Meh..

2011-04-24T21:56:00.002+08:00

I haven't felt this close and comfortable with Sara before. Maybe things will get better after all.

2011-03-25T08:21:00.003+08:00

It doesn't take much to trigger the jealous side of me. You crossed the line however, when you openly flirt with my girlfriend. I subtly tell you to back off, but was met with vulgarities from your foul mouth. There's no reason to be defensive. All I did was courteously told him to get the fuck away. I take my relationships seriously. I don't play games. I'm straight to the point. If you wanna mess around with my girl, I'll mess you up too.

Background story:

Some random guy sees Sara's name on a triathlon race result document online and decides to add her on facebook. No doubt she feels weirded out by this, but the strange thing is that she continues chatting with him online, putting up with his nonsense of pretending to be interested in triathlons and training when it's obviously a disguise for trying to woo her. A weird-ass fucker randomly adds you, being all nice and shit, and you bought it. I thought you're better than that Ra..

Blog Revival

2011-03-11T12:33:00.007+08:00

I guess I just need a place to release all my usually suppressed feelings again. What better way than to do it than in the open privacy of cyberspace.

If you view life as a long struggle, then love is one of the many battles you will inevitably get involved in. Well, unless you're the privileged few who has been dealt a soulmate by the unfair hands of fate. Soulmates. Do you chance upon them by some unexpected scenario? Or are they created, through years of quiet bonding and understanding, of unrelentless love and acceptance? Many in their idle daydreams, have longed to have themselves swept away by that special someone at first sight. Well, if that were to happen, what would the relationship be based on? Everything superficial, right?

Things between Sara and me have been emotionally challenging these past couple of months. Even the slightest of arguments can quake our already fragile relationship. It's been 3 days since our last fight, and we haven't talked or texted since. She says it's my certainty of where the relationship is going that scares her. Well, it spooks me out too. I've never felt this way about a person before, and I'm doubting myself on whether these feelings are genuine or not. I think she feels that we've moving things too fast. Honestly, I think we have been skipping so many bases, that even though we've reached the end, it leaves both parties unsatisfied.

The stubborn majority of me refuses to believe that this is the end, but to place any rational reason behind it, I just can't find one. What I know is that I'll never give up trying.

Post-BMT

2009-12-25T04:02:00.005+08:00

Two weeks in SISPEC has already passed without much affair. All we did was attend lectures, view demonstrations and then pass the technical handling tests immediately afterwards, live firing and IPPT. It's comforting to have the guys from my platoon in BMT as my section mates. At least with familiar faces around, trust, friendship and brotherhood can be further reinforced. The culture here in SISPEC is a distinct contrast from BMTC, with the latter being extremely rigid in terms of discipline, conduct and regimentation. The food, much more tastier than the ones served in Tekong, but I guess it's only a matter of time before I go through the whole meal rotation list and then eventually get sick of digesting the same old stuff day after day.

Being in love is a wonderful thing. You try to take a step back and try to comprehend this feeling, but trust me, you would be better off just going with the flow. I'm doing all I can to avoid past mistakes, because the last thing I would wanna do is to hurt her. I want to make her feel like she's the luckiest girl in the world, make her feel loved and wanted. How I go about doing that, however, is something that I still couldn't find an answer for.

Maybe I'm just too full of inflated expectations, trying so hard all this while to live up to a fucking blueprint of how a perfect relationship should work. At the end of the day, one feels only emptiness and doubtful of the meanings behind those acts of affection, which seem nothing else but mere formality that is expected of you when you don that "attached" status. I would be lying to myself if I said I've never questioned the sincerity of this relationship. Bleargh..

Adjusting to Regimentation

2009-11-22T13:23:00.003+08:00

Roughly 3 more weeks to go until POP and I'm not sure whether I should feel elated or sad about it. The past 6 weeks have been a throughly enjoyable experience. In such a short timespan, I fired 70+ live rounds and 300+ blanks, thrown a live grenade, got PBs for my 2.4km run, cried during an unexpectedly emotional moment in Field Camp, marched 12km in Full Battle Order (FBO), learned how to throw punches and kicks and rifle fighting, and met tons of people from various backgrounds.

The only High Key events left are the 16km and 24km route marches and IPPT. 16km route march is next Wednesday just before book out, while IPPT's on next Tuesday evening. The start of the 24km route march would be just 8-9 hours before POP, how awesome..

Awww....

2009-10-02T13:01:00.001+08:00

Countdown to Significant Events

2009-08-09T02:16:00.002+08:00

60 more days to BMT.
52 more days to my last day (tentative) at Running Lab.
20 more days to Run NUS 2009.
16 more days to Mom's Birthday.
13 more days to Legs and Paddles 2009.
5 more days to being SSC's guinea pig.
1 more day to NINE INCH NAILS concert.

No Subject

2009-07-30T00:39:00.003+08:00

Mrs. Maple: Benjamin, we're meant to lose the people we love. How else would we know how important they are to us?

If you've seen "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", then you would probably be familiar with the dialouge above. The term 'lose', is a subjective one. It could mean something terminal, such as death or a break-up, or it could mean something supposedly temporary, like a brief time-out or a 2 week stay in Tekong. Yes, I'm talking about the two week confinement for new recruits serving NS.

It's the dread of every attached girl in Singapore. The thought of 14 days without seeing their beloved cupcake/puppy/pumpkin/boi/darling just seems to get them all teary-eyed and insanely emotional. I see Facebook status loudly proclaiming, "9 more days until my puppy comes back ): " and Twitter updates bordering along that same-old lovesick message. I stumble upon blogposts dedicated to their beloved man, seemingly apologetic of her past wrongdoings towards said guy. It's becoming exceedingly annoying.

Ok. Who am I kidding? I envy those guys. Being loved and adored that way. I kinda forgot how that felt like.

Sell Off the Road Bike and Focus on Running?

2009-07-11T01:23:00.005+08:00

Well why not? Aside from freeing up the time previously used on the saddle, I could use the money to get some much needed running accessories, namely the Polar S1 footpod and maybe a pair of Kaylos from Rudy Project. I would probably still have enough left to consider another pair of shoes. The obvious candidate for that would have to be the Saucony ProGrid Guide 2.

The Guide 2 is ridiculous comfortable. The uppers just seems to wrap around my feet really well. Definitely no complaints about it fit-wise. The true test of shoe compatibility however, lies in it's 'feel'. Now one thing I dislike most in stability shoes is their 'dual-density foam'. In stability shoes, this 'dual-density foam' is the grey area that you see on the inside part of the shoe's midsole. Some shoe manufacturers engineer this 'dual-density foam' a little too dense, which makes the ride of the shoe too harsh. This is probably the main weakness in the Asics GT-2140. The 'dual-density foam' problem, coupled with the overtly aggressive arch support, renders the GT-2140 unusable for me.

The Guide 2 on the other hand, has the right amount of 'give' in the dual-density area. A short treadmill test on it revealed a throughly awesome ride from heel-strike to toe-off. I'm unable to find any flaws in the Guide 2, so far. Great shoe for a reasonable price. Recommended for mild overpronators.

Hmmm.... Ok yea I've made up my mind. I'm selling it.

Barbershop Quartets

2009-06-13T13:20:00.002+08:00

I have always been a fan of barbershop quartets ever since I saw Ted's a-capella band, The Worthless Peons, appear on that awesome medical sitcom, Scrubs. So while trolling through youtube, I found two quartets that were brimming with awesome. Check them out:

Run NUS 2009

2009-06-12T15:04:00.002+08:00

My face is on the RunNUS 2009 website! Hah! I went for last year's event. It was insanely hilly! I'm going again this year!! YEAH!! More info regarding the run here.

K-On! and Zee Avi

2009-05-26T17:12:00.005+08:00

K-On! An anime about 4 high-school girls in a rock/pop band. I spent the whole of yesterday afternoon watching the 8 released episodes (it's an ongoing anime) on youtube. Unlike Rumbling Hearts, (which imo is a seriously awesome anime) there are no scenes (so far) in K-On! that will threaten to pull your hearts strings. I certainly hope it stays that way.

Zee Avi An amazing singer-songwriter with such a smooth and unadulterated voice. Seriously awesome. I'm going to place an order for her album this coming Sunday. In the mean time, I'll just have to make do with youtube videos of her performances. Check out Honey Bee and Bitter Heart here.

Bicycle - Ling Kai

2009-05-20T11:11:00.002+08:00

I have this song on repeat since 9am. It's little shaky in the beginning because I was fiddling with the auto-focus button.

Ling Kai!!!!!!!

2009-05-19T23:48:00.003+08:00

I didn't expect her to be so tall. Damn.. If you have no freaking idea who she is, you're missing out. Click here.

Cycling

2009-05-19T13:42:00.002+08:00

I had to wake up early today. At 7am to be more precise. Urgh.. I went through the list of what I had to do that morning.
1. Cycle to Novena by 0830 for product training
2. Pick up a Polar FT80 G1 there
3. Cycle to Funan
4. Cycle back to Bedok

Only cycling.. Pffft.. No big deal right? Yeah of course, cycling is no big deal, but cycling with peak hour traffic is. It's intimidating, to say the least. The main source of this intimidation stems from taxis and buses. I fucking hate them. As much as I would like to stick a hand grenade up their vehicle's exhaust and seeing it blow up as I cycle past, I know better than to let emotions take the better of me.

As a cyclist, don't expect your road rights to be served to you on a sliver platter. To the motorist, you have none. You don't belong on the road. You are a bane, a fucking obstacle and if they were in a hurry and had $7000 to spare, they would not be hesitant in knocking you down and drive off, if you happen to be in their way. The only way to survive in that sea of self-centred individuals is to practise defensive riding.

