The Story on the Paper

If anyone asks… this is the random “story” I penned to fill up the piece of paper photographed for the entry below, spelling errors included.

The time is late afternoon. The setting sun projects a warm hue across the Meditterranean. The breeze that playfully ruffles my hair makes the sea undulate gently. The chatter of other caf’é-goers fills the air with a cacophony of language as I still my thoughts staring into the strong dark brew that seemingly whispers back that it hid within its black heart the deepest secrets of the universe… or the deepest secrets of great-tasting coffee.

(Yep. It’s the word Mediterranean.)

…By Request (Cont.)

A piece of thick cream-coloured paper sits lazily on the table, its surface awash with warm diffuse light. The first brown strokes are added to the spaces neatly demarcated by faint lines running across. More soon follow, the glissile nib melodiously snaking across the paper, feeling buttery smooth and soft. Before long, the piece is covered, rustic brown against rich cream, mellow, earthy and evocative. Inspection reveals the ink’s crisp tonal quality and width variation of the strokes laid on the paper…

Again, the pen has performed remarkably, an ageless implement, simple yet effective, its construction itself a work of art, precise and measured: the reservoir, piston and feed fitting within a compact barrel, working together to deliver just the right amount of fluid to the nib – a piece of precious metal alloy carefully crafted and shaped, with a slit and point putting ink to paper, responsive to the writer’s every push, pull and weave.

Satisfaction… is what it’s all about.

By request…

The mellow afternoon light shines through the window, warmly illuminating the row of glass bottles in front of me. I gaze over each, neatly arranged, and pick one, swirling its contents, satisfied with the choice of colour: a rich, rustic brown.

A pen sits on the tabletop, ready. A closer observation reveals the depth of its resin pattern in the light, its swirls and specks sparkling faintly in hues of gold, blue and brown, complementing the lustrous shine of its lacquered finish and the striking metallic accents of its clip and cap band.

I twirl the cap off, revealing its most important component, wearing a two-tone colour palette of gold and rhodium, decorated with the fine engravings of nib art and its manufacturer’s logo. Down it goes into the bottle, and its reservoir is eventually filled using an integrated piston.

A piece of thick cream-coloured paper sits lazily on the table…

[to be continued]

And as promised…

ALLL RIGGHHTT! As promised to -ben, here is his last troll piece for this blog. Folks, take it in jest. I had a good laugh, and pleinelune too. Presenting the one and only -ben, in response to my last comment on the previous post in troll fashion! I like the last part. It’s just so tongue-in-cheek. And he didn’t forget the postscript battle too!

Well I just copied and pasted it, but, I promised to put it up as a post and so I did =)

As a summary, this is what happened.

1. He trolled one of my posts (on abbreviations).
2. I got mighty pissed, this being a serious blog.
3. It continued for a while and culminated in this post on my blog and that on his.
4. I see that post and realise what he’s getting at.
5. I acknowledge the correct pointing out that I lack a sense of humour, and that he picked a good post to tear apart – the abbreviations post was not in very good taste.
6. Thus, in being fair, I give him a spot and tell him to make it the best troll post ever of his life (because this is after all a serious blog and I’m not going to let his posts through anymore).
7. Hilarity ensues below.
8. Enjoy.

And no, in case any of you folks were wondering, I do not wear over-stretched spandex shorts.

—–

Doesn’t mean I have to play though.

After all that work?

What do you think I’m?
Jake DeSantis?
Are Singaporeans that uncharitable?
Can’t you at least even pretend to be angry?
Like… I’m dying here — throw me a bone, man!

Unlike you I remember that there are real people behind the screen.

I take offense to that. If I didn’t know that, you think I’d have lifetime subscription plans to webcam girls? I maybe a troll, but I certainly can tell the difference between real people and hentai, ok?

Do you feel the need to denigrate other people

Umm… I think that falls under the general definition of a troll.

2. I neither know nor care who Gary Ng is.

Gary Ng? Gary Ng is to males what Octo-Mom is to females, except that while she receives, he gives.

