23.6.07


Birthdate-list-procrastinator
Man...i've really got to finish that birthdate list that i've always said that i'd do...i think it was last year that i decided to make a whole list of friends' and relatives' birthdays in chronological order, in order to better remember people's birthdays and to plan gift-buying and giving them well-wishes on time.

...Except that, while i've collected some numbers, the list is still incomplete and everything has yet to be collated.

So, i knew that Goat's birthday was this month but i forgot the exact date, and so to avoid potential embarrassment, i decided to wait for Jacyln or Kenneth or someone else to suggest an outing on "this weekend" (whenever that weekend was) to celebrate Goat's birthday which was coming up "next tuesday" or "next thursday" (or whatever that day was). And that way, i would remember his birthdate without having to admit that i had forgotten it AND misplaced THAT list in the first place.

But of course, that never happened, and instead, i found out yesterday - from Goat himself, no less - that his birthday had already PASSED. Turns out that there was no outing or whatever...maybe everyone was waiting for me to organise one.

So i didn't organise an outing...OR wish Goat happy birthday on time, because i'd been procrastinating with regards to the creation of the birthday list (Sorry Goat! It's all my fault!...oh and Happy Belated Birthday! :X). Creating the list was probably one of the "steps" i could've taken (as i'd mention in a previous post) to "further my life" a little when it seemed like there was nothing to do, and of course it's been one that i've avoided.

So i'm going to set a deadline...the end of july! Especially since September and October seem to be the most "active" period, somehow...i'll set reminders every saturday to get my ass off the floor and onto the workchair.

Let's see how it goes from there.
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22.6.07


Fantastic Four..beware!
Beware of Fantastic Four! I got dragged to watch the sequel today and it was like totally f*cked up...couldn't count the number of one-liners they had during the movie, but it was probably in the range of 10000000000000000000000000...

Well anyway, i'm sorry Marvel, but i've always liked the Spiderman and Street Fighter universe better. SO i shall advise anyone who hasn't watched Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer...DON'T watch it unless:

1. You like Jessica Alba (which isn't exactly the case for me)

2. You've followed the Fantastic Four story (which i don't..i haven't even read their comics OR watched the first movie yet)

3. You like one-liners ("Yeah! These one-liner heroes are cool!" and all that stuff)

So maybe i'm just biased against the Fantastic Four. In any case, i don't think i'll be watching Fantastic Four 3 if it ever comes out.
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16.6.07


What have i just done? When will i grow up?
It's been one of those days again...kinda like what i've had in the past...where you watch the television alone, read a few newspapers, and play a few rounds of single player computer games that are extremely uninteresting and monotonous, and yet you do it nevertheless because you are bored, lazy, no one asks you out and nothing else comes up.

And when you finally look at the clock again, you realise that it's already nearly midnight, and that you've totally wasted a whole day of your life doing things which don't even seem to have an imprint on your memory.

And then you put your face in your hands, and scream, silently.

What have i just done?

What have i been doing? How did the day end like this??

It's nearly the same kind of feeling that i had when i was a child...when i somehow managed to deprive myself of sleep because i was simply too lazy to even get up from my bed to brush my teeth...and yet i couldn't sleep until i had my teeth brushed.

It didn't just happen with brushing teeth...i've had the same experience with showering, with homework...when you realise that you've just been procrastinating your day away, you start to get so angry at your laziness, at how sad and hopeless you've become, and at how afraid and hesitant you are to take the only step forward that life has made available to you.

Except that this time, i don't know what, and where, that step is anymore. I'm procrastinating...but i don't know what it is that i'm avoiding. On days like this, life presents me with so many possible steps to take that in the end, there aren't any steps visible anymore.

And then i get so tired, and lazy, and scared, that i end up stepping back instead. Why bother starting a new activity, taking a new step forward, when i can play safe and take a sure step backwards?

Do i think that way...perhaps because of my damned persistant short-term thinking? Will i ever be able to see the pot of gold beyond the rainbow? Will i ever notice the steps behind me starting to crumble and disappear?

How am i going to survive when i'm finally out on my own, after university, and faced with a vast concrete "field" of steps leading to infinity, with no one to guide me to the end? Setting aside post-university life, my ORD is coming in four months' time, with around nine months after that filled with possibilities that only i, myself, have the power to make true. Shouldn't i then be scared of ORD-ing, instead of looking forward to it?

In a way, you become an adult when you hit 21. But i think that you only truly grow up when you're finally able to pick the right steps and take them, even if it's picking one from a few million. Without any guiding...any spoon-feeding.

A lot of people i know haven't grown up yet, based on that definition. They may be older and have stable incomes, but, without realising it, they're still dependant on another person to take charge of things that they should be responsible for themselves, to help them place their feet and keep them from taking a knowing step backward, whether it is their spouses, parents, bosses, assistants or teachers.