Inner Monologues

2009-05-12T22:45:00.003+08:00

Omg, Fort Canning is fucking hilly. Toughen up you pussy. The Mizuno Mount Faber Run is going to be more insane.

Can $40 last me until the end of the month? I highly doubt it. Then again, I have no guts to borrow from my parents. Argh.. See, spend on stupid stuffs somemore..

I need to run more often. What happened to the guy who clocked consistent 140-160km months? Now you're being a pussy by "cross-training" on your fucking bike.

Oh Anna.. Fuck yeah Anna!!

Polar RS300X

2009-05-08T10:59:00.004+08:00

Reserved since 20th April. Looks like a handphone box I got it for way way way cheaper thanks to staff discounts. =D YEAH!!! ORANGE!! YEAH!! My favourite colour! I've yet to try it out, but I expect it to perform the same as the RS200 that I bought a couple of months back, which sadly, had to be sold to fund my FYP. The only retarded thing that Polar did with this is was that they disabled the UpLink. Great.. Now the only way to transfer data over is via the Flowlink module, which has to be bought seperately. The only upgrade in the RS300x over the RS200 is it's GPS compatibility. Aside from that nothing else has changed.

Twitter

2009-04-24T11:33:00.004+08:00

There won't be much updates here from now on. Instead, follow me on Twitter here

RLF Run

2009-04-15T22:41:00.003+08:00

I was told that the average pace for Running Lab Funan runs is about 5:20. I'm so gonna be lagging behind tomorrow. Wah crap damn nervous..

Things I need/want to do with my paycheck

2009-04-13T23:48:00.002+08:00

Need
-Pay back Wen Bao the $40 that I owed him for FYP
-Return $50 to my mom
-Stash the remainder in my Playstation 3 fund.

Want
-Get bartape, TT brake levers and a new quill stem so I can finally build up my single speed bike
-Buy a Saucony Grid Sinister or Mizuno Wave Precision 9. I get 40% staff discount off retail at Running Lab, so why not take up the offer?

Don't fucking want
-Impulse buying. This is seriously gonna be hard.

A serving of random Part II

2009-04-05T11:10:00.004+08:00

Damn.. Kay Xian and Kent on top right and top centre.
YY!!
Meia!!
ARGH more sigh..
Trent Reznor!
Trent Reznor on a horsey!
Woo damn hot

A serving of random

2009-04-04T02:53:00.006+08:00

Zipping through town on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Round islang trip. Total distance: 106km
Burger King made a huge mistake when they withdrew this 4-patty monster from their menu. Fuck you Burger King. FUCK YOU!
I miss the times when I had long hair.
I went through her facebook photos and found out that she has turned into a fat, ugly, piece of shit!! FUCK!!
Meia, the supremely fuckable character from Vandred.
Sigh..
Argh.. More sigh.. :(
OREO GOD!

Chicks and Bikes

2009-03-22T04:10:00.005+08:00

Question: What's more sexier than a girl riding a bike?
Answer: A pixie-haired girl wearing form-fitting jersey and shorts, riding her road bike.

There's no competition. Put pixie-haired bicycle racer girl in a roomful of former beauty pageant winners and she would still be the only person that I would see in the room. I would leisurely approach pixie-haired bicycle racer girl, and as I got nearer, I would notice that she was staring at my calves. She would look up and her eyes would meet mine, her head would cock slightly to the right and she would said, "Wow, those are the most defined calves I have ever seen on a man. You don't happen to be a cyclist, do you?"

"Well if you would stop looking at them, then maybe I'll answer your question." I replied. She would fluster, and in the midst of trying to regain her sense of modesty, she would thrust out her hand for me to shake. "I'm Miss Pixie-haired bicycle racer girl". Then I saw it on her, the sure-fire sign of a cyclist. It was on her wrist, it was a bicycle chain bracelet. Taking her hand, I would then ask her, "Shimano versus Campagnolo. Your thoughts?"

Her previously bedazzled face would morph into one that showed quiet surprise. After all, it's not everyday that some stranger asks for your opinion in one of road cycling's oldest question. Her brain would go into overdrive, the expectation to come out with something witty would be immense. Her mind would race through previous conversations with mechanics, cycling forumites and her fellow traning buddies, highlighting anything that has significance to the question that the inquisitive stranger holding her hand right now, had asked her.

Then it would hit her. She didn't have to look far for the answer. She would only have to mentally recall her road bike. She gazed back at this unnamed acquaintance in front of her, and with the same cocking of her head, she would answer, "Neither. I chose Sram." The edges of her mouth would curve upwards ever so slightly and her body would sway closer to mine. Her eyes would be fixed in a subtle stare against mine. I would noticed she wasn't looking at my calves any longer. She would then ask me, "You havn't answered my question yet. Are you a cyclist?". She would give me a playful smirk after that. Needless to say, that night would a night of many firsts.

Unfortunately, Miss Pixie-haired bicycle racer girl is not real and never will be. However, the girls and women below are. :)

Exam Results

2009-03-18T01:16:00.003+08:00

Singapore Polytechnic 2008/2009 S2 Examination Results

Student ID: 0611099
Name: KAMARULZAMAN BIN KAMSANI

Module Code - Grade
-------------------
ET100Z - A
LC0314 - DIST
ET0420 - B
ET0424 - B
MM0251 - C
ET0425 - C+

I guess all those hours spent on the FYP did pay off in the end. I told my group members that if I didn't get at least an A for it, I would buy a plane ticket to Ireland and go on a Leprechaun killing-spree. Alas, I got an A for it, so you leprechauns are safe, for now. Funny thing is, Momo got a B+. I still have not heard from Yusof or Wen Bao regarding their grades.

I've got no idea how that distinction got there though. Maybe sharing the same love for Tommy Emmanuel's fingerstyle guitar pieces with the lecturer had a small role in it. Nonetheless, I'm grateful that she gave me my first ever distinction in SP.

Epic

2009-03-14T06:05:00.005+08:00

I just came back and I'm sooooooooooo fffffffuuuuuuuuucccccccccckkkkkking TIRED!! I'll remind myself to bring my standalone camera the next time I go for these kinda rides. Due to the extremely useless camera function in my handphone, I was unable to capture epic moments of us at that awesome bridge over at Henderson Park. The camera-phone's so-called 'night-mode' did nothing to enhance the images, thus, I only managed to take half-ass shots of us riding up the Luge and also that of us posing at the Merlion statue's fin (yes, we climbed up that fugly creature) while we were in Sentosa.

Checkpoints:
1. Tampines West Macdonalds
2. Chomp Chomp (Serangoon)
3. Mount Faber
4. Henderson Park
5. Sentosa
6. KTM (Tanjong Pagar)
7. Bedok North

Total Distance: 75.06km

Woah

2009-03-11T20:57:00.003+08:00

Ultimate KAWAII!!!

Wong Li-Lin

2009-03-04T12:37:00.004+08:00

I was always a fan of her since her Triple Nine days where she took on the role of Inspector Elaine Tay. I didn't see much of her on tv ever since that series ended. Imagine my joy when I found out that she has returned to host channel 5's Unexpected Access.

Oh and Allan Wu, if you're reading this, I just want to say thanks for breaking my heart by asking for Li-Lin's hand in marriage. You know how much I love her. We were destined to be together, but you just had to woo her away with your huge delts and chiseled face huh? I'm just kidding. Have a happy life!

Wet Wet Wet

2009-03-02T01:12:00.005+08:00

Saturday's ride was an extremely wet one. The rain kept pelting down on us as we went from Bedok to Tampines to Bukit Merah to Dover to Chinatown and finally back home. Almost 73km in total. Super tiring but super fun!

New Wheelset Day

2009-02-27T20:57:00.007+08:00

There was a guy clearing his WH-R540 wheelset on togoparts a couple of days back. At just $60, the price was a definite steal. However, I only needed the front wheel for my fixie build. So I smsed the guy, asking whether I could take the front wheel only. He replied, "So how much should I charge you?". I said "$25". He then said "Ok", and then replied the meeting details in his following sms.

Like almost all my online forum dealings, this one took place at an MRT station. The guy came with the wheels loosely wrapped in a huge black thrash bag. I was expecting to see a single wheel inside when he pried open the thrash bag. Instead, I saw two wheels. I shrugged it off, and thought that he must have forgotten that I only requested for the front wheels.

I inspected the front wheel and gave him the thumbs-up. I was just about the hand him the cash when he took out the rear wheel and said, "Nah, you can take this too". I was taken aback. I told him that he couldn't be serious. Well he was. Of course, I tried to thread on the righteous path by telling him things like "But I have no need for the rear wheel" and "I only have money for the front wheel, it wouldn't be right", but deep inside I hoped that we wasn't going to change his mind. Thankfully he didn't, and I went home with one of the most awesome deals that I've ever experienced.

The old wheelset New front wheel Bike with new wheelset With just 16 spokes (compared to the 32 in the stock wheels), the new wheelset is much lighter than the stock. Ride quality is still the same though. All in all it just looks plain awesome.

Night Ride

2009-02-21T23:55:00.002+08:00

My phone rang while I was toiling over a chuck of AIS notes for Monday's exam. It was Edwin. See, I'm not at all close with the guy, so the only two reason why he would call me was because of
A) Class gathering/BBQ/outing
B) Night Cycling
Obviously option A was out because the last one was some recent months away (not that I gave two hoots about anyway), so that pretty much leaves option B. I answered the call. Sure enough, it was night cycling.

