For the Horde!

NUS FASS at Karazhan

The picture above was a guild photograph that my guild, NUS FASS, took when we downed Karazhan as a guild in the World of Warcraft (WOW). It was the first time we did it without the aid of external members from other guilds.

Yar, its only Karazhan what... some gamers might think... 'its just Karazhan... the first raid of BC' or 'isn't that difficult now with lvl 80 skills...' (we downed Karazhan without the aid of the lvl 80 talents). But well, the important point is that it was an effort that took a year in the making.

Some people question me... 'why do you WOW so often'. I don't really think I WOW that much... compare to the 'gold farmers' and fanatics out there who WOW for glory. But I guess maybe its time to blog about my other life... life as Archhealer... the priest who cannot make it. haha.

Why do I WOW? I can't really explain... but all I can say its tonnes of fun and it has many elements of friendship. I stop wowing when I was 60 (back during the original WOW when the BC expansion wasn't out and the level cap was 60) and I was always a noob, someone who didn't know the market rates, strategies or technical info behind DPS (Damage per second). But at the request and 'temptation' put across by my juniors from NUS FASS... I decide to WOW again... and I reach 70 only like 6 months ago, well no difficult task... many have 10 or more level 70 characters... but its a different feeling when you have guild mates and friends encouraging you along and always helping you out with little quest or questions here and there. That is why, even though I know our guild is a fun guild, which probably would not be a well known or great guild, I am once again on my journey to 80 (the latest expansion, WOTLK's cap).

I think people who WOW, aren't the people with 'no life'... there is so much 'life' in WOW. Its just that people do not see the light we do... people do not understand why we say 'For the Horde!' and more importantly, people do not see the friendships built in the small world, called the World of Warcraft... I am grateful to be WOWing... its truly a space where I get to be accepted by friends and players as an individual who can assist and be relevant as a healer, even though I am a noob... haha

Maybe one day, as a guild, we might just be able to down the final bosses on the expansion. But till that day, I am happy to be living that dream while I roam the lands of Northrend ... and I guess it comforts me greatly that I do not live this dream alone but in the company of guildmates who are so fun-loving.

For the Horde!

Fear...

There are so many thoughts on my mind now... but most of them are about fears... my fears.

I think fears take up a big part of our thoughts... mine at least.

'What would I do tomorrow now that everyone has left hall?'

'Would tomorrow be a boring day?'

'Would there be lots of stuff to settle tomorrow?'

I think I clearly ain't ready for tomorrow. That is a fear I believe. Some may believe these thoughts are not important enough to be entertained... after all they are just speculations... and future concerns.

But what happens when your fears manifest before your eyes...?

Its begun... I believe... one of the fears I had for a long time. I realize this time its true... I cannot communicate with my friend anymore... Its not that I don't want to... I don't even know how. Slowly I feel that I am just happier alone ... yar.

A day out with Ain... haha

Caught the last matinee of Avenue Q in Singapore a couple of weeks ago with Ain, my classmate. The outing didn't started very well... I was suppose to pick her up at punggol 297... but I went to Seng Kang 297 conveniently ... so in the end we took 20 mins to clear up my blunder and we had to rush to the esplanade ... and we had to run from the car to the ... just to be in time for the production. haha.

Honestly, the play wasn't too exciting... but I guess sometimes, the idea is the company. Right? I think Ain wasn't too impressed or amazed by the production... but we managed to get a few laughs off our private jokes haha.

So after the play, we decided to just go to random places... super random I tell you...

First we drop by the biennale Singapore visual arts exhibition next to the Union building... 'Wonder' was the event title... And I think its quite a pleasant random thing to do... visit random art galleries. Whenever I visit art exhibitions, I am always amazed with the fact how an artist can visualize in the way they do, obviously so 'out of the box'. The exhibits were rather cool (I know some of you will reject this belief... but as a member of the public, I really thing they were!). I particularly loved the one where we entered a white room and all around us look as thought it was snowy but the exhibit area was really WARM! And another exhibit was about a totally enclosed dark area... and all you can see was a pin hole of light high above the celling... cools right?

After that we went out for ice cream by East Coast, which was followed by dinner at Simpang Bedok. We didn't even make any plans to go to those places... all we did was to drive around and make decisions when we needed to decide where to settle our hunger.

