You've Gotta Hide Your Love Away

Its been a heck of a long time since I actually updated metallic-stains with a real post so here it is! For all you guys out there, tons have been (and still is) happening so here's a little lowdown.

First off, Holidays are here and a much deserved break I supposed. Work has been a real killer this semester, partly due to the extra one week break we had at the start of the school term.

Not that its a bad thing, but the congestion of work during the last few weeks were simply amazing! Nevertheless, a good experience to see the people around me slogging their guts out and giving it their all.

Give yourself a pat on your back!

A whole lot has been going on around me I suppose, throughout duration of absence without a real post and I'm pretty sure you guys wouldn't want to read a 10 page long essay about the past few weeks of my life so I'll save up on that.

I've got a few decisions to make though, and was hoping to seek the opinion of you guys (who still visit metallic-stains, thank you so much).

As you may/may not know, The Beatles Rock Band (the game) will be released 9/9/09. Oh how I would want to get my hands on that sweet thing.

So here's the thing, the platform; Playstation or Xbox?

I'm pretty sure you guys out there have either platforms, and I'm not much of a console game fanatic (or a game fanatic in general, for that matter), so I would like some opinions.

Pricing information would be really awesome too.

So that's that and on a totally random note, the sky's really dark and rain is eminent.

Also, I'll need some comments about the photo below for reasons undisclosed. I'm open to positive and negative comments so feel free to express what you think.

With that, I'll sign off for now. Remember to check back for more updates and posts. With holidays here, who knows what will be up on this space, so keep checking back.

Clarke Quay, Singapore.

*The picture as seen in this post belongs solely to the owner of the blog. No commercial use of the photo is permitted unless specified by the owner.

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Now playing: The Beatles - You've Got To Hide Your Love
via FoxyTunes

Bread, Circuses and a whole lot more.

Okay, time for a little update on metallic-stains.

The past couple of days were really awesome and full of activity. thus explaining the lack of updates or activity here.

First off, there was this wacky and fun birthday party/stayover (one of my friend's birthday) that lasted over the weekends. Really awesome stuff. It was a good opportunity to meet up with old friend as week as to have (a heck load of) fun.

From the weird soil cake to the alcohol games (just for the kicks), the party was a blast. Getting to sleep was a terrible problem as no one wanted, nor felt like sleeping, despite the drinks and the time of the day (we were probably awake till around 5 to 6-ish?).

Didn't get to sleep much, but then again, I didn't even sleep. We literally had drinks the entire night (and morning for that matter) and we entertained ourselves with the Xbox, largely from GTA4, where we thought of the best way to die, or kill Niko Bellic (the main character, the person players control ingame).

Really awesome stuff, but the hangover bits were kinda, well, horrible.

The next couple of days however, were spent at a class chalet that was organized to foster class bonding as well as to have fun in general.

The first night was decent and as in typical chalet fashion, we had instant cup noodles, went out at 3 to 4 am and slept only when the sun rose.

The second day was filled with class bonding activities of which revolved around the barbeque that happened in the evening. Though we were dampered by rainy weather, it was all good in the end, even our lecturer came to join in the fun.

I guess the chalet was an excellent platform for class bonding and I'm really sure that we've learnt new things about one another in a way or so. Great stuff and the new semester will see new challenges for sure as well as friendships being stronger fostered and cultivated.

The saying of "Bread and Circuses" (with reference from paulocoelhoblog.com), kinda got me interested. Basically it circles and questions the fact that people require food and fun and not necessarily freedom to survive.

Well, there is a certain degree of truth to that, but lets view it in a different light. I'm sure nobody would give up his or her freedom for food and fun, though is can be considered a basic need. Hmm... a little food for thought here perhaps?

Alright, best get some rest; body's feeling under the weather due to the lack of sleep, "heaty" food as well as the weather (oh the irony).

Remember to check back for updates and the final instalment of "Hysteria's Call" and also articles which I'll post in abit.

Cya'll later.

Opportunity Strikes; Why Do We Hesitate?

I spent the past two day of my life over at one of my friend's place. Basic activities included the Xbox 360, the Internet, Youtube and a couple of guitars.

Amongst the many videos we browsed, we were particularly addicted to this one:




"hey hey! yea, yat's rught, ya bat'er run."

We were so addicted to this particular clip that we tried mimicking the clip, especially the voice of the turret, which had like an Irish accent. I must say, we were quite fascinated (and even up till now we're still trying our best in perfecting the accent, lol).
The rest of the stay pretty much revolved around GH3 (guitar hero 3) and an assortment of other Xbox games (yea i know, pretty boring if you ask me) and oh yea, not sleeping much.

The video gave me a good laugh.

However, as i looked back and reflected, the video does contain a certain degree of truth that applies to our daily lives.

You see, i feel like many people nowadays are afraid. Afraid to take opportunities, afraid to venture out of their safety zones and more importantly, afraid to fail. Very few people are like the blue character in the clip and are afraid to "venture out into the unknown" and that's probably going to contribute to their stagnant position in the society.

The presence of the turrets surrounding the perimeter is what contributes to the fear in the characters in the video. They know that they'll be shot down and are afraid to venture out, even though they're curious to know what's out there.

This often happens in life.

Very often in life, when opportunity strikes, one is often reluctant in making use of the opportunity and giving it a go. That reluctance is understandable as not all opportunities are worth taking; it largely depends on the situation, outcome and risks involved. However, the common mistake is that people hesitate acting on good opportunities, thinking that it might not be such a good idea or that they're insecure and unsure.

Another point i would like to bring up tackles the links and perspective that people draw when i say the word "opportunity". Many often imply that when i say opportunity, it refers to business deals and money making. That is a strong misconception.
Yes, though opportunities are evidently used in the business world, but I personally feel that life itself is full of opportunities; there is no such limitation.

The only limitation, I feel, is oneself. Yes, very often or so, you find that the only thing stopping you from attempting or going for an opportunity is yourself. It is all in the mind, and as mentioned, insecurity is the main cause of it all.

They say that "opportunity knocks only once and after, its gone". I beg to differ from this claim. I feel like in certain situations, its ourselves that make and create opportunities. Opportunities will not just come by or drop from the sky for every cause there is an effect.

I think what we should all do is basically banish all our insecurities and not be afraid to venture out of your safety zone. As the saying goes, "Its better to have tried and fail than to not try at all". It is only then that we'll be able to succeed and learn a little something extra.

Thus, let us eradicate our insecurities and find out what's really "out there"!