling, let's get the ice cream and free falls out of the examples and see this one below;

Okay, now seriously, how is that possible? First, note that the shoutout was not made using facebook mobile (the app where you have facebook in your mobile phone) and one time, i figured, yeah, it's not really impossible to make out with a girl and hold a handphone on one hand and typing at the same time. But they are actually making out while the guy (who is totally not me.. no, seriously) is on his laptop. Well, technically, the girl should be on his lap's top while the pc is on the desk for that being possible. But the guy has to has a real good stealth keyboard to not make any sound if he is typing while making out. that, or ninja fingers. Also, it could have been the fact that the making out session is too loud that the girl couldnt hear him typing. THAT, or they both have a mutual agreement where the girl dont mind the guy making out while posting a shoutout... huh.

So, yeah, i really put up alot of thinking in this. God knows why. Now i studied linguistic and i do know the fact that the use of present continuous tense to describe a past event is acceptable. News headlines do that all the time. But, what bugs me is the fact that when they post those updates or tweets and using present tense, it just makes me wonder whether is it possible to do those things while tweeting? I mean, obviously, the last example guy was not making out while also on his computer. But what if he really is? How did he do that??

Til then, i'll still be wondering and making more blogposts.
Delaqroux Out.

(Tweets and status updates above are not taken from anyone, i snipped my own shoutout and photoshopped them with the pic and text. Also, none of the updates were real but they are based on real tweets and shoutouts i have seen before. If it's similar to any of yours, that's purely coincidental.. Go tweet yourself :p)

Main Minecraft

Wtf.. now that's a rare case. Me posting a blogpost with a Malay blogpost title. Yeah, it's read as "ma-en" as in play in English, not "men" as in "main"... (Way to go Dark. Now go teach little kids vocabulary). Anyways, now that we're in the mood for Malay...

Delaqroux In...korperasi meng... uh....menaik tarikh...? (up..date?)... YEAH!!!

There was a time in past Dark's life when he loved playing with stackable blocks. He love building castles and fortresses with them and every time the structure is completed, he foresaw an army trying to take over the castle. Past Dark, while also the castle's designer, roleplays the castle's defender and, using the best of his design, he outsmarted the forecoming army. Of course, Dark won everytime, proving his supremacy over and over again to the dumbass army. Good times, we both, Present Dark and Past Dark, agree. But gone are those fun, innocent times. Til this one guy created MINECRAFT!!

No, not yourscraft.. minecraft.. (Sorry, just had to do that joke)

Minecraft is exactly a reminiscent of those simple playtimes. You play as a blockish guy in a world full of blocks and you, similar to playing with stackable blocks, tear down the blocks that shapes the world (which is called Mining) and restructure them (put them side by side or stack em up high) to form castles or houses or whatever you can think of. Also, to make your mining and building job easier, you need to craft better equipments and sometimes, better blocks to assist you (which is called Crafting). There's no storyline to Minecraft but rather you create your own. The game consist of nightime and daytime in which the world's creature (yeah, there's random spawning creatures) spawns from cows, sheeps, pigs and chickens during the day (You can kill them for food and more crafting materials) and not-so-pleasant baddies during the night. Now, the baddies, like the army i used to imagine, wants you dead. so the only way for you to survive the night is to build a smart, baddies-proof structure. Fun eh? No? Well, fuck you.

Anyways, while actually more of a survival game, Minecraft is a pretty relaxing experience once you're familiar with the day-night cycle (Mine and build during the day, hide and craft in your fortress by night). You dont need to kill those baddies for any reason. there's no scoring system or whatever. But as long as you're safely in your castle at night and can watch those baddies burst into flames as the next day's sun appears, it's just a satisfying feeling. Soon after, you find yourself enlargening your hiding place (from cave to a house, to hideout, to castle, to fortresses.. whatever you can think off) all at a relaxing pace. There's nothing telling you what you should design, there's no missions, no scoring and you can play with a mate in a total mine and build game. I played all by myself and i find myself building some underground sanctuary with tunnels and bunkers.

Will it appeal to you? Maybe yes, maybe not. The premise of mine and build without a storyline or a mission may sound dull to some. But hey, Minecraft has sold millions of copies and some game website has already regarded Minecraft to be one of the most innovative games in 2010. So why not take it for a spin. Til then, i'll see you again when my KLCC block tower is finished.

That's not my design up there but it's one example on what you can build with Minecraft. Wait til my KLCC is done... it will be way more awesome.

Delaqroux Out.

Ridiculously obscene songs that are fun

Delaqroux Inc Updates.
Now i was feeling down for a couple of days now. And then i came across a friend's shoutout regarding how ridiculous some songs these days can be. It turned out that the song she was actually referring to was "I just had sex" by Lonely Island. Now, the shitty thing is that i heard that song a couple of weeks before and i was dying to get it out of my head (hey, the song is catchy) but considering how i need a cheer up; i put that song on my laptop again. Now, i've got the video below but if you're under 18, dont click on it.



Yeah it cheered me up alright :D LOL'd at "When i had the sex, my penis felt great"...

Yeah, the song is friggin ridiculously obscene for the most part but you know what? It's a good change from all those chart toppers out there at the moment which lyrics may sound like the sweetest ballad ever but in truth, we're just talking about the guy probably jacking off to the girl or wanting to bang the girl badly. If you dont believe me, try listening to "In My Head" by Jason Derulo but replace "Head" with "Bed" and it all will make sense. Oh, and "I wanna Love you" by Akon... Yeah, he just wanna love the girl. Really.

Anyways, the lyrics for "I just had Sex" is pretty much honest and that's what awesome about it. I guess that's what memorable about it. If you rather have songs where the singers are being honest, try checking out "Flight of the Conchords", Katy Perry's "Peacock" (Yeah, one time she was singing about Fireworks and the next song in the album is her singing about wanting to see "what you're hiding underneath"). Oh, and I kinda like how innocently honest (and not to mention, romantic) Bruno Mars sounds in "Just the way you are" but i dont agree with the video using a really hot girl to whom he's referring to. If the song is saying how he likes her the way she are (Timbaland referrence here. I know my English), why not just use a normal lady, right? Damn, i should start making videoclips for singers now. Okay, i'm getting off topic.

Anyways, last note. Here's the Peacock song if you havent heard it before. Enjoy. And kids, she really wants to go to a zoo and see a peacock but probably the zoo-keeper is hiding them somewhere underneath a... blanket or something. Oh and a side note; i heard the song being played while i was at a JayJay's outlet in Park St. I wonder if i'd ever hear that song again in Malaysia's retail shops?



Yeah... She really wants to see it.
Delaqroux Out.

Moving out.. shit-ness

Delaqroux Inc Updates
I know this may sound really really sad but i dont have anyone to talk with at the moment so i turned to something all emo bloggers would turn to at the moment of emo-ness; their blogs. Yeah, this is about the designation of my hostel in my college and it sucks big time.

For one, there was a time when i realized that we're not allowed to choose our own housemates. That was still a lil okay as i thought, as long as they have us under one roof (it's an apartment so "under one roof" consist of quite aplenty of houses and rooms) it shouldnt really matter if we're just a stone throw away from one another. Then i found out that my name wasnt on the list of residence. It sucked a tad coz i was really nervous to found out where i will be staying at when most of my mates already have. But again, as long as we're all under one roof, it shouldnt really matter. Then finally, the list was updated and i was not even under the same roof. Shit-ness.

In fact, i'm designated in a room three blocks away with complete strangers as housemates and roomies. Now, i dont mind having strangers as roomies (had strangers for my housemates for almost a year in Sydney last time) but my conscience is telling me that i should not be living there. So, being as polite as i can, i requested a transfer to a more familiar sanctuary. Request denied. I'm stuck there. Now that sucked but what sucked harder is the fact that my gut cant stop telling me that, like George Lucas's movie scripts, "there's a bad feeling about this". I rather trust my gut after several experiences and yeah, what else is there left to do but to stay outside?

So yeah, that's the dilemma. If i'll be staying outside, will there still be more rooms for rent? 2011's just around the corner and rooms for rent are running out fast. Plus, all the ads about rooms for rent are only for Muslim girls, Muslim girls and Muslim girls (and they say guys are sexist.. pfft). Shit-ness. And all i want to do in my last year in IPBA is to study in an awesome environment where i'll feel (almost) at home, is that too much to ask?

