Apathetic Avenger

I Feel So... Not Good.

I don't know whether I can keep blogging at the rate I'm going. JC level education is quite a bit tougher than Secondary school education. It's true that we're given more freedom, which I really enjoy, but we are also given more work, which I don't enjoy.

One thing that really gets me is the subject matter. PCME, in the right hands, can be very interesting, unfortunately for me, it isn't. Few, if any, of my teachers make the subjects they teach intriguing or exciting. They seem to lack passion for their work. I'm not saying teaching is an easy job, and it's definitely not easy to be passionate about teenagers who have no thirst for knowledge or desire to learn.

Furthermore, I really dislike the way lessons are conducted. For those of you who don't know, lessons are conducted in a Lecture/Tutorial fashion, meaning the teachers will give a lecture, and bore 100s of students at a time, and when the lecture is over, and no one has learned anything, the students will then have tutorials, this time they get bored by another teacher repeating the topic, only in groups of 20, where they don't learn anything. AGAIN. Lectures are a horrible way to teach. Imagine this. Large, cool, air-conditioned room with comfortable chairs. Unmotivated, sleepy, lazy students. Teacher, monotonous voice, dull subject, talking, 80 MINUTES. ( Oh God, just kill me. Stab me in the eye with a rusty screwdriver.) Do you think the students will learn well?

I thought not.

So anyway, because of that, students go home everyday feeling incredibly drained. They don't want to think, to write, or to work anymore. They just want to swallow some food, get cleaned up, and flop onto their beds. That's how they feel. That's how I feel. However, instead of getting to do that, I'm forced to write some mathematical crap that has nothing to do with my life. I don't see how binomial theorems will have any significant impact on my future as a young man. I just feel so mentally drained. That's why these days, I'm finding it quite difficult to think, write, or express my opinions. I just don't feel like doing it anymore. Should I escape from it all?

Right now I'm having a severe case of writer's block. I just can't think straight. I don't have the inspiration to talk about current affairs, my ideas, music or anything else. Notice how this post has a major lack of focus, poor language, not to mention having absolutely no point? I don't even know what I'm writing. These are just the rants and raves of an insane 16 year old. I'm not even going to bother to check the grammar and spellings.

Sometimes I wish I was stupid. I know that sounds stupid, but hear me out. Stupidity will set your mind free. I mean, consider this for a moment. Ignorance is bliss. Ever hear that statement? I believe it. Let's just say I have the mental capacity to live, and just do some menial job. I won't be able to have deep thought. I wouldn't be rich, I would live alone. Everyday I would go to work, survive on my meager income, and just pass the days by. Yes, the bliss may be built on a foundation of lies and self-deception, but if you're stupid, you wouldn't be aware of it right?

I know I should consider myself to be really lucky, and I truly and honestly do. I live in a nice house, with a nice family. I don't have to worry about my next meal or surviving the night. I have many friends, people who care about me. I suffer from no illnesses. I have much to live for. I guess everyone will just have moments of weakness.

Today's post is total crap.

Sorry for being so emo.

I don't know what's wrong with me.

Hopefully this is just a passing phase.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 6:32 PM

#2. Ancient History

Okay. I admit it. I'm an attention whore. I need to be the main attraction. I crave the adoration of screaming fans and the hysterical cheers of overly enthusiastic supporters. That's why it is such a torturous feeling, not knowing how many people read my blog. I need to know whether 5 or 500 people pay attention to me. I would rather than know the cold hard truth than fill my mind with delusions of grandeur.

So, read my blog. Cause my counter to count. Make me feel warm and happy inside.

Anyway, here's today's completely and utterly pointless piece of trivia.

Native Americans aren't actually native to their land. If you take a look at any world map, you would realize that Europe, Africa, Asia, and even Australia are somewhat interconnected. (You could island hop from say, Indonesia to Australia.) So, if a primitive caveman was feeling rather bored, he could, theoretically, walk from France to China. So, my point is, there wasn't any real means for which caveman could go to the Americas.

