Friday, 27 July 2007

A*Star Scholarship Award Ceremony

Today can be considered a very important day in my life. After all the interviews, rehearsals, and plus the essays and sleepless nights, this chapter has ended, with a 'bang'. Woke up 7 in the morning to attend the last dance practice. Everyone was looking a bit blur somehow, but effect of the music was immediate; all seemed to be high and starting to concentrate. Out of all the performing groups, we are by far the most dedicated and hardworking one, practising during the 'peak' hour after lunch, the time when all the rest were falling asleep. A pool of hyper-active reds and blacks, outshining the Storm and choir. Another funny thing is that, everyone seems to know the entire dance already. Though most of us would only appear less than 1 minute, not counting the starting pose, we were getting our hands on the entire thing. We guys were mimicking the girls' part rather professionally, and we were all laughing at our ridiculous frivolity.

Then comes the real ceremony. I changed to a very formal attire with tie just like the rest. I haven't touched a tie since JC, and obviously had to ask someone to help me with it. An astounding discovery was made. The guys were wearing shirts with all the colours under the sun, and in contrast, the girls, who by conventional wisdom, were supposedly to dress in greater variety, were monotonously attired in black and white.

The video by the seniors were very interesting, making a joke out of Uncle Yeo and Super A*. Wonder how much A* Star spend on advertising and promotion. The Guest of Honour, Minster of Manpower, gave a very long speech. I must admit his words make a lot of sense. Soon it was my turn to go up the stage and take the scroll from him. He was nice enough to say 'Congratulation' to me. Later I learned that he didn't even open his mouth to a lot of the scholars. Of course I replied "Thank you very much".

Later was the dance. I tried my best to do everything properly, but at the point of time, I wasn't even thinking about the moves. My head was blank; my body just moved. The lighting was so flashy and bright that I can't see much at all. Technically speaking, lots of mistakes were made, and synchronisation for running in and out was mess up also. When it was all over, everybody were euphoric and trying their best not to scream at the backstage.

Lastly must thank Dax and Yan Shao for coming down to watch the ceremony. Sadly my parents could not make it. Really grateful to them. At the reception we dancers went a bit crazy, posing in all sorts of formation for photos. It attracted so much attention that everyone was taking photos of us. Felt really shy at the point. Didn't know I could have joined done all that.


Tuesday, 24 July 2007

Quit from DOTA

To myself, and all those reading this blog.

Dear Liu Yun

Since you were introduced to the game of DOTA in year 2005, you have been actively playing it over the past 2 years. Your level of participation is not consistently active, but sporadic periods of craze were practiced.

DOTA, or Defence of the Ancients, is a customized map for the Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne game. It is a highly popular game among people from all walks of life. However, its addictive game play and constantly updated maps make it disruptive to your life. Not only has it ruined your eyesight, it also ate into your valuable time which could be better spent doing other things, such as reading or gaining new skills. Your intrapersonal character is also strengthened indirectly from day to day, as you feel more urged to stay at home. Furthermore, it makes you more addicted to computer itself, exacerbating your back pain due to prolonged hour of sitting in front of the screen. It has also been noted that despite playing frequently, your standard has not significantly improved. This shows that pro gaming is not a possible career path for you.

Undeniably, it has brought you great fun. It was one of the main sources of entertainment after booking out and “staying in touch” with friends if it was not convenient to meet face to face. However, have you realized that its level of destructiveness is beyond imagination, for it is a game with no beginning and no end?

Therefore after deliberate considerations, I hereby declare that Liu Yun, will officially quit from DOTA from today onwards. Unless for the sake of socializing (i.e. LAN), you shall not initiate any game or engage in any game with any other person(s). Any breach of rule will be dealt severely and without sympathy.

By Order