Seeking a Voice

Being melodramatic

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:21:00 +0000

Today was a wonderful day.
There was a presentation for Petroleum and Petrochemistry class where my groupmate and I presented on Cumene. A month back, I was inspired to live life aesthetically. This is my last semester in UTAR, and this is my only time to experiment with different presentation styles.

There were many ideas running through my head. I thought of spiking my hair, painting my nails black, putting eyeliner under my eyes and getting trick blade to slit my wrist. I wanted to pull of the classic emo kid look. I know that the lecturer will understand the joke. He is a wonderful lecturer with a good sense of humour. I wouldn't have pulled such an act had it been my Chemistry or Process Control lecturer.

Out of all the thousand things, I only manage to pull off black shirt and jeans. The chance of donning the other props disappeared this morning. I did not manage to secure them. I had watched Hunger Games with my friends last night, which left me rushing to complete the slides for today's presentation.

I couldn't sleep last night. My usual over-confidence was replaced by uncertainty at this new presentation style. I KNOW that I can do an impromptu presentation. I BELIEVE that it will go well. What I really wanted deep down is to leave an impression. I wanted them to remember cumene.

There is no way they would forget it. When the time came for me to present, I placed my speech on the laptop and stared at it for the full 5 seconds. I then began my presentation; introducing the Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire. I heard a few gasp as my friends questioned the relevance of the history lesson. I took a deep breath, and I sighed.

I was in the zone. I describe the usages of cumene as only intermediate. I made it obvious that it was depressing. The audience burst into laughter when I describe phenol as the classic self centered spouse in the relationship. I drove home the point that it was ALL about phenol. By now, my classmates understood the direction I was heading towards. Dr. Leong commented after we have finished that I was imba (it's a praise; much akin to "off the chart")

I felt more than a sense of relief when I took my seat after the presentation. I felt accomplished. I felt I have made myself proud. I was walking on sunshine.

Waking up in the Morning

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 04:01:00 +0000

If you are anything like me, you have suffered from difficulty getting up in the morning.
Every night, you would roll in bed trying to find the most comfortable spot and when you finally doze off, it morning. That's when your bed becomes the most blissful place to be in.
Don't you just hate the irony?
I have finally found my way of waking up in the morning.
It does require stimulants, but its all free.
Its SUNLIGHT.

Our body is attuned with the nature and it’s natural to wake up when sun goes up. It’s how our ancestors lived for ages before invention of electricity. If sunrise time is too early for you, still start your morning bathing in the light. Light is a natural cue to our brain that it’s time to wake up --howtowakeupearly.com

I like to keep my room completely dark when I sleep. The curtains provided more than shield from the light, it keeps me from worrying about things lurking outside my window (I have been watching a lot of horror movies lately >_<)
In the morning, the curtains still block out the sunlight. I will have to get up to let the light in and believe me, its really easy to leave the room dark and cold which is perfect for more snooze.
So how do I drag myself out of bed?

With exercise.
This is a no brainer. We are told that exercise is good for the body but how do we take the action?

My maternal uncle and auntie suffers from diabetes.
My chances of getting it is pretty high, so I use that as motivation to get out of bed.
I have been running every morning for the past week and this morning, I could hear a little voice shouting at me to wake up.
Running in the morning is the best because you will get sunlight.
Seratonin, the neurotranmitter responsible for the feeling of wellness requires sunlight.
With enough sunlight, our body will synthesis this hormone, which also help to wake us up.

Perfect weather for a run!

In a nutshell, get up tomorrow morning and go for a walk in the sun. The first couple of days will be difficult, but soon you will find yourself craving to wake up in the morning. Oh, sleeping before midnight helps too. Just be sure to dim your room lights before snoozing.

Business

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Its 4.01am and I have a basketball meeting with my friends later.
So, what am I doing awake so early in the morning?

An idea. I had an idea, but it only works in an ideal world.
I thought about it a year back during one of those sleepless nights.
I must have been hungry, so my thought gravitated towards UTAR's horrible cafeteria food.
I thought about how terrible the food was and yet they charge us too much.
I wondered if something could be done, that was when the idea struck me.
In an ideal world, where trust is a currency my plan would have worked.

Tonight I revisited the idea.

The biggest weakness in my plan was still there. Its extremely glaring; the plan will be too chaotic since the customer can wipe us out of business on day 1.

Looking back, making money from others just isn't a part of me.

I remember when I was young, I asked my dad if I could promote my prized Bata school shoes.
I had just washed them and they were spectacularly white.
I wanted to do an advert for free.
My dad had told me that nothing is free.

More than a decade later and the idea was not much different from when I was younger.
Too idealistic.

