Heaven's Hell Grounds

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

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WARNING: Before screaming, read the following first
Skip to the news section further below to skip the crap
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The following are the probable reasons that you might want to consider to scream for:

- Irregular/seldom update of the blog entries

- Old template

- Those irritating entry messages

- Unreasonable reasons for hating me

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SCREAM NOW
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Ugh, another three weeks and not a single entry. Months and still the template doesn't change. Those irritating pop-up messages... What am I doing?!?! Why does time abandon me?!?! Why am I even blaming time that doesn't even do anything?!?!

What the hell am I saying?

Let's try to make sense now. Since school closed, there hasn't been a single day when I could sit down and rest without having anything to do. Actually I have barely stayed at home for 3 hours straight without having to go out (except for night time that is). Pathetic isn't it? I have got to find time to do complete unfinished business, do my hobby and silence those homeworks.

To make it up to you readers, below is a compilation of some events that you might be interested in. For once I'm writing in a factual report style, so you can heave away the worry as there will be little crap. Ok ok, I should cut the crap now. Read on for the articles.

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Councillors' General Meeting
23 November 2004
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The gloom was still fogging around the air on that Tuesday morning when councillors started to arrive for the meeting. Even before the meeting started disaster has begun to strike. Due to a miscommunication of the actual meeting time the councillors started to arrive over a wide time range and had to stare at empty space for what seemed an eternity.

When the councillors did arrive, a quick glance could tell that the attendance was attrocious. A handful of the sec 2s were obviously AWOL and more than half of the sec 3s obviously skipped the meeting entirely/purposely. To heat up the situation was the mingling of the peer leaders, who also came upon the request of the DM. Basically they acted as catalysts for the production of inattentiveness.

Many stared at each other as the beginning of the meeting was much awaited for. Amazingly the president had no agenda for the meeting. I repeat: no agenda for the meeting. Impossible/improbable/impractical but this is the bitter fact caused by the excellent president. So for the first part of the meeting the Exco and the DM had to what they call 'bullshit' through till the second part came.

The second part was a much called for relief. The much anticipated Apprenticeship Program has finally been initiated and officially recognised as the official new grouping for the student council. The present councillors were split into their various departments, where they were briefed about their department, told about future projects, learnt of what are to be expected of them and started on a small task to start the ball rolling.

Even so some departments suffered boredom as their leading Exco did not have anything planned out. But what the hell, my department had one hell of a time as they learnt of the hidden things that I deal with and the advantages of being in my department, which included a sharing of some classified documents with them. Also we worked on next year's duty roster, previously seemed boring but the thought process I took with them spiced things up by a lot.

The meeting was cut short by the sudden request for the Exco by the DM to help prepare some documents for the open house. Unknowing to most students, this year's open house was doomed from the start with last-minute preparations and improper completion of work. I'll reveal more about the open house in the next article. The Exco ended up having to do some of the documents which the organising committee were originally supposed to do. At that point I couldn't help myself from silently giggling as I knew that things were being screwed up.

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School Open House
25 November 2004
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The morning began with me arriving at Jurong East Sports Complex, where a 'Choose your secondary school wisely' Seminar was going to be held. Preparations was being done 2 hours in advanced to make sure that everything would be fine.

Basically the whole event consisted of a lot of ushering, standing and waiting. Anotherwords: bullshit. That basically sums it up.

Fast forward to 12:30. The students from the sports complex returned to school to take over duties for the open house. Again, it was all boring duty work in the soaking rain, fitting the gloomy and rural atmosphere that enveloped the school.

Let me emphasize again the atrocity of the open house's failure. This year's visitor count was only around 530, with last year's count being around 1300 and the previous year's being more than 1500. Again, I couldn't help but laugh at the failure of others. What and why the failures are quite personal to me and classified for the school, so let's keep it to that.

All you have to know is the open house was screwed. And you folks heard it first right here from Seraphim Haven.