So there I was, caught in a moral dilemma. I knew very well that I needed to clock in those study hours, but one half of me just wanted to give those AIS notes the finger and just clip-in onto my road bike and cycle the night away. After a few seconds of intense internal monolouges with my mind, I decided to go ahead with the ride. Of course, the deisre to see JC's new road bike also played a significant factor in my decision.

JC, Edwin and myself set off from Mac Tampines West at 2330. Edwin was on a BMC hardtail. I couldn't lay a finger on the exact model though. I was surprised that he could match JC and me on his huge-ass knobby tires. We first went to Changi Coast Road, entered ECP, then to Tanjong Rhu and had a pit-stop at the Indoor Stadium. We went to Orchard Road after that, where we were involved in some intense sprint-stop, messenger-style riding. Yes ladies and gentlemen, adrenaline increase your insanity factor.

I had a few close-calls; almost got T-boned by a taxi TWICE and had a brush with a jaywalking pedestrian. We made it out alive nonetheless. All that adrenaline made us hungry so we stopped at a beancurd store. Then, we headed home, via ECP. Awesome night!

Post-Exam Plans

2009-02-18T20:15:00.002+08:00

27th February may be 9 days away, but that does not mean that I have not planned my post-exam activities. I've decided to forgo my job search and drown myself in running, cycling and gymming instead. It's going to be the perfect time to build up my running and cycling base, not to mention my 19-inch biceps program. Here's how it's going to be done:

Running
4 sessions per week. 3 session @ 6km-8km, easy pace. 1 session @ 10-12km, super easy pace. Increment of 0.5km per session for every week thereafter. On even weeks, substitute one session for a tempo/interval.

Cycling
2-3 sessions per week. 1-2 sessions @ 30-35km. 1 session @ 50-60km. All at mid to mid-high intensity. Reason being that cycling does not work the heart as much as running, hence the higher intensity to achieve the same BPM as running.

Gym
2 sessions per week. 50 minutes of upper body and 15 minutes of core. I think I've been going easy on myself in my gym workouts so far. It doesn't help that my regular poly gym buddy Wen Bao prefers to slack now that the NAPFA tests are over and done with. It doesn't matter. Still, I've yet to decide whether to go to SP's gym or the one in Bedok. Esther told me that SSC's off-peak gym membership is $50 for 6 months. I'm doubtful of the concreteness of that, but a 1 month train pass would cost me $45.

LG KS360

2009-02-15T00:40:00.004+08:00

I have always wanted a phone with a full QWERTY keyboard, but it seems that all these phones run on Windows Mobile. I hate Windows Mobile. The LG KS360 seems to be the only phone in the market right now that features a full QWERTY keyboard, without the clumsy Windows Mobile OS. Singtel did not cover this phone in any of their contract plans, so I had to get it from Mustaffa Centre. I'm still in the honeymooning stage with it, so any reviews from me now would be full of biased praise. I got a hang of QWERTY keyboard pretty quickly. It's a godsend if the bulk of your communication is via SMS. Plus, it's a fucking loud phone. The output volume from it's single speaker is deafening enough to turn heads in a peak hour train commute. The only downside so far is the lack of a 1/8' jack, which means that you can't use your favourite earbuds to listen to music stored in the phone.

I heart Road Bikes

2009-02-03T23:51:00.003+08:00

The electric blue Merida is such a joy to ride. I finally got the fitting right. I couldn't believe that in the past, my saddle was way below the bars. No wonder pedaling felt extremely difficult, not to mention the toll it took on my knees. I used to hate going into the drops too. It felt really uncomfortable and my lower back would be very vocal in expressing its pain. Now I'm always itching to get into them.

I got the yellow Daccordi for free from a Togoparts.com forum member. I did a couple of rides with and was impressed that it fit quite well, though I did have to lower the seatpost quite significantly. All was good and I was using it as my commuting bike to the bike. Then, the rear tube exploded. Apparently, the rear tire was so worned out that it revealed the inner tube. I was locking the rear brake and making the rear tire skid at that time. The skid must have caused the exposed inner tube to heat up from the friction. End result: Explosion.

Since the tires were tubular (glued to the rim), they would be more expensive to replace, not to mention extremely troublesome. So until I get that $310 Velocity deep V fixed/ss wheelset from T.R. Bikes, that sexy piece of yellow steel would have stay propped against my wall. Damn I have to get a job soon.

NAPFA Test

2009-01-29T20:49:00.002+08:00

Back in secondary school, the napfa test was split into two days; the five items were held on one day and the 2.4k run the next. In tertiary institutes however, both the five items and the run are placed back to back. Previously, I could go all out on the first day, knowing that I would have recovered the next day for the run. Obviously, I could not do that now. So I decided to simmer down my highly competitive spirit and adopt a slightly different strategy.

My goal was do do just enough do get all As for the five stations. This meant having to postpone my PR attempt for sit-ups and pull-ups. Meh..I could live with that. So there I was, walking into the changing, nauseously nervous as always; races make me uneasy. Unpacked my bag and took my running gear out. I could only find my shoes in there. That's when it dawned on me. I FUCKING LEFT MY RUNNING CLOTHES AT HOME!!

So there I was, pacing back and forth, brainstorming for a solution to remedy this FUBARed predicament that I could have easily avoided had I packed them the night before. After giving it some thought, I figured that I only had 3 options:
1. Just do the test in the cotton shirt and bermudas that I was wearing
2. Go home, crank up The Scorpion's "Still loving you" and blog tearfully about how life is so unfair and if I had brought along those clothes, then maybe, just maybe things would be different.
3. Club a guy unconscious and steal his shorts.

Obviously option 2 is out of the question. Though, I did have a hard time wrestling option 3 out of my mind. That only leaves option 1, and option 1 I took. I think I did pretty well too. I had an unexpected PR for Standing Broad Jump and Shuttle Run, which were 264cm and 9.9 seconds respectively. I did the bare minimum for an A grade for the remaining 3 stations because I was saving myself for the 2.4k run, which I admittedly did poorly. I got a C grade for it. Nonetheless, I got a GOLD award and a score of 28/30.

Tremulus Lune

2009-01-27T09:34:00.002+08:00

My DIY Tremulus Lune

Kaki King - Everybody Loves You

2009-01-24T10:59:00.006+08:00

I used my sister's ebay account, so that's why it was addressed to her instead of me. YEAH!! Kaki King's debut album. 10 awesome acoustic guitar instrumentals. A far cry from her present day work of multi-instrumental looping and experimentation. I got it pretty cheap too, which makes it all the more awesome.

Just 5 more weeks away

2009-01-22T20:34:00.002+08:00

All I have to do from now till the 27th February is to:
-complete my group's 100-page FYP report
-finish up the AIS report
-revise for AROC and AIS lab tests
-prepare for the FYP's final grading interview
-mug like hell for the finals

Weird

2009-01-18T21:45:00.003+08:00

PJ called me at 2:30am yesterday. Apparently, sleeping pills don't act as a depressant when it enters her system. It somehow made her feel more gung-ho. Either way, hearing her rant about schoolwork and shit in her intoxicated state was awesomely amusing.

Relief/Reflection

2009-01-11T01:55:00.003+08:00

Saturday marked the end of SPinnovex 2009. Pardon the inevitable cliche, but, I felt as though a huge weight was lifted of my shoulders. Ever since the day I cooked up the project, I have always had this vivid mental image of how our booth would be turn out. However, the interview for the exhibition entry dashed any real hope of those images from ever becoming a reality, at least that was what I thought. See, I have always had this habit of hoping for the worse, so that if it happens, I wouldn't be as disappointed. Like a defense mechanism, no?

Fortunately, things turned out our way. We got accepted into SPinnovex. That meant shit if couldn't deliver on the day itself. Instead, it marked the beginning of a month-long of stressful meetings and intense bickering. I was on the verge of giving up. The dateline was looming ever so closely and the thought of us not making it constantly ran through my mind. These guys though, are polar opposites of me. They just wouldn't take no for an answer. They just wouldn't give up on the project. However, saying that all three of them possess these attributes would be an outright lie. Only one person had the guts to grab me by the collar and shake all the evidence of pessimism from me.

His name is Yusof. If I could summarize the guy in one phrase, he would be deemed "One Stubborn Motherfucker". Underneath the loud and often irritating exterior, lies a dude who is just plain fucking brilliant. He never listens to what I say. I told him to ignore the faulty booster circuit and concentrate on the new board. Instead, he soldered up the spare booster board and with little surprise, got it working. I told him to triple check the overdrive stripboard layout because I suspected that the fault was due to a poor layout. Instead, he troubleshooted the fucker and got it up and running.

Of course, credit goes to the other two members too. Momo is a soldering god who's always willing to help. Initially I was reluctant to let him join the group because he had a pretty notorious streak of being a lazy fuck, but it looked like my gamble paid off pretty well. Always on the ball, never complains or sulks (assuming you gave him sufficient smoke breaks), he has proved himself to be a valuable asset to the group.

Wen Bao on the other hand, had been a big fucking disappointment. I could add a thousand other insults, but I would rather not. All I can say is that he deserves no recognition whatsoever. Fucking freeloader.

One final interview remains before we receive our FYP grades. I hope it goes well

New Bikes!!

2008-12-28T16:02:00.005+08:00

I needed a new commuter/errand bike ever since my trusty piyopiyo lady bike crapped out on me. I tried ebay, but the bikes being sold were either over my budget or just plain crappy. There aren't many avenues for selling and buying secondhand goods online. Ebay Singapore has been pretty quiet, even after the closure of Singapore's Yahoo! Auctions.

