Random Playlist Song: Trevor Pinnock - The English Concert and Choir: Handel - Messiah - Glory To God In The Highest (chorus)
Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men.
Random Trivia bit: Around 24,000 officials are employed by the European Commission (The European Commission)
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New LJ friends-only post.
The previous one is still available.
Most useful, this feature is.
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Considering I didn't know more than half the women they featured, and that their sizes vary according to how anorexic they are at that point in time, I'd say this is quite good already (47/100).
(from: Wannabe Lawyer, who for some reason filed the post with that and the result of the Jailbait quiz under "Law, Politics, Singapore". Wth?!)
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Platter's Miscellaneous Torment Crap
How can anyone resist? They've such stuff as:
- "THE EVISCERATOR"
(Unique, Artifact, Cheat)
Damage: 4-80 + 20
+20 to hit
+20 to Armor Class
Sets all Stats to 25
Weight: 0
Speed: 1
Proficiency: Edged
This unholy weapon is obviously intended for Quality Assurance to massacre any creature in their path as quickly as possible.
- a photo of someone who actually got a tattoo of the Symbol of Torment (I prefer the Rune of Torment rather than the one he got - the fancy Symbol of Torment, which is the Rune combined with the Symbol of Anguish)
- Unused sound file for the Transcendent One: TRA020 - "I don't know how you’re managing to click on me so many times during our encounter, but it's probably because... you're cheating."
- Unused sound files of all the PCs saying: "What can change the nature of a man?"
Also interesting: analysis of the opening movie. I think these people have been doing too much Literature.
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Doing a reverse search referral lookup, I came across the following, which seems to be written by a person from Haoxiang's batch:
it's 4 months and 3 weeks.
this week, i thought, i don't think i'll be able to last that long.
this week was once of the worst weeks ever. if our morale were the stock index, we would have plunged into a dire financial crisis. monday-7 o'clock briefings. higher ups conclude that the reason for 42sar's spate of accidents is our lack of discipline. more standbys and safety checks promised. tuesday- everyone gets fucked. i get fucked. i sign extra for not putting up bos board. DU-LAN. wed- last minute CO parade. i get scolded again for not bringing 11b to cookhouse. thurs- soc cancelled because of rain. fri- vehicle drills. my section couldn't put up the camo net in time. F.K. pulls stunt.
i'm starting to laugh at everything. i think i'm going crazy. this afternoon, i said every word with a 'z' behind. like 'trophies' become 'trophz'. like 'whatz moviez is-z worthz watchingz.'
a guy got charged for putting extra weights in his field pack.
haha.
a guy got charged for threatening to commit suicide if the counsellor doesn't let him stay out.
haha.
a guy got charged for falling asleep in a helicopter.
hahaha.
my platoon sergeant: guys you have to make a few boards for next week's combat shoot. make sure the words are audible.
Looks like things haven't changed in that den of iniquity.
What disturbed me more was the following:
"After much controversies on [Caught your tongue] for the right philosophy of moral values between my friend and I, this will be the last part of [Caught your tongue]. Unless someone can show me that it is good and guiltless to highlight others their inferiors and blunders, excluding the point on showing them the true light. A joint effort of my friend and I, the final list.
Here it goes:
*selection of quotes from my Improve Your English - National Slavery site*"
Previous posts also have choice quotes from my quotes page, as well as some other stuff from this blog (eg the Emma Watson Underwear picture which "*noun* and *adjective* *noun*" made for me).
I think I just got ripped off.
Ah well. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
Other assorted stuff I found in my lookup:
Mole man's blog
Free Webcam Frame Grabs Free Bikini Contest Videos & Pictures. No, really. For some reason it's #28 in Yahoo's Search Results.
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I just counted; my IBM laptop from school has at least 1.9GB of useless shit on it.
- All the drivers I'd ever need (and a few more to boot - eg Bluetooth)
- Windows setup files (I can use my own WinXP CD)
- Laptop-specific applications (eg To show the OSD when the volume is changed)
- and "MSOCache" (Office Setup files?)
Now I know what to burn to CD and delete if my HDD space drops precariously low. And now I also know where to get the stuff I really need, as opposed to the crap that IBM tries to foist on me, if/when I get hardworking enough to reformat my laptop and install Windows XP myself, instead of using the 4 crappy recovery disks they gave me (which doubtless will put the same 1.9gb of shit back into my HDD).
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SKH writes an excellent response to Anonymous, who ranted about "wishy-washy, chicken livered pansies":
"Maybe you enjoyed your army experience to which I say, good for you! I do not wish to learn to throw a grenade...as for the Taiwanese countryside, I have seen it before as my GF lived there. I prefer looking after children, building hospitals for the poor and educating those living in the western regions of China over handling a rifle. Have you done that before? Seeing the smiles of children as they thank you for the joy you have brought to their rural village where no other foreigners have stepped into before?