Its cool to do that... the spirit of flaneur... and I think as 'anal' as Ain can be about having plans... I thank her for being so nice to just follow me around for a day. I think Ain rocks... cause I can tell her almost everything... and I am sure she would be nice enough to listen and if she has to... she will give her 'bitchy' attitude and advise. haha. A frank person ... might be hurtful to some... but is sure a great friend to keep. haha.

O yar... here are some random pics on 'wonder', the biennale visual art exhibit.

The exhibition building.
All materials used to construct the structure was recycled.


Slippers in the Sky.
these slippers belong to an inmate in Changi Prison... each slipper represents each of them...


Light.
The light is being release through a pin hole... amazing?


Chairs
We should take a moment and appreciate the chairs we sit on... I think the person who invented the 'chair' rocks.


Ain looking out at the snow.
A clash of feelings; cool view in a warm room.


Slippers
This was the entrance to the cool/warm room exhibit



"Are you in Seng Kang?"
Ain, 2008

Picking up the camera again...

Photos mean a lot. They do. I think I have found love in pictures once again... Though a few months back... I found it once before ... and now I found it once again.

And I think this time I am out to re-express something else. Maybe this time around... instead of expressing the things I did and myself... I think I want to freeze the time I had with my friends in my photos. So hopefully I do a good job... then again when I reflect about the pics... I think I did. I became a bit more matured... shit... I am growing older. haha.

How we walk.
The footweat my friends and I wear.

Lost.
Naf along Arab Street

Smoke.
Attik and her shisha

Arab Street in the night.
The place were my friends and I chilled for a night

A friendly Shadow.
A silhouette of Jilyn

Chalet at Changi... again.

Actually sometime in Oct... I had a family chalet. I guess family chalets mean a lot of different things to everyone. Some may dread it, some may even avoid it. But to me family chalets spell out the word 'vacation home' to me. I think Mr and Mrs Tan avoid traveling when I was much younger... I think they hate being in a foreign place. So every December, instead of going on a family trip overseas, we head down to Changi for a family chalet... so it always seem as though we were going to our vacation home. This time around, it felt the same.

Once again after A hard year of work, Mrs Tan gets her wish of going to the chalet again...Mrs Tan asked me if I would like to invite a few friends over to my family chalet and I did. I didn't ask everyone down as I didn't want to give the other Tans a hard time preparing the food and stuff. So I decided to ask some of my closer friends to join the Tans for the BBQ. I seriously think its like the 20th time we have been there... but every time, I always look forward to spend time with my family and invite my friends for a BBQ night out just to chill.

But I guess this time around... I had a bit more fun... Cause I guess it was extremely great to house the little 'Geo family' I had. It was rather fun to drive Princess Sarah around Singapore to run errands... not forgetting my honour to talk to her for an entire afternoon. And there was the nature walk with Jelena ... where we had to entertain the Princess's funny request... haha. Most BBQs beat the regular dinner but they always taste better when you have funny friends who think that the pork taste like chicken... haha. Lastly, its always great to have a 'chick flick' after a meal and lots of sparkles to brighten your night. So yar... I think chalets play a very big part in my life... and that is the impertus for 'Operation: boot camp' ... okie let this post remind myself of making it happen. haha.

Jelena and Princess Sarah
I think they were both so hungry, they wanted to eat rocks...

Mr Tan the Fisherman
(He actually posed for the pic...)
My mum and I agree that Mr Tan should stop fishing... he isn't really that young as he think he really is. But I must say, he still catches quite a bit.

Man in a 'boat'
The 'boat' was made from a container

Little children and their fireworks
Who says one can be too old to be a kid?

Sometimes a piss helps...

Thats what I told Jilyn, Dawa, Afidah and Ain today. After being in 'fluffy land' or a super drowsy state for the entire morning... I think a bit of coffee and a piss does help. After all it does remove some of the heat trapped in you.

Once again I went missing.. this time for 18 days. I didn't blog for 18th days... and I guess it will remain like that till Jan 2009. After all... I will be away on travels for the entire month of Dec...

Actually its not that I didn't have anything to blog about... I was just too unmotivated to do so. School work has finally ended... but there still lies the 'Ji Siao' project... and it sucks. The Warth of the Lich King, the New World of Warcraft expansion, has probably gotten the best of me as well. There are patches of misery everynow and then as well.

So maybe its time to start blogging again. Recap what has actually happen. Lets do it in a chrological order. So yar read the following post to get an idea what I was doing in the past few weeks.