Monday, August 1, 2011, 12:25 AM
FREEMASONRY
This would no doubt be an interesting topic to talk on, I feel. It is after all the society of secrets as opposed to what common non-freemasons would offer as a secret society. Once again, I must thank Dan Brown for his novels, for introducing me to many societies and knowlegde beyond myself. This really does make Dan Brown's novels more interesting than usual novels as the level of intensity and knowledge that it provides is really quite something. Although in some cases, some would critisize how the knowledge within his novels are often distorted, I still think that Dan Brown's really quite an awesome author for coming up with such intriguing plots that no doubt keeps your eyes glued as you read on and on.
Nor am I going to talk about the Illumnatis.
But I'm going to be talking about 'random' stuffs like my trip down to Hendon Camp on the 25th and watching Harry Potter 7 Part II on the 19th.
So all you readers would have already known that I received the letter to Hendon Camp for the Commando Vocational Assesment (an assumption that I'll base on another assumption that I know you readers quite well in real life.) on the 25th. It was a just last Monday in fact. I left home quite early in the morning as I was worried that I'll be late, but still I was late, for the assesment as Hendon Camp is located all the way in the East at Loyang. If Loyang doesn't make it seem clear to you how far it is for someone who lives in Choa Chu Kang, the nearest MRT is Tampiness. So I left home at about 6.00a.m. and reached Tampiness bus interchange at about 7.15a.m, initially believing that I would reach Hendon Camp in half an hour from then only to realised that I was wrong. I did no know where to alight from the bus despite knowing which bus to take as provided from the map attached in the letter from MINDEF, but took the initiative to asked the bus driver, and I was glad I eventually found Hendon Camp.
What was I was more glad was that what Felicia predicted had came true -- that the administration would drag and take up enough buffer time to dilute the fact that I was actually late. I had only managed to reach the Camp and joined in the queue of others who like me received the letter at about 8.05a.m. I was actually quite worried that I would some how be dismissed and 'disqualified' for the assesment for being late, but my worries were then proven to be unnecessary, also because many others came later than I did.
So basically, waiting took up much of the time at Hendon Camp as there was much administration work on the Commandos part, we waited for the interview, waited to move from stations to stations for the physical fitness 'test' and the eventual IQ and Personality test at the end of the day. Lunch was not too bad despite the noodles being kind of too oily IMO, and I left the campus feeling a bit sad cause I didn't perform as well I would want to in the fitness assesment. Still, the interview didn't seem to bad and I said my piece as I 'proclaimed' my interests in being a Commando as a NSMen, giving it a 4 out of 5 rating.
I could totally feel the pain of those who lives in the West and studies in the East, or anything likewise from that day onwards having experienced to ride a close to an hour train ride to and fro school and home. I was really quite exhausted at the end of the day, mainly from all the waiting and the likes. But my muscles were pretty sore from the physical assesment as well, which gave me the hint that I'm really below fitness level even now. Which suggests that I should attempt to at least maintain my fitness level at a healthy level while I mug as much as I can for Prelims and A Levels for health and eventually in preparation for NS.
Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part II was pretty awesome! All hail Potter and a shout out to all fellow Potterheads: Harry Potter will never die for it will always be living in our childhood memories/teenage times/adulthood! I mean seriously, Harry Potter the story itself appeals to not just children, it was a story that had an impact on everyone who read it regardless of your age then when you chose to pick up Rowling's book.
I enjoyed the movie more greatly that I did with Part I as Part I was really kind of dull, well it can be forgiven for the fact that it was meant for character development, which is almost entirely unnecessary for Potterheads who prolly knew Harry Potter like a (imaginary) friend that you have been with for about 10 years? Personally, I was glad to have picked up the series starting with Chamber of Secrets when I was Primary 2 or 3, having first saw Kirby, an old friend of mine, reading it during one morning assembly (and yes I do happen to have the scene in my mind still even after all these years).
