Nyanko's Basket

Today's commute to and from work, based upon the readings from my bicycle's trip computer (times don't include waiting)...

To: 1.33 miles (2.14 km) in 8 min 42 sec at an average speed of 9.2 mph (14.8 kph), max speed of 15.6 mph (25.1 kph)
From: 1.6 miles (2.57 km) in 6 min 28 sec at an average speed of 15.1 mph (24.3 kph), max speed of 77.2 mph (124.2 kph)

...

Something is seriously wrong there. XD

In other news, I went shopping crazy today (buying an XBox 360, some games, a mousepad with 4 USB 2.0 ports and various software for myself from the company store), picked up my keyboard bag, had pho for dinner with itsacz at a nice Vietnamese restaurant that wasn't too expensive and was in the neighbourhood, Got some Things Done (not in the email sense, but in terms of work), and generally had a good day.

Oh, and I signed up for a free basic Korean class at work, which aims to introduce Korean culture, traditions and basic spoken language. They also have intermediate and advanced classes which cover areas like reading and writing (for the advanced class, I think the goal is to be able to read a Korean newspaper?), but.. yeah ^^;;; I hope I can get in, though, because places are limited...

And I'm very happy that a certain package got where it was supposed to, and glad that the person who got it felt better. ^_^

Master want a cuppa?

This idea will be interesting if it takes off, because it'll be the first anime-themed cafe in Singapore as far as I know. And a maid cafe certainly would appeal to a lot of people. :P

Airport rules 'costing musicians'

This article talks about how the tighter security for flights originating or landing in the UK has caused a great deal of hardship to musicians who are now being required to place their instruments in the cargo hold of the airplane. While some people may argue that cameramen and photographers have had to live with the same restrictions for years and have managed to adapt to it, I believe that's a red herring argument. The nature of the items being compared - camera lenses, bodies, equipment, etc. versus rare antique musical instruments - means that what works for the cameramen doesn't work for musicians. You can ask Canon (or Olympus, etc.) to replace a set of lenses that are fogged or cracked from being ill-treated (and yes, this does happen - it is painful to see your luggage being thrown onto the baggage cart when it's unloaded from the aircraft), but how can you possibly ask Stradivarius to make a new violin?

The View From the Top
The View From the Top: Redux

These two blog posts are about how someone quit WoW (World of Warcraft) and his insights and perspectives during the process, as well as the reasons why. I think it's pretty interesting to read, especially when he talks about how WoW (and online MMORPGs in general) are essentially a form of addiction. I feel it's the case that some people don't have enough self-control or self-will to know when to stop playing, but it's also true that the game companies (such as Blizzard and SOE) are also responsible by adding new content (scenarios, dungeons, instances, etc.) with corresponding rewards and making it difficult if not impossible to achieve unless a party spends their whole life playing the game. Even then, the rewards are illusory, because of how often the content is pushed out.

And in the end, what's the reward for all your hard work? Something that lasts maybe a week or two before it's replaced. As opposed to something more tangible, like buying a music CD for yourself, or working at a place you enjoy. Or even something intangible, like spending time together with your partner/spouse, going out with your friends and enjoying time instead of feeling that you have to rush back to log in, understanding yourself better, making the world a better place...