There weren't exactly many Trans-Atlantic ships about 20,000 years ago. Neither was there an over-abundance of airplanes back then. So the Americas were unpopulated by humans. Then, came the ice age hit. So everything became really cold. The coldness made water turn to ice, so many of the world's water bodies froze. The Bering Strait was one such feature that froze. The Bering Strait is basically a narrow body of water that links two land masses. It connects the easternmost point of Asia to the westernmost of America. So with the Bering Strait frozen, it had essentially created a massive ice bridge from Asia to America. Alright! So, some really really REALLY bored primitive men and women decided they had nothing better to do that to walk across the Bering Strait in freezing cold weather with nothing but dead animal skins to protect themselves. Hence, the first Native Americans came to be.

This may come as a shock, but I actually have a point in this post. You know how Chinese people (alright, basically all Asian people in general) have this thing where they like to migrate to other countries in search of better living conditions? Asian people are EVERYWHERE! So, what I'm trying to say is, this tendency could have been passed down through thousands of years from the cavemen, who were our ancestors. Maybe the primitive caveman was being badly treated, maybe he was always hungry, or he didn't have anyone to pleasure him. As a result, he decided to run away to a new land were food scarcity was not an issue, a place where he could have many sex partners.

Don't believe me? Have you seen any Native Americans recently? Don't they look Asian to you?

Did I just blow your mind?

Labels: Spontaneously Spouting Silly Stuff

Blogged @ 8:15 PM

A Time and Place For Apathy.

I know this may seem like an ironic statement, coming from me. [Sidetrack! (wow, getting sidetracked after the first sentence, how sad.) Anyway, did you notice how I used my wit and cleverness to work a pun into my blog title address thingy? I am the Apathetic Avenger, however, you would know, someone who doesn't care about things wouldn't be a very good avenger. Hence, Apathetic Avenger can also be read as A Pathetic Avenger! Woohoo! My intelligence brings so much happiness. Yay for me! Alright, I'm done.] But this is how I really feel. I'm not saying that you should give everything in this world your fullest attention. I'm urging everyone to care about things that are important, not about things like what your friend did on Friday at 11pm while at her hot boyfriend's house. Pay attention things that affect your lives, things that are of actual significance.

It's amazing how seemingly minor events that occur halfway across the planet can have such major effects on us. Don't believe me? Allow me to illustrate. Let's say oil supplies decrease worldwide. Because supply decreases, while demand goes up, prices go up. (Oh yea, I rock at Economics!) Hence, in order for your Dad to continue driving to work so that he can make enough money to provide you with shelter and food, he has to scrimp and save for petrol, and is now unable to buy you that overpriced Crumpler bag (which is basically less than $10 worth of fabric, plastic, and velcro) that you so desperately desire. Now your life is incomplete as the Crumpler bag was your only means of upgrading your social status en route to becoming popular and cool, and you're now forced to hang out with losers and freaks.

How about a little something closer to home? Nicoll Highway collapsed in late 2004, due to some happenings that were hidden from public view. It results in the tragic deaths of four people. Those who were responsible for the collapse were given a light slap on the wrist, a small fine. So, because of that, now the completion of the Circle Line Mrt service has been pushed back to 2010. This affects you greatly, since you study at ACJC, and need to go to Ang Mo Kio to take a bus home, you are now forced to travel in one massive circle, instead of having a direct train from Buona Vista to AMK. You take one and a half hours to travel home from school everyday. When you reach home, you're too tired to do any work. You cry yourself to sleep at night, cursing the heavens for you ill-fated existence.

So, I hope that would convince you to take notice about Current Affairs. I guess it's good in a way that JC students are forced to take GP. So it's pretty much, "CARE! Or you fail!". Better to force someone to do something unwillingly than to let the rot their lives away. A most effective way of convincing others, I must say, especially, considering we are in kiasu Singapore, where kids put grades first, and learning the very last. Anyway, I think it's important to read our beloved Straits Times, but it's also important to take everything with a pinch of salt. Read between the lines. (Not literally, I'm not saying stare at the blank white space between the words.) Understand the facts, come up with your own thought process, and make your own inferences. Don't take everything at face value. For example. I will tell you that The Straits Times is a state-controlled newspaper, and that it is the only English language newspaper in Singapore. (I don't consider The New Paper or Today to be newspapers, more like... shit.) What does my statement tell you?