Delaqroux Out.

Then what? (Review on Malaysian ads)

Delaqroux Inc Updates.
So i was watching the tv when i realized the few patterns of ads in televisions. Among the common ones is the lame-guy-saw-hot-girl, guy-uses-X-product, guy-becomes-cool, and finally, guy-gets-hot-girl (of course, you can switch the gender the other way round too). The concept is a tad primitive in my opinion, but hey, it works to a great extend. If you think "nah, it wont work", let's just say, i bought Lynx deodorant. So, yeah, Lynx is an Australian (at least, i think it's Australian.. it might be an international product) men's perfume and deodorant brand or something and the product pride itself in the "men who uses Lynx gets girl" marketing concept it is using. But after watching both Malaysian ads and Australian ads, it got me thinking; what's next in the Malaysian ads?

I mean, the guy in the Australian Lynx ad started out unattractive and due to his fortunate application of Lynx beforehand, he can transform from lame to romantic, romantic to cool and at the end of the ad where he is invited for a cup of coffee (Yes, kids, it must have been coffee.. what else could a man and a woman do together in an apartment :p), the ad clearly indicate that the man... well... will get his coffee (the machine appeared and shaved his... well... downstairs). So yeah, the headline; men uses Lynx get laid (coffee).

Then, i came across an ad in Malaysia with an almost similar concept. The guy was driving, guy saw hot toll gate girl, he turns on his car deodorant, girl get impressed. Afterwards, the closing scene of the ad had the girl now in the guys car... Wait... THEN WHAT? I mean, the guy in the Lynx ad in Aussie had him getting coffee - a concept pretty much a taboo in Malaysia (Yes, kids, you dont give coffee to strangers in Malaysia), so what's next for the car deodorant guy who has got the hot toll gate girl in his car? Will they really get coffee and get to know each other? Then exhange phone numbers? Then meet each other's parents? Get married shortly after? And then finally the guy can now legally gets his coffee?

So, yeah, the main question that always got me thinking in such ads in Malaysia is "so the guy got the girl using an X product... then what?". If the product gets the girl to get in the guy's car. What other product do i need to make sure i... well... get the girl? I know, it's a sick thought but nah, it's just those random things i think of.
Let me know what you guys think.

Delaqroux Out.

Freaky two-year time lapse

Delaqroux Inc Updates.
As i'm officially now in Malaysia once again, i cant help but to realize that a whole lot of things have changed drastically. I mean, of course i am not expecting that everything would stay the same for the last two years but the fact that you were gone for two years, which, in truth, doesnt really feel like that long of a time, and things changed, it's like you're in this freaky two year time lapse. Something like you're in coma - it dont feel that long but when you wake up, everything has changed.

In my family, my little sis has grown freakishly tall. Okay, not freakishly. But imagine in 2009 when i left, she was just about my waist height or something and now, she can headbutt me in the neck if she wants to (or if i piss her off enough). She kinda look like Alex from Modern family with her height, long black hair, and glasses. She's a top scorer too so yeah, my sis is an Alex. Aside that, dad's fat. Like, chubby. There was a time when i myself was slightly fatter than i am right now. I had a picture of myself back then and looking at my dad, it reminded of that picture (who's the fatso now!  lolol). Oh, and also, my dad picked me up from the airport in a 4WD instead of old rusty van. How fucking awesome is that! I love 4WDs and my family has owned one! Now to find some cyclist and run them over...

No change on mom and big sis though.

In regards of Selayang, there are some parts of the city (or town.. or slum... whatever you call it) that has not changed at all. But for some others, there's tall building sprouting out from everywhere. I had the view of my friend's place from the house's front balcony. The last time i saw it, they're demolishing it for something. Now, it's a three storey building. Three storey building replacing an old house in a matter of two years! Seriously! Oh, and Selayang Mall has reigned supreme in her battle against Selayang Capitol. A whole lot of things have changed in the inside and apparently, it worked. One of the biggest change of all is the fact that Shakey's Pizza is gone (sad face). Yeah, my old workplace with a friendly italian design to the interior has been replaced by some KFC wannabe that, when i visited, had zero customers in it. Wonder why Shakey ever left when their business were kicking ass.

Also, there was Malaysian television. Now, i dunno if i can call it changes or it's just that Australian television is way more awesome but somehow, ads from Malaysian tv all seemed to revolve around the 80s now. Lame acting, unneccessary graphics, excessive effort to make mundane things look awesome, lame catchline (like, "penat dengan something something, gunalah something something" in almost 75% of those ads). And the shows being aired; it seems like everything seemed to revolve around life dramas and pathetic jokes with a "kwang kwang kwang" sound effect everytime something supposedly funny happened. Oz tv is mostly about catchy OZ lifestyle ads and adrenaline based shows. So, i guess i wont be following much tv here.

So yeah, it's just weird how things have changed so drastically in two years. I have stayed in Selayang for almost 11 years and by that time, nothing really changed. When I'm gone for just a short while, everyone seemed to have the idea of changing and building more stuffs. Again, freaky two-year time lapse.

Delaqroux Out.

ONLINE GARAGE SALE.. how cool does that sound?

Delaqroux Inc Updates.
Ground rules set; i'm moving back to Malaysia and i'm selling my stuff. Price are negotiable (though stingy customers might be assassinated), and photos will come soon. Email me on facebook or gmail (Address: adninazmi.msa@gmail.com) if there's anything you want to ask. Here's the stuff i'm selling. Drumroll, please.

1. 21 inch television with antennae - 50 dollars
Perfectly working. High contrast, sharp picture

2. Soul Skater skateboard thingy - 20 dollars (retail price: 80 dollars @ BigW)
It's this skateboard like thingy that's on the TV ad for awhile back. Unlike a skateboard, it's really light and compact - can fit in an average backpack. Cool stuff.

3. Outdoor Tent Set - 20 dollars (retail price: 50 dollar +)
Fit for outdoor camping. Fit for 1-2 people. Not for extreme weather but useful for light camping and securing a spot for events like Sydney's New Year's Eve.

4. Soup pot - 2 dollars
No cover but awesome for soup or stews

5. Malaysian Multi Adapter - 2 dollars - Quantity: 2

6. 3 level Steamer Set + Dumpling bamboo steamer - 10 dollars (retail price: 20 dollars @ Reject) 
Complete set. Awesome for steam-cooking. The dumpling steamer's a free gift and it's awesome.

7. HP Deskjet F4185 Printer - 10 dollars
Working perfectly. Driver can be downloaded online (email me if you need help on that). Full colour ink, partially used black ink equipped inside.

8. Computer Speaker w/ adapter - 10 dollars
Clear sound. Lightweight + Portable.

9. Electric kettle - 5 dollars

10. Stationery set (some pens and paper clips) + File stand + pen case - 8 dollars (retail price: 15 dollars @ Big W)

11. Steam Iron - 5 dollars

12. Laundry set (Laundry basket + Pail + toiletries case + Pegs and hangars) - 5 dollars

13. Table Lamp - 5 dollars (retail price: 10 dollars @ Reject)

14. Deep Frying Pan -  5 dollars

15. Dinner Plastic plate x 2, Small plate x 1, Bowl x 1, Mug x 1 - 4 dollars

Check back soon for more stuff. Email me if there's anything or drop me a text. Contact list below. Oh, and important note; item will be available on 10 December only. Hope to hear from you guys soon.

Adnin out.
www.facebook.com/darkdelaqroux
adninazmi.msa@gmail.com
0433367691

Tiny little memorable things

Delaqroux Inc Updates
Apparently the date for my flight back to Malaysia has been (long) confirmed. It's gonna be the 12th of December. (Note to self: Upon this point, i still dont have my passport. Refer to previous post on how i manage to lost it) Of course, back then, i was really melodramatic on the thought of leaving my life in Aussie. Yep, definitely there's a lot of changes in my life since i got here. The most part of it is the freedom to do things that I want without having anyone telling me that i shouldnt. Life would go back to a hell lot of restrictions when i go back (i.e Mr Arse confiscating my wristband one time claiming that teachers cant wear wristbands.  Fuck you. Fuck you very, very much, thanks) and entering a life of a teacher doubled that fact. But, having dinner at Vintage today made me think of one thing; going back to Malaysia isnt so bad at all - especially coz i know that there's always those tiny little memorable things back at home that i forgot to look forward to.

