AND THE TROGDOR COMES IN THE NIGHT!!!!!

This is a really cool Guitar Hero II song that i think few of the people i know have played even though they own the game. Herbert can't be bothered to play beyond 'Carry On My Wayward Son', Nigel probably stashed his disc somewhere and lost it, Matthew's PS2 is somewhere in his storeroom and Eugene is having trouble with 'Medium' difficulty so i presume he hasn't bought and played any of the bonus songs. The silly lyrics of "Trogdor" reminds me of "Caveman Rejoice" from Guitar Hero I.

"Trogdor" - As Performed by Strong Bad Youtube Expert Video
Trogdor The Burninator Wiki Entry

"Trogdor" Lyrics:

TROGDOR!!!!

TROGDOR!!!!

Trogdor was a man!

I mean, he was a Dragon Man

Or maybe he was just a dragon

But he was still

TROGDOR!!!!

TROGDOR!!!!

Burninating the countryside!

Burninating the peasants!

Burninating all the peoples

And their thatch-roofed cottages!

Thatch-Roofed Cottages!!!

Whoa, this has wicked cool guitar solos

It's like squeegly vs. meedley over here

Go squeegly!

Go Squeegly!!

SQUEEGLY WINS!!!

When all the land is in ruins

And burnination has forsaken the countryside

Only one guy will prevail.

My money's on

TROGDOR!!!!

TROGDOR!!!!

And the Trogdor comes in the NNIIIIIIIIIIGHHHHHTTT!!!!

For the time being i'm not going to touch my PS2 GHII while i wait for the X360 version of it to be released. The main thing to note about the X360 version is that it has 10 new tracks(!) including an Iron Maiden's "The Trooper"(!!) and "HUSH" by Deep Purple. Also in this version are downloaded new songs from XBOX LIVE and also rumored is that the entire tracks of GH1 can be purchased as an add-on. Also the guitar controller for the X360 is shaped like the Gibson Explorer as compared to the Gibson SG shape for the PS2 version. This looks like a really must-buy game this year.

X360 New Tracks:
"Hush" - Deep Purple
"Dead!" - My Chemical Romance
"Billion Dollar Babies" - Alice Cooper
"Salvation" - Rancid
"Possum Kingdom" - Toadies
"Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo" - Rick Derringer
"Life Wasted" - Pearl Jam
"The Trooper" - Iron Maiden
"Drink Up" - Ounce of Self
"Kicked to the Curb" - Noble Rot

Secured 4 tickets to the Finals tomorrow as well (Thanks Mom!). Hope for a fantastic final game at our National Stadium tomorrow before it makes way for the new Sports Hub at the end of the year.

4 tickets secured! No extras this time round 'tho.

Little Shot

Bought a PSP Camera (PSP-300X) last night for $70 from Funz Centre. Will post some pics of the camera + packaging and some pictures taken by it when i get out of camp tomorrow but you can check out the official site (Japan) here. It's called 'Chotto Shot' (Little Shot) in Japan. Cute name. Brought it to work today and Ming Wei was saying that i just wanted to show off my new toy again. Well if he thinks that way than all i can say is wait till he sees my GPS receiver (ordered through Funz Centre as well) for my PSP..

I found the image/video quality of the 1.3 Mega Pixel camera better than i expected when at the PSP's native resolution (480x272). Video capturing was especially lag-free (full 30fps support) and it comes with some nifty settings for photo taking such as adjusting exposure, picture quality (Fine/Standard) and adding effects (sketch, b/w, distort etc) on the fly.



The Chotto Shot's built in effects.
Resolution can be set for photos (320x240, 480x272 Default, 640x480 and 1280x960) and at default settings over 6000+ images can be taken on 800mb of free space on my memory stick! That number drops to 1000+ at max settings but that is still more pictures than i would care to take in a week. Video takes around 40MB for a minute's worth. Media saving to the MS Stick Pro is very quick as well. And it comes package with a UMD software called "EDIT" (that being the only non-japanese word on the UMD Cover i can read) that can has album, slideshow and some image/video editing functions. Not a bad package for $70.

Some issues i have with the device though:

- There's no way to keep the PSP with the Chotto Shot attached on top in my soft case or in any sort of case that's available on the market (as far as i know). So i have to detach and re-attach the camera everytime i want to use it, which would not be so bad if the USB connector on my PSP wasn't so screwy. Sometimes i really have to fiddle with the camera attaching screw quite a while before it gets detected. That's the 2nd thing on my PSP that's going crazy (the first being my analog stick) but i guess i have one of the oldest PSP around (coming to 2 years old this june) so that's to be expected.