The Brain Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:04:00 +0000

How to keep your brain fit?

Do this exercise for 20 minutes a day to improve your fluid intelligence (the part of the brain that creates ways to solve new problems)

There's an article on Wired that explains in great detail the difference between fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence.

If you need to be convinced about the benefits of this program, then read here.

Article here : Wired

Otherwise, you can download this program and get started.

Here's the link : Brain Workshop

Its becomes more difficult and more frustrating as the number of n-back increases.

I think that was the reason why I quit after half a month of working on it.

Let me know how well you did : )

My attempt at writing a poem

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:44:00 +0000

That one step

The world rewards our action,

Without favour or prejudice.

The results will be the same,

For actions that are the same.

Breaking from the comfort zone,

Depends on the mindset.

In pursuit of excellence,

Leave behind your limitations.

You can be more

Dance with me.

Challenge Accepted

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 14:48:00 +0000

I was challenged. Be prepared to see an update by the end of the week.

This summer... (I mean holiday)

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:47:00 +0000

Many of my friends have started their industrial training.
My 2 other friends and I enjoyed 2 weeks of holiday, and we will be starting work on the 15th.

So what have I been up to all these while?

For almost a week, I had problems with the home internet.

I called up TMnet, which told me that the problem wasn't on their part.

I then passed the modem to our seller, who kept it for 3 days and returned it in the same condition; still faulty.

I called Belkin helpline myself and the customer support suggested that I update the software, which promptly solved the problem (thanks Jayden. You're a lifesaver. I didn't download Machinarium though, it was taking too long).

So, while I was away from the web, I picked up a (useless) skill.

I thought myself how to juggle and after 1.5 weeks, here's the result.

Comments? : )

They make me happy.

Exams are over! Here's a artsy-fartsy Game!

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 16:11:00 +0000

If you reach this part, and you see a block,
you did it wrong

Alright! Exams are over! Time for my Industrial Training!
Soooo many exclamation marks!!

This game is called Feign.
Its a 2D maze that you have to navigate and collect "bodies" before you reach the end.
Just a little hint (because I was furious when I discovered it) this game tricks you to "unwin".
So, DO NOT COLLECT THEM BODIES!!

Another pointer, this is not your ordinary maze.
It tries to be smart by using the background to trick you
Enclosed area are not what they seem.
You will know what I mean when you play.
I hope you enjoy : )
Here's the link : Feign

Update .....GET!

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:04:00 +0000

I'm back after 2 months of unannounced Hiatus.

I'm really sorry about that. University and sick and boringness of life got the better of me.

I'll have my final exams in a week's time. It starts next Friday and will end on around 20th of this month.

I'm now experimenting with this service called Oh Life.

It sends you an email, everyday at 8pm.

Your reply to the email will be your log for the day.

Very simple yet it does its job.

Your log will not be public.

Have a go and let me know what you think.

Here's the link : OhLife

Disrupted Internet, Buddhist Camp, Excuses

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 16:11:00 +0000

I couldn't update my blog because my housemates decided to change our Streamyx package to Unipack.
We took the RM88 package which promises an upgrade from our 2 GB speed to 4 GB and at a lower cost.
What we did not expect was the waiting list.
Our previous contract was terminated but at the same time, we had to wait in line.
The personnel should have told us to keep our previous package while waiting for the Unipack.
Owing to that, I did not have Internet for 2 weeks :/

On top of that, there was leakage in our bathroom.
When I came back from Incovar Dharmma Camp (the stories will be written at another time ^_^), I had to do acrobatics while bathing.
Water from the shower will only flow when the pipe under the sink is plugged.
Since the sink and shower are on opposite sides of the wall, I had to do a back-kick to plug the hole while maintaining balance to shower.

That was my adventure.
How have you been?

Games for the Brain

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 19 May 2010 07:55:00 +0000

There are many games that exercise your brain on this site.
Its not as fancy as Lumocity since it doesn't keep track of your progress.
Some games like Guess the Colour and Counterfeit will be familiar.
Here's the link : Games for the Brain
If you want something with nice graphics, you can always join me on OMGPOP :)

Back in Penang

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Sun, 16 May 2010 06:10:00 +0000

The 5 hour journey was worth it when I get to taste my mom's bang kuag char.
I especially appreciate it because it is tedious to make.

Anyway, I'm back.
Message me if you want to meet up. :)
P.S. I have to thank Athialis for waking up at ungodly hour and fetching me to Sunway Pyramid.

Game : Portal

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Thu, 13 May 2010 10:37:00 +0000

Its not a lie! ...or is it?
Portal is now free!
You can download it from Steam website.
What's the catch?
You need Steam account.
Here's the link : Free Portal
Offers ends on 24th May.