Here in Aussie, i still carry the hobby of doing food hunts (food hunts [refer to; "food hunting] (n): refers to the action of hunting good places for good food around a particular designated area). And definitely, food in Sydney (also Melbourne, Adelaide and Melbourne) has been surprisingly great. There's this myth on people saying that there's just no place for food outside Asia. Definitely, they're not even looking at all. Anyways, food hunting's been a good hobby of mine. Considering that saying about nice food in Asia; hey, i am going back to Malaysia. And if they say that Malaysia's a haven for good food, then it's time this Devil break all hell lose eh? (Eww.. Cheezy...) And, considering that i will have my food hunt comrades in Malaysia, going back to Malaysia is gonna be one look-forward-to food hunt destination.

Then, there's all the myth busting. It's a term i created to describe the action of busting myths told by people about something. Kinda like the show MythBuster. There's this one time early upon my arrival in Sydney when i ask if it's possible to walk all the way from MacQ uni to the city. They responded, "psshhtt...". I prove them wrong (kudos to Enid Cheah for making this mythbusting possible). Then, there was a time when people said that watching sunset at harbor bridge is awesome. I prove to them that watching sunrise is also awesome (meaning that i had to stay in the city for the first ray of light to pop up). Point is; myth busting is just pure fun. Too fun that i forgot that it's something i did alot back in Malaysia as well. And come to think about it, there's still a hell lot of myths left unbusted back in Malaysia still. I'll be back to bust every one of em.

Finally, there's the travels. I remember how i used to say that if there;s one thing fun to do in OZ, it will be the travels - especially unplanned ones where i end up walking to point A to B with no maps, no compass, no one telling me not to go there (except for the hikers at Cradle Mt. who told me not to hike that time - i went up to the top anyways ;p). Of course, i will miss the sights in Australia but hey, i realize that for a travel junkie like me, i never did much of travels in Malaysia. It's a good thing that i am going back to Malaysia. It's not that big of a country and considering the biggest restriction to my travels in OZ is the big price tags on flights, travelling around in Malaysia's an advantage.Sarawak and Sabah, here i come. (All that's left to do is surviving Malaysian drivers... and trying not to get roadkilled '__')

So yep, i'm still not saying that i'm really that looking forward to leaving Australia. There are things i love here that i will have to leave, people that i wont see for awhile (if you are reading this, I'm talking about you, Dog :p), and not to mention, some spots that i spend ages lepaking without a care in the world. But then, maybe all those fun had me go a lil pessimistic. Life dont end til you die (...and i'm pretty sure it still doesnt when you die but we'll get to that later) and surely, going back to Malaysia does not mean that my life's ending. My life's not stopping. Hell, it's not even going in pause. Mine will kick ass and it will kick more ass when i want it to :)
So yeah, i'm kinda looking forward to 12th of December. Let's see what's coming up next.

Delaqroux Out

If i'll die this time around

Another step taken,

Lost my count,

Stepping up is overrated,

When all else burning down.

Another step taken,

I will start over

Given the chance

If wounds ever recover

Another step taken

Gone are the days

Left behind

When we parted ways

Another step taken

Ongoing staircase

Slow and steady

Needless for haste

Another step taken

Looking down

A leap; we’ll see

If I’ll die,

This time around.

John Smith

Fucking 1^st of November, 2010

Delaqroux Out
p/s: Creative writing shouldnt be associated with being emotionally disturbed and the desire to be heard. Then again, if emotionally disturbed creative writers were listened to, we wont be writing in the first place.

Meet Joe Black (House Spider)

Delaqroux inc Updates
Before you start reading this blogpost, i would like to offer some word of warning that, for some, this blogpost might turn you into an instant paranoid, especially if you're living in houses around Australia - even more if you're arachnidphobic (i think that's what you call them). More specifically, i will be talking about Agent Joe Black, a unit of 'men' in blacks who might be closer than you think. For the uninitiated, i'm talking about Black house spiders.

Now, i live in a garage-bedroom. Technically, my room is made from a garage. Hence, it does look... well... tool-shed-ish to some extent. I moved in here since last end-autumn and has been living in here throughout winter. Yes, it was indeed cold and i am too much of a greenie to be using a heater in my room. Yet, life was blissful. At least, until spring returns and the place turns warmer. Since a few weeks back, i have been encountering several spiders in my room. I did notice them around the house, especially by the window sills in the kitchen, but never really in my room. I suppose they just came out of hibernation or something that they seem to wander around the house for a nesting place. I guess the winters chill had them dormant that they were out of sight.

I am quite a spider-lover. I think some spiders are exotic-looking. So, the first time i encountered a Joe Black, i was like "awww... where did you come from?", took out my hand for it to crawl on, and gently, carry them out of the house into some bush for it to go back into the wild. But til recently, i had to kill one. I was in my bed when the spider was literally next to my face, on the pillow. It freaked me out and i killed it almost on impulse. I felt bad for it but eventually, i realized another one on the ceiling a week after. And another one crawling on the floor. Then another next to the door. That was when it struck me. My room is infested with these guys. Yet again, i'm not sure what kind of spider they were and i figured that they might just be common house spiders (like the ones in malaysia - only twice the size). However, watching some documentary on poisonouse spiders in Australia, i figured i might just check what kind of spider are those in my room.

It turned out that these guys are Black House spiders and they're venomous. Holy shit.

They're about 2.5 cm long and they're black. The bad news is that these type of spider are, as their name implies, commonly found inside houses and distinguishable by their messy web. The good news is that it is somewhat big for a spider that you're bound to notice it (wait... is that also part of the bad news?) and also, their not as aggressive as some other type of spiders. Often, they will just flee when they see you, not try to defend themselves (which is good). Fortunately, God also made these critters non-lethal. A bite from these Joe Blacks will just send you in a state of pain, muscle-numbness or aching, nausea or giddiness, profuse sweating, excessive salivating etc. - luckily, not death. Their poison wont kill you and there's an antivenom for these guys' bite available in hospitals. Just be sure to take teh right measures when bitten and get an ambulance straight away.

I bet none of my Malaysian friends in Sydney are aware of this and the right measure they should take if bitten. I did a lil research on my own and i figured i should share it with you. Simply, apply bandages firmly (not tightly) on the limb where victim is bitten to slow down the spreading of the venom. Call the ambulance instead of taking the victim to the hospital (if you dont know, the number to call is 000, not 999 or 911). Also, if possible, try to catch the spider (preferably dead in one piece) to have the medic identify what kind of spider that bit you (so they can work out the suitable antivenom). Finally, dont stay in a garage-bedroom.

Delaqroux Out.

Ye Olde' Qroux Photoshop

Delaqroux Inc Updates
I was supposed to be doing my assessment and MSA 2010 newsletter design when the caffeine and boredom in my bloodstream started acting up. Without realizing, i had my webcam open and i took several shots of myself. A camwhore would have been amused just by doing this but unfortunately (or fortunately, when you think about it), i am no camwhore. I started putting one of those photos on photoshop and see if i can mess around with it. The result, to my lowest expectation, turned out to be really awesome (at least in my eyes, i think)

Anyways, this was the photo. Please pardon the narcissism.

To those who are familiar with using Photoshop, i thought i might as well share how the mess-around process came about. To those who arent, please skip the following paragraph right ahead.

The process was surprisingly easy. First, i just adjusted the level of the photo to literally shroud the photo in darkness. Then i borrowed Venom's fangy, grinning mouth to replace the invinsible one in the photo. (You might have to tweak Venom's mouth a lil bit so that the mouth appear naturally in tone and in size with the original photo) Afterwards, i just filtered the photo with lens flare render for the glowing eye. However, instead of putting the flare on the same level, i created a new level, put a black splotch on it, and then i had the lens flare on -  just so that i can mess around with the size of the light flare (you might notice that i have oblong-ated the shape of the flare). Finally, its all basic photoshop cut and paste work to have the wordings on the photo.

And here's the final piece. For a rusty skill, i like how this turned out.