I also think we should embrace other non-traditional forms of media, such as the internet. Forums, personal websites, and even blogs can contain lots of information that is worth reading. However these jewels are hidden amongst vast quantities of absolute rubbish. There is this forum, which I regularly visit. It is concerned mostly with local issues. There are a fair number of clones and trolls and idiots that post there, but a lot of the content is rather deep and quite interesting. I don't post much there, I go there mostly to read, and to get opinions from the other side of Singapore's fence. I would post the link in my blog, except I don't want to be put on the PAP's blacklist at the tender age of 16. Contact me if you want the link. (It's not a pornographic website, mind you. Perverts.) Another website that I do visit is this one. This writer is, I'm sad to admit, much more mature and deep than I am. Fortunately, he's not as funny. His articles are insightful, his arguments clear, his language concise. He is also homosexual, as he stated in his biography. So I do find his articles do offer a fresh point of view, something that I'm not so familiar with. I should also state, that his website contains issues about homosexuality, so if you're closed-minded, keep away.

Remember that first movie in that trilogy with the rotating special effects? Remember what the bald black guy who wore shiny leather clothes said to the hero guy? There is the red pill, and the blue pill. Would you prefer to be blissfully unaware of what goes on behind your back, or would you rather embrace the truth, and get the full picture?

Which would you choose?

Labels: Current Affairs, Musings

Blogged @ 4:55 PM

Now that I've begun school once again, I once again have little free time. As a result, this blog, which was created during the holidays to do away with my boredom won't be updated quite as often. So I've decided, henceforth, to begin posting mini updates, such as this, possibly every Thursday. They will contain anything, thoughts, facts, jokes. Basically anything that I won't be able to develop into a 900 word essay, story or rant. I won't bother posting updates on my MSN Messenger, because I don't consider it an update if it takes 2 minutes to read.

So, without further ado.

In the years leading to World War II, Nazi Germany was planning to seek revenge on the Allied Nations. Being the mature, responsible, level-headed Nazis they were, they decided the way to do that was to beat the crap out of the Allied forces. To do that, they needed to increase the size of their army. As a result, the Nazi's decided to start training boys from a really young age to become soldiers in the future, which they decided to do by creating an organization where boys get to do manly stuff. In other words, NCC for Aryans.

The name of the organization was Pimpf.

Labels: Spontaneously Spouting Silly Stuff

Blogged @ 9:21 PM

The Various And Wonderfully Dissimilar Forms Of Deyong

I'm sure at some point in your life, you would've uttered the phrase "That guy, he's quite a character!" at least once. Now, if you have indeed made that statement before, then I would have to assume that you made the assumption that people's characteristics are fairly constant. Meaning, that the way someone acts in general has been decided the day he or she was conceived, and that the nature of the person can be easily predicted based on past behavior. So an annoying prick will always be an annoying prick. However, I would tell you that this assumption is not at all correct, and in having thought it to be correct, you have made an ASS of U and ME.

It may be true that a person's basic character will always be the same, as in, an honest person will usually be honest. However, there are many factors, such as surroundings, time, mood, weather, and situation, that can drastically alter the way a person may speak or act. For example, a generally congenial and friendly person may become irritable due to the weather.

I myself, know that my personality can vary greatly. It's a strange phenomenon, but it's pretty cool. Thus, I have come to the pointless point of this post. With this post, I hope to keep detailed observations and records of the various forms of Deyong that exist, all of course, for the greater good of humankind. I require no recognition for my noble work, my only desire is that it is not used for wrongdoings.

"Normal" Deyong

"Normal" Deyong is the Deyong that we all know and love. However, he is not at all normal, in fact, he is somewhat of a weirdo, after all, he did spend 4 years at SJI. He enjoys good jokes, and making fun of Javier. He is pretty much a nice guy. "Normal" Deyong is incredibly witty, smart, clever, intelligent, and mature. He is also very modest. At times, he is lazy, and likes to take his own sweet time.