Craiglist Singapore is also quiet, but I decided to try my luck there. Chanced upon an ok looking MTB. Called the guy to arrange a viewing of the bike. I was quite satisfied with it's condition. Parted with my $100 and then cycled home.
Ok cool. I got myself a sturdy commuter to cycle the MRT. After waking up today, I did my usual morning routine of bike/run/guitar forums. I was on the togoparts forum when a hot ad regarding a bike giveaway came through. Fumbled with my phone and called the guy to ask his location. He said he was in Bedok South. Just my fucking luck!! I quickly put on my shirt and scrambled out the door.

Arrived just 2 minutes ahead of an elderly couple who were also keen on the bike. I was kinda bracing myself for a spat between me and the woman who was also there for the bike, who according to the seller, she was the one who called first (but I arrived first). However, I think the sight of my hands firmly planted on the top tube and the saddle unconscienely told her that this bike already belongs me. YEAH!!
80's Italian Steel Chromoly Frame!

Threadless Spree #02

2008-12-28T01:34:00.002+08:00

Fuck yeah! Another one!

Check out the spreetastic website for upcoming threadless/f21/hottopic sprees!!

FYP 7

2008-12-25T18:03:00.003+08:00

Here's how it sounds like!

FYP 6

2008-12-23T21:03:00.003+08:00

Finally! An update on the project!

One down. 5 more to go!

Threadless Spree #01

2008-12-21T13:52:00.004+08:00

I was having lunch with my family when the UPS man came to the door.

6lb box
Hmm so it's from Threadless?
Yeah!
SO what's inside?

A box full of awesome shirts!

It feels good to be doing this with my sis. We can finally collaborate on something.

Deep Shit

2008-12-19T22:38:00.003+08:00

Looks like I didn't even have to give my two week's notice. He fired me on the spot. Then he called the police and the next thing I know I'm spending 8 hours under police custody. Awesome job you sonofawhore.

Who am I kidding? I dug my own grave and now I'm buried under 6 feet of shit. It's time for a change Kamal.

Quit

2008-12-19T02:53:00.002+08:00

Enough is enough. I could live with the verbal abuse, but I draw the line at physical contact. I'm giving my two week's notice tomorrow.

SCSM 08

2008-12-16T23:13:00.002+08:00

After a sleepless gaming marathon at effendi's the night before, I groggily propped my ass on my bike and headed to ECP to yet another marathon, the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon. Not as a participant though, but as a rouge photographer. Pictures here.

One picture that I really love. They look absolutely adorable together, no? If love is a marathon, then I think this couple best represents that statement. I hope they realize that they've got something special going on. That guy and girl in the picture could have been me and my better half a couple of years ago. If some fucking genie were to appear in front of me right now and grant me a single wish, I would go back in time and undo all my mistakes. Screw world hunger and world peace. They're not as important.

My only two regrets in life so far are selling away all my guitars and treating her like an expandable pawn. Unlike guitars, she can't be bought back. Some things in life are just plain impossible to achieve, like for me to get 19-inch biceps and owning a Cervelo S1. A sub-3 hour marathon and a 4 minute mile are also way out of my grasp, but I feel that being with her again isn't.

Maybe we'll cross paths again, just like we did last time. Maybe I'll have a terminal disease when I'm 75, and if she doesn't want to get haunted for the remainder of her life, she'll fulfill my death wish of seeing her. Maybe then I'll tell her all the things I've wanted to say all this while.

Multi-sport

2008-12-12T00:40:00.002+08:00

Suddenly got so many multi-sports events to take part in next year!! YEAH!!

Raw Duathlon (Perfect belated birthday present! Plus it's near my home!)
http://www.rawduathlon.com/

Tri-factor Series (4 races for $99! Damn! I'm not confident enough for the swim and the tri though)
http://www.trifactor.sg/index.php

Tribob Sprint Series (The duathlon's too far away though. Have to get a cab or my dad to send me there)
http://www.singaporesprintseries.com/

OCBC Cycle Singapore (Not a multi-sport. It's cycling only. Again, the distance is far from home. Cab or dad's car)
http://www.ocbc.cyclesingapore.com.sg/

No One Knows You're Foreign

2008-12-11T16:41:00.003+08:00

Ordered from cdbaby.com. Cost $32 including shipping.

RoadID M.O. / Sports and Fitness Expo

2008-12-05T20:14:00.007+08:00

After 3 torturous days of waiting, the package finally landed on Singapore soil. I waited anxiously for the UPS guy to arrive at my doorstep. He finally came at around 3.30pm. I got to handle the uber-cool electronic signature device which looks like a swollen pda. Cool. Weighs close to 1lb. Yeah. Documents and order information Finally, the thing that we've all been waiting for! Thank you SGRunners for giving me the opportunity to lead this mass order! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a fitness expo that was held in-conjunction with the SCSM race pack collection. I went there this afternoon to have a peek. It's not much different than last year's expo. Same old exhibitors, with the exception of Rudy Project that is. I must have missed them last year. Oh well, I wasn't in the market for sports sunglasses back then, but I am now!

Talked for about 20 mintues to the rep regarding prescription sunglasses and the models that accept clip-ons glasses. She recommended me the Rydon, which was this super sleek half-rimmed model that looked absolutely gorgeous. After trying it on, I decided that I would be a lesser man if I went home without it. Sadly, my wallet didn't agree with me and told me to wait for next month's paycheck to arrive. Bummer. A couple of TIMEX watches on display. I was disappointed that the two models in the foreground lacked lap memory. I would have flipped my Polar RS200 in a heartbeat if those watches had that feature. The sexy bikes on display. This made the whole trip worthwhile.

Anticipation

2008-12-01T23:03:00.003+08:00

Waiting for
1. Exams to be over, so I can finally ride my bike

2. The RoadID mass order that I organized

3. Kelli Rudick's 'No One Knows You're Foreign' CD

Ridiculous

2008-11-13T23:05:00.006+08:00

My FYP group made it into SPinnovex. I still remember juggling feelings of disbelief and elation when I received Yusof's sms regarding the good news. I was at my front door, exhausted after a round bike trip from home to Ikea in Queenstown and back. Dug into my saddle bag and fished out my phone. Called Yusof and fucked him for playing tricks on me, only to be told nonchalantly that he wasn't fucking with me and we did in fact got accepted into SPinnovex!

I'm supposed to be happy, because after all, our grades for FYP are already secured. However, I cannot bring myself to stay happy, not when the others close to me failed to make the cut. I guess it's normal to feel sorry for them, but thinking back, I felt that they deserved a place in SPinnovex more than my group.

Take Esther's case. She stays back for 3 hours twice a week to finish up her project. One of her group member's passed away early in the year (food poisoning), so they are down to 3 members. One's pretty hardworking while the other just exudes a devil-may-give-a-fuck attitude that we have all come across in our years of existence. It's amazing how she rallies the group together and how she takes charge of things. You would never expect this timid girl to be like that. Unfortunately, all their hard work came to naught. Try as she might, she could not fully conceal her sorrow this morning. Through her bubbly voice and infinite cuteness, I could see her deep disappointment inside.

My group on the other hand, is heavily influenced by the fine art of last-minute work and laziness. Our ppt for the SPinnovex interview was done by me over 4 mugs of caffeine, 14 hours before the scheduled interview. We rarely had any weekly meetings. We only met twice during the holidays to finish up on some soldering. I wish I could add more, but hell, those are the only things that we did! Then why were we accepted?! Could it be that ours was a student-suggested project, thus, more points for being ambitious? Or was it the bombastic words that we used during the interview that totally floored the lecturers into submission? I don't know.

All I know is, our work-to-reward ratio is fucking screwed. We did not deserve this opportunity. Well, I guess there's no use in feeling sorry for something that you've accomplished. Life is unfair, no? We've heard it all before. Let's just enjoy the ride then.

Bike Accessories

2008-11-07T23:52:00.002+08:00

1. Shimano PD-R540 Clipless Pedals 2. Topeak Large Saddle Bag 3. Shimano R-150 Road Shoe I had to sell the remainder of my guitar gear in order to buy the pedals, shoe and saddle bag. Now my rig consists of only my telecaster and amp. Minimalism ftw!

I just had the clipless pedals installed in this evening, and I can tell you that they are a god-send. Coupled with the hard-soled road shoe, it allows me to generate efficient pedal strokes with every turn. I could feel that the energy from every crank was transferred to the rotational movement of the wheels. The only problem lies when I forget to disengage when I come to a stop. With the shoes locked in, it's nearly impossible to keep the bike upright when it's sationary (okay fixed-gear riders, take your trackstand to the velodrome and shut the fuck up). An embaressing fall usually comes after the bike comes to a complete halt. I counted 7 falls today. Gotta practice more I guess.

Happiness is a new Bike

2008-10-29T13:32:00.006+08:00

Portside Starboard Fork Top tube Rear brake Saddle 8-speed cassette 2-speed crank Front brake Handlebar and Stem Rode home from the shop. Did about 60% of it on the road. Awesome ride. I just need to get used to the more 'aero' stance that the bike has. However, going into the drops was really uncomfortable. Maybe I just need to spend more time with it. Initially, I planned to get a helmet from the same store that I got my bike, but their prices were over my budget. I guess I'll just drop by my neighbourhood bike shop while on my way to work later.

She's coming on Wednesday

2008-10-26T04:05:00.003+08:00

Meh

2008-10-25T00:37:00.007+08:00

Two weeks of school have passed, yet I'm still having problems adjusting to my rather lax school timetable. With only 4 hours of lessons each day from Monday to Thursday, with Friday being the only 'full' day, you would think that I have it good. But I also have a part-time job to juggle. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights are spent in a 10 x 5 cell, hunching over the cash registers and flashing fake smiles to a sea of faceless people.