Anyway, i know this isnt much of a post but, whatever. Just felt like making this a blogpost for the fun of it. I'll be back with more meaningful posts soon. Oh yeah. and Happy Halloween people!

Delaqroux Out.

My micro-teaching bring all the boys to the yard...

Delaqroux inc Updates!
Somehow, i'm finding the joy of uploading no-life posts on my blog once again. Ah, blogging. Thy charm stood the test of time valantly, still addictive thy are like... durians. Yeah, you dont eat durian after awhile and when you do, you crave for more. Speaking of which, durians was featured in Eat Pray Love. But the guy said it stinks like feet. Wanna know what else stinks like feet? Your mom... And also my life for the past few weeks.

Yeah, for some reason, my life's been a lil disappointing. Expected good things did not turn as well as promised and things just go downhill at the time when it's supposed to be your highpoint. There are a total of.... wait, i'm counting.... uh... about eight events that i was looking forward to the whole damn time. In the end, all eight of them turned out lil bummers. I wish i can share them with you guys but unfortunately, there's all those petty things about saving your face (i'm not sure if this is even a proper, linguistically accepted term), saving other people's face and avoiding major ass kicking that all those things must not be discussed about openly.

But, i can share one though. It's my micro-teaching presentation. The feedback wasnt too bad and the whole thing went on (almost) smoothly with some minor hiccups. But it could have been better. Side note; if there's anyone doing micro-teaching presentation in EDUC391 reading this; if you find one guy (or girl - avoiding biasness here) in the classroom who just bugs you like a shitbug, give him/her the time out. It's better to shove that fella into a corner and have the whole thing done smoothly rather than trying to keep everyone included in the classroom and having things all messed up because of one bug. I put this down in my self-reflection. Thought it's a good two cents for now and the future. Might land you some extra marks for your presentation too.

Nevertheless, i figured out two things (that arent really important but it's fun stuff so what the hell..) while planning and conducting my microteaching presentation. One, i am getting old. Yes, Benny, people grow old, grow all preachy and teachy, and then die. There i was a time ago being a totally rebellious kid who skipped classes he didnt like and here i am now, a pre-service teacher planning how to have a class students would like. Weird feeling. Oh, and two, this whole preparing something-in-hope-of-having-your-class-liking-you-and-your-lesson thing is pretty much a real high risk game. You get things done properly and you will have kids loving the lesson and learning stuffs. You mess things up and they'll yawn like hippos. The latter is obviously every teacher's worst nightmare (except for this one teacher i encountered before who pretty much did all the yawning by himself in class). So, yeah, being teacher is a risky job - but hey, that's exactly where the fun is at. (upon writing this, i took some time out to look around, find a perfect spot on the ground, dig myself a gravehole, and sits in it)

Anyways, in regard of all things stinking like feets, why bother posting this whole blogpost and whine when i cant share what i'm whining about? Coz this is my blog and you guys are my readers. Every now and then, guy has to whine.

Delaqroux Out.

10/10/10 accident photos

Delaqroux Inc Updates.
For those who are expecting gruesome photos of the tragedy, skip this read. None will be featured here. I'm just giving my two cents in text. Particularly, i will be talking about the photos and those who uploaded them on the net, their website, blog, whatever.

I was not aware of the accident up til several days after the incident date and i would really like to offer my condolences to whoever's related to the victims of the accident. I do feel great regret on knowing about this tragedy this late. However, i feel greater regret in regards of how i learned of this tragedy; the photos of the incident all over the net.

My message here is simple; please, do not upload them on the internet or share them through any method (tagging people, sending links, reuploading those photos etc.) especially ones that contains a clear image of the deceased - or any other photos for that matter. I am not someone to be talking about ethics here but i do know things that are unethical when i see them. When those photos are taken using the public's cam, i doubt there are any good motives intended. The photos might just be taken so they can upload them on their webpage over the internet, possibly so that they can brag that they (the photographers) were there when the whole thing happened. Let me assure you, that taking photos of an accident, if you're not a member of a official media, and simply uploading them on the internet without regards of censorship or ethics is unethical. Note that if the officials (police, medics etc.) are not having their hands full with the accident, they would try their hardest to disperse the crowd. TAKING PHOTOS OF ACCIDENTS FROM A PUBLIC VIEWPOINT IS NOT ETHICAL.

No one can control the spread of information over the internet. So when the photos are uploaded, for whatever reason behind it, the photos will constantly be shared, tagged, linked and relinked. In other words, the photos will literally multiply without control. I know some people would have some excuse for the photo uploads like a godly reminder of life and death, religious purposes etc. but still, you can do that with a good, convincing text. You dont need to spread photos of those who died. Supporting the uploaders will encourage the photos to multiply even more.

So, why is uploading and multiplying the photos unethical - even with a good intention behind it? The answers are obvious. Think of those who are related to the victims. The last thing they would want is having the thought that the net is now a constant reminder of their loss. I know, your intention to make those photos as life-death reminders are positive, but you dont need to put the visual images online for people to see. I know this might not be a good way of convincing people but i had a friend who passed away years ago because of leukemia. I visited his parents and i saw his computer. I used to hang out with him in front of that computer, playing games. To see that computer and be reminded that he is no longer here, it's the worst feeling ever. I cant stand the sight of the computer, or anything that would remind me that he is gone for that matter. Not to say that i dont want to treasure our memories, but it's not a good feeling at all, believe me. Also, i do recall this one case where this one man was begging the public to not have the leaked evidence photo of her raped sister on the internet. I remembered how devastated the man looked. Somehow, i think we can relate these cases with ours. The main point is that reminders arent always a good thing, especially when its in a form of something you can see - especially those who are going through living nightmare trying to accept the loss of those they love.

Anyway, if you are reading this and you might know some sources or people sharing and passing those photos all around, please remind them to think over what they did. I'm not starting a fight on what's ethical or unethical here. I am just trying to empathize those who are involved. Please, be more human

Delaqroux out.

My phone is stoo-pit

Delaqroux Inc Updates

Before I begin, let me clarify that I am in favor of favorism. But not on people, but the things I possess. For instance, I love my jackets more than I love my baju batik. I love my Sam Fu more than I love my Baju Melayu. I love my camera more than my (I was about to say “friends” but I realized that that would be inappropriate) MP3 player.  Regardless, throughout all my possessions, there’s one thing I hate more than everything else. No, it’s not Twilight (although, yes, I still hate Twilight). It’s my phone.

A shitty LG U990 phone.

I got it after a week of my stay in Australia. I figured that the postpaid plan was good, the phone that came with it was good, and it was entirely a good deal. Sure enough, at an outside glance, the phone features an okay feature line-up. It was a 3G phone, it had a cam at the front for videocall, a 5MP cam at the back, a touchscreen, an included stylus, and the whole design pretty much look like a decent phone – almost iPhone-ish. But once I had it for a week, I popped out the simcard and put it in my old phone (A sony ericsson K800). I was more than happy to use my old phone instead of a brand new, outta the box LG u990.

Why? The LG phone is shitty. The battery cant last at all (often, I made a call with the battery indicator full, only to have my call cut off in the next 20 minutes as the battery went out), the touchscreen is basically a pointy-pressure screen (without the stylus, using your finger wont work unless you have a pointy finger nail – you can slide your finger to scroll around some menus, but doing that means to stab the screen a slice your phone in half), it has a touch keypad without the erase button (it was located externally – when you type with a stylus, you basically have to use your finger to press the erase button - wtf), the earphone port is located at the side (having an earphone jack plugged while having the phone in your pocket is impossible), the signal receiving antenna is located exactly at the place where you hold the phone during calls (resulting to an almost instant connection kill when you hold your phone next to your ear), the camera is decent but the phone has an auto-contrast fix software that basically increase the contrast of your photo that some went entirely not visible (you cant take a shot of yourself and your mate(s) in a dark environment – no porno pic/film for you), you cant set the phone to ring and vibrate at the same time (you can go only for either one at one time – I was on my MP3 player when my phone rang in my pocket and I didn’t notice it coz it didn’t vibrate – someone finally came to me and said “your phone’s ringing”), the alarm wont ring if you set your phone on silent (I don’t want people’s call to wake me while I sleep, but that means the alarm wont as well), the file organizer’s a mess (oxymorons… nice), you cant have a memory card with more than 2G capacity, the camera switches back to VGA mode everytime you off the cam even when you set it to 5MP, the phone unlock key is located outside the phone at the press-prone-most location, one of the screensaver is a fish pond (something like an iPond without the ability to play fish – biggest insult ever), there’s a menu for apps but there’s no apps to download, it only have some utilities featured (the phone has a calculator but no stopwatch, no timer, no on-screen note/reminder… and WHATEVER FCUK is a date finder!?)… and the list goes on.