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Councillors' Outing
26 November 2004
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From the moment the idea of a council outing was thought out, everybody had the impression that it would be a complete failure. Up to the moment of arrival, everyone still had that mindset. Things did not look any brighter with the improper planning and ineffecient announcement of the outing.

But what a surprise it was for everyone who turned up! Despite the fact that people turned up at different times, the outing was a blast! It was a mystery as to what made it so much fun; was it the ball games, was it the chit-chats or was it just the good old fooling around? Well that did not matter as all had a good time that afternoon.

The outing started out simple, with some guys playing ball and the girls walking along the beach. Then it started to get aggressive as the councillors had a water bomb war. After that soaking experience, everyone got wild and wet as they ensured that everyone was in the water. Two guys escape the sea's wrath though, as they ran all the way to the other side of the beach to escape the swarm of councillors hell-bent on getting those two wet.

A lot happened in the waters of East Coast Park that afternoon, including a lot of gossipping, chatting and god-knows-what-else. There was the usual Battle of the Sexes as all of us played a lame variation of water polo all the way till sunset. To make it fair, some of the guys pretended to forget their gender for the game.

By the time we got out of the water, it was near 7:30. Changing took ages for both the guys and girls. When we came back, the heavenly smell of pizzas greeted us. Then it was a hell lot of chatting, yakking and giggling. Departure time was around 9:00 or so. But it wasn't straight home for most of us. Some went to McDonald's and some stayed at the beach.

ETA for home for most of us was at 00:00.

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Wll, I could still go on about the Prom Night, but that would bore most of you to death since it only concerned the graduating students. It wasn't that interesting anyway. I guess that's all for now. Till next time!

iisgHAN | 2:20 am| comment

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Thursday, November 11, 2004

For more than three weeks I have left this blog. Three long weeks deprived from writing something lame. Sure feels good to be back. Just for the record, I haven’t been doing sick things with The Sims 2, the previous entry is clearly an exaggeration. That is not to say that what was mentioned is not possible… Let’s not get creative here. Like I have said in the previous entry, I’ll be posting a new story, so here it is! Another attempt at human sentimentality, so bear with me. Guess what’s the guy’s profession, answer’s at the end.

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#04 – In the Face of Death – Imperfection
A fiction by Seraphim

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Prologue

Through the whistling of the wind I heard the voice of an angel. A voice so gentle and smooth, it was otherworldly. The voice sang out to me, singing the song of mercy. Never before had I doubted myself in the face of a woman, never had I questioned my actions. The merciful doubt angered me, almost to the point of frustration and utmost doubt. Yet my fingers pressed on, and the song was nothing more than an echo.

Chapter 1

The Monday blues hung heavily in the stuffy air-conditioned air of the bustling train. A new week, a new assignment. My client wanted the job done within a few days, like all the other clients. To kill the boredom, I flipped through the file given by my client. As usual, all details were in it. The assignment seemed to be similar as all the previous ones. Without much thought, I stuffed the file back in my briefcase as I approached my destination.

Outside, it was all blue. The constant dripping of the rain thudded against the roof as I made my way to the building. It was not the peak of the assignment yet, just a survey of the area, and the other… client. The whole thing seemed dull, having done the same thing over and over again for the past few years. Little did I know that it would be a whole new experience for me.

Chapter 2

Staring at my watch, it read twelve noon. Office workers started to rush out of the building, eager to escape the urban prison and satisfy their culinary desires. Person after person I stared, scanning for the person my client requested for. Then I saw her. Time itself seemed to slow down as she opened the door to reveal herself to me. There was a sudden aura emitting from the door to honour her exit. As she made her way out the door, all her aspects radiated to me. I gapingly scanned her slowly, foot first upwards. Her freshly polished high-heels gleamed as a spotlight for her slender calf. Further up, her skirt sufficiently covered her thighs until near her knee, but failed terribly to hide her shapely assets. Her office blouse gave her a sense of neatness, yet revealing her appealing inner aspects. She was not short of feminine pride, as hers needed no words to make them more cravingly attractive.