I recently signed up for Archery classes, so that fully occupies Saturday morning's things-do-list. My swimming classes begins next Thursday evening. Being a runaholic, I have to get at least 4 runs each week, and not forgetting the 2 sessions of upper body gym workouts and 2 sessions of core workouts that I have do each week. Plus, I'm getting a road bike soon, so I would have to squeeze in some time for that, or I would have to replace workouts completely.

So why bother going through all this? I could probably be better off with my time preoccupied with just school and work. Why the need to pack my days with aimless runs, torturous workouts and learning new sports? Why bother doing the things that supposedly makes me fitter and healthier? Because after all, they would account for naught in the end, wouldn't it? Everybody dies in the end, no? Everyone dies, and that's the only thing on people's mind. Not the journey in between, they'll just take only the head and the tail, thank you very much.

I get ridiculed at everyday. I get roasted for having a low-paying job, and no, I don't give a fuck how much your bank account promoter job pays you, so stop gloating about it like a tiresome re-run of 'Days of Our Lives'. Honestly, I find it pitiful that you've become a slave to money. So please, take you evangelism somewhere else.

I get mocked for buying things that I need and want, because obviously, other people know best on how I should spend my money. I get flak for thinking about getting a road bike to ride to school. 'It's too dangerous', they say. 'What's wrong with taking public transport? It's much more convenient', another would holler. However, 'Don't be fucking crazy', has my vote for the best response.

My life is awesome, innit?

New HRM

2008-10-13T15:23:00.005+08:00

I love boxes. I love boxes with nice stuff inside. The watch and the hrm I saw on ad on sgrunners.com regarding a used RS200 this morning and at the price that he was selling it, it was too good an offer to pass. I called him up and we arranged a meeting at Funan, which is perfect because it is en route to school.

Initially, I thought that the watch would have a steep learning curve, but as always, the manual is there to flatten things out. Surprisingly, the watch came with a pseudo-V02 max test, though the readings would probably have to be taken with a pinch of salt. I got a 50 for it, which was deemed "moderate".

Can't wait to try it on my runs!!

Tidbits

2008-10-11T02:50:00.008+08:00

FL Studio 7
Downloaded it on a whim after hearing that it has a pretty good drum programmer. I took extra precautions with the 'cracking' instructions. I would not want the same thing that happened to Ableton 6.0.9 (I fucked up the cracking procedure and the whole thing would not load, even after rolling back the system) to happen to Fruity Loops.

Initially, I found the interface very confusing, definitely not plug-and-play like what I've hoped for. Fortunately though, the manual is extremely helpful. I've not yet ventured into the drum programming side, but my first attempt at analog audio recording has been a very frustrating one. I get a load of noise, even with the buffer length set very high! I've been toying around with the buffer size and bit depth, hoping to find a remedy, but to no avail.

Caffeine, Performance Booster?
I can honestly say that the best runs I've had in the past two weeks are the ones where I had a cup of coffee a couple of hours before a run. Probably too much of a coincidence though. It really must be anger and hatred of women that's fueling my lungs and legs.

School
Starts on Monday. The beginning of the end. Last semester to fulfill my fantasy of fucking a teacher in a classroom.

New Toy!

2008-10-06T03:16:00.003+08:00

M-Audio Fast Track
Front
Rear

Bicycles, as a mode of transport?

2008-10-03T14:50:00.011+08:00

Working at 7-11 is great because the employees get blessed with alot of free time. During these idle moments, images of blonde cheerleaders and milfs usually flood my mind like a burst dam. Quite recently, however, my mind has been preoccupied with something of a less hornier nature. Bikes. To say that I've been obsessing over them would be a criminal understatement. I've been doing a load of research on different types of bikes, bike fittings etc and have my mind (supposedly) settled on Scott's SUB 20 or SUB 30. The only problem now is choosing between 26' or 700cc wheels, and obviously, waiting for my paycheck to arrive.

Lately, I've also been toying with the idea of cycling to school. Ridiculous? Yes. Initially, I thought that plan was as rubbish as my "live off parents until I'm 30" plan (close friends would get this. hah), but after marking a route on mapmyrun.com, the distance is honestly, not as mean a feat as I expected it to be. Route displayed below.

Just roughly over 20km from Bedok Mrt to Dover. Now the route follows the MRT tracks 65% of the time, so why don't you just take the fucking train Kamal?! Truthfully, I find that commuting by train and bus is not very time-maximising. I can only take out my notes to study only when there's a seat available, and considering that the number of seat-kiasu aunties and uncles have risen dramatically this year, the odds of of a teenager getting a seat of a train is very low indeed! Even if I do get to sit down, I can only go through 15-20 minutes of reading before a vehicle-induced headache settles in. So the only option is to cram earphones up my ears and listen to repetitive music from my mp3.

Since it's too late to transfer to a school that's nearer to home, I figured that the hour-long boring commute could be replaced by a fun, mid-intensity bike ride instead. The plan sounds good on paper, but whether or not it's practical, I'll just have to find out on 31st October.

Splurge

2008-10-01T23:13:00.002+08:00

Basically buying stuff to replace the things that I lost about two months ago.

A bag, a couple of shirts and a pair of berms.
Crumpler Seedybar

Contract extension

2008-09-28T01:30:00.007+08:00

I got my contract extended for another 2 weeks. I'm feeling super stoked about it, as it would give me a valid reason not to go visiting on weekends. I never was a fan of Hari Raya, and have never understood the true meaning of it. Surely it means more than refurbishing the home, receiving money from relatives and then deciding what to blow it on? Sure, you may say that it tightens the bond between friends, family and relatives. Yea, superficial bonding through gossips and forced small talk. Brilliant.

CPF contributions suck to the bone. I got 14% of my pay deducted?! A huge wtf to that one. Am I liable to an income tax deduction too? Damn I'm such a noob at this.

After weighing the pros and cons of the list below, I've decided to get a bike. I'm eying a couple of models from Scott and Trek, mostly at their road hybrids and hardtail MTBs. I'm honestly torn between the two types, and it doesn't help that they are at opposite ends of the biking spectrum either! DAMN!

It's been almost a month since I ran at Bedok Reservoir. My work schedule only permits me to run after 11pm, so that completely rules out Bedok Reservoir as a running route. Instead, I'm stuck with a mundane asphalt loop that's so riddled with carbon-monoxide on weekends that my lungs would probably be better off in a room full smokers on lunch break than out there running the course. I can't wait for school to start so I can get back on my fitness regime again! I miss SP's poolside gym and the MILFy gym care-taker!

Wants

2008-09-18T02:43:00.010+08:00

Talk about counting chickens before they hatch! It's the pre-Salary Day 'Things to BUY' list!

Polar RS200
I've never used a heart-rate monitor before, mostly because I'm turned off by chest strap that's needed to be worn to measure the heart-rate. Cursed with ultra-sensitive nipples, I figured that the chest strap would give me unneeded arousal in the said area. The only appealing attribute about this are it's aesthetics and the 99-lap memory, which is a wee bit of an overkill. I might as well get a Timex Ironman if I need the lap memory.
Price: $250-$350

Crumpler, the "Mahoubar"
Ever since my bag got stolen about a month and a half back, I've been using the Standard Chartered Marathon 2007 bag for my daily commutes. It is so ugly, but being a guy, function always precedes form. Maybe it's time for something more rugged and has more capacity and most importantly, in backpack form. I never was a fan of slingbags because they put too much strain of my left shoulder, and slinging it on the right seemed so 'unnatural'. The price is a huge turn-off though.
Price: $210

Trek FX 7.2
At the instant I saw this bike, it made me wanna quit running and buy latex tops and lycra pants. Seriously drool-worthy. I never was a fan of bikes fitted with suspensions. I felt that they absorbed too much pedal power. Especially those fitted with the mid-body suspension, god, I would find myself bouncing around much more than actually moving forward. This bike would be great for those days were I find myself too tired to run and when the muscles are too sore from gym, yet have enough in the tank for my daily dose of cardio. Only problem is storage. I wouldn't wanna keep this locked outside.
Price: $600-$800

Sony PS3
Half-life 2 plays great through it. GTA IV is awesome through it. Uncharted is totally mind-blowing through it! I can think of so many reasons to get this, but I also can think of as many reason not to.
Price: $500-$600 w/o games

The worst thing about this is that I can only get ONE item! Fucking bummer!

Routine

2008-09-15T01:35:00.002+08:00

1. 1pm wake-up call
2. Turn on the computer and surf music/guitar forums for an hour
3. Consider whether or not to take a bath before heading to work.
4. Figured that splashing some cologne on me would have the same effect as bathing
5. Arrive at work
6. Do stock taking and all the shift-handover bullshit
7. Ogle at the St. Anthony's Canossian schoolgirls who drop by the store
8. Muster up my most deep, masculine and sexy voice when they check-out at my cashier
9. Look intensely into their eyes while scanning their potato chips and convenience foods
10. Increase eye contact intensity when dumping their stuff into plastic bags
11a. Ask (in my most deep, masculine and sexy voice) for her name if she looks geeky and innocent
b. Smile if she looks horny, slutty or whorish
12. Smile again
13. Feel your heart sink as she hands you her Ez-link for payment: She's just 13 years old!
14. Hand her back her Ez-link hesitantly
15. Her hands accidentally touches mine, and her eyes gaze up to look at me through her 500 degree glasses
16. She fumbles with her card and change, then hurriedly walks out, but not before looking back in my direction and then shyly smiling away.
17. Get snapped back into reality by an impatient fuck who wants his change for the newspaper he bought
18. A plus-sized Indian women would come by between 6pm and 7pm and head over to the liquor chiller. 3 bottles of raspberry Vodka would be on my counter not long after. Bag 2 of them, pop open the tab for the remaining one.
19. She drinks that in the store, and unfortunate me would have to listen to her gripe about her useless maid, her husband and her poor old fucking daughter in between sips.
20. Feel glad when she swallows the last drop of it and leaves the store.
21. Bills, Nets, Cashcards and Ez-link bullshit until 10:30pm
22. Close the cashier and do settlements
23. Put up with the shift-handover bullshit.
24. Reach home at 11:10pm
25. Out the door by 11:15pm if I have enough in the tank for a run
26. If not, I would just work out at home
27. Feel tired but great after a run
28. Eat
29. 3-4 hours of forum surfing before heading off to bed.
30. Wake up at 5am
31. Groggily eat breakfast
32. Return longingly to bed
33. Sleep until 1pm.