So why am I using it still? Coz my old phone finally breaks down and I am stuck with this shitty phone. So, for all the people out there, don’t buy this phone. CNET gave a decent rating for this phone, a 3 ½ star in fact. I gave it five piles of poo and an instant two middle finger up. The only good thing about this phone is that, no matter how many times I smash it onto the floor with frustration, rage, anger and disappointment, it still works perfectly ‘fine’.

Delaqroux Out.

i hate... (part one)

• I hate people who speak in bumper sticker language
• I hate strangers who asked me to take photos of them and didnt say thanks (yeah, i'm talking about you, Asian camwhore group in Glenelg)
• I hate people who smoke in public with kids around
• I hate people who wants to die just because they are stressed out
• I hate the voice inside my head that kept on scolding me because i dont do things i should do
• I hate people who... how do i put this... when i say something like "i hate humans", they go "arent you a human too?" Yeah, i hate you too, human.
• I hate girls who likes to toy around with guys' heart and act all innocent about it
• I hate quitters without a good reason
• I hate religious people who tell other people (from a different religion) that they (the other people) are going to hell
• I hate sad songs about people dying or people leaving
• I hate not being able to be a jetfighter pilot
• I hate people who like to act cute
• I hate mangoes... well, i dont hate them. i like em, but i just cant eat them
• I hate working with leaders who cant control their temper or lose their head constantly 
• I hate last minute workers (if anyone going "arent you a last minute worker too?", as aforementioned, i hate you too) and btw, i'm trying my hardest to discard my last minute working attitude
• I hate p**** guys - sorry, have to censor this out, i can sense em watching
• I hate people who only see bad things about people
• I hate mirrors
• I hate people who post shoutouts ONLY to show-off how awesome they are
• I hate the thought of people dying and me being the only one left
• I hate having no future
• I hate excessively-played-on-the-radio songs
• I hate people who echoes what other people say so they feel part of something
• I hate blogger layout. Seriously, it's ugly.
• I hate people who are more awesome than me.
• I hate cockroaches - and figurative roaches
• I hate people who look down on women
• I hate people who said "living in Australia/Sydney is boring"
• I hate pushy religious people
• I hate not having any hot water to bathe at night
• I hate not having stable internet connection
• I hate people who dont finish their food - just because the food is not nice
• I hate facebook
• I hate flamers (people who go all out condemning something because they think something else is better)
• I hate sweet-talkers
• I hate people who associate negative attitude and emotional disturbance with creative writing and literature
• I hate the fact that i cant draw a horse without having it to look like a.... dog with hooves
• I hate people who hate animals
• I hate using lifts
• I hate people who uses lifts meant for disabled people
• I hate people who uses Malay to talk bad about other people who cant speak Malay
• I hate people who look down on Sabahans and Sarawakians 
• I hate Sabahans and Sarawakians who hate Eastern Malaysians
• I hate empty promises
• I hate Mondays
• I hate bad drivers - especially that one guy who almost ran me over
• I hate people who talks about fucking when they never slept with anyone ever
• I hate lying politicians, i hate those who fall for them more
• I hate people who wants to get married so they can "skip the hard stuff"
• I hate that guy who give ciggarrettes to his son
• I hate people who wants to claim Malaysia for their own
• I hate the phrase "in a nutshell"

-END OF PART ONE-

Oh, btw, Delaqroux Inc Updates! 8D

Australian Eye - from my eyes

Delaqroux inc Updates

This post is going to be about a video we've watched in one of our EDUC373 lecture in Macquarie Uni. The title of the video is Australian Eye and it's on a dvd - doubt you'll find an upload on youtube or something - but yeah, here's my opinion on it. Dont like it, shove it.

Basically, the video is about this one program held by this lady (let's call her the facilitator coz i didnt note her name down) about white Australian privilege and discrimination. The program basically have the participants to be divided into two groups; those with blue-eyes (most consist of white Australian) and the brown-eyed ones (mostly consist of the other Australian- those with immigrant/non-Australian/aboriginal background). Now, things got a lil other-way-round inside the program. The blue eyes will be seated in the center of the room surrounded by the brown-eyes and they will be failed on several basis purposely, having their blue-eyes to blame discriminately every time. So in other words, its basically a program where the white Australians will be having some hands-on experience of being in the shoes of the discriminated minority group and will hopefully gain a great insight on what discrimination and social justice is like.

Now, by all due respect; I thought this program was a good one. After all, like Mr Atticus Finch once told me "you have to be in someone else's skin and walk around in it" before you really get to know how another person is feeling and being treated. But something from the video caught my attention - and its the Brown eyes. A group where I, if i attend that kind of program, will be in.

You might wonder "if the blue eyes are 'discriminated' or became the 'minority' in that class, who's the majority and the discriminator?". Well, they are the facilitator and the brown eyes. Now i thought this was all part of the process and that the only way this program would work is to get some highly discriminative group of people to look down on the blue eyes. After all, it's about getting hands-on experience for the blue eyes. But seriously, how the brown eyes acted during the whole program was... well... Let's just say they were being douches. Some of them were joining the 'fun' in poking at the blue-eyes failure along with the facilitator. Some were mocking at them for "not understanding how they felt". And when one of the blue-eyes were being a bit defensive about having to sit down and shut up while the facilitator mock her, one of the brown eyes claimed out loud that she had to sit down and shut up for years in her life but the blue eyes were being defensive about having to shut up for 5 minutes. Now, i perfectly understand how this brown eyed felt in her life but... i dunno, a lil bit of sympathy anyone? Read on.

At one point of the activity, the participants (both blue and brown eyes) had to write three words describing how they felt and how they felt on the opposing group. of course, the blue eyes wrote that they are scared, judged etc and they described the brown eyes to be dominating, controlling, relaxed, comfortable etc. The brown eyes described themselves almost the same way ("i felt relaxed, comfortable, and powerful" (accompanied by a really smuggy smile) but described the blue eyes, despite them (the blue eyes) being oppressed and powerless for the past couple of hours in the program, to be smart-asses, rebellious, smug, something about not knowing their place, arrogant (one lady who were to write three words mentioned four instead of three and the last two being "arrogant" and "smug-faced"). This point of the activity caught my attention. None of the brown eyes wrote anything among the three words description that shows sympathy to the discriminated blue-eyes. After all, they know how it feels like to be looked down on, discriminated, shover over, and oppressed. Why is there no pity in the eyes of the brown eyes?

If i am in that activity as a brown eyed, the three words i would write will be "I", "hate", and "myself". Yeah, i know how it feels like to be discriminated, and here i am discriminating another group of human being and enjoying it. I will hate myself for that.

That is my main concern after watching that video and the program altogether. The brown-eyes were having a good time mocking the blue eyes, joining in the fun of looking down on the blue eyes, and rubbing salt on the 'wounds' inflicted by the facilitator on the blue eyes. Yes, I am perfectly aware that the brown eyes had way terrible experience being oppressed because of their difference but being discriminated and oppressed before; does that give you the right for vengeance? I am surprised that none of the brown eyes participant felt disgusted with themselves for enjoying the feeling of discriminating the blue eyes - they were enjoying the saddistic pleasure of vengeance! There were several blue eyes who couldnt take the oppression anymore in that program and left - i am surprised the brown eyes were enjoying it when they should know how oppression really felt like. If i were in that program, even as a brown eye, i would leave. Oppression and discrimination is a disgrace, even if i am the one who are to give them.