On her neck rests the most perfect face humanity could offer. Heads turned as she looked around, unknowingly swinging her hair gently like a flirting gesture. Her lips mocked the desires of men with a sly smile carved on them. But what topped it all off were her eyes – blue spheres constantly probing into the souls of those she laid her stare on. The only eyes that made me want to blurt out all my hidden intentions.

It was all breathtaking.

She was… perfect.

As the astonishment of her beauty slowly drained from me, awe gradually turned into panic. My assignment cannot be done with such a request! How could I do my job with someone who could make me shake like a little boy? Perhaps the only person ever to make me feel so. It was all but impossible. With all my might I wanted to call my client back and reject the assignment, but I already knew that it was not an option. In the chaos of my confusion, I turned back to ponder about the next day.

Chapter 3

I was not the usual calm and collective self like I always have been. In fact, I was even nervous – a feeling that was alien to me. Something about this woman intrigues me so much it hinders me from executing my assignment. It daunted onto me that there was no escape out of this one. My assignment had to be done, even at the cost of my interest.

Once again I made my way to that dreadful building, never eager for what was to come next. The wait for lunchtime was almost unbearable, seeming to stretch for eternity. When it came, I was not the least anxious. Slowly the occupants of the building filed out, leaving only a handful left behind. One of them was my prime target, the woman of my dreams. A thought occurred to me to enjoy my reward before it is due, but I quickly dismissed it, as I know I would get carried away.

From a distance I watched the woman make her way to her private eating spot. She seemed to like being alone after being enslaved by the demands of the corporate world. She has yet to know that I would be the one to free her from her shackles.

I approached her silently, not wanting her to even acknowledge my presence. Swiftly I entered the small, dark room and locked the door behind me. Oh what a sight it was, to watch her nibble at that croissant while staring out through the window at the other corporate slaves below. It surprised me at how she could mesmerize someone so effortlessly. As I snapped back to reality, I took out my instrument of finality, armed it and waited for the moment.

Chapter 4

I let the wait take as long as it could, waited for her to finish her food and finally face me. When she did turn, she was staring into the barrel of my gun, equipped with the best silencer money could buy. She immediately froze as fear paralyzed every fiber of her body.

Yet at that perfect moment of triumph I hesitated. An alien feeling rose through me that rendered my finger incapable of pulling the trigger. I looked at her watery eyes and I knew. For the first time in my life I felt mercy. A voice inside my head whispered at the immorality of my actions. How could I destroy something so beautiful, so perfect? Something that my body ached to own. I felt myself getting stiff as I played with some playful thoughts.

There I was at this controversial point, with the point of my gun at a point on her temple. To kill or not to kill, that is the question. I knew my time was running out, and I had to do what I had come for.

So I pulled the trigger.

My heart shattered as I watched her fall, but it did not seem to satisfy me. I pulled the trigger again, and again, and again, as though ensuring her death would delete the wrongness of killing something so beautiful. This single death overwhelmed me. A tear rolled down my cheek as my emotions spilled over. As I walk away from the scene of tragedy, all thoughts slowly died away like the death that just occurred.

It would be just another day in the life of an assassin.

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Phew, that was a tough one. Hope all of you enjoyed it. I would probably be posting more fiction soon, but I need some topics to work on. So just say something in the tagboard! I know I said that I’ll change the template after the exams, but I’m kinda busy, so it will take some time. To end it off, let me wish all of you a Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya!

iisgHAN | 3:28 pm| comment

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Sunday, October 10, 2004

Another age has passed, fellow readers, and the time has come for another update. Today, I'm going to start a new feature of this blog called "The SIMologies". I guess you're wondering why the lame name and stuff, so let me explain.