3. I neither know nor care who sieteocho is. You can hunt him down youself.

I think sieteocho just re-appeared. Something about expensive Vietnamese brides and cheap lube

http://tomorrow.sg/node/view/9715#comment-6478933

Finally, get over it already, and stop stalking me online. TWO YEARS! You still haven’t got over Pleinlune’s blog? zomgwtfbbq

Dang it.
Stop painting me as a stalker.
Umm… I don’t even know who you are, nor do I wish to.
(No, seriously. Unless you’re Felicia Chin’s godbrother or something…)
Like I said, I’m bored, sieteocho has gone missing (damn fool last mentioned something about digging through a dam with a shovel in Jakarta or something), so I went through logs of our old tussles…

…and there you were

As for pleinelune…
I mean, honestly, who can ever get over that gal?
The diva-fashionista-one-hot-mama is forever prancing on and on about handbags, shoes, make up, epilators, vibra… err… moving on…, sweat-soaked tank tops heaving under the burden of 10 km marathons and swaying rain dances; gushing and prophetizing over TV plots, MTV plots, love plots with other girls (hubba! hubba!), lap dances, chiquita bonita Tila Tequila, LAWR and sex; with the occasional manicure-ruining, hair-ripping, make up smudging gripefest about memoirs, essays, exams, murderous professors (the sort that make you wanna stick a knife in their back and then throw yourself off a building), modules, fondues (and how they add on to her non-existent waistline); while cursing Heidi Klum, Kelman, Thio, associated rectum-pillager haters, and non-Obama supporters to eternal damnation. She’s every geek’s dream come true! But sigh… she won’t gimme the time of the day. And all this even though we have mutual friends (Oh, yes, we do, pleinelune, if you’re reading this. Surprise! Surprise!) So, the next best thing is to gather more mutual acquaintances to perhaps change her mind, and not discriminate against me just coz I’m one of those repressed, chauvinistic, Singaporeans who — through no fault of his own — happens to be a natural law theorist…

…and there you were

I’d buy her brain ( http://pleinelune.wordpress.com/2008/03/04/because-we-all-need-to-laugh-at-ourselves ), but I like the rest of her too

I will block further attempts though so it’d better be good. Oh, I’m feeding the troll, gasp.

What?
NOOO000ooo!!!
I bet you’ve been talking to sieteocho, and this is his idea, that no good, bean-counting, penny ante, antisocial jerk

Let me quote a partial definition:

“Trolling is a game about identity deception, albeit one that is played without the consent of most of the players.” (Judith S. Donath)

Oh, I’m feeding the troll, gasp

No, you’re not. Feeding the troll means getting all riled up, worked up, blood pressure skyrocketing, unable to sleep, and complaining to anyone who would listen on the internet (kinda like sieteocho doing a Robert Ho impression on Tomorrow.sg). You are not. Dude, what you are doing is like giving Kryptonite to Superman. You are supposed to get angry, mmmmkay?

Btw about your post, I’m not trying to steamroll you, I’m just…,/i>

See? See? You are not getting it! No explanations! Just get angry! Like look like an über starved big bird, bald from stress-induced hair loss, and threaten to chop my balls off or something. See example below:

http://tomorrow.sg/comment/view/11443

So far I’ve been kind to you *gives you an angry face*.

Honestly, man… I don’t think you’re allowed to make a troll work so hard for so little.

In the case of your comment about NTU – I did not share the same sentiment, or exactly the same sentiment, as you.

What?
How can you not?
The misspelling was hilarious!

[Hey, I like NTU too! I often go there on weekend mornings to heckle passing spandex-clad, logo-emblazoned, pretentious, cliquish, Lance JuiceStrong wannabe poser cyclists — hurtling along at the mind-numbing speed of 3.2 km/h (2 mph) — with screams of, "Yo! Yo Yo! Your pants are too tight! TOO TIGHT!" ... right before they get, oh, overtaken by foreign workers on Urata bikes.

So... yeah.... Set up an outdoor espresso bar on campus to attract more of those atas closet-crossdressers-on-wheels or something. Trolls (and hecklers) love caffeine.]

Hmm… Okay, gotta give you that: differences. Differences. (But you must agree that some people just don’t belong in — over-stretched — spandex, no?)

(Note: if you do indeed wear over-stretched spandex shorts, I get bonus points.)

4. Didn’t you realise the café invitation was sarcastic.

What?
So, no free coffee? (You do realize that this exchange is fueled by overdoses of caffeine, right?)
I know the New York is expensive and world economy is in recession but this is getting ridiculous…
Cheapskate.
*grumble*
This is that penny-pinching, car-transmission-destroying, stall-on-parking-lot-ramp-and-freak-out, sieoteocho’s doing again, isn’ it?