So, something struck me at the end of the video. If in such case where the tables are turned, will the oppressed become the oppressor? This Australian eye program suggested that the answer might be a "yes". that's the fear that had the majority group oppressing the minority group all these while. If they ever let the world become an equal ground, where the minority group is given just as much privilege as the majority group, will there be a case where the minority group will oppress the majority? A real life example, note how the Asians are flooding over Australia in some excessive sense; there's a report on the news that had Australians not being able to get a job in their own country because employers of non-Australian origin are giving job opportunities only to their own people. That is one example where the minority group can discriminate the majority group if they are given the chance. So when Australian employers limit their job-giving to Australians, the non-Australian call it discrimination. Dont they realize that some of them will (and are) doing the same given the chance?

So, how do we really get an equal ground where neither the majority or the minority will be oppressors or the oppressed? Here's one suggestion; dont give in to fear if you are of the majority group and if you are of are the minority group, dont give in to fear AND vengeance. One good deed deserve another, an evil deed doesnt. Even if you have gone through hell all your life and finally made it to heaven, dont push those who are still in line. If you are of a minority group wherever you are - please take great note on this. Equality is not the task of the majority group but yours as well. Rising up to power - to show the majority group that you're stronger than them - is not an effort to equality.

Saving my memories

Delaqroux Inc Updates

Here i am now with my external hard drive infected with some virus and me trying everything i can in (and maybe beyond) my powers to try and save all the files i have saved in it.

Well, there's nothing much to say in this blogpost except for that. I have been trying all manners of recovery softwares i can get my hands on as well as several tech tricks to get access to my HD for the past 15 hours. But as a little note here; is it just me or tech people (i dont want to call them "fucking nerds" coz that would be really, really rude) are really, really inconsiderate people (i dont want to call them "bastards" coz that's too rude... you get the idea)? I mean, i am really devastated with the idea of losing everything i saved in my hard drive, especially all my photos. Imagine, all the photos from Day 1 of my life in Australia all gone? It's like i have never been to Australia if i lost all those photos. And it's not just about me and my life, it's about people i have met along the way, things i have seen, experiences i had - everything. I dont want to one day forget them all just because i lost the photos. Anyways, back to the tech sonnovabitches.

The virus in my HD apparently called out for me to reformat my external. Now, it could just be some misleading virus but i did manage to hack my way through and yes, my external is empty (at least it seems so) - reformatting might be the only way to be able to use my HD again at the cost of all files gone. Now, with so much at stake, i dont want to believe that dumbass virus and i still want to try and find out if the files in my HD is okay. So, I brought my external to JB Hifi and ask one of the technicians if there's any way they know for me to confirm this. So, this guy comes up, took my HD (or rather, snatches it) and plug it into one of his PCs, ask if i still have a valid warranty, and after awhile, he told me that there's nothing else that can be done. At one point, i saw the guy almost click "yes" when the HD prompted if you want the HD to be reformatted. I told them that i dont trust that reformat request and the guys rudely told me that he knows how he works with these stuffs and that he is familiar with this kind of virus.I told him again that i think there might still be files in my HD and that reformatting might make everything lost for good. The guy rudely replied "So? what do you want me to do?" I told him that i'll try to figure something out myself and he unplugged the HD (almost with a tug) and toss it back to me. Afterwards, he just left me by myself. Talk about a dick. But as another side note: after i manage to work/give up with my external HD, i'll work to have this guy's ass fired from JB Hifi. I want that fatass to have to beg his parents for money to get his lazy lump of rotten maggoty meat flaps of fat to ever eat a bag of chips again. I swear it.

Anyways, in the meantime, i will continue to work in extracting the files in my HD. Somehow, i think i've lost a huge chunk of sense in my head for the time being. I find myself hitting my own face a couple of times at the thought of giving up and i forgot to have dinner earlier today. I dont know how many articles i have read about computers and drives and i lost count on how many data recovery softwares i have downloaded. Sigh...Oh well. Persistence makes perfect.

It's my idea

Delaqroux Inc Updates!

First things first, 4935 is my laptop. I decided to call my laptop that instead of "baby" or "lappie" as some of my colleagues do. 4935 just sounds cool. It's like how Luke call that dumb golden plated robot C3P0 and that vaccuum robot that chirps, R2D2. So there you go, my laptop is called 4935. Oh, and as a side note; i'm kind of down with a fever at the moment. What's so special about that? Well, it's pretty much the first fever that managed to get me down during my stay in Aussie. I missed a number of class and they're solely not on the excuse of pure laziness... well, almost. Anyways, back to the laptop.

So there was i, online, looking for something smart to do (or smut?... hmmm...- no, just kidding. seriously, i was looking for something smart to do) and suddenly, a pop up came up. It says "Security Suite" and apparent, the 'software' is scanning my laptop. 'Coincidentally', the 'software' detected a hellota virus in my \laptop. Now, i'm not that big of a tech savvy but i know pop-ups and internet scams -and most obviously, this little security suite thingy is not an actual application. I dont know if you should be calling this thing spyware or virus or trojan or spartan. Regardless, i tried to have this 'application' turned off. Obviously you cant. I tried a more manual way to get it out of my taskbar via Windows Explorer. Nope, still no luck - cant find this thing. I tried opening my Window's Task Manager and this security suite tells me that the task manager's exe file is infected. Yeah, right. Soon, i found out that every single softwares in my laptop is being deemed 'infected with virus' and this Security suite virus is telling me to download the full 'anti-virus' in order to remedy this situation. Pft... Talk about irony.

Anyways, i threw in the towel. When things get tough with your laptop, the laptop goes a reformation. That's exactly what i did - the easy way out. I decided to install Windows 7 instead of the lame-ass Windows Vista Starter Pack i had since the time i purchased my laptop. Somehow, Windows 7 worked a wonder. I remembered reinstalling my Windows Vista after my laptop's last reformatting session. The whole system start lagging worse than my previous laptop running Serious Sam with all hell breaking loose. So yeah, this time around, Windows 7 that i have just installed worked smoothly. the boot up system resembles Windows Vista alot but yeah, i suppose they require less space. There's not much noticeable internally with the new system but the layout has changed kind of drastically. The taskbar/toolbar is apparently called super bar (despite the name Winodws 7 - Super Bar adds another not-so-creative jargon to the whole PC system thingies). So yeah, here i am, now a proud user of Windows 7 (illegally - not so proud about that though)

Anyways, why is this whole story about reformatting my latop's worth a blogpost of its own and your time reading it? Well, i have absolutely no idea. Must be the fever.... or maybe i'm just plain bored. Whatever. So, without further blabbering, let me just end this blogpost with; this is DarkDelaqroux.... and Windows 7 is my idea.

.....Actually the sole reason why i'm uploading this blogpost and talking about my laptop being reformatted with Windows 7 and all is because i want to say that last line. Yep, so i've said it and you've read it. Weee.

Grand Theft Alchemic Drive & Halomari Threemacy

Delaqroux Inc Updates!
This post was originally made as a trial post on My IGN blogsite. Just saw some notice about the blog being a mere beta version so i thought i might as well make a copy of my blogpost on my normal blogsite instead. Anyways, this blogpost will entirely be about games (IGN stands for International gaming network after all) so for those who couldnt care less about this topic, i really suggest skipping this one. Then again, it's a free blog.

Despite being an experienced blogger on my usual blogsite, i thought i would just give a blogpost on IGN a shot. And what other topics are worth discussing here than games! And on top it of, something about games that i have just thought about a few minutes ago; it’s a new term (probably) so bare with it. It’s called; GAME MIXING!! p/s: pardon the grammar, the not-making-sense-ory, or the pure stupidity of this post. I love you all.

Yeah, game mixing. It’s basically you getting two different gameplay elements from two different game titles and mixing it up to make a single game. No, Marvel vs Capcom titles are what i call as cross-overs (not sure if other people call it that) – Game mixing is entirely, mixing gameplay elements rather than the same old gameplays elements of one game only with a dash of characters from both original titles. Not sure if i’m making much senses here. But here’s an example of game-mixing that i wish to see… or play… maybe.

