Checking In... To University Life!

I'm back from Hall Camp!

Well, Jim and I took our leave early because of various stuff that we had on. Even though I'm considerably less occupied than Jim in terms of scheduling conflicts, I figured that I've got quite a few issues at hand that I'd like to settle before officially starting my life in NTU.

Besides there's no reason for me to be there if Jim isn't there right? *insert your gay taunts here*

So anyways, we checked into our hall on Monday afternoon, lugging along big and small packages alike. In case you don't know, we're assigned to Hall 16, AKA THE HALL WITH AIRCON!

I've never been to or seen Hall 16 ever before in my life, but I've been to some of the other halls in NTU. Run-down, dirty, and really really old are just some of the nicer words I can use to describe them.

Therefore, I guess it was acceptable for me to go "OMG WE HIT THE JACKPOT!" when I first laid eyes on our new home. My initial impression was a healthy mix of awe and thankfulness if you ask me. From the outside, our hall looks clean and modern, much like some sort of condominium block.

16C, that's our block!

So after signing a few documents and collecting our keys (which happen to come in the form of CARDS, isn't that like UBER-COOL?), we began the arduous journey to get to our room on the 3rd floor of Block 16C. Not that it was a really difficult task to get there, given the fact of the existence of a certain mechanical wonder called the LIFT.

Our keycards! One for the gate, one for our room!

We got to our room, and boy, did it lived up to expectations. It's really very spacious in there, and there was a lot of room to move about. Jim and I were even contemplating to rearrange the beds into a L-shape so that we can set up a mahjong table right in the center of the room. Exciting prospect isn't it?

Welcome to our room!

Also, the study table is super long and wide! I think it isn't a problem to fit 3 or even 4 muggers there. So the next time you need a place to study in NTU, and there isn't proper comfortable place to mug, you are welcomed to look for us in our room! (Please note that you should knock before barging in, wouldn't want you to see anything that you don't want to see. Hiak hiak.)

The Palace of Wisdom!

The beds are super-comfy to sleep on! I probably got the best sleep ever in the 2 nights that I spent there. (Ok I know that it is theoretically impossible to get the best sleep two times in a row, but hey, King-Koil beds do miracles. Ask jim!)

My bed!

Jim's bed!

Geez, I really should stop raving about how good the place is. So let me just leave you with some more photos that I took randomly...

A photo I took from the link-bridge.

The wonderful view that greets us from out of the window!

Our gigantic wardrobe!

The freakn Sun in the Universe that is our room.

In case the Air-Conditioner breaks down.

P.S. The place looks so clean because my baobei came over to help us tidy up the room! Thank you baobei! What would I do without you? <3

Sanity in Insanity?

Whoa, I just caught The Dark Knight with baobei and we both agreed the movie's a total head-trip! No doubt, this movie gave me a fresh introspect into humans in general.

I will not be elaborating on the actual plot so you can read on with the peace of mind that whatever is written below will not spoil your movie experience.

I gotta say, aside from the usual big-bangs and catastrophic clashes, it's one helluva captivating show that's packed with intelligent dialogue. The interaction between Batman and Joker alone more than justified the ticket price for me. The more you ponder upon their banter, the more you will realise just how smart and ironic the story actually is.

After watching the movie, I can safely conclude that the main antagonist (The Joker, in his fullest deepest darkest glory) seemed to have only one genuine aim in his intricately-complicated mind, and that is to prove that each and every human is just as crazy as he is. That people can never truly follow a moral code of conduct or live by the rules. That everyone bends and breaks when they are pushed to some point. That in reality, the law and order that mankind tries so hard to achieve is nothing but a big fat hypocritical lie.

What I find most scary is that I can actually empathize with the Joker. At first, I thought he was just some lunatic who went around killing people just because it was funny to him. But as the movie progressed, he started to turn my world upside down. His ideologies slowly sank into my mind and I began to understand just where he was coming from.

So the question is, just how far does one have to be pushed before moral codes do not matter anymore? Apparently, it's not too far given Singapore's context. Boarding passengers who completely block off the exit of the MRT just so they can be the first to enter, albeit with some pushing and shoving all at the alighting passengers' expense. People who act like a mighty lion but when faced with someone of a higher status, his/her attitude does an instant 180 and he/she suddenly turned into a submissive little mouse. Families who are financially stable lying about their state, just so they can get hold of funds intended to assist the needy. These are just to name some of the few cases that I can grab off the top of my head.

I really would like to think that most people are good-hearted and morally-upright, like how I used to. However, these recent episodes have led me to believe otherwise. The Joker might just be much more sane than anyone of us. Pretty ironic huh?

On a side note, Heath Ledger's Joker was epic. It was an INSANE performance, you gotta give him MAD props (Haha... I just couldn't resist). In my opinion, he wasn't just merely portraying the character, he became The Joker. To be honest, with all the hype built up from his death, this final act of his was one of the main reasons why I wanted to watch The Dark Knight so badly. Not surprisingly, his performance exceeded all expectations. It was certainly a fitting curtain-call for such a fine actor. If anything, it only made me regret even more that such an immense talent had to pass at such a young age.

Let me just end this entry with one last irony. I read from Wikipedia that to prepare for the role as The Joker, Heath Ledger isolated himself by living alone in a hotel room for a whole month. Throughout this time, he tried to get into The Joker's psychology and kept a diary on how The Joker might think or feel. In a seperate interview which he did after filming has concluded, Heath Ledger commented that his role in The Dark Knight had caused sleeping problems, that his body was exhausted but his mind was still going. The official story on his death was that he overdosed on common prescriptions that are used to deal with insomnia, anxiety and depression.

Maybe, JUST MAYBE, Heath Ledger delved too deep into the twisted mindset of The Joker and it took its toll on him... and eventually his life too.

101 Ways To Be An Idiot: Chapter 7

So I was heading home after a long and hard day at work. As I walked towards Yew Tee MRT Station, I plugged in my Silver iPod and start blasting some rock'n music to de-stress.

I gotta say that when I listen to music, especially those that I like, I get transformed into the coolest person on this planet. I jam, rock, head-bang to the co-ordinated sounds at no end. I practically immerse and drown myself in my world of music.

Arrived at the platform and I looked up at the LCD Panel Display. 8 Minutes. "Cool bananas.", I thought to myself. See, told you I'm the coolest person on this planet... FOR ABOUT 8 MINUTES.

Until I noticed the train coming from the distance.

Until I stepped forward closer to The Yellow Line.

Until I RAISED MY FREAKN HAND AND FLAGGED FOR THE FREAKN MRT.

That's just pure freakn genius.

Don't ask me why I did it. I DON'T KNOW.

You know the old saying that goes, "Music makes you forget your worries." Seems like it throws your common sense straight out the window too.

So the next time you plug in that evil music-playing-device, just remember to be very very very careful.

Just another chapter in... 101 Ways To Be An Idiot.