Around 7++ years ago, a revolutionary people simulation game called The Sims was released. Since the game's popular release, seven consecutive successful expansions were released. Yes folks, SEVEN!!! Talk about crazy! Then after an age, the producers finally released its sequel, The Sims 2, sometime in the middle of our exams. Now that the exams are almost over, and I have not the patience, I laid my hands on a copy of that devilishly addictive game.

So the Sims is about playing out every aspects of people's lives and stuff like that. For full game review, check out sites like gamespy.com. Well, I was out of ideas for blog entries, then I though up of writing soap operas of the lives of the Sims that I play, and voila! A new blog feature is born!

Okay, enough with the boring talk. Let's start off the feature with the life of an interesting character.

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#01 - The Sims 2 - The Life of a Sim Playboy

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The day starts off fresh, with the background story as follows. The Sim, Don, has proposed to a girl from his neighbourhood, Cassandra. Being a playboy, he has two other lovers whom he still dates. Despite being torn apart between being loyal to his fiancee and living out his life as a playboy, Don still feels carefree. I mean hey, he's a playboy. What do you expect?

It was a beautiful summer day in Pleasantview, the neighbourhood in which Don has been living all his life. Me, as the player who acts like God in the game, has just given Don 1 000 000 Simoleons (the game's currency) and renovated his front lawn to include a swimming pool and an outdoor restaurant complete with a buffet table, a chef, a bar and even its own bartender. A playboy Sim has got to party you know.

Don has just came home from work, as a medical officer or something. Surprising eh? Considering he's a playboy. Well fret not, I'll probably make him work in the military. Don went over to the phone to subscribe to some services; the maid, the gardener, the chef and the bartender. While waiting for them to come over and do his house, Don went to pump some iron on his new weightlifting machine which I had just conjured from thin air in front of him. He needs to look suave to impress the girls you know.

After the chef filled the buffet, our dear Don went to dig in. That was when he noticed the maid cleaning his toilet through the window. Oh! Those hair! Those eyes! That sexy blouse! How can Don resist the presence of a woman in his very own house?! The chef's masterpiece became nothing but a pulp as he gukped his food to greet the new babe. Oh, their union in the toilet was sweet! Don greeted her like all the other girls, straight with a deep smooch to the lips.

Just that one kiss was all it took to win the heart of the maid. Well, me, being the sick player I am, left their desires run wild. The Sim couple were groping and smooching in the living room (with the workout video on the large screen TV, also conjured by me). They were oblivious to the presence of the bartender beside them, offering drinks and feeling left out. He wanted to join in the kissing (yes readers, there can be homosexuality in the game, beware) but with my godly powers I willed him to return to his bar.

So began the affair between Don and the maid. Both of them couldn't think of anything else that afternoon other than each other. At night, I sent Don to town to get some fresh air and get that maid out of his head. But alas, there he met a young girl whom he put his charm on. After saving him from being a pedofile, I sent him home to sleep with some sweet dreams in his mind.

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Thus the tale of the sick Sim. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I'm reverting back to the previous fictions for the next entry, so look out for it!

iisgHAN | 7:15 pm| comment

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Tuesday, October 05, 2004

The Battle of Life’s Endeavor

Onward thou shalt march to war!
To where the battle is fought on plains of white
Thou shalt scar the battlegrounds with might

Thy armor is but the plating of labor
Polished by the skills that thou now harbor
Brandish thy sword with beauty and grace
To engrave the battle on thy enemy’s face

Fear not the wrath of the tenders of the plains
O, brave wielder of the Excalibur of blue
For your mastery shalt leave their efforts in vain
And be rewarded to fight for what is true
Onward thou shalt march to war!

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Ah, my latest works, my best piece yet. For those non-literature readers, the poem's a metaphorical writing about what else? The exams. Took me a few days to get the vocabulary straight, but voila! Look at my masterpiece! Do take a closer look to try to figure out the hidden meanings.

iisgHAN | 7:19 pm| comment

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Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Daily Schedule (before exams)

0530 - Wake up, press snooze
0535 - Where's that snooze button...
0540 - Farhan!!! Wake up!!!
0600 - Breakfast *flop* head in breakfast bowl
0615 - Zzzz....
0645 - Damn, gotta go school...
0700 - Darn, where's all the councillors?
0720 - Mari kita... zzz....