Grand Theft Auto IV + Robot Alchemic Drive
I’m sure everyone’s familiar with GTA4 but not RAD for the PS2 system. It’s basically a robot driving game where you defeat monsters from outer space (google a review on youtube and you’ll see some gameplay). The best part about RAD is the robot driving thingy obviously and the best thing about GTA4, to me, is the thievery (you stealing cars = fun). But mixing the gameplay elements from both GTA4 and RAD, you’ll get Grand Theft Alchemic Drive!! It’s basically the world of GTA except there’s robots fighting in the streets. And what you can do is the ability to hijack one robot and use it to complete missions (which consists of shooting people on the ground as well as people in robots as well). If it seems that your robots busting up, worry not – get out of the cockpit and hijack another robot. Just be careful you dont recklessly destroy or kill the entire population or you’ll get stars – the intergalactic polices will be after you…. IN THEIR VOLGARA ROBOTS!!!! (of course, you can hijack those too)

HALO + KATAMARI DEMACY
Yes, the stupid prophet is back and yes, human is at the brink of extinction that they resorted to training/creating super soldiers called Spartans. But is it enough (with all Spartans being MIA and all) with only John to clean up the entire mess? NO! Spartans should go KATAMARI!! Yeah, why pick up normal human guns, rechargable shields and jump extra high when you can roll into a ball and sweep the entire Covenant fleet with you! People complain about the Propher dying off way too easy in HALO3? No fret with HALOMARI!!! You roll into a ball of Covenant armies and you crash into the prophet bowling-ball-down-the-alley style! Oh, and those missions with Arbie (The Arbiter)? Who says there can only be one ball on the playing field? Jump in? Try ROLL IN!

So, now that you are familiar with this Game mixing thingy, what are your ideas for two (or more) gameplay elements to mix into a single title? Let me know what you think! =)

p/s: Gee… posting blogposts about gaming ideas that make no sense is kinda fun… Thanks My IGN!

Asian@MQlibrary.org

Delaqroux Inc Updates!

Here i am now, writing this blogpost in the comfort of a study table in Macquarie University library (that i find vacant without much of a hassle surprisingly) and am hereby to talk of my observation in regards of the library interior - or to be more specific, Asian-filled library interior. As a side note, i have been meaning to post something on this matter for quite some time but i often do not have the time for it. So, without further ado, let's get this shit done!

In relevance to my cultural plunge assessment recently, i have been thinking about being in a totally foreign environment and being able to view the culture of my own from an outside viewpoint. With that being said, i have been doing some observation in regards of the Asian culture for that matter. And personally speaking, i am starting to develop a certain extent of prejudice towards some Asians. In a more layman's term, some (not all, obviously) Asians are friggin annoying! And to explain this, i will explain the characteristics of those annoying-as-hell Asians in this library. 

First, there's the Study-table Hogger. Yeah, you! That guy in front of me who has just left his study table while at the same time, still claiming that it is his. How? Well, he left some few papers on the table as well as his jacket and he had not return for almost 30 minutes, presumably for lunch - expecting to return back to that seat and claim it back on his leisure. Now, i am not sure if there's a particular rule forbidding that (which to my mind, i think there IS one) but come on! If that's not being a dick then i dont know what is! Often i take 15-20 minutes walking around the uni library just to get a seat (and often, it ended up with me walking out of the library, failing to find any). And, i wont be as pissed if the study areas are just full. But the problem is that 50% of the study table are occupied by study-table hoggers who are not even on that table! Their belongings are there, however, equivalent to a dog pissing on a lamp-post and claiming that lamp post as his when in truth, he wont be returning there for the next few hours! Once, i heard of this tale about a person who valantly claim a table-hogger's table when the hogger hasnt return for 30 minutes. When the hogger returned, that valant claimer valantly claim that the hogger hasnt return for more than 15 minutes and thus, the table should no longer belong to the hogger. However, that valant claimer politely offered if teh hogger would like to share the table with him. No, dear readers, the hogger can utter no other word in response except "No, this table is mine!"

Then, there's the Snoozer. These kinds of Asians still belong to the hogger category but instead of hogging a table and disappearing, they apparently mistook the study-table as a sleeping place. Yeah, the only reason they have a study-table or a space in the library is so that they can avoid the outside cold, and find a place to sleep without being disturbed. Now, i dont mind if people are taking a short break from their studies and taking a short nap, but come on, these guys are literally snoozing for hours. Now, upon writing this, i am able to witness this one guy (picture of him will be uploaded soon) who is dozing off on one of the library's lounge sofas. Yesterday, i entered the library to do my assessment at 10am, and there was he, sleeping. I spent an hour there, went for a class for the next two hours and returned to the library to resume my assessment, and there was he, still sleeping. I spent an hour with my assessment before my laptop's batt went out and as i left, there he was, doing what he does best. Oh, and did i mention that i will be uploading his picture today? No, i didnt manage to take a pic of him yesterday but it seems i can do that earlier today. Why? Coz he is there even today, in the very same spot, sleeping! Now, he could be dead on that chair for all i care but find a different place to die, that sofa can be given to someone else who would come to library to do their work on the comfort of a sofa. Dont misuse it as a bed!

Finally, there's the Couple. Dont take me wrong. These are not the only three types of annoying Asians in the library. There are more. And dont get me started on the ones OUTSIDE the library! Anyways, the couple comes in, well obviously, a pair. Now, i dont have any problem with a public display of affection (or PDA for short) nor am i those types of people who gawks at people kissing or acting lovey-dovey in the public. But in my book, they have to be in their own space or in an open public place where what they do may not seem so obvious. Coming back to the matter at hand, this Couple find the library as a retreat. Hugging around and holding hands are acceptable - even kissing, i dont mind. But when it comes to the guy singing a Chinese song to the girl and the girl projecting her voice in high pitch to act cute - that is just dead annoying! For one thing, that is just as annoying as hell as it self. Serenading and acting cute is romantic only to the Couple, not the public. So whatever you're doing is an annoyance to the ears of those outside. For another matter, and a political-sense at that, a library is a quiet zone! Singing to one another and talking in high-pitch voice is just as obvious as someone speaking on a megaphone in a church during a virgil. Please, respect the other people who are here for the quiet (i'm not talking about the Snoozer)!

As i have said, there is more to those annoying Asians than the number that i can get to discuss here. There are the On-the-Phone-s, the PC Hogger, the Public PC Facebooker (recently discussed in The Rant section of last month's Grapeshot issue), the Talkers, the Resource Book Hogger, the Charger etc. etc. and i havent even started to the ones outside the library. Now, if you are an Asian and feeling abit defensive, i know, there non-Asians who does all of that as well but there are notably, a small number of them. As prime majority users of the library, what we Asians do in the library will be the most obvious. Please consider some ethnical issues when you are in a common room and stop being annoying. Thanks.

Oh, and upon writing this closing, the table hogger in front of me have returned, totalling in one hour of absence from his table. Pfft...

The TV Show

Delaqroux Inc Updates!

Funny thing; there was i in a lil bit of downed mood when everybody else are like; "fast tomorrow. O joy!" and i started writing a poem by myself to spark a tad bit of that joyful spirit to my night candle-lit garage-bedroom. SOmehow, posting that poem up on this blog (done a few secs ago) made me talk about ENGL201 and how i scored a credit (was kinda hoping for a distinction but nah, poets cant be beggars and beggars cant be choosers). That made me think about my final write-up that scored me that grade and eventually lead me to go through my external docs stashes, find that write-up and give it another read. For some reason, i think what i wrote was... well... a piece of crap that should have gave me a pass instead of a credit and yeah, i guess imma let you guys think of it. Lemme know.

Oh, and i'm not sure if it's actually legal to make a submitted assessment write-up available for public viewing so, instead of posting the final copy, i'll let you guys in on one of the final-est drafts. Hope that will keep me free of any uni copyright charges or whatever :p Anyways, here I go. It's a 3000+ words write-up so you might want to get some supply of caffeine handy.

The TV Show

Have you ever realized that everything in front of you might be nothing but a TV show? Have you ever realized the fact that you are sitting in front of a TV screen with an endless movie viewing session, your eyes and ears totally glued to what is in front of you, totally being immersed in the plotted storyline and that you lose track of which is real and which is not? Of course, you would remember that realization. Who would ever forget that feeling? But, that will not be the focus here. What I want you to remember is that split-second moment of noting that this ‘life’ you are watching… or rather, living in, if in the case where you are that immersed, is not real and that as soon as you come up to this, you realized that you had the remote control to the television screen all along. As soon as you press the “switch off” button, what would you remember from the show you were watching until awhile ago? How did you like them? What was your favorite scene? And, of course, turning off the show halfway through, what do you think would be the best music to accompany the ending credit roll? I do remember myself in this situation. And as this is my moment to be among all of you, allow me to share how this moment is like for myself; what did I saw on the TV screen? What did I remember? What was everything like? How was everything like?