- The USB connector doesn't fit with my Logitech Playgear Visor so i have to remove it everytime i want to attach the camera. Guess i can expect much more fingerprints/scratches on my screen in weeks to come.

- Can't figure out how to switch off the shutter sound when taking pictures. So much for trying to take voyeur shots on the sly...

- When you turn the camera upside down you will see "Made In China"...Arghh..

It was fun testing out the Chotto Shot today at work but of course i won't post any of the 'sensitive' pictures i took today online, except maybe the close-ups of the Teos (Cheng Wei and Ee Wei) sleeping during lunch. On 2nd thoughts i better not in case they whack me at work.

The Big Fight Part 2 (End) OLE!

Reached the stadium too early (around 7pm) so we had a lot of time to kill before kick off. So what did me and Alex do? We tried to re-create one of my favourite pictures from 2 years ago:

Alex is shocked at the modern technology they call the 'camera'.

Unfortunately all our attempts, before kick off, half time and after the match ended in failure. I guess it's true when they say you can never go back...

Nothing came close, unfortunately.

Back to the match. One of the best Singapore match i've seen and the players really tried to play up to the capacity (55,000!) crowd. It was left to Ridhuan Muhd (equaliser) and Lionel Lewis (saved the final penalty) to send us through to the finals. FT and ET ended 1-1 and we won (for the 3rd straight time against Malaysia) 5-4 on penalties. (MATCH REPORT: SLEAGUE.COM or SOCCERNET.COM). I'm not very good with adjectives to describe the atmosphere or the match so i'll just say that if you didn't make the effort to be there, shame on you. Please don't try to act like a Singapore fan now that they reached the finals and snatch up the tickets when they go on sale.

And to Rong Ming, who SMS'ed me during the 2nd half, "Quite a boring match huh?"..Boring your head la! Think you need to see more Singapore soccer matches if you can label such a great game 'boring'. Or just stay home and watch your Man United.

A bit sleepy now after the match. Will revisit this post tomorrow and see if i have anything to add. Check out the few pics i took below.

Stadium at 7:30pm still filling up.

Goal for Singapore! But nobody could tell who equalised from where we were..

Through to the finals after Lionel saves the penalty!

The average moving speed when we were leaving the stadium was about 5cm/s, sometimes less.

Sent this to Ee Wei recently but i decided to post this up cause i love this video. It's the ending theme/credits for "Pride" taken from Episode 11 *No spoilers in video*. Song is "I Was Born To Love You" by Queen. The part where Halu scores and the crowd goes crazy, coupled with the music gives me goosebumps everytime i watch it. Great use of a great song from a great band. Ee Wei if you want this series just ask me, since you helped me burn so many series before.

Click here to see the video (FLV format 3:33 mins)

The Big Fight Part 2

Less than 24 hours to the 2nd leg of the AFC Semi-Finals! Will be updating with all the latest reports before the big match tomorrow.



That's me (in red) getting autograph's from Dickson (hidden), Alam Shah and Shahril Jantan 2 years ago at TP stadium. What a totally irrelevant picture.
Lions Team News: Previous Match ended 1-1. Away goals don't apply. If it is still a draw after 90 mins, then 30 mins of extra time will be played. If still a draw, a penalty shoot-out will decide who advances. Singapore Captain Aide Iskandar will be suspended because of his red card for 'ungentlemanly conduct' in the previous game. Indra Sahdan will be leading the lions out tomorrow night. Mustafic Fahrudin will also be back in midfield after his previous game suspension. Subramani is still 50-50 awaiting a late fitness test. Top scorer for Singapore is Alam Shah with 9 goals in 4 games, 7 coming from the game against Laos.

Web Articles:
Previous Match Report SLeague.com
Previous Match Report ChannelNewsAsia.com

Singapore coach issues ASEAN rallying cry Soccernet.com
Raddy challenges Lions to shine SLeague.com
Norizan: Kallang Roar will not unnerve us SLeague.com
Indra to lead Lions' tiger hunt SLeague.com

Will update this if i find any news update tomorrow before leaving for the match. Go Lions Go!

Cold Day in the Sun

Completed Lost Planet early this morning(3am) before going to sleep. The graphics are excellent on my HD-tv. CAPCOM tried to make the gameplay and story cutscenes epic and film-like but shot themselves in the foot with a shallow and incoherent storyline. I'm not expecting a Hideo Kojima type of story but the least they can do is tell a story that makes sense. At least Dead Rising (also by CAPCOM) had a engaging B-movie storyline.