Cigarette? No thanks

2008-09-06T03:08:00.005+08:00

Today marks my 4th cigarette-free month. No mean feat, considering that I've gone almost close to 14 months without a single puff in the past. I've no intention of relapsing into such an wallet-burning habit again. It's plain stupid and expensive. I'm slowly losing my dad to those fucking cancer sticks. Never would I forget that night of his coughing fits. It was fucking horrible and gory. It sounded like he was gonna cough his tarred lungs out. It sounded like he was gonna die. Fucking horrible.

He doesn't know how fucked up this makes me feel. I always feel like hooking the cigarette from his mouth and then crushing it in front of his face whenever he lights up one of his many post-dinner fags, and then tell him to stop killing himself because I love him so fucking much. No surprises though, Little Asian Boy's too timid to speak his mind.

My grandfather is dying, and my dad knows it. I've always wondered what goes through his mind about the issue, what monologues go through inside his head and what he plans to do should the inevitable happen. Then I figured I didn't have to venture far, because the way he feels for his dad, is the same way that I feel for my dad right now.

Inspiration

2008-08-31T23:54:00.003+08:00

Guitar on lap and a mug of coffee an arm length away
A roomful of silence,
save for the white noise of the oscillating fan above.
No pen, no paper, no lyrics.
Just thoughts.
You in black and white
Seated and listening
Not to my voice, but to my strings
At least I thought you were
We never spoke much after that
I could only ask what your name meant
I was intrigued by it
There was an aura of enigma surrounding you
I had to know you are
I took the chance
And you obliged
Out of sympathy or surprise
Only you hold that knowledge
Not that it matters
Because I don't feel like I'm on par
You're high up on hierarchy of awesomeness
While I'm wedged in the lower rungs of the pariah
But when you let me in on your miseries
And into the chapters of your life others would never read
Things changed
I realised I had a shot at this
Nonetheless, the lingering feeling of failure remains
So in between sips of caffeine
And thoughts about you in your black and whites
A song bearing your name was born
No lyrics
Only an instrumental
But it doesn't matter
You wouldn't be able to listen to it

Contract

2008-08-30T19:29:00.003+08:00

The month-long contract was approved and I couldn't be any happier. I've made a mental list of what to buy with the money and more than 3/4 of them are categorized as 'needs', so there's no concrete excuse to slack off. 8 hour shifts for 6 days a week would rob me of already limited social life and fuck up my runs and work-outs, but I don't mind. I don't view it as a sacrifice, but rather, a choice.

We make choices. I hate to say 'sacrifices.' Sacrifices makes it sound like 'oh, poor me, I have to do this in order to get to this,' and I don't really like that word. - Deena Kastor

RUN NUS 2008

2008-08-25T09:25:00.004+08:00

You know a person is insane when he still has enough energy to pucker up for the camera after 10 kilometres of hills and inclines.

Work

2008-08-25T00:41:00.003+08:00

The most depressing thing about the past two weeks of work is that the pay would be used to settle my I/C, Ez-link, Matric card replacement fees, and other debts to friends. Still, the money wouldn't be enough to cover everything.

On the upside, Wong is pushing the management to give me a 4-6 week contract, instead of the hourly rate that I'm currently employed for. This means higher pay and an advanced lump-sum salary. An even better thing is that if the contract ends, I would, by default, return to my 'part-timer' status. Hopefully, Wong would have enough charisma and charm to sway the bigwigs in his favour.

Guitar Boredom

2008-08-15T00:12:00.003+08:00

Work's been good so far. Recalling the skills learned from two years ago isn't exactly a walk in the park, but it ain't no marathon either.

It's time for a new approach to guitar playing. Goodbye Telecaster. Goodbye guitar effects. Goodbye blues. Goodbye endless hours of chuggaration. Goodbye plectrum.

Hello Ovation. Hello open and altered tunings. Hello slap harmonics. Hello odd time signatures. Hello two-handed tapping.

Fucking tired

2008-08-11T23:51:00.000+08:00

So this is what it's like to juggle school life and work life at the same time. Better get used to it, Kamal.

Featured on Lunarin's (The Oracle) Blog

2008-08-08T22:02:00.008+08:00

I made a bastardized version of Lunarin's Ligeia about a month and a half back. I tried uploading it onto youtube but it took too long. So I just cancelled the upload and let the file rot in my hard drive. Until two days ago..

I compressed the video (no wonder the original upload took too long, the file was over 400MB!) and attempted another upload. It was successful. I then pass over the video link to Linda's (Lunarin's frontwoman) account on youtube.

I never would have thought she would post it on The Oracle.
Someone please tell me this is a fucking dream and that I'm gonna wake up in another 4 hours to the sound of a bootleg version of Zero Point Red that I set as my alarm ringtone.

Dreaming of Revenge - Kaki King

2008-08-06T21:31:00.004+08:00

Ouh, yeah. After listening to the whole album, I can safely say that its lives up to its pre-released hype. She makes the kind of music that I wanna make. Damn this girl and her talent!!

Worthy listens: Montreal, Life Being What It Is, Bone Chaos In The Castle, 2 o'clock, Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person?

I was robbed

2008-08-05T20:34:00.005+08:00

After lap 11 on the neighbourhood track, I noticed my duffel bag was missing.

Inside were:
-Clothes
-School Textbooks
-3 guitar pedals, one of which I just bought this afternoon for SGD50 and the other two that my friend sent to me for repair and modifications
-Bunch of keys (to my house and for my bike, and also the keychain that I got for a 10k race)
-Spectacles
-Sony Erricsion k770i
-Wallet (no cash inside, but my i/d card, atm card, me and my 2 friend's school matric card, library card were inside)
-Stationary (together with a graphic calculator worth SGD100)

I frantically asked around, and someone said this young, fat guy in orange ran off with it. I sprinted off in search of him, but to no avail. Now my parents are screwing me upside down for being so careless.

Sorry to the people who I got dragged into this mess. I'll find a way to repay back.

Damn the fucker to hell. I hope he finds himself 50metres in front of a marathon starting line and get trampled to death by runners. Please send bad karma his way.

Kaki King - Can Anyone Who Has Heard This Music Really Be A Bad Person?

2008-08-04T17:41:00.013+08:00

Sure, the title seems to have come out of a P!ATD or Fall Out Boy discography. Fortunately, the music definitely doesn't have any resemblance to those whiny bands.

I love the last part, the so-called 'exploding' part. I use it to describe song parts that go from a polite, happy-hawaiian section, into a sonic madness of layered guitars and drums, weaving in and out of syncopation, before it ends, leaving you so satisfied that you crave to hear it once more, but at the same time, afraid that repeated listens would not live up to the same 'magic' as when you heard it the first time.

Girls

2008-08-03T23:01:00.002+08:00

And the fucking games they play.
Why do they even bother?

Sick

2008-07-30T23:56:00.003+08:00

Nobody likes being sick, I'm no exception.
It
1) forces me to skip my runs
2) makes to too weak to work out
3) increases my appetite three-fold

Combine that altogether and you have yourself a recipe for a noticeable loss in muscle and added fat to your body due to excess calories! YEAH!!!

Shoe whore

2008-07-28T07:52:00.005+08:00

Or more specifically, a Mizuno addict.

I'm already my third pair. I went to RunningLab in the hope of getting another Wave precision 8. Fortunately, they didn't stock them. Why fortunately? Because if they had, then I would not have discovered a totally awesome running store in Peninsula Plaza. It goes by the name of Feder Sports: Running Specialist. Walls of Asics, New Balance, Saucony and most important, Mizuno, line the inside perimeter of the store. I could have sworn I was in heaven.

The Mizuno rack was displayed prominently near the mouth of the store. I eyed the blue Wave Precision 8, thinking that it would greatly compliment the red one that I'm currently using. Then my eye wandered to the sight of a very familiar thing on the same shelf, but I just couldn't recall what it was. Ever get one of those awkward moments where you meet people on the street and they greet you by name, but you just can't put a finger on the person's name so you just respond with a 'Hey, you!'? Yeap, same situation here.

Then I remembered. Wave Precision 9. I couldn't believe it. How is it possible that it has already arrived in Singapore? I told myself that it's gotta be a fake. Upon, further inspection though, I realised it really was the real deal. Queried the shop-keeper and after the mandatory haggling, he lowered the price to $115. Needless to say, I took it. I then browsed through the Saucony line, looking for the Grid Kilinney. Sadly, they didn't have it. I then, paid up, took my shoes and left the store, but not before a long and hearty chat with the shopkeeper about last year's Wave Run, the rigidity of Saucony shoes and it's history (He told me Saucony pioneers were originally from Asics) and the pathetic shoe selection that RunningLab has.

Mizuno Wave Rider 9
Mizuno Wave Precision 8
Mizuno Wave Precision 9
All together now!