Sweetness, it means everything. Like chocolate-fudges that have warm chocolate cream oozing out when you cut out a bit of it with a small fork. And when you do that in a really freezing room, you can see the chocolate cream streaming slowly out with a puff of sweet smelling warm steam. The sensation of wanting, feeling that overwhelming taste of sweetness and wanting that sweet, sweet indulgence in your mouth – that feeling is everything. It is everything that you would ever want. Yes, sweetness – it is everything. You were young. That was when you learned that too much of sweetness can cause die-bitties, small little things that grows in you that bites you until you die when you eat too much sweets. I used to think so that way. Sweetness can kill. Sweetness killed grandpa. I remembered grandpa Tok Wan. He was a happy, old man and he loved riding his motor scooter with me, clutched in the front seat in between his large, knees. He loved to tell funny stories which made us laugh during breakfast and dinner time. Those stories made us not realize how little the food on the dinner table for us to share was. They were hardly any – let alone chocolate fudges. But his funny stories made the bad feelings go away. We did not realize how little the food were, we finished it up while we were listening to his stories. By the end of them, we finished the food and we were full. His stories are always short and funny. His stories are always short, funny, and sweet. Like chocolate fudges we never had. Oh, and I remembered how I asked grandpa on how did he ever managed to get so plump. He said that he loved laughing but for most of the time, he had to hold back some so he did not annoy grandma. All those laughter he held made him swell up like a balloon. That story itself was a genius. It made me laugh. The story was a masterpiece. I loved laughing with old, happy, grandpa. I love laughing to all sweet memories of old, happy, sweet grandpa. So when he died, the laughter ended. Of course, I learned that he died out of too much sugar in his blood. And yes, I learned that the sweetness in those days died with him too. And like, chocolate fudges, sweetness is everything. Having it too much kills. Not being able to have it kills you twice.

Being killed twice – how did that felt like?

Perfection. Death and reborn. The restart button. When imperfection is crossed out and everything is remade, once again, perfected. The feeling of re-freedom, the sense of re-knowing, and the thoughts of finally re-accepting that things cannot ever be perfect, but yet so sure that things will not ever be perfect; the feeling of sheer re-perfection. It is like the feeling of raindrops on your skin – not one single stimulation on your receptory senses is the same to the other – such perfection in an imperfect, unsymmetrical rhapsody of touch and delight. You stood in the middle of the rain, soaked, with your eyes closed. You feel the touches. You accept them with open arms. Joy? Happiness? Yes to some. No to the other. Some of them hated the rain. Some of them hated the rain for making them feel imperfect. Every splatter of raindrops made them think that they are like bronze statues in the middle of a rainy, misty, moist garden. Each drop reminded them that they are corroding away, going from good to rust and rusty to gone. And also, the constant reminding that things, dear things, will never last, fast corroding before you can maintain and cherish them – not to mention, reminding them of the total needlessness for any of those dear things to be treasured. The fact that each drop of clean, clear rain splatters to thousands of glittery small molecules of water is, to them, much like a finely crafted glass goblet dropping on a concrete floor. To witness that is horrifying indefinitely - the few heart beats skipped as you catch the last glimpse of that fine crafted masterpiece before it is gone forever, the irrationally large hope placed on the item regardless of knowing so well of its end a second after, and the split-second space where choice should be made on whether to launch themselves forward in hope of saving that piece of a lost cause, or to get some distance and ears firmly clasped with their palms – which in my opinion, the latter is the way wiser choice to be made. Everything is as good as gone. Everything is just as good as being washed away by the rain. In fact, the rain reminds them that they are not perfect and also, nothing else are. But to know how to embrace such quantum of imperfection is to accept those raindrops – and perhaps everything else – can never be perfect. Is that not perfection; to acknowledge things are imperfect? Like how each drop of rain is different than another. Like how each splatters of water is distinctively different to the other. Like how each shattered memories is in its own unique from one to the other. Like pieces of what you remember is different from another way of remembering them.

Like chocolate fudges and sweet memories, there are specifically ways on how to remember things fondly. I once lived in Sydney and I loved the city. The best part of visiting the city is to go to the Opera House. That is how everyone normally remembers of the city. Nevertheless, if I am to think about visiting the city, I will first remember the train ride to the city. I loved the build up to the excitement of being in the city than being in the city itself. It is just like how I think that the best part of music is the solo strumming of the guitar before the rock band plays, or the drum-rolls before the orchestra begins. So, in this case, I remember visiting the city by being on the train tracks to it. I would take the bottom seating in the last car and to follow the train staff announcing all the stops from the first to the destination. And I’ll be poetic about it. I’ll write songs about those stops. I’ll write lyrics about the people in the train. I’ll write about the people outside the train. I’ll write about how the train ride begins and I’ll write how everything ends when the train stops. I wrote songs and lyrics heaps but there is one that I remember rather fondly, like “Taking the Train to Reality”. I wrote about the time when I passed St Leonards and how I thought about how train-tracked life is. Life is so predictable that it hurts and how we always know the joy of loving amiss. I wrote about passing by the station of Epping and telling myself that everything is okay. But I do remember the lady next to me was crying and how the sky outside was shallow and gray. “Let’s both of us be lost”, I remembered telling the lady, that “it’ll be fine if there’s just the world and you and me”. But I also remembered writing about returning back to reality, exactly when the train reaches its stop and we parted ways in Sydney. I remembered the excitement about being in the city, the excitement of going to be in the city, and the excitement of believing that we will never reach the city. I remember it all and I remember it all fondly.

“How well do you remember it all?” he asked. I shrugged. I hate interruptions. I hate being interrupted and I am sure you would hate it too. He interrupted me from telling you my story. How, how rude! I shrugged again. “What other fond memories do you have?” he asked once again, remaining persistent regardless of my exhibition of very minimal interest to him. Now, my friends, I believe he would want to be friends with me just like how you all are? Shall we accept him to the group? Shall we accept this persistent, rude man to our group’s share-a-tale session? I hope you will not mind for this man’s persistency knows not the underlying meaning of one remaining oblivious to his questions. Mayhaps, we should include him in our group of storytelling. Why not? How much harm can he do to our friendship? This man, now, is looking at me through his half-rim glasses, eyes eager as puppies’ to know my story. I took a quick glance at him, from top to toe. He is wearing a white laboratory coat, his nametag hanging out of his left chest-pocket with a picture of his younger self which seems to appear much less stress-looking than how he looks now. He also wears a necktie of a very nonsensical pattern display. Only a child would pick that kind of tie off the shelves. Only a fool would wear it to work. A fool or a birthday dad, that is. I wished him “Happy birthday”. He did surprised but not too surprised. He just smiled and replied with a bitter thanks. No, he is not surprised. Must have been all those years and years back when I wished him everytime. He knows how I got the date correct every year. I do not have any calendar with me in here but I know it had been a year every time just by looking at this man. I know him so well. I know him well enough to know that his grandchild gave him that necktie. I know him well enough to tell that his grandchild passed away. I know him so well to tell how sad this poor old man is. I know it will not be long before he, too, will start watching his own TV shows. So I began telling him my memories. The same ones I have told all of you just out of sympathy, and as a birthday gift.

Soon after, he thanked me and left, leaving me alone once again within these four walls, all by myself. Now we are all alone again. Where was I? When did I stop? I could not so well remember, neither do I care. It is not at all important as thinking about chocolate fudges, sweet memories, rebirth and raindrops, and trainride and reality. I looked at one of the cushioned white wall where my TV screen used to be. I remembered those joyous times when I used to spend hours and hours, days and days, years and years of my own favorite TV show. I have decided to stop now. Too much TV kills. But story-telling does not. After all, they strapped my hands in this straining jacket, not my mouth. So, my dear friends, let me tell you what I remember. Let me tell you of all the different shows I have watched. Let me tell you what I think about all those shows. We have all the time to spare for ourselves. After all, I am in this TV show of yours and you are watching me. So let’s get back to the program, shall we?

-THE END-

Oh yeah, i've watched Inception a day ago. How cool was that movie?