Hahaha… okok I give you time. Haha I manage to stress you ah! Can I count that as +1 for me lol.

Wah gan! You think this is power-leveling ah? Like that also can!!

-ben

P.S. (ow, yeah! Just one! )

———

[9:23 AM]
CHERYL: MORNING CUZZ!
BEN: mornin
CHERYL: how r u my sporty cuzz?
BEN: oh, ok loh, was trying to troll some dude, but he stopped playing after 2 posts. He stopped getting angry, and is now playing along and laughing instead. He just doesn’t get it. He is supposed to get angry — which makes me laugh. Him laughing doesn’t make me laugh. All that work for nothing. Chey!
CHERYL: hai yoh u ah..all out to kacau ppl again ah
BEN: HAAHHAHAA
CHERYL i feel like sleeping
BEN:ya, i was bored coz a little tired from juggling work and doing ride reports, so i found this link from an old heated online discussion. His blog address was on it, so I went to his blog to stir trouble. Now he not only calls me a stalker, but declares that I am harmless as well

this is terrible!
I have a reputation to maintain!
How can he do this to me?
must… find… new… victims… sigh
CHERYL: hahahahahahhahaahhaa
failed ur mission ah
BEN:: yeah man
what is worse
he is mocking me
i mean
i am a mok!
i do the mocking
he is saying, “ok, i give you ONE CHANCE. ONE ONLY. To post one more troll on my blog. It better be good. It better be your best. Coz’ that’s it. After that, I’m ignoring you.”
CHERYL: lolz
wat rubbish! hahahaha
BEN: I’m the one who should be dishing out the stress here. Not him!
WTF, man? Talk about performance anxiety! He think this is Eminem song ah?
CHERYL: LOLOLOLOL

———

All right, back to the regularly scheduled serious posts. End.

As requested, for “-ben”

As requested.

The ball is in your court now.

Unlike you I remember that there are real people behind the screen. I am also not afraid to leave my real ID/email address/something that actually identifies me (such as the profile to the right which you so easily got my uni from) when I say something, because it is my word. How about you? Do you feel the need to denigrate other people… or what you think are just nicknames of no one displayed on the screen… anonymously? Who the heck is Ben anyway? The one who cycles? Who, anyway?

I’ve got a real great idea too. Shall we take it to the next level instead of waiting to run into each other? Huh? Let’s have a good discussion at a café when I get back from the US in about 2 months. I might even bring that forward, just for you, if I deem you important enough to forgo the travel plans I have. Or in NYC in about 2 months if you happen to be in the US at that time.

If you’re unwilling to match, get out of my blog and keep your trap shut if you’ve got nothing of reason to say.

Ah, another thing, if I’ve said it before to you somewhere, obviously you’ve tried to track me down and post your garbage here. Kudos to that (edit: for taking the effort it must have took since I don’t know you) but I’ll say it again because you’re proving the point:

I see no worth in you.

Addendum: I don’t know this Ben figure, but it seems from his words in his comments on What Does That Stand For…? WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR!, that I’ve said something to him somewhere that really hurt his ego some time ago: “I see no worth in it, nor in you”. It would appear thus, that there are people like him who go around tracking others down – inferred so, since I don’t know him at all – even after weeks, just to say something in spite. One really wonders what such people get up to in life. I cannot be sure since I have forgotten, but I have a feeling it was in an online game, called DOTA, where I was hosting one game and probably got very angry at his actions, and for good reason, because he was, again, putting others in the game down, or making the chat quite uncivilised or both, which are pretty much the only reasons why I get angry while hosting a game. If that is true, though, Ben’s actions to date would be simply incredulous! This has been shown to be not the case.

Addendum 2: As for those reasons in the above addendum about me getting angry in games, I’m not alone in expecting people to behave in-game (or on the internet for that matter) like they would in person. I could write another whole post about it, but simply speaking, have a read… (This point was based off Addendum 1, but still stands on its own.)

——
Shot is cropped to leave out the barcode and number of the licence. Post is continued from comments in the post What Does That Stand For…? WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR!