So the question is: When will i grow up? When will i start things on my own?

Anyway, i should try washing my face for now. Maybe it'll help me wake up a bit.
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10.6.07


Random.
Woah, i finally told her how i felt, and she actually replied positively! We had quite a few experiences together...

...and then i woke up.

It was all just a dream, but it had seemed so real that i just laid there for a minute after i had awoken, wondering which was real; the experiences i had in the dream or me sleeping in bed the entire time...It seemed so real, that the first thing i did after that one minute was to look at my handphone inbox to see if i really did receive (and send) those intimate smses that i had seen in the dream.

Oh but it's really quite amazing that a girl like her could be part of some "spirit dragon exorcising cult" and that her family owns a KFC branch...

Lol alrite that's just some totally random crap. >.<
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8.6.07


I...bought a guard duty.
Or is it sold? 'Cos when you're buying something, you're paying money, and not getting paid, right? Or could i assign "guard duty" a negative value on its price-tag? Or should guard duty be referred to more as a "part-time" job and less of a product?

Anyway, i'm not exactly doing tomorrow's saturday guard duty for the money, because money isn't exactly a concern at the moment...in fact i've always thought that i'd be the one PAYING other people to do guard duty for me, given my huge dislike for the time-wasting, sleep-depriving activity.

But this time, my friend in camp had some church camp thing where he's on the committee, and he only learnt that he was doing this saturday's guard duty today. He had asked everyone else in the company and was getting kinda desperate, so when he asked me to do it for him in exchange for cash, i agreed (we can't swap guard duties because his rank isn't high enough for him to do my normal guard commander duties).

I used to think that i wouldn't even do an extra guard duty even if you gave me 200 bucks, so in a way i suppose i've done someone a favour, and my friend certainly sees it that way.

But the truth is, i ended up agreeing to do his duty because i simply couldn't think of an excuse, at that time, to say no.

Was i just being nice? Or was i just stupid? Was i scared of losing his friendship? Or is it just because i'm still trying to please everyone?

My actions this afternoon (in agreeing to do the guard duty) remind me of that episode in "Welcome to the N.H.K.", where the main character is suddenly dragged into a mass suicide event but can't seem to get out of it...simply because he is too afraid to tell the others off and save himself. He keeps playing along, trying to please the rest, and he even gets into the "suicide mood" along with the others, eventually.

Am i the same? Am i that weak? The thing is, if i had lied on the spot and said that "Err...my family's booked seats to see Shrek 3 tomorrow night", i probably would't have been doing tomorrow's guard duty and probably wouldn't have minded, either. But instead, 10 seconds passed and i couldn't think of an excuse that wouldn't have seemed like i was lying through my teeth...and now here i am, preparing for my second saturday guard duty in 3 weeks.

Lol, i truly am a horrible person, aren't i.
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2.6.07


Christina Aguilera 'Live' in Singapore!
Christina Aguilera will stage her first-ever concert in Singapore at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 30, 2007...as part of her Back To Basics 2007 World Tour...

Anyone wanna go watch with me? Haha yah lah i'm not really a pop-ish type of guy but, hello people, this is C-H-R-I-S-T-I-N-A A-G-U-I-L-E-R-A we're talking about here. Plus i DO like her music. And she doesn't do dumbass remixes and no-talent rap pieces.

So...does anyone want to go watch the "Final Blockade to Black Rap and Latino Clubbing Culture" with me? Do tell me a.s.a.p.!! :):):)
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1.6.07


Oh my god! Pirate crackdown!
Hmm...well, it's been a pretty ok weekend, so far. There was a signal company cohesion thingee on wednesday, and i suppose i MIGHT count it as a day off from camp, although, according to Junming, what they did was actually to CUT our wednesday nights off...so we should be demanding compensation!!! Whahaha!

Oh, and i've finally gotten that IPPT gold award! Which means that i get a $200 bonus for the next pay-day..woohoo! Can't promise to treat everyone who asks though erps.

Today, i went down to the IT fair as well where i only bought DVD+Rs and casing..mainly because i didn't need much (besides the Sandisk 4GB thumbdrive..which was sold out!..I can't believe i didn't buy it at some outside shop just because i wanted to save $3 :\). Played mahjong for the first time in nearly a MONTH as well...and i lost pretty big. But my warm-up period is now over! If anyone still wants to win super big from me..too bad for you! Mwhahaha...sigh.0_o



Anyway, this morning i woke up to some really horrifying news..that Odex, a local anime distributer, has started to issue legal letters to people they believe are downloading anime fansubs!! And they are demanding the alleged downloaders "settle the issue" or face legal action!! (Page H2 of The Straits Times, Friday, June 1 2007)

I suppose Odex is right to do such a thing. Many anime downloaders are, after all, thieving off the good work of the original manga writers and the crew of the anime production team by watching anime without paying a cent.

