Goodbye Ikariya

Today, one of my goldfish died. We named it "Ikariya" because its lower jaw sticks out and looks like it is always angry. We had Ikariya since September 2005. It was fine until yesterday morning, when we came back from East Coast Park and found it weak and dying. There was no sign of disease or injury. There was nothing we could really do. This morning, it passed away. Ikariya will be missed.

Welcome 2007!

Happy New Year! Welcome 2007! Goodbye 2006!

I spent New Year's Eve at East Coast Park. We pitched a tent (see below) and watched the fireworks (over Esplanade) from outside our tent. It was a good thing that it didn't rain, even though this is the monsoon season. Besides the fireworks, the ships anchored off East Coast Park also did their own mini "fireworks", firing off red "shooting stars". We didn't hear them sound their ships' fog horns, though. Maybe we were too far? Maybe the crowd around at East Coast Park was too noisy and drowned the horns out?


Woke up this morning expecting to see the sunrise. What we saw were clouds obscuring the sunrise... by the time we caught a glimpse of the sun, it was already halfway up the sky. Oh well, at least it didn't rain.


I went to fish at the jetty near Amber Beacon (we had pitched the tent near the jetty) after that, the catch report is here.

Brunch was eaten at the new Burger King near Long Beach Seafood Restaurant. A competitor for MacDonald's! But the new BK is still quite "raw", it probably needs some time to run in and for the staff to be trained properly.

We got home to find one of our goldfish in dire straits. We quickly took measures to revive it, hopefully it survives the ordeal.

Command and Conquer

While Dune 2 may be the granddaddy of realtime strategy (RTS) games, Command and Conquer (or C&C) is the father of the genre. It followed in the tradition set by Dune 2, and set the standard for RTS to come. Similar to Dune 2, there was the need to build up a base, gather resources, produce an army and destroy the enemy.

The story line is simple. The bad guys (Brotherhood of Nod) are going to take over the world, so the Global Defense Initiative has to stop them. Each side has similar units (base, resource harvesters, foot soldiers, vehicles) but there are also differences. To get better units, you need to build certain buildings. There are also structures that you can build to help defend your base. And there was the superweapon, the trump card for each side, such as the ion cannon for the GDI and the nuclear missile for Nod.

The missions were not limited to the "build the base, build the army, destroy enemy" type. There were also missions in which you were given a limited number of units to achieve a certain objective (kill a certain enemy, escort a certain friendly unit to a certain location, etc.) These were sometimes more difficult as you are unable to build units to replace those lost during combat.

C&C was but the first of a whole series. Recently, EA has released Command and Conquer: The First Decade, which is a compilation of the C&C series released to date. I tried to capture a screen shot of C&C playing it on Windows XP, but as you can see from this post, I was not able to get the screenshot successfully.

Command and Conquer at Wikipedia
Command and Conquer Series at Wikipedia

Budokan - The Martial Spirit

This game is from Electronic Arts, and apparently has been included in a recent compilation of EA old games, called EA Replay for the Playstation. The game objective is simple: train your skills and go on to take part in a martial arts competition held at the Budokan.

As the player, you get to practise four different martial arts: karate, kendo, nunchaku and bo. Practise in the dojo (training hall) can be in the form of shadow boxing, or sparring against a fellow student. Within each martial art, there are various moves available for the player to choose from, and you can come up with your own "killer combo" by stringing together a series of offensive moves. You can also block your opponent's attacks, allowing you to build up ki, which allows subsequent attacks to deal more damage.

The sparring mat allows you to pit your skills in a certain martial art against those of an opponent practising another form of martial art. This is as close as it gets before you start off to take part in the competition at the Budokan itself. The sparring mat also allows you to spar against another human player. However, that means sharing a keyboard, or using a combination of keyboard, joystick and mouse.

The sensei (teacher) has a house too, and you can visit him to ask for advice. If you like Zen, with people talking in riddles, you may want to spend time listening to the old master. However, if you spend too much time bothering him and too little time practising, he will tell you off. By the way, once you think you are ready to start the competition, you have to visit the sensei and let him know. He will then send you on your way.

The competition at the Budokan comprises of twelve matches, each against an opponent (usually of increasing difficulty) who either practises one of the four martial arts that you know, or obscure, lesser known martial arts that you have not practised. You are allowed to use each of the four martial arts four times throughout the competition. You are allowed three tries against each opponent. If you lose to one opponent, you fall back to the previous one, whom you have to fight again. The last match is against a "shadow" of youself. He tries to copy your moves and use them against you. Defeat him, and victory is yours!

The real Budokan is found in Tokyo, and real martial arts competitions and performances are held there on a regular basis. It is also used for performances by bands and the occasional exhibition.

From one of the people who brought this game to you.
A review at Mobygames.