Mizuno Wave Run 2008

2008-07-27T16:54:00.002+08:00

Last year's event was a complete fiasco, a combination of a bad running route (2 choke-points), lazy route marshals and a disgusting baggage storage system. All that, coupled with the fact that drizzles turned the Bedok Reservoir part of the route into a wet and muddy swamp, made for a bad race experience.

I was hesitant about joining this race again this year, but I just signed up because the venue is just a 10 min walk from my home. I can safely say that the organizers have redeemed themselves. They changed the route, so instead of exiting TP via the gates facing the reservoir, we exited through the gates near the street soccer courts and turned left to run the perimeter of the polytechnic before going u-turning into the asphalt section of the reservoir. Things were pretty tight during the first 7 minutes, probably due to the narrow path. I saw other runners spilling into the adjacent road and thought I would be better off running there than on this narrow path I was on.

There were only 2 waterpoints along the whole route, not that it mattered to me because it was only a 10k. I loved the 2 groups of cheerleaders from ACJC that were there to spur us on. Yummy.

So I got two Sub-1 10Ks already. I should start training for a sub-50. =D

Dualtone rehearsal

2008-07-23T07:32:00.004+08:00

Show on Friday @ NTU. Pics of rehearsal space on Sunday.

Gorgeous building Kinda has a warehouse vibe Mine Effendi's Acoustic amp and 5 piece drum set (we never use them) Mixer
Due to the lack of amps, we just plugged direct into the mixer board. EQ-ing the direct guitar's signal was tedious, but apparently Effendi has magic hands that can transform the most nasal, thin and compressed sounding guitar sound into a more open and bigger sounding guitar.

SCSM 2008

2008-07-22T15:39:00.005+08:00

Should I even think about it? My previous year's half-marathon attempt was torture, to say the least. The hard part wasn't the 21.1km I did on 3rd December 2007. No, it was far from it. It was the 4 months of shit that I put my body through to prepare for that singular attempt on 3rd December. During the training, there were moments of pure, unadulterated ecstacy, the kind of high you wish would never cease. For ever peak, there are obviously valleys and in my case they came in the form of moments of dread and self-doubt, and the ever lingering question, "Why the fuck am I doing this?"

'Why the fuck am I doing this?' I asked myself that so many times, but I couldn't find the answer. I guess that question can be thrown and locked in the same vault as questions like 'What is the meaning of life?', reserved for god to answer come judgement day. I remember having a break-down just 3 weeks before the race. During one the tempo runs, I just stopped. I walked over to the distance marker and sat on it, head between my thighs, and silently wept. The pain was unbearable.

Should I put myself through hell again?
Hmm.. Well, why not? =D

Mizuno Wave Run 2008

2008-07-20T23:50:00.003+08:00

Thanks to Brokie, I get to run the MWR 2008. She mailed the receipts straight away after receiving them on Friday. The receipts arrived on Saturday and I immediately went to collect the race pack at *scape.

Awesome number Oversized shoe bag Back of the shirt Front right breast logo I find that Mizuno running singlets have the best cutting compared to FBT, adidas and brooks.

I need new running shoes

2008-07-19T23:40:00.003+08:00

My Mizuno Precision 8's have been serving me well so far. I absolutely adore it's low ride height and the racer-like lightweight properties that it exhibits. Cursed with a supinator's feet (high-arched), I needed more cushioning than a neutral or mild/heavy pronator's feet. However, my light body weight meant that I did not require much cushioning to begin with. The Mizuno Wave Precision 8's provided the just the right amount of cushioning. Also, due to it's light weight, I can effortlessly floor it if someone tries to engage in a friendly mid-run race with me. Hur hur..

Just recently, my Mizuno Wave Precision 8's has just breached the 800km mark. I would need to get a new running shoe asap. I would probably be getting another Wave Precision 8, or maybe something similar to the characteristic that the Wave Precision 8 has. And if money permits, I won't mind blowing it on a racer. Saucony's Grid Kilkenny XC2 looks so fucking yummy!

Urgh..

2008-07-17T09:20:00.003+08:00

Just fucking great. My habit of not checking my emails regularly could just lead to a race disqualification. I hope Brokie snail mails the receipts to me in time. Shit.

Left calf feels ok

2008-07-15T08:10:00.003+08:00

I agreed to meet up with Wen Bao at 8am at SP's track. In typical 'janji Melayu' fashion, he arrived at 9. Don't ask how a Chinese could inherit this 'janji Melayu' disease. While waiting for his fat ass to arrive, I did some core exercises and ogled at two dragonboat chicks going through their repertoire of push-ups and sit-ups in between sets. Girls with muscles are hot. Geeky girls with muscles are sizzling.

I did 16 laps on lane 8. Wen Bao did 2, only because the southside of his right foot was cut up as a result of the friction between that area and the shoe due to him wearing too low a sock. My left calf felt good during the run, but most importantly it felt normal after it. I'm so glad I rested, albeit with much conflict with my inner competitive side.

Injury

2008-07-11T00:02:00.004+08:00

Running and cycling are as different as day and night. They require the use of different types of muscles and burn different amounts of calories for the same time period of activity. That being said, your ability to run 15km with normal to minimal effort doesn't mean that you'll be able to come out of a 15km bike ride unscathed.

Now I'm left with the undesired effects of over-training: Injury. The nagging pain in my left calf hinders me from clocking my running mileage. I only managed a 9.3km run on the treadmill in school this week. The run felt great, but it made walking a nightmare after that. And apparently the gym had a no sweating rule too. Wow. Stick your ass in a treadmill for 50 minutes and try to stop yourself from perspiring.

I hope the injury clears up by Sunday. I'm gonna stop running until then to let everything heal. If this injury takes a downward spiral, I'll stop running altogether and bulk up to get the 20 inch biceps that running would not allow me to have. Hah.

Everything, All at once

2008-07-04T00:29:00.005+08:00

After 2 pussy-less years, I finally got someone to call 'dear'. Things should have gone smoothly, and we would be married after 5 years of courtship, with a house and 4 children to call our own. But no, life would never let me off easy. Instead, it threw me a 15 year old teen. She falls in love with me, and then tells me so. What is a hot-blooded 17 year old guy to do? I was torn between conscience and the need to satisfy my insatiable horniness. And if that wasn't enough, life mortared yet another girl at me. A brash, rude, boyish but strangely attractive girl whose age would have deemed me a peadophile right away. I liked her, but I knew that there was no way in hell we could be together. 5 year differences are acceptable in adult courtship but in my opinion, it is not during teenage courtship. Still, that didn't stop me from spending time with her.

The time spent watching movies with 15-year-old-teen and teaching guitar to brash-rude-and-boyish drove me further and further away from dear. My mind got deeply engrossed with thoughts about fucking the other two that I didn't realise the awesome girl that I already have. Needless to say, she left me. Then, like a Shakesperean tragedy, 15-year-old teen vanished and not long after, brash-rude-and-boyish left for Vietnam. I lost everything, all at once.

I don't understand why life had to give me 2 pussy-less years before handing me 3 girls. Why couldn't they be spread out over the 2 years? The need for a 2 year hiatus? I have no fucking clue.

And if its not about girls, it's about bands. I was band-less since Oct 08. And now, I'm in 3 bands already. And there's also a jamming improv try-out see-what-you-can-add-to-make-the-sound bigger thingy with the Dualtone girl. I have no idea if I'm going for that one. I'm tired. I have no money for Sunday's jamming with Sal's band. I'm hungry. My throat hurts from downing soft drinks. I realise I'm still in love with Tiara. I'm so fucking sleepy. I'm not going to school tomorrow. I wanna play XBOX 360 and guitar for the whole fucking day!

FYP 5

2008-06-28T15:00:00.004+08:00

Finally got around to booking the PCB lab. The pcb artwork. Wah 9 packets!! Wah!!PCB before UV exposure. Aligning the artwork. 5 minutes and 20 seconds in the miniature UV tanning booth, not a second more, not a second less. Then dump it in the etching solution. Awesome!! But then, the pcb 'developing' process took too long. It only ate away 1/8 of the excess copper in 1/2 hour. Thus, we couldn't carry on with the next step as I had another appointment to go to. We booked the lab whole of Monday afternoon, so hopefully, we can finish all the boards by the time the lab closes.

Great Singapore Sale

2008-06-24T09:03:00.002+08:00

Aibi had a promotion on dumbbells. I had to upgrade my current ones too. Perfect timing. Sony DSC-T2. U.P $520-ish? Bought it for $399. Nego-ed the guy to throw in an extra battery and a 2GB memory stick. Pretty fair considering my sis bought her DSLR from him too. Slide-out What? Only 4 buttons? How the hell am I going to access all the fea.. Relax.. It's touchscreen babeh!!

Taking calorie-counting a little too far

2008-06-19T23:13:00.004+08:00

Monologue from this morning

So 1/3 of the baguette should be 150 calories. And if I add 1/2 a can of Ayam Brand's Salmon Spread, the total calorie count would be 310. What if I add two tomatoes and a cup of celery into the mix? Would the calories from this DIY Subway-esque sandwich make up for the calories burnt after my 45 minutes of circuit training half an hour ago? Shit, maybe I should shred cheese on everything and pop it into the toaster. Hmm.. can't seem to find the nutritional guide anywh.. Ouh, here it is. Holy hell! 67 calories just for a slice of cheese?! Ah, but the protein content is pretty decent. Hmm a hard-boiled egg and mayo combo would settle nicely on top of.. Uh-uh no way.. Eggs, yes. But mayo is a straight-up no-no. But hard-boiled egg on it's own? Urgh.. Maybe I could go old -school and drench soy sause on.. OI! You're making a sandwich for fuck's sake! Ouh ya hor.. Lemme see what's else is in the fridge. Ah, coldslaw dressing. I wonder if it goes well with eggs. Last time I poured it over fried chicken, the resulting concoction was awesomely delicious. Ouh well, no harm trying I guess.