Wayne finally understood why his father warned him to stock up on bug spray.
The likeness of Wayne (what kind of stupid name is Wayne for a main character?) was kindly provided by Korean actor Lee Byung-Hun. CAPCOM has a habit of using famous actor's likeness in their games (see Onimusha series) but Lee looked extremely out of place in the game as everyone else, including his own father are Caucasians. Anyway i already posted this game for sale here. Also selling Saints Row because i didn't like it when i playtested it last night. Everything in the game screamed 'cheap production' and i hate how 'black' the game is (music, dialogue etc). Nigga jokes and talk always gets on my nerves.

Alex took up my offer of the extra ticket to tomorrow's match so i guess he will be tagging along with my dad, mom and myself. I just pray that he doesn't turn out to be a jinx but at least i have someone to vent my anger on if Singapore lose tomorrow. Good thing he is quite chubby so he should be nice to whack. I can give him his birthday handshake as well when i see him tomorrow.

Songs For Rainy Days:

As recommended by myself less 'It's raining men' cause i hate that bitch and song

Light Drizzle
'Raindrops keep Falling on my Head' - BJ Thomas
'Crying in the Rain' - Everly Brothers
'Rhythm of the Rain' - The Cascades
'Rainy Days and Mondays' - Carpenters

Drenching Downpour
'Rain' - The Beatles
'The Rain Song' - Led Zeppelin
'Let it Rain' - Eric Clapton
'Texas Flood' - Stevie Ray Vaughan
'Riders on the Storm' - The Doors

Torrential Floods
'Have you Ever Seen the Rain' - Creedence Clearwater Revival
'November Rain' - Gun n Roses
'Who'll Stop the Rain' - Creedence Clearwater Revival
'Rainmaker' - Iron Maiden
'Purple Rain' - Prince

14 Tracks ??:?? mins (definitely not enough to last through one rainy Singapore afternoon)

Too Much Pride Will Kill You

I was gonna write about some incident that happened at City Hall MRT but the more i thought about it as i typed the more i realised how petty i am. So i'm not going to describe what happened but all i will say is that it involved 1 (quite)cute girl, 1 ugly guy and myself. Ok, end of story.

Bought 5 2nd hand X360 games today for $210.:
1. Gears of War (going to sell this off ASAP since i already owned and sold it before)
2. Call of Duty 3
3. Saints Row
4. Marvel Ultimate Alliance
5. LOTR: Battle for Middle Earth II (disappointingly doesn't support keyboard and mouse)

So i will probably be sufficiently occupied/entertained this weekend.

Disclaimer: Capcom did not pay me a single cent to put this banner up or link to their site.

But before starting those games i want to complete Lost Planet (X360) since i'm on the 2nd last mission already. The novelty of blasting insectoid alien after alien is starting to wear thin and i will sell this off once completed while it's still a new release. What i will say is that Lost Planet is very challenging without being frustrating even on the Normal difficultly. No way will i play this game on Hard or Extreme. Other games pending for myself are Okami (just started) and Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria (halfway through).

Chionged through Pride episodes 5 - 11 (end) yesterday night till 3am. It's no big secret that i am a Kimura Takuya (Halu) fan and this series didn't disappoint. I have not watched a Takeuchi Yuko (Aki) drama until this one but i instantly became a fan of hers overnight. She may not look that pretty or young (as Erika Toda) but her character and acting was very sweet and moving. And she has such a very cute way of talking and smiling. Gonna try to find more of her dramas soon. This may be a romance drama but if you're like me and hate long mushy romance scenes in dramas then I highly recommend this series, and even more so if you are a Kimura fan. Good news too if you are a Queen fan. This series has loads of Queen song, the best used one with the ongoing scenes IMO being "Too Much Love Will Kill You" (ep 11).

Aki (Takeuchi Yuko)

Halu (Kimura Takuya)

P.S: I have an extra gallery ticket to the Singapore vs Malaysia match this Saturday. Anyone care to take it off me? F.O.C. I'm going with my family by the way.

The Big Fight Part 1 (End)

Final Score 1-1. What a terribly disappointing match... The first half was like watching school children playing soccer. The passing was abysmal and the defenders gave the Malaysians a zoo's space to move about and attack. Singapore must really trust Lionel Lewis to save them and he did when he had a superb reflex save to deny Malaysia a 2nd in the 80th+ min. And of course our goal machine Nor Alam Shah was once again on hand to rescue Singapore from defeat. On the whole everyone played poorly, especially the usually dependable Daniel Bennett. Even Lionel was having somewhat of an off-day.

The saddest part of the match is that it seemed too..friendly. Where are the bloodied noses, spit-in-the-face, skull-fracturing-elbows and leg breaking tackles? Where is our traditional heated rivalry? Maybe we need Mahatir or MM Lee Kuan Yew to stir up some water under the bridge issue before we can see some heart and passion in the next game. Oh ya, another sad thing is that i was shouting at the players and referee through a TV screen. It sucks not to watch a Singapore match live.