0730-1030 - School

1030 - Reccess!!! Errr.. yummy...

1100 - 1400 - School

1300 - Can't... open... eyes... Zzzz...
1400 - Woohoo! Another beat up session in class! So guys, who's the victim today?
1430 - Phew, that was fun

1500 - Finally home... Damn, more junk e-mails
1530 - Too tired.. to.. work... Zzz...
1800 - Shit, lots to do...
1815 - Scrub scrub scrub... la la la... *slip, kapow, OW*

1900 - Maths practice paper
2100 - I 1 2 5lp... +h15 15 b0r1ng...

2115 - Science practice paper
2300 - These papers are catalysts to the reaction that will bring me to bed...

2315 - Argh!!! What is this? More homework?!?!
2345 - Teachers don't know mercy...

0000 - *slurp slurp* Coffee... must... have... coffee...
0015 - Revise? What's that? New brand of coffee?
0100 - Zzzz...

0300 - No! No! The books are eating me! No! No!
0315 - The numbers are subtracting me!
0330 - The metre rule is whacking me!
0345 - Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!!! That BEARD!!!

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Ah, revision. Such a wonderful thing isn't it?

iisgHAN | 11:40 pm| comment

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Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Okay okay, you can be mad at me if you want to, I feel mad at myself myself. It's been two weeks since I updated this thing, too busy. You know, homework this revision that... Anyway, I'm quickly typing this before school so that there is a new entry up. I'll work on better ones when I get the time. (probably not soon)

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#04 - The Tale of the Undecided Tales: Fellowship
A fiction by Seraphim and friends

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The days went by as fast as the leaves fell onto the forest floor. Some time had passed since he found the One Wok of Ruling. During that time, he discovered some of the Wok's powers; to be able to control minor forest creatures and give himself some... controlled pleasure. I mean, hey, he was bored, so he tried to have fun with what else, himself.

After ages of staying alone in the forest with nothing to do, a loud bellowing of a horn was heard. Actually, it sounded as if the horn blew out a whining. Curious as to what made that strange sound, he went looking for the source of that noise.

What he found was the most queer thing that ever existed. He found a group of people, oddly matched and had the most curious characteristics. The one with the whining horn was a man with an outrageous beard, which seemed to be possessing motion of its own. The second was a knightly looking figure, but instead of a sword he wielded a large pencil and armoured with paper. His shield was but a large eraser. The third wasn't so apparently spotted, for she melted right into the shadows of the trees. When she finally stepped out of the shadows, she looked just like him; with the raven black complexion.

The man clad in hair stepped towards him. He opened his mouth to speak, which of course was hidden beneath the thick layers of hair, which made his voice seem to come from the hair itself. "Hear ye, hear ye, the Dark One of the forest. We from the distant lands have learnt of the reclaiming of the One Work of Ruling. Our ancient prophecy states, under section 407.11b paragraph 3 clause seven, that one who reclaims the One Wok of Ruling must bring it to the land of the Smelly Kitchen. With him will be his protectors, to make sure that he changes his underwear everyday.", declared the hair clad man.

Shoving the hairy one aside, the paper armoured knight cut him off. "Ah yes, where are our manners? Let me first introduce ourselves. I am the Voodoo Artist of the Square Table. The hairy one here is none other than the Bearded One. And our fair lady, or not so fair, is the DM of Wok. We are here to escort you to the land of the Smelly Kitchen, where you will return the Wok to where it truly belong."

"But I don't want to. It's mine! Mine alone! No one shall touch my little... precious...", he dragged. Cheerfully, the Voodoo Artist replied, "Oh, ok then. Guess we'll have our adventure elsewhere boys and girls!"