A question: update

It’s been a month (exams). Long enough, so just to recap Joel proposed an interesting mathematical way of defining a true ship – advantage: nothing is left subjective. Junsheng brought up the point of perception – which is perhaps the way most humans would look at the problem. And Stibbons outlined the relativity of it all.

My stance? It’s all in the eye of the beholder. Close to Stibbons, less the technicality ;P

Mani makes some interesting arguments @ http://manque.wordpress.com/2006/10/17/14/.

A question

A friend of mine recently asked me a very interesting question. I thought I’d write it down:

The Ship of Theseus question: if a ship has been constantly repaired and had all its parts and planks replaced as they got damaged or rotted over the years, is it still the same ship after all the years?

Part 2: What if the replaced parts were used to build another ship, exactly the same? Is this ship the same as the first ship?
If your answer to the first part is Yes: Can the two ships be the true original ship at the same time?
If your answer to the first part is No: Can this ship be the true original ship (before the parts were replaced)?

What do you think? You’re invited to comment.

Comments are subject to moderation – comments deemed sufficiently off-topic will be deleted.

A questionnaire

My friend tagged me with this, so here it is:

1. My ex is still:
I haven’t been in any relationships.

2. I am listening to:
A mix of latin music and 70s-90s favourites. And not forgetting the radio, sometimes.

3. Maybe I should:
Start taking the paths that have heart.

4. I love:
Rediscovering ancient knowledge.
(Can I add an I hate here? I hate being steamrolled into that flat landscape of ordinary, unfeeling, unthinking brainless robots that characterises Singapore.)

5. My best friend(s):
Accept me for who I am.

6. I don’t understand:
Why people actually allow themselves to be steamrolled. No brains to think?

7. I lost:
Pieces of me, but that helped shape who I am today.

8. People say:
Study hard, get a good job, good rice bowl, earn money, and more money…
Um. Steamrolled.

9. The meaning of my screen name is:
An swirling ethereal entity carrying an energy vortex. Never mind.

10. Love is:
I don’t know.

11. Somewhere, someone is:
Not bothering to figure out the bullcrap this is.

12. I will always:
Fight for my own mind. It’s the only way I can be sane.

13. Forever seems:
Far away yet here and now. All paths lead nowhere, and though one traverses the paths in life, one cannot say one is yet anywhere, nor will be anywhere. Need elaboration?

14. I never ever want to:
Slide into that steamrolled mediocrity!

15. My cell phone:
Is a Nokia 6500S with natural stainless steel finish. Heavy in the hand, solid.

16. When I wake up in the morning:
I brush my teeth.

17. I get annoyed when:
People don’t think.

18. Parties are:
I’m not a fan of parties.

19. My pet(s) is (are):
I don’t have any pets.

20. Kisses are the best when:
You’re in love?

21. Today I:
Was dissatisfied with my university, for the umpteenth time. I should get out of this path.

22. Tomorrow I:
Will probably have the same feeling it will happen again.

23. I really want:
All I wanted was just peace.

24. I want to ask:
What is your worldview? One that you can call your own? One that you thought about so you could call it your own?

I’ll tag: No one. Choose to do this yourself if you will.

I think I have a healthy contempt for society, in general.

Pen and Paper

I am a stickler for pen and paper in an age of wireless technology and electronic media. I like the immediacy, accessibility and efficacy of scribbling in a journal, on-demand, compared to making awkward strokes with a stylus or waiting for a laptop to start up. I like being able to carry my news around, on-demand, wherever I go instead of restricting myself to areas of internet access. I like the relative weightlessness of paper compared to a heavy and bulky laptop. Most of all I love the personality and character that can be infused in the strokes of the pen…

Every time you lift the pen, it presents you the chance, through avid and ardent stroke, to lend oneself to the relentless pursuit of perfection, through brave and bold stroke, to rise above the average in the penning of new paradigms, through courageous and chivalrous stroke, to stand up for justice and spite evil, through delicate and deliberate stroke, to behold the most intimate of thoughts articulated on paper, through elegant and elaborate stroke, to exemplify the most intricate of expressive elucidation, and much more…

Miscellaneous

Ah. I see that I have left this to stagnate for 2 months. LoL.

Besides exams, many things have happened in and outside. The China issue, natural disasters… and within, paths to discovery and to knowledge… though, I shall not say much right now.

The one who is quiet observes more… and the one who observes more, learns more.