But still, something about how they're going about doing things just doesn't sound right to me.


Firstly, the newspaper and the Odex spokesman didn't clarify: does the "fansubs" in question refer to ALL fansubbed anime out there, or just those that have been licensed by Odex or other distributors?

It's "common knowledge" to fansubbers (those who create the fansubs) and those who download anime that "it's perfectly alright" to sub and distribute an anime series until it has been licensed in America. Then, fansubbers are to cease distributing fansubs for that series, or they will then be labelled as REAL anime pirates. I'm not sure if Japan's legal system has changed, but well known fansubbers have kept to this sort of "Fansubbers Creed" (my own term for it...at least i think so) and have never gotten into any legal trouble.

So my question is, can i get into legal trouble if i download only unlicensed anime, and stay away from those that has been licensed in the USA...AND by Odex as well? In any case, i don't think Odex has the power to take legal action against people downloading unlicensed anime.

Secondly, downloading anime that's unlicensed is all well and good, and when i see Odex's list of licensed anime, nothing alarms me at all, because i don't have any plans to download any of those anime series which i don't have (in fact, i've bought quite a number of those Odex vcd boxes! 8 series-worth in fact, amounting to a few hundred dollars).

Except for one: Bleach. Let me paint the scenario for you: Bleach is currently at episode 127 in Japan, and every week, Dattebayo kindly subs and distributes the latest episode for all of us to watch. For free of course, so that probably makes Dattebayo a "deviant fansub group". 0_o Meanwhile, the Odex releases of Bleach haven't even reached episode 50 yet, and in accordance to the law, we're all supposed to wait while Odex takes their time burning those episodes into vcd format.

Some fansubbers have decided to interpret the "fansubbers creed" differently, and stop distribution of certain episodes of their fansubs ONLY when those episodes are released in dvd or vcd. Of course, Odex will probably take the more extreme view and say that when an anime series has been licensed, the WHOLE series becomes illegal for free downloading...including the episodes that have YET to be released on Japanese TV.

Is this truly correct? I get the feeling that Odex doesn't seem to understand that the internet was created to help us keep up with the rest of the world in terms of information...of ALL kinds, whether it's about knowing the latest soccer scores, the latest terrorist attack, the latest celebrity death, OR the latest happenings in Bleach.

"Go watch YouTube instead" isn't the complete solution, and i bet it isn't what Odex wants, too, because anime isn't exactly like music; a non-downloadable version of lower quality won't make a person go out and buy the vcd or dvd, because anime episodes are only watched once or twice, most of the time - not at all like music, where people play their favourite songs over and over. Thus, watching the anime in low quality on YouTube (which's supposedly legal) is NO DIFFERENT from watching it in avi format as a fansub (which's supposedly ILlegal); unless the person's an extremely great fan of the anime series, he probably WON'T buy the vcd or dvd once he's watched the episode in EITHER of the formats. Trust me, it really is the case.

SO, i think that the Odex team partially have themselves to blame for low earnings...because they really ARE slow, after all (not to mention that lots of their anime suck quite a bit..). If they wish to sell more of their vcds and dvds, they really should release them much earlier.

The Dattebayo fansub group (and almost every other fansub group out there for that matter), who, by the way, don't get paid a single cent for what they do, can release fansubs within a day after the episode is shown in Japan. Why can't Odex, who rake in the cash from vcd/dvd sales, even do it within a year after the final episode in their box? They don't have THAT many extra steps to take (especially once the first box for that series has been released). Is it perhaps because the later episodes have to be licensed first? If so, then why can't i download episode 127 and watch it at the same time as everyone else?

Finally, maybe it's because i'm pretty well-off compared to many others, but the reason why i download anime ISN'T to save money (the save-money motive was gone along with my music/game piracy ways when i started to EARN money). Rather, it is out of CONVENIENCE. There're quite a few good anime series that aren't available in video shops in Singapore. If the only way i could get a dvd for a particular anime series was to order it from America and pay a hefty delivery fee (and wait a long while too; stocks are limited, after all) - or maybe to fly to China and buy it with traditional chinese subtitles which i can't read to save my life! - i'd MUCH rather just download the anime...it would be ready, overnight.

Furthermore, the newer anime series aren't even OUT in dvds yet, and the process to licence it and release it in a dvd takes almost a YEAR. What am i supposed to do in the meantime? Unlike famous TV series, like Heroes, Lost and Friends, anime series don't get transfered to normal television in Singapore so easily, not to mention with just a few weeks' lag. Words just cannot describe how difficult it is to catch the anime series you want over here, even with cable television WITH extra, paid-for channels. One simple example, could you find Claymore and Lucky Star being shown on ANY of the television stations here in Singapore? What do you think?