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Yes, it's true. I have lost my marbles. Comment on this one while I come up with another not so crappy entry.

iisgHAN | 6:37 am| comment

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Wednesday, September 08, 2004

Hmmm... Nothing creative popped up in my head lately, so for today I'll just be continuing some previous series. Anyway, what's with all of you not participating in the poll anyway? Do you guys know where it is or can't it be seen? If you can see it, just vote on it!!! How hard is it for me to get some response from you guys man?!

Anyway, now that the war for Heaven's Hell Grounds is over, the Seraphim are thinking of rebuilding the place into something new. (P.S.: For more info on what the hell the war is about, read entry 09Aug - 29Aug) It might take time for those heavenly creatures to rebuild this place, so don't count on a change of looks anytime soon.

Since the replies in the tagboard has been kinda positive, the fates look bright for our guy in the Tales of the Undecided Tales. I’ve decided to base it on my previous entry. So let's hope he doesn't face any more bad luck in today's episode, the longest yet. Also, I've included another '10 Reason...' feature in today's entry. Hope you guys enjoy reading!

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#03 - The Tale of the Undecided Tales: Reclaiming
A fiction by Seraphim and friends

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He had no dreams. No memory of things that passed haunted his unconsciousness. He had had a peaceful time drifting down the waters in his rejuvenating sleep. When he awoke, he was at a river bank, hidden amongst the lush greenery of the unknown foliage.

He got up to his feet feeling fresh and awake. The cool air and the rising sun told him that it was still early in the morning. Curious about his location, he started to wander in through the thick wilderness. It was strange that he felt neither hunger nor exhaustion. Perhaps he was dreaming after all. Perhaps none of the experience was real.

After some time walking, he found a small clearing in the middle of the forest. in the middle of it stood a tree stump, with a great many number of rings on it, signifying the tree's age. On it rests a most curious object. Out there, in the middle of the forest, he found of all things, a wok resting on the tree stump. He almost dropped to his knees laughing because of the ache in his stomach. Why in the world was a wok doing on the tree stump in the middle of the forest? Out of curiousity, and slight humour, he approached the tree stump to get a closer look.

Upon close inspection, he noticed that the tree stump had rough words inscribed on it. It said, "The One Wok of Ruling". Wonder what that is, he thought. Without much thought, he stretched out his hand to reach for the wok. It felt strange, peculiarly smooth. When he removed his hand, he found thick, black soot all over it. When he attempted to brush them off, they seem to spread across his skin. The rate the soot spread was alarming. The harder he tried to brush it off, the faster it spread. Ultimately, his whole body was covered in soot.

In the midst of his confusion, he suddenly calmed down. The covering of the soot brought not only a darker complexion, but it brought him knowledge on the wok’s past. In the blink of an eye he learnt that the wok was really the One Wok of Ruling that had the power to control the beings of the forest. After centuries, it has passed out of possession and knowledge, leaving it abandoned there until a destined one is fated to find it. Now that it has been found, who knows what tales will unfold for both the Wok and our hero.

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Spill it guys, it’s lame. It’s meant to be. I meant for it to be whacky, so it is. Anyway, I need suggestions on what happens next. Also, can you guys come up with a name for our guy here? It’s a little difficult to call him ‘him’. While you guys think about that, enjoy the next feature.

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Top Ten Reasons That Make You An Exco

10. You don’t have a life

09. You ask for a revolution, but you only show humiliation

08. You consist of nine people, though half turn up at any meeting

07. You start meeting late because you are late

06. You often converse with a certain dark phantom and emerge half an hour later without any idea what has been said

05. Your hobby is to screw up every event that you organize

04. You are led by someone that needs to be led

03. You will always be early for anything because only those after you are considered late

02. Your routine consists of getting stressed, getting sleepy and getting lost

01. You’re supposedly the best of the best *cough* worst *cough*

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iisgHAN | 8:29 pm| comment

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