The Magic Candle

This is an old game by Mindcraft, the first in a series. The hero is Lukas, tasked with finding the way to keep the demon Dreax imprisoned in a magical candle after the guardians sustaining the magic were found missing. Lukas forms his party from a pool of characters found either in the castle of King Rebnard, or at the Crystal Castle. All characters, including Lukas, start with fix statistics, which can be improved during the game either through use, training, gifts or gods.

The game is a process of travelling, finding people, finding the key to solving the puzzle, while fighting monsters. The party either walks or take a boat. It can also teleport via spells or teleportals. Party members can find a job to earn money. Certain mushrooms, when eaten, confer combat-related bonuses. To gain access to more spells, spellbooks can be bought from renown wizards living in secluded towns. Unlike most RPGs, charisma is actually a required attribute, as key people will not talk to those with lesser charisma.

I think what sets this game apart from other RPGs of its time was that of earning money and gaining access to spells through spellbooks. Most RPGs allowed you to roll up a character; The Magic Candle gave you all the characters pre-rolled. It is up to you the player to choose who to bring along, and how to use the abilities and limitations. There is also a time limit for completing the game, with the number of days given depending on the difficulty level chosen.

This link leads to an online shrine for The Magic Candle.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas!

Flags of Our Fathers

I went to watch Flag of Our Fathers yesterday night. It has been showing in Singapore for some time now, finally I had a chance to find time to go watch it. Its sister film, Letters From Iwo Jima, is already showing in Japan.

Watching the film brings back memories of when I visited Iwojima. My first impression of the island was that it was just a piece of rock. The island was small, with two airfields currently in use with the Japanese Self-Defense Force. Both airfields sat on top of a plateau, and the other prominent geographical feature was the hill at the southern end of the island, where the famous flag was planted.



At the top of the hill now are two memorials. The white one is a memorial by the US, and stands at the place where the flag was planted. The other memorial beside it is the one erected by the Japanese. There are other memorials in various parts of the island too.



From the top of the hill, one can see the beach on which the US Marines landed. This scene was shown at the end of the film too, during the credits.



The American Flag is no longer planted on top of the hill. However, just as the US Marines planted an American flag on top of the hill, someone planted a Japanese flag on top of the hill. After all, Iwojima has since been returned to Japan.



The movie had a scene in which an entrance to a tunnel was found. It also showed the insides of the tunnel. Well, I had a chance to visit the tunnels used by the Japanese. They were poorly dug, compared to the ones at Okinawa. The picture below shows one of the entrances leading to the tunnels used as the Japanese HQ. Photography inside the tunnels are prohibited, as these tunnels are also the resting places for Japanese and American soldiers whose bodies have never been found.



There were also tunnels running under the airfield. Climbing into one of them really gave me a taste of how life was like for the Japanese defenders. It was dark, humid, and claustrophobic. Being in there for less than 10 minutes was more than enough. It really makes you wonder how people could have stayed in the tunnels for more than 30 days. Below is a picture of the entrance to one of the tunnels below the airfield.



The movie itself showed how costly an amphibious landing can be, in terms of lives. And it also showed how people never chose to be heroes. Heroes are not special. They are ordinary people who did extraordinary things. And all those who gave their lives for their country are heroes in their own right. It does not matter whether they were Americans or Japanese, they all fought for their countries. The movie showed the American side of the story. The sister film, Letters From Iwo Jima, will show the Japanese side of the story. I am waiting for it to be released in Singapore sometime early next year.

At the end of our visit to Iwojima, we were told to check the soles of our shoes. Nothing was to be brought off the island, for what may look like a stone stucked to your sole may well be someone's bone. The whole island is a big grave, a sacred resting ground for heroes from two nations. May they rest in eternal peace.

What do doctors work for?

I was driving home today when I heard some news on the radio. Someone was interviewed about his views on merging of two major kidney dialysis organisations in Singapore, and his reply was that it may need more consideration, as it may make renal medicine less attractive to doctors looking to specialise in a field. After all, if they do merge, renal specialists may end up with only one big employer.

Huh? Does that mean all doctors are looking for is the one who can pay them best? Aren't doctors there with a higher calling, answering to a sense of wanting to help others? Or are most doctors just looking for a way to fill their pockets?

I want to believe that doctors choose to enter their professions because they believe in the calling to help others. Earning a lot of money is just a consequence of their decision to commit to helping others. Helping others, not making money, is the aim. Making money is just a happy side effect. Otherwise, the next time I see a doctor, how can I be sure that he is there trying his best to help me, rather than to pull a quick one to earn more money?

Stellar Crusade

This was one of my first games. The concept of this game is to colonise star systems, build up economies on them, build up a fleet of starships, and take over the colonies of the other side. Similar to other turn-based strategy games of the era, it allowed you to play against each other, or the computer.

There are a few scenerios, with each sides starting with various star systems already under their control. The long campaign is basically a raw start, in which both sides start out with only two systems, and have to colonise other systems and build up their forces from there. The short campaign is a jump start, with most of the star systems already under the control of one of the sides. There are also specific scenarios for different starting dispositions.