Reading Speed

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Thu, 06 May 2010 05:46:00 +0000

My reading speed is 285 wpm with 91% comprehension.
I'm now making a public statement that by the end of this month, I will double my reading speed.
Why is it so important to speed read?
There are soooo many things that we have to read daily.
Whether we are reading the newspaper we want information NOW!
Contrary to popular believe, comprehension increases when you speed read.
I notice that when I read, my internal voice will vocalize every word.
If you find yourself doing that, use your finger to follow the sentence while counting 1,2,3,4 internally.

Scott Young on his blog mentioned that you do not speed read ALL the time.
There are times when you have to slow down.
Otherwise, you will be like a Sprinter who sprints everywhere.

Here's the link : Speed Reading article by Scott Young
(Yea.. I've just linked you to more things to read. Hey, take it as a practice ^^ )

aaaaaand MORE GAMES!!

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:43:00 +0000

Actually, just one more game. ^_^
Mario enlisted the help of his friends to his world!
Play as Mario (Super Mario), Mega Man (Mega Man), Link (Legend of Zelda), Samus Aran (Metroid), Simon Belmont (Castlevania) or Bill Rizer (Contra) and save Princess Peach from Bowser!
Each character retains their moves in this game.
Different characters will get different power ups when you take the mushroom or the flower.
The fun is exploring them!
I hope you will enjoy it. :)

Here's the link to the game : Super Mario Crossover
Here's another link : Newgrounds
Here's the main site : Exploding Rabbt

Games, games, games...

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:04:00 +0000

This site host many games for anyone with time to kill.
They even show how much time you have wasted.
All the games are multi players. While some don't require much interaction, games like "Draw My Thing" requires talking with other players.

Here's the link : OMGPOP
(by clicking on the link, you will be my friend on OMGPOP :D )

If you don't like playing these mindless-ish games, might I suggest Lumosity?
There are lots of games that train different parts of your brain.
The only downside is that after 7 days, you will have to pay to play. :(
Anyway, you should still give it a try.

Here's the link : Lumosity

To wrap up this post, here's an article from Cracked about how games are designed to make us want to continue playing.
Can you spot some of the strategies employed by both games?

Here's the link to the article : Cracked Article

EYLN 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:32:00 +0000

Entrepreneur & Youth - A Learning Network is a conference held every year at UKM under the banner of AIESEC UKM.

Last year, I had the opportunity to join them.

I was inspired to make something out of my life after the conference!

This year, the theme for the conference is "GREEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP".

(If I have learned anything from my Environmental lecturer is that our generation will decide whether there will be any future generations.)

EYLN 2010 Conference will be from 14- 16 May and participant will hear about entrepreneurship, financial intelligence, innovation, the environment from speakers of various industries.

Here's the list of speakers for the conference:

Entrepreneurial Experience Sharing
- Mr. Puan Chan Cheong, Group Managing Director, CEO of the Green Packet Group of companies.

Leadership & People's Development
- Ms. Choy Yen Li, Senior Manager for Group Human Resources of Sunway Group
- Ms. Choy Yee Fun, Manager for Group Human Resources of Sunway Group

Essence of Communications
- Mr. Yeoh Chen Chow, Winner of Most Outstanding Youth 2009 – Asian Youth Ambassadors Awards

Financial Intelligence
- Mr. Nazril Idrus, Financial Fortress Coach and Award Winning Founder, CPT (PSMB)

Sales Psychology
- Mr. Raymond Phoon, Author of The DNA of a Sales Superstar, cofounder of PowerUpSuccess.com

Innovation & Creativity
- Mr. Azim Pawanchik, Founder and Principal Consultant for Alpha Catalyst Consulting

Product Incubation
- Mr. Nyou Wei Fung, Business Director of Harvestnet Sdn Bhd

Also, join the Business Idea Competition with 4 of your friends and stand a chance to win up to RM1000!

The title for the competition is "The Green Revolution".

Start thinking Green now. Your idea could win you the grand prize!

Early participants to this conference will be entitled to join the Industrial + City Tour.

You will get to visit Challis Damansara (the first and only high-rise residential development in Malaysia to receive the BCA Greem Mark)

For more details, visit their website.

Here's the link : EYLN 2010

Ah... here I am remembering the fun we had at the conference celebrating our friend's birthday:

Tetris : Hell

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 04:58:00 +0000

xkcd posted a comic recently about Hell difficulty of Tetris.

(by now, you should have realized that I'm an avid fan of it...)

There's now a game based on this idea.

If you are feeling curious and/or mesochistic, you should check it out.