I recall first asking him for his comments on the book, which he most definitely gave words of appraisal for and then before I knew it I was at the Popular Bookstore in Choa Chu Kang asking my father to buy me Chamber of Secrets. You might have realised that it's weird that I bought and read the 2nd book first before Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone for some), the fact is I recall that I didn't know which came first since I had little knowledge of Harry Potter then and I just happened to bought that book then. Some excuse.
Shortly after reading about half the book, I lost the book while I was playing in the playground in the void deck in the opposite block, I suppose a fellow Potterhead took it from me. And so it was sometime after that that I went to library to borrow and read the first 3 books of the series and then later to make purchase on the first day of its release, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", the 4th book of the installment. Then ever since then, every year in early July, I would be queueing up infront of the Popular Bookstore early in the morning to make purchase of the other installments of the by then most popular series globally. Then came, 'Order of Pheonix', 'The Half-Blood Prince' and lastly the 'Deathly Hallows' which I read and weep at the end of it.
There was almost never once which I don't come out of the cinemas feeling a tinge of disappointment from watching Harry Potter the movies for it never really met the actually expectations of a Potterhead after all the alterations that were made so that it would not be a 4-5 hours long or any longer movie. But I suppose it was granted that since Rowling had a say in it and she was fine with all of that modifications that were made, and that on the whole the story remained sensible and closely resembled the books it was alright. I guess I liked 'Chamber of Secrets', 'Prisoner of Azkaban', ''Half-Blood Prince' and the latest 'Deathly Hallows Part II' more than the rest, if I really have to make a choice. But I do not really have any preference over any of them since to some extent I still do feel disappointment over the lapse in storylines from the books. Then again, since when was any movie that was adapted from popular and not-so-popular novels and books 100% or even more than 80% the same?
Ultimately, I must really thank the actors of Harry Potter the Movies and all those that made it possible for it to be adapted in to films, for bringing me much entertainment and making my childhood complete and enforcing my spirit as a Potterhead (or the likes), especially Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson (*wink wink* Hermione~~ xDD)! Namely, the protagonists of the story, the ultimate Trio.
This would no doubt be an interesting topic to talk on, I feel. It is after all the society of secrets as opposed to what common non-freemasons would offer as a secret society. Once again, I must thank Dan Brown for his novels, for introducing me to many societies and knowlegde beyond myself. This really does make Dan Brown's novels more interesting than usual novels as the level of intensity and knowledge that it provides is really quite something. Although in some cases, some would critisize how the knowledge within his novels are often distorted, I still think that Dan Brown's really quite an awesome author for coming up with such intriguing plots that no doubt keeps your eyes glued as you read on and on.
Nor am I going to talk about the Illumnatis.
But I'm going to be talking about 'random' stuffs like my trip down to Hendon Camp on the 25th and watching Harry Potter 7 Part II on the 19th.
So all you readers would have already known that I received the letter to Hendon Camp for the Commando Vocational Assesment (an assumption that I'll base on another assumption that I know you readers quite well in real life.) on the 25th. It was a just last Monday in fact. I left home quite early in the morning as I was worried that I'll be late, but still I was late, for the assesment as Hendon Camp is located all the way in the East at Loyang. If Loyang doesn't make it seem clear to you how far it is for someone who lives in Choa Chu Kang, the nearest MRT is Tampiness. So I left home at about 6.00a.m. and reached Tampiness bus interchange at about 7.15a.m, initially believing that I would reach Hendon Camp in half an hour from then only to realised that I was wrong. I did no know where to alight from the bus despite knowing which bus to take as provided from the map attached in the letter from MINDEF, but took the initiative to asked the bus driver, and I was glad I eventually found Hendon Camp.
What was I was more glad was that what Felicia predicted had came true -- that the administration would drag and take up enough buffer time to dilute the fact that I was actually late. I had only managed to reach the Camp and joined in the queue of others who like me received the letter at about 8.05a.m. I was actually quite worried that I would some how be dismissed and 'disqualified' for the assesment for being late, but my worries were then proven to be unnecessary, also because many others came later than I did.