Homosexual Deyong

This Deyong does not exist. He never did, and he never will.

Chao Ang Mor Deyong

Chao Ang Mor Deyong is a minor derivative of "Normal" Deyong. He is somewhat of an enigma, some say he exists, others say he is nothing but a myth. Rumors are, he was created, in all of the places, Japan. The story goes that "Normal" Deyong was studying at an international school in Tokyo, which was based on an American system. Everyone there spoke with an American accent, and being the Singaporean Chinese that he was, Deyong had a strong longing and desire to find acceptance. He did this through careful mimicry of tone and structure of their spoken language. Over time, Deyong was so fluent and natural with his American accent, that Chao Ang Mor Deyong was born. Chao Ang Mor Deyong has the same basic characteristics of "Normal" Deyong, only he speaks with a distinct cosmopolitan American accent.

Now that Deyong is back in Singapore, this form has gone back into hiding, waiting for its chance to spring back to life. It has been said that this form will only appear if the conditions are right, such as if a white guy is present, or if Deyong visits a foreign country. Sightings of this reclusive creature are highly irregular.

Shy Deyong

Shy Deyong is a very under utilized form. Appearances are rare, and when they do occur, they do not last long. Shy Deyong is a defense mechanism that was created in order for "Normal" Deyong to deal with the traumatic experience of meeting new people. Shy Deyong does not talk much, he basically just sits and listens. He is completely uninteresting and is never well received.

As of this moment, Deyong is in the phase of transforming from Shy to "Normal" form.

Lustful Deyong

This form was created shortly after Deyong began the process of becoming a man. Fortunately, "Normal" Deyong has the willpower to keep Lustful Deyong in check. As of now, Lustful Deyong is completely powerless and docile. This was done in order for Deyong to concentrate on his studies, so that next time he can get a good job and make tons and tons of cash. The next expected return of Lustful Deyong would be in 2011, shortly after "Normal" Deyong finishes NS.

Prone-to-Aggression Deyong

This is another trigger-based form. Deyong will only take this form should he be repeatedly provoked or distracted by some minor annoyance. Once in this form, Deyong will be consumed with his rage, and just beat the crap out of whatever the hell may be disturbing him. Common triggers include Zhao Loong, annoying pricks, and stupidity.

These are the current known researched and documented forms of Deyong. If there are any new sightings or discoveries, please inform the Society of Archiving Deyong's Life (SADLife) immediately. Thank you.

Labels: Random Stupidity

Blogged @ 11:56 AM

Of Cheesy Cheers and Disgraceful Dances

Okay. By now, I'm sure those of you who have read the previous posts of my blog would have realized that it's somewhat different from the millions of other blogs managed by those intelligent enough to operate a mouse and keyboard. To a large extent, I don't talk about my life. The reason for this is simple. It's not because I want to be different and special, neither is it because I want to be a rebel, and it's most definitely not because I like to stir up trouble and piss people off. Simply, the reason is that, well, I think my life is boring. To be truthful, I find pretty much everyone's life to be uninteresting. Indeed. Let's be honest. Having to read about other people going to school, watching movies, and eating lunch is a tedious task. There are, of course, exceptions to this. George Bush would be one of them, but from what I hear of his intelligence, I would prefer a third-hand account.

So, today, in the spirit of spontaneity, I will try something different. I'm going to try to write about my boring life, and make seem interesting, so that even total strangers would start to care about my insignificant existence. Hidden somewhere in the midst my fluffy language and long long LONG introduction, my basic point is: I'm trying something new, it might suck. Don't be pissed.

Let's begin. On Wednesday I started a new term of school at a new school. Since I was/am a Josephian, one would expect me to go to CJC. However, for reasons unknown even to myself, I chose to go to ACJC. Thus begins a portion of my life, where there are many fascinating changes. I was formerly at the top of the totem pole in SJI, but now in ACJC, I've become the lowly piece of crap at the bottom. Furthermore, I don't know where anything is, I have only about 20 other SJI boys who followed in my path, and I'm surrounded by faces that I don't recognize.