Saucony-100Plus Passion Run 2008 - Race Results

2008-06-09T13:12:00.004+08:00

http://www.singaporepassionrun.com/data08/results/MensJunior_10km.htm
I got 44th place out of a field of 198. Top 22%. I finally did sub 1 hour for 10km!
The actual distance was 11.6km, instead of 10km as stated. But I'll just take it as 10km.

FYP 4

2008-06-07T15:54:00.002+08:00

No, mrmisse didn't agree to sponsor the 3PDTs. Instead, he offered to sell it to us at 2/3 of the price. $10 a pop. Pricey, but they are dead reliable. I found an ebay store selling 15 pieces for USD60, but they're of the generic MIT type, not as reliable as the EHX ones mrmisse is offering us. Or should I just go the path of DPDT and a separate millennium bypass board. I haven't done the math of which is going to cost more, but going the path of DPDT is going to require additional pcb space, a small off-board thing with a 2n3906, a 10k resistor and an LED.

I completed the pcb artwork for the 7 effects already. Just waiting for T12 basement lab to open then we can start etching them.

FYP 3

2008-06-05T10:36:00.004+08:00

Big bag o' components. Me and momo thought it was a bag of dope when we went to collect it at the EEE store. I'm not sure if the correct components are there. Damn I should have ordered them myself instead of asking momo to do it. Certain components are missing. We have to get them on ebay because I don't trust the shops in Sim Lim.

I sent an email to mrmisse asking whether he could sponsor 3PDT switches for our group. Hopefully he agrees.

Saucony Passion Run 08 - Racepack

2008-06-02T14:15:00.003+08:00

Great.. Another neon green top..

Malice

2008-05-30T20:43:00.005+08:00

Taken from Tiara's blog:

i didnt get in to any of hte local university. NOT even teaching. Man. Well, thats the result of getting average grades. I'm happy for the rest of my friends who made it though. =) I guess God has something else planned for me. As long as I do well in the future is all that matters.

I'm no more angry or sad. Just thankful. Thats all.

No one can imagine my delight upon reading her post. It seems that the whore's finally getting what she deserves. Ouh yea sure God has something else planned for you, but none of it involves you being successful in life. It's probably more along the lines of letting your bf impregnate you and then getting abandoned by your ultra-conservative folks, leaving you homeless and with no one else to turn to except for your sorry excuse for a bf who got you into that shit anyway. And that's not even the worse case scenario. What if he leaves you? After all, given the circumstances, who wouldn't? Nobody stays in love with a hypocrite for very long. Plus, what's a good-looking guy doing with a scrap project like you? Sure, you looked stunning when I was ravaging your pussy in SunPlaza Park two years ago. But as I look at your current photos, I can't help but bletch at your increasing ugliness. And should your decline follow the y=3-x graph, you would reach your hideous trough about a year from now, about the same time that your Mr Wonderful would stick his ding-dong (you even gave pet names to penises yea, you horny fuck) into you and cum deep inside your used pussy. Just what Mr. Lee Boon Haw ordered huh? His former head prefect venturing into the world of single motherhood at a pathetic young age.

FYP 2

2008-05-29T20:37:00.004+08:00

My first error. I got too engrossed with getting the PCBs done that I totally ignored the components that were needed. As I was scanning through SP's online component store, I realised that they did not stock a couple of essential items. The PT2399 required for the delay, for example, was not available. So was the JRC4558, which i kinda expected. Same goes for the VTL5C2 needed for the tremolo. But what was surprising is that they also did not have the TL072. C'mon, you gotta at least have a general purpose dual op-amp in your inventory!

If not for RS Singapore, I would have panicked like a schoolgirl who's skirt got torn off when it got stuck in the train doors while she was rushing out. RS has got the 5C2, 072 and 4558 covered. But there was still the PT2399 missing!

By the sheer stroke of luck, I hit upon a source for them. Ebay. Upon further probing I also got sources for MN3007, should we wanna build a chorus too. Ok, so now the components are covered. However, I'm not too sure whether SP would reimburse me for ebay purchases. I think I'm gonna ask our supervisor tomorrow. I need to hand in the final budget to him anyway. I'm pushing for $700-$800. Hopefully the management would agree.

FYP

2008-05-26T18:33:00.002+08:00

So after 6 weeks of meddling with Linux and Red Hat, I decided that enough was enough. Screw this shit, I told myself. I'm gonna do something that I have at least some experience in. Something that I've been meaning to do but have only been able to complete small projects due to lack of time and capital for the resources. Something fun. Something totally unrelated to the boring and geeky world of aerospace. Something to do with guitar, or any instrument-level music device, and it's signal manipulation.

Bingo. I'll do guitar effects! But first I would have to convince my group and my supervisor. Persuading the former was easy. We all were dead desperate after 6 weeks of doing close to nothing anyway. Convincing the latter was surprisingly effortless too. He was very welcoming towards my idea. I dare say that he supported it too after I showed him some schematics, PCB artwork and pedals that I brought from home. He then asked me to write a formal proposal and a informal budget list, which I promptly handed in later in the afternoon.

If all goes well, we should be etching the 8 PCBs by next week and then populating the boards the following week.

Wednesdays

2008-05-22T21:27:00.006+08:00

I always look forward to Wednesdays. Just two hours of lessons at 10. Then, it's off to play.

Lumbered on the 'dread-mill' at 2pm. I hate those things, but between running under Singapore's hellish sun and running in the uncomfortably cold 20 deg C gym, I'd take the latter anytime.

Then I met Esther, Yusof and Mansur for volleyball at 330pm. I learned how to jump and spike the ball. I learned that Germaine's a freshie in DBAT and that she's got cuteness written all over her tiny frame.

Volleyball ended at 5.30pm. Yusof, Mansur and me went to the gym. I did some upper body work. I felt that I was beginning to neglect my core workouts. Ouh well, there's always another day for crunches and sit-ups and side bridges and flutter kicks. We went to the SP pool afterwards and contemplated about hitting the pool. We didn't, opting for a hot shower there instead.

Can't wait for next Wednesday!

DD-7

2008-05-18T17:27:00.006+08:00

Yesterday, I met Claire at Tampines Mrt. I asked her if she could buy me a set of acoustic strings and a capo earlier in the afternoon and surprisingly, she agreed. Today, I spent recording a guitar backing track to Frente's version of "Bizarre Love Triangle" which according to Claire, was for her vocal exam. I did three versions, one at 112bpm, another at 116bpm and finally one at 120bpm. It took me about 6 hours to do it. Ok no. It only took a measly 45 minutes. In between recording the different versions, I got engrossed with learning Kaki King's "Goby" and "Night after Sidewalk". Alternate tunings and slap harmonics have a quirky way of pushing my buttons I guess.

I had second, third and fourth thoughts about getting a DD-7. A part of me wanted to use the money to get new ss shoes, new clothes, new pickups for my tele, new haircut. But then the other part suddenly screamed, "Fuck it's got a 40 second looper!!". Hell, that was enough reason to get it. I came home from Ebenex a very happy man. Nevermind that I'll spend the next week starving in school because I blew my allowance on it. Nevermind that I'll have to skip gym because what's the use of pumping iron when you can't eat anything afterwards! Even though I've only had it for only 27 hours now, it probably has been stepped on the most number of times compared to the other pedals i have. I've got no regrets blowing $250 on it.

Volume Mod

2008-05-14T20:46:00.011+08:00

My tremolo pedal has a sickening issue. It boosts the volume significantly when engaged. In the vast plains of Utopia, a tremolo should not do that. At the waveform's peak, it should be unity volume. The idea of a volume mod to counter the issue cropped up. That way, I could expand the use of my tremolo, both as a normal 'unity volume' tremolo with the option of a 'clean boost' when the speed and depth knobs dailed to minimum and the volume pot adjusted to taste.

Circled in red is the output jack. I removed it first. The idea of a volume mod is to connect the circuit output to lug 1 of a pot, and then lug 2 of the pot to the output jack. Lug 3 and the ring of the output jack would be connected to the circuit's ground.
As usual, de-soldering was a pain in the ass. I should remind myself to get a de-soldering flux/wick soon, because my de-soldering pump is pretty much useless. Nevertheless, I soldiered on and finally removed the output jack.

Circled in red is where the cheap black plastic jack once was. Circled in yellow is a 100k pot. People normally use 5k pots for volume control, but I felt that using a 100k would bump my 'awesome quotient' a few steps higher. Circled in blue is a spare mono jack I ripped out from my failed dual-transistor fuzz circuit.
So I plugged my guitar in and turned on the pedal. Volume control did what it was supposed to do, but it did a little more too. It was also active when the pedal is bypassed!! I didn't know why it was doing that!! Could it be that I soldered the pot somewhere in the the middle of the circuit? Did I accidentally short out a pcb trace while soldering and de-soldering? Did the pedal's 'non true-bypass' nature contribute to this problem?

Then i figured out the reason. Either on or off, true-bypass or not, the last remaining thing before the output jack is the pot. So even if the effect is bypassed, the signal would still go through the pot. This means that although I was able to achieve unity volume when the tremolo is on, the signal level would reduce once I turn the effect off. A cut in volume when in 'engaged' mode would lead to the same thing in bypass mode. So, unity volume was never achieved in the end!! I just ruined the resale value of a $115 pedal!! Kudos to me!!