Couple that with fantastic acting, well-placed bits of humour, marvellous cinematography and a haunting soundtrack, and you know this is a must watch.

By the way, it's Khan, from the epiglottis, without the hard K sound.

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Such a beautiful, melancholic tune. The song evoked a wistful sense of regret and realisation in me, especially on the first listen, when it transitioned into the chorus.

This will be a great opportunity to explore some of Europe, and more of myself. But of course...

I'll be missing my friends. The Compclub bunch for all their geeky (and more often than not, wrong) nonsense, my NUStyle buddies for the close support we've lent each other, and various other wonderful individuals. I'm thankful that I got to spend some cherished time with many friends during the holidays.

I'll be missing my whole family, for their support and all the chatter.

And I'll be missing home.

Anyway, the first week of school's over, and there's already plenty to think about, especially for my 8MC project module. Not sure if my groupmates wanna continue developing on the multi-touch table or to try something else. Of the 4 suggested topics the lecturer gave us, only one of them stood out for its novelty. It was a BCI (Brain-Computer Interface) based game. Definitely interesting (and challenging), but the lecturer did warn us that interest and curiosity doesn't carry you through all the way.

Warning: Mild tech talk ahead.
On another note, I just finished writing the bulk of stuff for a Wordpress plugin. It's active on this blog, and it basically lets certain parts of the page update without having to refresh the whole page (which is slower and resets the Flash content). It's just a simple plugin I wrote to get myself introduced to the inner workings of Wordpress. After I fully develop this plugin (by adding in compatibility with browser history), I'm gonna write another one that integrates Qik into Wordpress.

[Aside: I was wondering about the amount of work put into editing the really long length of video footage as I watched it. Having done basic video production before, I was notably awed.]

And while sitting there, I felt quite alone. I had missed out on all that. I had missed out not only on the fun, but also on the friendships formed, the inside jokes and the shit stirred.

I sure was occupied during the holidays. Taking a module during special term 2, having to attend RT, being part of the Union Camp committee and handling many separate NUSSU CBLC matters really ate up my time. People always need to breakaway for a while in order not to break down, and after all was done, I really did feel like it was high time I took a rest from everything school related. A friend questioned me: "What have you done this holidays that doesn't involve school?" Aside from all the small outings and (re)writing a Facebook application, I couldn't give her a good answer. Not that it's entirely a bad thing, but it did sound kinda sad.

Thus, when Erik and Pei De asked me to help out in FOW, I turned them down, and I also rejected Chee Full's request for me to help out in the Elections Committee. Heck, I skipped FIC, Flag day and the whole FOW, including Rag Day, which I passed over in favour of working over the long weekend.

Now, Rag Day was something I actually did want to go for, and I wanted to see how SoC's Rag performance turned out. I managed to catch a video of the performance just now. I was astonished. Like many have already said, this year's Rag performance is the best so far, and I now am part of this group of many too. The execution and scale of the performance was so much better.

Well, at least I popped by the FOC and got to know a few freshies (a few of which I later got to know better after UC as well) and met all the familiar faces again. And as Chong Sheng noted, whenever people see me, it's not a "hello!" I get, but rather a "long time no see!". I guess it's time to change that, although I don't know if I've much of a chance to do so. This year is the last opportunity to be part of the CompClub, but other circumstances prevent me from seeking that path.

So here's my thanks for everyone who's been part of SoC FOP in any plausible way. I can see a lot of people interested in the club's activities after them having experienced all this with you guys. In the words of Wen Jie, "this is GOOD SHIT!"

Nevertheless, there are still things to be improved on and gaps to be filled. Two points struck me as this evening's programme was going on.

Firstly, the general standard of English of Computing students. It's not bad to the point of being incomprehensible, but when I was reading some of the messages of thanks during the video, it was very jarring to see all the mistakes being flashed up there. I know not many will share this sentiment, but it did mar the beauty of the moment for me. Improving your command of the language will only be beneficial to yourself, especially when you are presenting yourself to other people, or trying to communicate your ideas. Do think about making a conscious effort to work on it =)

Secondly is something specific to the Rag performance, and is just an opinion, so feel free to ignore it or act on it as you wish. Compared to last year, I saw a lot more energy in the dance moves. The movements were sharper, more refined. There were also a lot more dancers this year, which was absolutely fantastic. Where the improvement could be made, I feel, is in the choreography. There were a lot of portions where people were shuffling in and out, preparing for the next segment of the performance. I think it would be more aesthetic if there were something for the audience to look at while others were moving in. What I'm saying is, preparation and the actual performance of each segment should be pipelined (I apologise for using a computing term here =P).

I think I've managed to pour out and cohere whatever was floating in my head after this evening now. Talk is cheap, and I agree, but some things still have to be said. I feel really guilty for not helping out the CompClub after 2 years.

I like how the show marries the Old West with space age sci-fi, showing that even 5 centuries of technology doesn't solve the same logistical and administrative problems we have today. Thematically, it's quite similar to the anime Cowboy Bebop in terms of setting and plot, and how the genres of music (Blues & Jazz in Cowboy Bebop, Country in Firefly) used in them is one of the defining points of the respective shows.

The characters are morally complex, especially the captain. It adds quite a bit of depth and dimension to him, yet also makes it particularly difficult to pinpoint his motivations. You understand the bitterness in him and his honourable ways of doing ungainly deeds, but even then, there's a large grey area for arguing quite a few of his actions. What makes him tick?

What makes us tick?

Ideas for development:
- Qik plugin for Wordpress
- "Like" a-la Facebook for Wordpress posts