Boring speeches began my Orientation. You know the kind. The kind where the more polite members of the audience will stare at the speaker, glassy-eyed, with only little snippets of information being remembered, others will shake their legs and give out sighs of exasperation. Those who just don't care take advantage of the air-con to get several valuable minutes of shut-eye, some with heads tilted slightly forward, with slow steady breathing, while others have their heads rolled back, snoring conspicuously. The events that followed were even more.. awkward. We were split up into smaller groups of 20. Relatively smaller, considering there were nearly 900 J1s. What followed was a lot of staring at feet, fidgeting, arms scratching, and other displays of general discomfort. Now, I know I'm not really great at making new friends instantly, so I keep kinda quiet until I get accustomed to my surroundings. However, I was further silenced by another fact. There were so many girls around. My SJI brain couldn't comprehend it. I was like, "Wow, I didn't know so many girls existed". It's sad, but four years at a boys school has made me into a n00b.

Okay, even I can tell this post is getting boring. Let's skip ahead to the juicy bits. So we feel shy, play games together, cheer together, suddenly we become more open and more like our usual selves. Yay. So anyway, one thing I found out about ACJC, is that they really enjoy cheering. I mean, they really do. During orientation, we play games. Before we play a game, we cheer. After the game is over, we cheer. After all that's done, we go for mass cheer.

I don't think I'll be able to speak properly ever again.

At first, I wasn't really all that into cheering. That is probably because I'm somewhat of a prick. But after a while, I just realized I should make the best of any situation. Throwing caution to the wind, with my newfound attitude, and the "When in Rome" mentality, I just began to cheer. At first, I felt like a moron. This was due, in part, no doubt, to some of the inane lyrics I was chanting with my fellow ACSian. (Sidetrack, it's pronounced ACK-xi-ian. Or something like that.) Here is an excerpt.

F-I-R-E! We're so hot we make you pee!

I told you.

Anyway, after a while, I came to the conclusion, that there are times when a person should act like a moron. And that, was exactly what I did. Shout. Leap in the air. Dance. What a sight it was. A sea of 900 young adults acting like high idiotic freaks. This has taught me that perhaps, just perhaps, you can get anyone to do just about anything, if you're able to get an apathetic avenger to scream random crap voluntarily.

Another part of the Orientation was the Mass Dance. Apparently, many JCs in Singapore have decided that they would like to further embarrass and make orientation even more awkward than it already was. Thus, they decided the best way to do so, would be to force all the JC1s to dance together in one mass. (Hence, mass dance) First, they would have to dance alone, and when they thought that the humiliation would end there, they would be in for the shock of their lives! They would then be made to dance in pairs, one guy, and one girl. (This is no longer SJI. Thank God.) Now, this experience has taught me another very important life lesson. The lesson is that I have zero ability in body movement. It is only by sheer luck and the grace of god that I'm able to walk without falling flat on my face. Most of you probably think I'm just exaggerating for effect, but, I'm not. Sure, I can remember the steps, I can memorize. But when I try to replicate the moves I've been taught, its like, pain. The souls of millions of dancers scream out in agony, their minds tortured by the sight of my grotesque moves.

Orientation ends in smoke and flames. LITERALLY! We have a campfire. (It's a joke, a sad one, but still a joke.) The campfire is a pretty standard, where we sing songs and do more cheering. It was pretty fun, except for one unfortunate part. One of the events, was an imitation of the popular TV show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", but only, not funny. You can't expect comedy from non-comedians. Students were picked at random, and expected to come up with some hilarious skit right then and there. You can't teach this sort of thing. Some have it, some don't. It's a skill. Like dancing.

The final event of the campfire, was of course, the mass dance. As we were about to begin, I cringed. I just wanted to get it over with. The music starts. After a few moments, I came upon a wonderful sight. Many other people were just as bad, if not worse, than I was. Alright! I don't suck that much! After that, I began to actually enjoy the dance. After the song ended, it was repeated again. I smiled.

Alright. That's the end. It may seem rather long, but remember, it contains 4 days worth of information squeezed into a 10minute essay. This isnt't my best work, but considering the material I had to work with, I would like to think I did a pretty good job.

Go ACJC.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 1:41 PM