You will not gain anything from it though.

Here's the link : Hell

Here are some videos of Tetris.

This one shows an expert player completing the Grand Master challenge.

Even invisible blocks do not deter him!

A tetris post will not be complete without the Tetris Building video.

My Environmental Science lecturer will have a lot to say about this...

Desk Dimensions

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:18:00 +0000

I am still thinking of the 4th dimension even though it has been several days since xkcd posted it up.
The fourth geometrical dimension to be exact.

I have heard of it before from this site called Dimension-Maths that my brother showed to me.

The first two videos should be understandable if you have paid attention in class.

The concept of Disc Vision is new to me and I like it.

I am convinced that Terry Prachett has seen it when he invented the Discworld.

I have watched up to Chapter 3, where they introduce the 4th dimension.

My mind couldn't see how 4 dimensional objects unfold.

Here's the link to the site : Dimensions-Maths

Desktop Dungeon is a Roguelike game that I found addictive.

Imagine Pacman meets DnD.

Your objective in this game is to defeat the Level 10 boss.

You will need to fight lesser monsters, collect items, search for deity to worship, all of these while navigating through the dungeon.

If your nerd senses does not tingle from this, you need to read more ASCII.

You will need to download it to play, but its only a little over 4mb.

Here's the link : Desktop Dungeon

The Man...

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:40:00 +0000

I was shown this advertisement video from Old Spice.

At first I did not get it and I did not like it.

Watching it for the second time changed my mind.

This is how advertisement works. Familiarity.

Still, all the video are entertaining.

After watching this, I suggest that you watch the "Did you know" Video.

Here's the video of "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like"

IttsJustSomeRandomGuy made a video or Deadpool being "The Guy your Guy Should Never Be" to promote the C2E2. I love this man's work.

Also, for more laughs, click on the "Transcribe Audio" button for the earlier video.

Better to laugh at them now when we still can.

(To use the function, you will have to go to the page on Youtube. There will be a button directly next to the volume control on the video. Clicking on it will reveal the "Transcribe Audio" Function)

And then! There's also this prank call video. I bet that telemarketer did not sleep well that night.

Invisibility Cloak!

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 16:11:00 +0000

Scientists are now able to hide objects in 3D. Previously, they could only hide it in one direction. Way to go science!

Story here.

Remembering Names Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:14:00 +0000

It was really coincidental that the moment I posted up the post about remembering names, my memory slip me. I was introduced by Terrence to his friends the next day. Terrence seems to know everyone. Its almost every time I see him, I get introduced to someone new, which is good for me because I want to test how well I am remembering names.

Then, as his friends introduced themselves, I pulled out the spelling trick. I got them to spell their names, but somehow it just wouldn't stick.

There were a few reasons to it,

1. I was just recovering. I tried to concentrate hard, but the names just escapes me

2. It was 2 syllable Chinese Name. I was trying really hard to find association for it but I couldn't. Its not like Mei Ling = Mailing or ....god forbid Shi Teng... go figure that one yourselves.

3. Relating to no. 1, I couldn't focus myself at the moment.

These are some minor setbacks and I think that I should have written down their names. I am serious about remembering names, and I hope that you will find my falling beneficial in developing your name memory.

Remembering Names

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:10:00 +0000

If you are like me, you'd probably forget the names of half the people you meet at a party. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this gem called "Remember Every Name, Every Time" by Benjamin Levy. The book tells you why you don't remember names, for instance, our parents have told us never to stare at a stranger's face. That message is actually telling us, "Do not remember that face" or "There's nothing interesting there", when we should be focusing on the face.

The author goes on to provide 2 magnificent skills that once picked up, your memory for names will increase noticeably. I have a few things to add from experience, that is, when using words as association for names, it is best to stick to only one language. I am having trouble recalling a friend's name because I associated his name with the Chinese Character "中". I don't remember if I associated that with the Hokkein, Cantonese of Manderin Dialect.

Do pick up this book if you want to improve your memory with names! You will definitely enrich your life when you remember every name every time!

New Packet Design

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:17:00 +0000

This just in; Heinz has come up with the future of ketchup packaging. This new design allows for squeezing as well as dipping. It also promises three times more ketchup as traditional packets. The designers have worked on the needs of the drivers as well as the passengers when designing this new packet. Behold the future!

Article here.

Adios Plastic

noreply@blogger.com (Dillan) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:40:00 +0000

Scientists in Japan has created 'elastic water'.

Its made of clay and organic matter, making it safer than plastic.

Hopefully, more research could be done so replace plastic.

The future looks great, and with research on Fusion energy on the way, we are possibly at the brink of a new age.

News article here