Maple Story - My Latest Craze!

Being too destitute to play World of Warcraft (It costs US$40 for a 3 month subscription, on top of the 100 over bucks for the software itself. It's definitely a rich man's game!!!), I can only play this super *kawaiii online game - Maple Story.

I informed Duma about it and he promptly told me, "Nah! I'm busy every night. I have to hold midnight conversations with my darling cupcake. No time to play games!!!" DUH! I told Yy about it the next day and the efficient gal downloaded it immediately and started playing it. That very very night, Duma was logged in and happily playing. DUMA! EAT YOUR WORDS!!!! Guess he didn't have much of a choice, the person whom he's holding twilight talks with is playing the game, so, in order for him to continue his chat... he simply has to play the game. Muahahahhaah!

Enough about Duma! As I was saying, I have this absolutely adorable character there. Lumino's the name, of course, she aspires to be a fire mage in future. You can certainly tell that from her name. The older generation of people who have been playing RPG, certainly has a more vibrant imagination, when picking names for their characters, unlike the fresh, new generation. I have come across names like NinNaoHeah, LeLaoPeh, Loverboy, Inuyasha1234 (sheesh this looks like someone who can't think of a better original name). DUH DUH! That's Singaporean for you.

Oh yeah! I have to flash this absolutely endearing picture of Lumino.

Lumino in 2nd stage. I didn't know how to use the snapshot function when she was in her 1st stage. Therefore, I missed her baby photo! Sob!

Lumino in 3rd stage.

Notice that the clothes get prettier as my level gets higher? Yes! You are right! I'm levelling Lumino so that she can get prettier clothes and make a fashion statement! Observe the well-coordinated colours. Arrrhhh....! If you want to play, play it with style!

*kawaii = cute (in japanese). Not so sure about the spelling though, but, you got the idea right?

Shrink... Shrink... GONE!

Have you been to seminars/workshops/lectures? I would assume so. I have been to tonnes of them.

Another observation : Have you ever noticed that people walk in and out of the room during the session?

Observation #3 : The strange thing is, they simply refuse to use the backdoor, but would prefer to do that right before a hundred pairs of eyes.

Observation #4 : Not only that, they always perform this weird movement of lowering their heads or hunching their backs as they stride across the room.

Observation #5 : Gosh! Some genie must have taught them that! That is, by hunching your back or lowering your heads, you would either become invisible or shrink to a miniscular size and nobody will notice you sauntering across the room.

The Bad News : Well, it certainly doesn't work. Despite all the hunching, lowering, attempts to run across with lightning speed, we still see them...... BIG as life. Would someone please tell them so that they will stop embarrassing themselves in front of a huge audience and in public??

You Have, I Have!


The lunchtime (or dinnertime) topics revolve around babies, babies and more babies! Argh!!! I think I will go mad if I were to hear more about what to eat, what not to eat during pregnancy down to which milk pump to use. Can you beat that?! Anyway, right after a girl gets married, the next most exciting thing would be to have a baby after the whirlwind of marriage.

One of my friends, who's currently pregnant, commented,"There are a lot of pregnant ladies around. I was waiting for my friend for lunch at the junction and boy, do I see MANY pregnant women waddling around!!" I told her that it's because she's in a similar condition, therefore she noticed this.

It's just like.... before you buy a car, yeah, you vaguely know that Singapore roads are congested, especially when you are in a rush (Notice how all traffic lights are red and lifts are always at the top floor when you are in a hurry. sheesh...). But after you have bought a car, you notice that, "Hey! Toyota is such a popular brand (you pat yourself on your back, good buy!!) that everyone on the road is driving one! (Down with Honda! Down with erm.. Mitsubishi etc) And a Silver one at that!!!!"

Strange! Suddenly the whole world is filled with pregnant women and silver Toyotas!!!!!

Hey! Everyone's using an IBM laptop after I bought one! That's a brilliant buy there, Ah Wei!

An All New Sax Experience! Ahhh...!!

Just a quick scribble before my meeting at 4pm.

Yes, yes, be patient, I'm going to describe the experience right now.

It all took place on a hot, humid Saturday afternoon (last Saturday, to be precise). We gathered in a small air-conditioned room, fine-tuning our instruments (getting ready for the MASS ORGY! According to pig, mass orgy simply means some group activity, pig, right???).

I finally had my turn on stage (yeah, a stage too, kinky eh?) for the rehearsal.

Anyway, all in all, everything went well. I was one of the last few participants, so I had to wait for 1 whole hour before I got my turn. A few of them were pretty good. One of them, the youngest partipant, I believe, did a Kenny G item on his soprano saxophone. It's supposed to be a students' concert, hmm... I believe he must be a teacher or something, he's too good to be a student!!!!! *Spoil market!! The other one was a flutist who's actually on a music scholarship. The rest were almost like me... half bucket water. hee hee.

Some comments from my ardent fans who attended the concert - the music was great, everything's in tune (I lived in fear that I would create some unearthly squeaky sound.), except, I looked like a big piece of wooden block. Hey! Considering that this was my first time on stage with an alto saxophone, I was worried that if I were to take my eyes off my book, I would play the wrong tune and of course I was too nervous to do anything else except... blow?!