Perhaps you could have, if you have not been busily learning to kill!" [more]
Meanwhile Lance points out: "the fundamental purpose of NS is to defend the nation - not to "build character traits" or make boys "more independent". if NS happens to provide some beneficial side effects along the way, well and good - but lets just keep in mind they are nothing but that exactly - side effects."
A "current NJC student" asks:
"if army were so bad as you have said, why would scholars willingly take up the scholarship?"
Ah. An opportunity to analyse the minds of SAF scholars. Where to begin, I wonder?
Here are some possibilities:
1) Prestige - scholarships are prestigious and SAFOS is one of the three most prestigious scholarships in Singapore
2) Insulation - Scholars, especially SAFOS ones, are insulated from all the low-level crap that the scum of the earth suffer, because of their rank (as officers) and exalted status as scholars. They are not subjected to the dehumanising treatment that mere scum of the earth (ie enlistees) go through. Instead of getting screwed, they get to screw other people (if they choose). Even BMT, the putative great leveller, is different from them, for all, or almost all potential SAF scholars enter what are known as "Scholar Companies", or even better, companies with White Horses in them.
As someone put it: "slaves and royalty stay in the same palace but lead vastly different lives"
3) Obliviousness - Some recipients of (local) study awards I spoke to in my tenure as a slave told me they regretted signing on. Maybe some - those who get scholarships before enslavement - don't know what they're getting into.
Friends of mine tell me of those who got SAF scholarships, some on the spur of the moment, who later regretted. For example, one is quoted as saying: "I really wanted to go overseas, didn't think I'd suffer so much afterwards"; to many Singaporean JC students, an overseas education is the Holy Grail, so in their quest to get it, they neglect the fact that on their return they'll have a 6 year bond to serve. Of the above, I am told that: "now all he wants to do is enjoy himself and die young"
4) Nature of the job - As a friend puts it: "these scholars want to look for something that needs no effort, pays a lot, and gives them the ability to fuck people around. what else do u need?" He adds: "usually cos they are enslaved, they are brainwashed, and usually stay till they die, mentally or physically"
Since it's highly unlikely that Singapore will ever go to war, you get to slack and won't actually have to engage in real combat. And since you get promoted quickly to command-level posts, you don't actually have to go outfield (and experience similar messy and gritty activities) that often.
5) Affection/suitability for Army Life - Strange but true. Some people actually like army life. But then, some people like BDSM also, so. *insert latin phrase that's not good to use too often, or it loses its impact*
Some people are also better suited for the job than others, so they are inclined to taking it.
6) Future job prospects - Apparently some scholars get to become Colonels at age 30. You can't beat the job security either - even incompetent regulars don't get fired, since there's next to no way to assess their job performance, let alone scholars. Also, the SAF has a great retirement plan. Even after retiring, you'll want for naught - they'll find a way to parachute you into a suitably comfortable, important and well-paying job (even if you're not suited for it). See: Our Scholars - Success Stories
7) They fit one or more of the other criteria - As I said, there are 4 types of people who sign on. Some scholars fit into one or more of those categories, namely: being sadistic, being greedy for the money (you get a $750,000 gratuity when you retire) and being incapable of finding jobs outside.
8) Brainwashing - Some are brainwashed. A friend tells of a time when there was a recruitment talk in OCS (Officer Cadet School) and "the whole LT signed on" because of brainwashing.
Some people are taken in by the rhetoric about Duty, Honour and Country, and the old lie - Dulce et decorum est, pro patria mori - 'It is sweet and proper to die for one's country' (Horace, Odes, iii ii 13)
9) Since you have to be a slave anyway, some figure that they might as well get a free education, a well charted-out career path, relatively good pay (especially for the 2 years of compulsory slavery), and "respect". Oh, and some girls like men in uniform (I know at least one with an army uniform fetish)
As for why non-scholars sign on (or get Local Study Awards or the like):
10) Getting to be an officer - Some people sign on because that's the only way they'll get to be officers. I know this guy who, while a normal slave, was a PTI (Physical Training Instructor - think your PE teacher on steroids and with a bad attitude), but became an officer after signing on. From a cursory study of him, I conclude that he was sore at not becoming an officer and signed on to attain that status.
[Ed: The above has been modified since its original posting.]
[Ed: The above has been modified since its original posting.]
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Those who claim that MCQ exams are very easy should try the exam for the CFA certification (Chartered Financial Analyst) :)
I hated the Chinese AO MCQs also - the answers were all so similar, it was hard to tell which was correct. Besides which, I couldn't (and still can't) speak Chinese, so.