One things about this game is that it allowed you to design your own spaceship. Each ship can have up to 15 modules, and you can choose from transport/cargo, point defense, short range attack, long range attack, and area defense modules. While you cannot control individual ships during combat, these modules will affect the defense and firepower of your fleets in combat.

See what Carl A.Lund has to say about Stellar Crusade and some other SSI games by clicking here.

OpenOffice.org

While many have heard of Microsoft Office, there exists a free (yes, free, as in, you don't need to pay to use it) office suite known as OpenOffice.org. This is open source software, which started out as StarOffice. Similiar to MS Office, OOo (as OpenOffice.org is known in short) has a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software, as well as database software, mathematics formula creator and vector drawing tool. OOo offers compatibility with MS Office (it is able to open and save files using MS Office formats) and additional features not found in MS Office. Best of all, it is free!

To get OOo, just click on the OOo button below.

Rain, rain, go away...

It is the northeast monsoon now. Rain is a part of life. It was raining the whole of yesterday. And it was raining the whole of today. And I am not talking about your usual rain. I am talking about pouring cats and dogs. At times, it was as if someone was pouring buckets (very very BIG buckets) of water down from the sky.

Visibility is reduced, roads get wet, and road accidents happen. Sometimes, it is not even a vehicle hitting another. Today, there was a tree that fell on a car. The heavy downpours also caused floods in certain areas of Singapore, notably around Seletar, where I heard they had water up to knee-level. Which caused cars to stall. And traffic jams.

So if you like rain, like to get wet even when holding an umbrella, do visit Singapore during the rainy season. I am sure the tropical rainforest section of the Singapore zoo looks very much more realistic in the rain.

Thank you and all the best

A person that I truly respect is leaving the organisation that I work in soon. When I first entered the organisation, he was a role model for us rookies. While his no-nonsense attitude might not have left good impressions on many people, it earned my respect for him. He held true to his beliefs and taught me what it meant to be a man of principles.

Sir, you will be missed, if not by anyone else, at least by me. Thank you and all the best in your future endeavours.

The Singapore Garden Festival

I went to the Singapore Garden Festival today. Coming from a family that has been involved in the landscaping business for three generations, I was of course interested in anything to do with landscaping.

By the way, a word of advice for those planning to go down for a look. Go during the weekdays, and bring along your Passion card (or NTUC card) if you have one. Weekday admission is S$6 for adults, with those cards, it is S$3.50 only.

Anyway, the 4th level exhibits are mostly orchids, with some exhibits on gardens in Singapore and agriculture as well. Of course, if you want to go shopping for garden plants, accessories and tools, there is a retail section there as well. There are talks during the day too, you probably need to check out the timings beforehand.

At level 6 is the exhibits on landscaping and gardens. You get to see gardens designed around certain themes. There just isn't much variety, though. You have the English garden, the louder American garden, and various types of tropical gardens. The exhibit by Far East Flora about what may happen if we ignore our environment, though, is quite interesting with its theme on conservation.

All in all, it is okay paying S$3.50 for the admission, just don't go during the weekends and end up paying S$12 for admission, unless you really need to find someplace to escape from the rain. Even then, spending that money shopping in Suntec may be a better idea.

Go, Linux, go!

In the papers today, this Indian place known as Kerala is going to get Linux instead of Windows. They are going to train people to use Linux instead of Windows, because Linux is free. Yes! One more goal for open source. Go, Linux, go!

I was standing at the magazines section of a bookshop today, looking at the IT magazines. A year ago, I could find only one, at most two, magazines about Linux in a bookshop. Today, I found four! While this is still a small number compared to the many other Windows (and Mac) magazines, it is an increase. Go, Linux, go!

Fedora Core 6 is out, for those who have yet to upgrade, it's time to start downloading. And for those who have their doubts, well, why not try it? The installation allows you to partition your harddisk for dual boot, you can always install Fedora Core and see if Linux is for you or not.

Goals

How many people actually know what they want from life? What do they want to do with their life? And how many actually get down to doing it? How many actually achieve what they set out to do?

I know what I want to do with my life. I even have a plan. Yet, carrying out that plan always seem so... troublesome. Difficult. Why? Why can't I just commit to doing what I want to do, rather than putting it to yet another day, to some other time? Why does my mind wander, rather than stay focus? Is diversifying and keeping options open a good thing? Or should I focus my energy one achieving one goal at a time?

My goal? To do something that I want to do, which is to write and influence the lives of others. The current reality, though, is that I am working, and can spare little time to write. Options? I am exploring one of them now, which is blogging. Another option is to write a page a day, so that at the end of the year, I would have a book. And of course, I could always write full-time instead of working for someone else. My choice? I have set my mind to do the following. I will write something each day. I will write something on my blog each day to improve my writing skills. I will write a page for my book each day so that I can have something to show at the end of the year.

The GROW model is a good self-coach method too. Try it. It may help you achieve your goals. Who knows? I will let you know when I achieve mine.