Right, I have taken down the comments and shall practise way way way way in advance for my next performance. I will :
1. stop looking like a wood.
2. stop glaring at my music book.
3. move my head up and down and sideways to create more entertainment value.
4. hop around and do a breakdance number, ending on my knees and the last note.
5. perm my hair like Kenny G.

That should be enough for now.

Still, my neighbours must be very glad that they do not have to put up with my "Moonriver" renditions every night at 11pm. No choice mah! I leave the house at 9am every morning and does not get home til 1030pm at night!! My peaceful playing should lull them to sleep (hopefully).

I shall do a jazz number the next time.

*Spoil market = set too high a standard for the rest of the people to live up to.

To Market, To Market

The biggest news in the Straits Times in the last few days was, and still is, the arrest of CAO CEO Chen Jiulin for fraud and insider trading. Everyone I know, knows someone who has lost money from the CAO stock crash just a few months back. It was pretty easy to tell... the people who were going around, muttering to themselves, with knitted eyebrows, on the very day, when news of suspension of CAO stock trading was announced.

However, they soon pushed it to the very back (this little dark closet, into which they stuff unpleasant experiences and conveniently forget about them) of their minds and happily continued with their stock market trading. Sigh.

One of the stock trading books says, "if you find the aunties and uncles at the fish market passing each other tips on stock trading, it's time to get out of the market...."


Doesn't this look familiar to you? Yep yep! It's a typical stock chart! What do you mean, it looks ugly! I drew that myself!! Can you imagine the pain I had to go through to draw this chart, using the Paint software and a touchpad?? The cramp my poor fingers had to go through!!


Anyway, as I was saying.... Do you see the tiny red arrow squiggle? Right, that's the point where instituitional investors inject their huge amount of funds. As a result, it drives the price up sharply.


At this point, dealers, research analysts saw this and quickly put in their own trades. Sorry, minus the research analysts, that would constitute insider trading... So, the dealers put their $$ in.


In the middle of the night, Ah Wei is awakened by the incessant ringing of the phone. It's Ah Wei's stock dealer on the phone,"Hey! Hot tip hot tip! Stock ABC is shooting up. Put your money in!!!" Overwhelmed by gratitude and appreciation (Dale Carnegie, my idol, says that you have to show gratitude and appreciation so that people will work harder for you...), Ah Wei puts a hell lot of $$ into ABC and falls back to sleep. Therefore, the price goes up even higher, as all the sleepy Ah Weis throw their money in.


The news spread like wildfire.... The next day, Ah Wei goes marketing and overhears the auntie at the fish stall tell the ah ma at the pork stall,"Waa! Hot Tip! My son's dealer called him in the middle of the night to put in $$ for ABC! Waaa!! Guess what! This morning, the ABC REALLY go up by 100 points!!!! Eh! You want to put $$ in? I'm going to look at the tv screen (she's referring to the updating of the stock prices at the dealing companies), then I'm going to put in all my savings! Won't go wrong wan!!!!" So Auntie and Ah Ma go hand-in-hand to watch "tv" and put even more money in!!!

Satisfied with the earnings, now that price of ABC has shot up all the way to the sky, the big instituitional investors decide to perform a massive sell action. With the exit of such a huge amount of fund, the price plunges......... while the aunties and uncles are rejoicing in their sleep over their good buy.

The dealers are alerted to the sudden plunge, so they save their own skins first by quickly selling their shares. "Heng! At least i have made a bit of profit! Oh yeah! Have to call up Ah Wei to tell her about this!!"


Awakened in the middle of the night by the irritating telephone ringing again. Damn! I should have unplugged the phone before I sleep. "What.. what?! Sell!? Stock is plunging?! ok ok! Sell everything for me!!!" Ahhh!! There goes my investment! Have to start saving up again!

Some days later, when Ah Wei goes marketing, the fish stall is closed and another ah ma is selling pork at the stall.... The newspapers are splashed with stories of people turning into paupers overnight... people jumping off high rise buildings.... The red skull (Is my drawing so bad that you can't tell that it's a skull!!!! ok ok, you have to remember that I draw it with a touchpad....)signifies an end...

Therefore, when everyone is buying a certain stock, it's time to move out....

He he... It's easier to preach and practise.... Take the advice at your own risk.

How to Be a Better Person

I have just finished the first chapter of Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends & Influence People", in my endeavour to become a better person. One gold nugget which I have gleaned from the first few pages is :

Don't criticize, condemn or complain - Dale Carnegie
In front of the said person. - Ah Wei

By criticizing people, according to Dale, would not turn them towards the right path, but would only fuel their determination to go against you. Ahh...! Therefore, never never never do that.

On the other hand, if you are not honest with yourself, you will probably suffer internal injuries from suppressing your feelings. Mark Twain (if you do not recognise this famous author, you have just earned the right to kick yourself in the butt, as I was saying... ) had a fiery hot temper and had written stinging letters to people who have incurred his wrath. They allowed him to let off steam (saving himself some internal injuries) and the letters did not do anyone any harm, because his wife had secretly lifted them from his mail. See, they were never sent.

From this excellent example, I conclude that, it's alright to criticize, complain and condemn people, so that you don't go crazy from suppressing your feelings, as long as the said people are unaware.

Therefore, to be a better person, I shall continue to criticize, complain and condemn people (it's stressful to work in little Old Singapore) behind their backs, as long as they are unaware of it!

Thanks Dale!