Anime released on TV here in Singapore are also notorious for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Worse still, i remember lines for series like Samurai X and Slam Dunk were changed so much, that when i saw them on fansubs and mangas, the meanings were totally different. I remember wondering why those TV people couldn't just dump their pride aside and copy the subtitles from the fansubs wholesale. And Odex's spokesman said that focus groups couldn't find any differences in quality between fansubs and the dvd releases. Of course there isn't...now why doesn't he compare fansubs to vcds instead? And while he's at it, i hope he explains why Odex, the company with the money, is simply trying to match the unpaid fansubbers in terms of video quality, instead of trying to surpass them.

And before i forget to point out, price sometimes CAN be an inconvenience. Odex's spokesman, Stephen Sing, claimed that "even when Odex bundled three DVDs for a $9.90 trial offer, fans did not bite". To be honest, i think that that's a crap-ass statement. Firstly, what do they mean by a trial offer? Does that mean that those who paid for those dvds would have to return it? And were there really "fans"? Because i'd really like to know the TITLE of the bundled dvds. The honest truth is that the dvds ARE expensive, sometimes. The Project/Initial D dvds retail for around $12 to $15 per dvd..and the newest of series can cost nearly $20 per dvd. And each dvd contains...

...2 episodes. Wow. Really affordable. >.< To be fair to them, Odex has mainly released anime dvd sets like Gundam Seed Destiny, Monster and Full Metal Alchemist, that cost about $39 and which comes with 14 episodes. More affordable than Project D, and i even bought one. But prices can still be lowered, no matter what the Odex spokesman has said. There were 7 sets of high quality dvds, which included 138 episodes of Naruto, most of them non-fillers. Bluemax made those dvd sets and retailed them at around $50 for an average of 20 episodes per set. Slightly more worth the money compared to Odex's offerings, and i bought all 7 of those dvd sets for around $350.

As a suggestion (since ranting is quite pointless without at least one), i don't have the infrastructure required to start a project this big, but i certainly hope that Odex would look into it: an anime version of the iTunes store. It's for their own good too, because if they don't, then anime fansubbers might just make a deal with the copyright holders of the different anime series and go ahead without them. They could charge people to download anime fansubs (and different fansubbers could be assigned to different anime series - although that wouldn't make them a "fansub group" anymore...and those video files can no longer be called "fansubs" :|)...starting at, say around $4-5 per episode, which then gets cheaper by 50 cents for every year (or half a year) that it's been released, until it stops at $2 a pop.

It's something i learnt from Code Geass...which is by the way, an anime series: Resistances, which might just include "resistances to paying for fansubs", will lose most of their support from the non-extremists when a compromise is offered that allows those non-extremists a way to get what they want..somewhat..but without any risks involved. It would then be easier to define the pirates and extremists; those who do not embrace the new idea ARE the pirates (or are just poor...how sad can this world get). It'll also be easier to track down those downloading free anime when the number who's doing it is much fewer.

I think it's just that Odex is going about it the wrong way. By only adopting a hard-line stance with regards to anime piracy, painting themselves as the victims to the media, and THEN victimising others by taking legal action against them, it'll only result in a lot of hurt and pain for relatively innocent families; people who would have liked a compromise...if only one existed. Meanwhile, the gap between the anime distributers and the anime consumers as a whole will grow ever wider.

Odex should learn from the iTunes store and the music piracy scene. A hard-line approach COUPLED with a feasible compromise would go a long way to eliminating the rampant anime piracy that's been going on in Singapore (And music cds HAVE dropped further in price than before). It doesn't have to be anything like my idea, but if the anime online store really becomes a reality, i'd be really glad..and relieved.

And when that happens, as the person who brought the idea forward, i'll invite Odex or whoever's in charge of the store to come down to my place and charge me, at those rates, for every single fansub that i own.

And i will pay every single cent of it.
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About Me...


Gregory Ang
{♠gRêCkÖ♠}
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IN ADDITION, i am not liable for any damages if, after reading my posts, you start to go crazy/doubt God/feel depressed, OR if you decide to believe my supposed "facts" or listen to my advice or any advice written in this blog AT YOUR OWN RISK and end up getting screwed/fired from your job, etc.

HOWEVER, if you are aggrieved by something that i wrote in my blog - something that damages your reputation or whatever - please feel free to send an email (with your REASONS) to greckoboy@hotmail.com, and i'll edit my posts...ONCE i've read the email (please be warned that i don't read my emails THAT regularly).

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REMEMBER, it is YOUR duty to read all of the above, for i have already written a post to direct your attention here. And if you feel the disclaimer is not "properly defined" and/or not clear, then i'm very sorry, but i kinda thought that you had this thing called "common sense". I know you have common sense...you do, don't you?

Finally, sorry for all that self-protection crap...it was quite fun though LOL. Just enjoy reading lah! :)


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