However, at the end of the day, the results suit Singapore better for the 2nd leg this Saturday since we have home advantage. Hope they wake up their idea and play some decent football (read: learn to pass to your own players!) and for goodness sake, like they say in the SAF, "Show some bloody urgency!"

Anyone need tickets for the match on Saturday? 8pm National Stadium 27th Jan Sat. $6 Gallery $10 Grandstand. I'm probably buying them this Thursday.

The Big Fight Part 1

Tonight is the first leg of Singapore's AFC Semi-Final clash! Against our arch-rivals Malaysia no less!

Flashback to almost 2 years ago and the Tiger Cup (as it was known back then) Finals. First time in my life i witnessed a sold-out National Stadium soccer match, thanks in part to all the suddenly converted Lions fan just because Singapore reached the finals..but anyway, the atmosphere can only be described as the Holy Grail of local soccer. Fans were singing, people young and old were Kallang waving and the noise and fanfare reverbrated throughout the stadium. Best match i ever watched. Period. For the record, Singapore won 2-1.

Before the match. Check out the sea of red.

After. Yes the inhumanly white guy in both pics is me.

So good luck to our Lions tonight. I hope to be able to see Singapore in consecutive finals and to savour the atmosphere one more time.

Oh yah, my Erika Toda 2007 Calendar arrived yesterday! Much bigger (bigger referring to the calendar size) than i expected but i was disappointed that there are only 7 images, 1 cover, 6 2-monthly pictures/calendar instead of 1 picture for every month. The biggest problem is that its quite heavy and i have no idea how to hang it on my wall. For the time being i will just keep it in it's tube till i can find some way to put it up.

The cover. Erika looks different in this pic.

January/February pic. Those dots at the bottom are the calendar dates. Totally impractical but who cares?

Ain't she sweet?

My dad has been trying to get me to buy a new bicycle for the past 2 weeks. Today he brought me to see a Bianchi at Rodalink at Thomson Road. Wasn't planning to buy anything but i fell in love with the bike at first sight so i ended up buying it!


Arguably the 2nd most gorgeous thing in my house behind myself.

Altogether it cost $1,700, components are entry-level but the frame paint is just gorgeous! A little bit heavy (10.2kg, ~22.5 pounds) but who cares when it looks so nice..Gonna ride it to work tomorrow (weather permitting) just to show off..i mean to test out the bike..

Update: Distance to camp is a little over 19km (right to my office doorstep) took me 43 mins to reach there in the morning and 48 mins back. Covered 38.57km in 1 h 31 mins. Hope to knock this time down as i progress.

In The Beginning..

I finally made a decision to start blogging after spending years in the 'ABC' (Anti-Bloggers Camp). I guess it's cause i feel that it will be fun to record down interesting events so that i can look back on it and laugh in the future, partly because i'm getting old and forgetful.

And speaking of old, today also happens to be the birthday of my very good friend Alex. So happy birthday to you! I looked around your blog earlier today to see if there were any subliminal messages to get you something you really wanted but i couldn't find any, so sorry, no presents again this year but you can at least expect "1 X Firm handshake" the next time i meet up with you.

Today also happens to be my parent's 26th Anniversary as well. My mother wanted to go to the Il Divo concert at the Indoor Stadium Tonight but of course my father (and any other heterosexual guy in the right mind) wouldn't pay a few hundreds to see 4 greasy Italians sing songs they already know in a langauge that they don't know. So my mother spent her day at home (after fetching me all the way to Changi in the morning) while my father went to work the entire day. I should have dedicated 'After The Thrill Is Gone' to them on radio..

DRIVING related music track recommendations:

As Recommended by myself (less Initial D songs cos there are too many of them):

Warm-up lap
'Take It Easy' - The Eagles 3:32
'Fast Car' - Tracy Chapman 4:58
'Take Me Home, Country Roads' - John Denver 3:16
'Human Highway' - Neil Young 3:09

2nd Gear
'Drive My Car' - The Beatles 2:25
'Life in the Fast Lane' - The Eagles 4:45
'Crossroads' - Cream 4:15
'Ventura Highway' - America 3:54
'Driver's High (Jap)' - L'arc En Ciel 4:10

Pit Stop
'Racing With The Devil On The Spanish Highway' - Al Di Meola 6:18

Final Lap
'Highway Star' - Deep Purple 6:08
'Supercharger Blues' - Ronin 3:27

12 Tracks 54:17 (enough to drive to Pontian for 2 half boiled eggs and 1 kopi-o and back)