So basically, waiting took up much of the time at Hendon Camp as there was much administration work on the Commandos part, we waited for the interview, waited to move from stations to stations for the physical fitness 'test' and the eventual IQ and Personality test at the end of the day. Lunch was not too bad despite the noodles being kind of too oily IMO, and I left the campus feeling a bit sad cause I didn't perform as well I would want to in the fitness assesment. Still, the interview didn't seem to bad and I said my piece as I 'proclaimed' my interests in being a Commando as a NSMen, giving it a 4 out of 5 rating.
I could totally feel the pain of those who lives in the West and studies in the East, or anything likewise from that day onwards having experienced to ride a close to an hour train ride to and fro school and home. I was really quite exhausted at the end of the day, mainly from all the waiting and the likes. But my muscles were pretty sore from the physical assesment as well, which gave me the hint that I'm really below fitness level even now. Which suggests that I should attempt to at least maintain my fitness level at a healthy level while I mug as much as I can for Prelims and A Levels for health and eventually in preparation for NS.
Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part II was pretty awesome! All hail Potter and a shout out to all fellow Potterheads: Harry Potter will never die for it will always be living in our childhood memories/teenage times/adulthood! I mean seriously, Harry Potter the story itself appeals to not just children, it was a story that had an impact on everyone who read it regardless of your age then when you chose to pick up Rowling's book.
I enjoyed the movie more greatly that I did with Part I as Part I was really kind of dull, well it can be forgiven for the fact that it was meant for character development, which is almost entirely unnecessary for Potterheads who prolly knew Harry Potter like a (imaginary) friend that you have been with for about 10 years? Personally, I was glad to have picked up the series starting with Chamber of Secrets when I was Primary 2 or 3, having first saw Kirby, an old friend of mine, reading it during one morning assembly (and yes I do happen to have the scene in my mind still even after all these years).
I recall first asking him for his comments on the book, which he most definitely gave words of appraisal for and then before I knew it I was at the Popular Bookstore in Choa Chu Kang asking my father to buy me Chamber of Secrets. You might have realised that it's weird that I bought and read the 2nd book first before Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone for some), the fact is I recall that I didn't know which came first since I had little knowledge of Harry Potter then and I just happened to bought that book then. Some excuse.
Shortly after reading about half the book, I lost the book while I was playing in the playground in the void deck in the opposite block, I suppose a fellow Potterhead took it from me. And so it was sometime after that that I went to library to borrow and read the first 3 books of the series and then later to make purchase on the first day of its release, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", the 4th book of the installment. Then ever since then, every year in early July, I would be queueing up infront of the Popular Bookstore early in the morning to make purchase of the other installments of the by then most popular series globally. Then came, 'Order of Pheonix', 'The Half-Blood Prince' and lastly the 'Deathly Hallows' which I read and weep at the end of it.
There was almost never once which I don't come out of the cinemas feeling a tinge of disappointment from watching Harry Potter the movies for it never really met the actually expectations of a Potterhead after all the alterations that were made so that it would not be a 4-5 hours long or any longer movie. But I suppose it was granted that since Rowling had a say in it and she was fine with all of that modifications that were made, and that on the whole the story remained sensible and closely resembled the books it was alright. I guess I liked 'Chamber of Secrets', 'Prisoner of Azkaban', ''Half-Blood Prince' and the latest 'Deathly Hallows Part II' more than the rest, if I really have to make a choice. But I do not really have any preference over any of them since to some extent I still do feel disappointment over the lapse in storylines from the books. Then again, since when was any movie that was adapted from popular and not-so-popular novels and books 100% or even more than 80% the same?
Ultimately, I must really thank the actors of Harry Potter the Movies and all those that made it possible for it to be adapted in to films, for bringing me much entertainment and making my childhood complete and enforcing my spirit as a Potterhead (or the likes), especially Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson (*wink wink* Hermione~~ xDD)! Namely, the protagonists of the story, the ultimate Trio.
